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What Should I Read Next? is the show for every reader who has ever finished a book and faced the problem of not knowing what to read next. Each week, Anne Bogel, of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy, interviews a reader about the books they love, the books they hate, and the books they're reading now. Then, she makes recommendations about what to read next. The real purpose of the show is to help YOU find your next read. To learn more or apply to be on the show visit whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com.
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Each of Sonya Dutta Choudhury's three book clubs fills a unique space in her reading life, and today she's joining Anne to chat about her home library, what she's looking for in her books these days, and what she calls the DNA of book clubs. Sonya is a writer, journalist, and former banker who splits her time between Mumbai, India and the Himalayan…
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Ep 398: A reading life that shifts with the seasons
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After a satisfying summer of reading the twisty thrillers and entertaining books she really enjoys when the temperatures rise, Melanie Steimle is ready to discover some transitional books for the fall reading season. Melanie lives in Utah, where she enjoys cake decorating and her favorite adjacent bookish hobby: keeping close track of her reading i…
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Ep 397: The ingredients for a favorite read
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Today's conversation will whet your appetite for a good read, as Anne talks cookbooks and culinary reading with cookbook author and book lover Bri McKoy. In today's show, Anne and Bri talk about the art of reading and writing cookbooks and the kitchen lessons Bri's distilled into her new release, The Cook's Book. They also put a fresh spin on book …
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Ep 396: Dear Book Therapist + how bestseller lists are compiled (and why it matters)
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You're invited to experience a taste of our Patreon community! For today's episode, we've selected two recent bonus episodes that our patrons especially enjoyed, and bundled them together for you to hear. Our bonus episodes come in a variety of formats, and today you'll hear examples of two of these: first, we're sharing a recent Industry Insights …
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Ep 395: A little touch of magic never hurts
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Today's guest grew up with a deep love for science fiction and fantasy. While his reading tastes have broadened as an adult, he's still drawn to stories that come with a bit of magic. Sai Sion recently moved from New Orleans to Austin, Texas, where he enjoys his career as an actor and podcaster. He's found that reading helps him to make sense of wh…
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Ep 394: Our team's best books of summer
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In what's become a bit of a tradition, members of our team are pairing up on today's episode to share the summer reads we've loved this year and talk about what summer reading means to each of us. From the titles we haven't been able to stop thinking about to the tropes and trends of our summer reading picks, today's episode features nine of our te…
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Today Anne is joined in conversation with Shana Ferguson, a NYC-based stage manager with a particularly bookish concern: she doesn't often feel like a "real" reader. Of course, we think any kind of reader is a "real" reader, so Anne couldn't wait to encourage Shana on her personal reading journey. Shana loves her work backstage, and in her downtime…
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Ep 392: Insightful and entertaining memoirs
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Memoir is a well-loved genre for so many readers, and today Anne is joined by R. Eric Thomas to talk about the wise, sobering, hilarious, and heartbreaking sketches in his own works, as well as some of the memoirs they each love best. You may know R. Eric Thomas from his works Here For It or Congratulations, The Best is Over! (a 2023 Summer Reading…
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For many guests, picking three favorite reads is a struggle, but today's guest Annie McCloskey has a unique way of tracking her all-time favorites. Between her beloved book clubs and her well-stocked home library, Annie is quite happy with her reading life. She's been a long-time listener who's always wanted to be on the podcast and today that conv…
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Ep 390: Audiobooks for the longest flight of your life
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Today's guest has a big move on the horizon and is eager to find books that will ease that transition. Nadia Sussman has always lived in New Zealand, but this summer she's moving to Michigan to pursue a master's degree. Nadia's never been to the United States before, and she's eager for reading recommendations that will introduce her to her new com…
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Ep 389: Anne and Will’s European reading adventures
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A long-delayed family trip to Europe doubles as an opportunity to explore the literary landscape of three incredible destinations. Today, Anne and Will are here to tell you all about it. Anne, Will, and their kids recently returned from their visit to England, France, and Spain. In addition to sightseeing, they indulged in some deeply enjoyable lit…
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Ep 388: Books that take you off the beaten path
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If you've ever felt the weight of a to-be-read list, today's conversation may be just the permission slip your reading life needs. Today Anne's chatting with Chicago-based Daniel Evola. Daniel was an early reader who got a head start on the classics, and while he's still interested in reading a number of "must-read" books, lately he's been enjoying…
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Ep 387: Books that feel like a vacation for your brain
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Striking that perfect balance between "serious literature" and light reading can be tricky, and today Anne's talking all about it with guest Jake Sloofman. Jake, an arborist living in Brooklyn, NY, has big reading goals, but sometimes he feels stuck in between the heavy and light reads on his list. He'd love Anne's help to find both weighty literat…
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Diving into an unfamiliar genre is a great way to expand your reading identity, but it can also feel pretty intimidating. Today, Anne's here to help curious reader Caitlin Moran explore easy entry points for unfamiliar genres. Caitlin lives in the Pacific Northwest with her fiancé, where she enjoys reading along with her book club and finding new t…
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Today's guest has a standing interest in books that deliver a strong sense of atmosphere, and Anne's got some new recommendations to share. Corin Cook lives and works in Rhode Island, where she makes the most of New England's seasonal rhythms. When summer rolls around, she’s usually devouring books that help her experience the season more fully, an…
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Ep 384: Reading for pleasure, not productivity
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Today's guest grew up reading fiction for fun, but as she got older, she felt the pressure to read for work and self-improvement. Today, Effie Alofoje-Carr joins Anne to talk about finding her way back to the whimsical reads she loved when she was younger. As a Michigan-based mom & wife juggling a consulting career and a business, Effie doesn't wan…
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You may know Anne's favorite novels feature complicated family relationships, and today's guest, author Amy Jo Burns, shares Anne's appreciation for this particular type of story. You may know Amy from her novel Shiner and memoir Cinderland, both of which we've talked about on the show. Amy's also a dedicated reader, and her recommendations for sma…
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Ep 382: How your favorite books become shows and movies
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If you've ever wondered about the process of adapting books for the screen, you'll want to tune in to today's episode. Joining Anne on the show is Kat Ramsburg, who has what some might call a dream job: she reads YA books to decide which ones will translate beautifully to screen, and then works on forthcoming TV and film adaptations of these popula…
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Ep 381: Past and Present Summer Reading Guide favorites
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Even for dedicated readers, it can be tricky to find the right summer reading formula. Our Summer Reading Guide is here to help, and today Anne is talking all about summer reading with our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club community manager Ginger Horton. Ginger made her What Should I Read Next? debut in 2021 in Episode 283: Don't save the good stuff, and…
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Ep 380: Behind the Scenes of the Summer Reading Guide
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Our 12th annual Summer Reading Guide releases this week! We put so much time and effort into this big, big project. This year, we decided it would be fun to bring you along with us for a peek behind the scenes of how the guide gets created. Today’s narrative episode features a bunch of voice notes and actual conversations between members of our tea…
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Ep 379: An "impossible" travel reading project
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Today's guest loves to travel, and since she hasn't been doing quite as much of that in recent years, she's relied on books to take her to a wide range of destinations. Laurel Korwin is a wife, toddler mom, and software engineer who lives in San Francisco, and she's found her work in code overlaps nicely with her love of reading. While she reads a …
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Ep 378: (Mostly) YA books that surprise and stretch me
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Today's guest Michelle Acierno Loftus loves her work as a veterinary radiologist, but the demanding training that her career required meant that her reading life took a hit. These days, Michelle's found her way back to reading by embracing a genre she's always loved: Young Adult literature. These days Michelle lives in Seattle with her husband and …
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Today's guest loves collecting books she finds at library sales or used bookstores, and she's ended up with a shelf full of titles that have caught her eye over the years. But Kelsey Gruber has a problem: when she sees an unread title still sitting on her shelf after a few months or more, often, the magic is gone and she's forgotten why it appealed…
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If you loved Episode 369: State of the bookstore, you're in luck: we're back today with three more fabulous conversations with independent booksellers across the country. Today Anne is joined to talk all things books and reading with Andrea Griffith, owner of Browsers Bookshop in Olympia, Washington; owner Alison Frenzel and book buyer Elizabeth Ba…
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Ep 375: Short novels that contain whole worlds
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There’s something particularly enticing about a short book that delivers an incredible reading experience. Today's guest Vanessa A. Bee joins Anne to talk about short books that tell great stories in small packages. Vanessa is an author, mother, wife, and attorney who lives in Washington, DC. She recently released a memoir called Home Bound: An Upr…
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Ep 374: Gripping, page-turny narrative nonfiction
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Alberta-based Sarah Bramley knows what she likes when it comes to fiction, but lately she's been more and more intrigued by the nonfiction side of the bookstore. Sarah knows there's a ton of good stuff out there she'll enjoy, but she's not sure of her reading identity beyond the fiction she knows and loves. This makes it hard to know how to find th…
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Ep 373: Intentional steps for unlimited lifelong learning
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Two sisters with a lifelong love of reading join Anne to talk about the many ways books have framed their lives. Anne first met Laura Gerald-Simms and Ramona Gavin in 2019 at an event at Bookmarks NC, where their passion for reading led them to make a true bookish connection. Since then, they've stayed in touch, and Anne's excited to welcome them t…
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Ep 372: Books that change the way you see your city and your world
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Today's guest Jeff Speck is a familiar name around here! Anne's referred to his book Walkable City in a bunch of past podcast episodes, because it's a great example of how books can invite us to see and understand the world around us in a whole new way. We're excited to have Jeff on the show today to share more about his professional and writing ex…
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Every week, Anne does a little literary matchmaking with one guest, but today we're flipping the mic and helping Anne discover some books she just might love reading next. The last time we asked our listeners what Anne should read next was way back in 2017, so it's definitely time for another round of crowd-sourced reading recommendations. If you t…
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Ep 370: Books so nice you'll want to read them twice
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With so many books to choose from, committing to re-reading books you've already enjoyed can feel like a particular challenge. Today's guest, Rosalynn Tyo, deeply appreciates re-reading and wants to do more of it, but regularly finds herself distracted by new releases or unread titles. She's excited to get Anne's help with this bookish conundrum. R…
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Here at WSIRN HQ, we love a great independent bookstore, and it's always especially fun when an indie bookseller joins Anne to talk books and bookstore business. Today, the book party is bigger than ever: Anne is chatting with three booksellers all about what's happening in the bookstore world lately. Joining Anne today are Holland Saltsman, owner …
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Ep 368: Learning to trust your reading instincts
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What's a reader to do with a stack of book recommendations that have left her feeling dissatisfied? Today Anne is talking with Mollie Hedgecock (she/her) and sharing some ideas for how Mollie can discern which recommendations are right for her. Like many readers, most of Mollie's recommendations come from social media and her friends, but she's rea…
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Ep. 367: Books that check all your boxes + what should Anne read next?
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Today Anne is in conversation with Keren Form, a self-professed nerd, dedicated board gamer and a fan of fast-moving stories with big themes. This episode originally aired back in 2019 as Episode 193, Rolling the dice on your next read, and was selected by our Patreon community as a guest favorite to bring back this week. Plus, Anne is sharing an u…
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Ep. 366: Great books spur great conversations
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When authors and readers come together, it's always a good time, and today's episode is no exception. Today, we're sharing our recent Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club conversation with Brendan Slocumb, who joined us in January to discuss his musical thriller (and our January 2023 book club pick), The Violin Conspiracy. You might recognize Brendan from Ep…
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Ep 365: Pitch perfect endings and laugh-out-loud rom coms
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Today's guest has a superpower we've never heard before: she can smell a book and know whether it was published in the U.S. or the U.K.! London-based Claire Handscombe (she/her) spent a decade in Washington DC as a bookseller, a chapter she remembers fondly. These days, she's as much a book-lover as ever, but she's struggling with a common challeng…
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Ep 364: Great books you may have missed in 2022
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With so many books to choose from, it's easy to miss out on some stellar titles. Today, Anne is joined by Andrew Limbong (he/him) to talk about some of the best books you may have missed in 2022. When he's not reading, Andrew's a reporter for NPR's Culture Desk and host of their Book of the Day podcast, so he's no stranger to book-talk. Join Andrew…
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Ep 363: Fast-paced, plot-driven novels to get you reading again
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What do you do when you're used to reading dozens of books a year, but lately you've barely managed a handful of titles each year? Texas-based pilot and business owner Jada Graff (she/her) is here to get Anne's help in answering that question today, because her reading life has gotten way off course. In 2018 Jada stopped teaching English and donate…
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Knox McCoy and Jamie Golden from The Popcast join Anne to celebrate the 7th anniversary of What Should I Read Next! Since Anne started What Should I Read Next back in 2016, she's spoken to so many book lovers, from well-known authors to readers just like you. Today we'll look back at how it all began and how we got to where we are, recalling the ro…
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Choosing the best books of a year is always a fun challenge, so today we're flipping the focus and shining a light on Anne's reading life in 2022. In today’s episode, Anne's talking about a selection of the books she loved most in 2022, as well as the themes that showed up most often in her reading life over the past year. Join us as Will (Executiv…
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Ep 360: A high-stakes family reading competition
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When your family has a fierce annual reading competition, it's more important than ever to choose your books wisely! Today's guest, Courtney Haggerty, is here to talk about how her family reads together, and to get a jump-start on her 2023 to-be-read list. Courtney is a sports aficionado, Disney World superfan, and 3rd grade teacher in Louisville, …
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Ep 359: Making big reading goals a reality
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A new reading year is right around the corner, and today's episode is full of perspective to help you plan for your best reading year yet. Laura Vanderkam is a WSIRN alum and time management and productivity expert whose newest book, Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters was recently released. She's joining…
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Ep 358: Book-to-film adaptations and seasonal reading vibes
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Readers, we know many of you love to find the perfect books for each season, whether that's a summer beach read or a spooky fall novel. Today's guest is on the hunt for her winter reading vibe, which has eluded her so far, and Anne is here to help. Toronto-based Lara Bulger is a film aficionado and a dedicated reader, and particularly loves the swe…
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Anne is talking with beloved author Louise Penny in today's episode! Their conversation explores Penny's Inspector Gamache mystery series, the world of Three Pines, the upcoming television adaptation, and so much more. We know so many of you are avid Penny fans, and we are delighted to share today's chat. The 18th installment in Penny's Gamache ser…
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Today's guest loves a good mystery, but could do without the murder, and Anne is here to help! Gina House loves cozy, comforting books that are often set in whimsical places. She's not looking for suffering or struggle between the covers of her chosen reads, and she's excited to get Anne's suggestions for titles she hasn't discovered yet in her fav…
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Ep 355: Highly giftable picks for your favorite readers
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If you've got a book-lover on your holiday shopping list, get ready for an episode full of recommendations you can rely on. Every year, Anne and a special guest tackle listener requests for book recommendations, and it's always an episode that's guaranteed to add some fresh titles to your to-be-read list and your gift list. This year, Anne's talkin…
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When a devoted reader attends her very first literary festival, bookish delight is on the menu! Today Anne is in conversation with Christina McCormick. Christina reached out to us here at What Should I Read Next a few weeks before she planned to attend the Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors, because she wanted some encouragement and guidance on …
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Ep 353: Sad Girl Lit Fic and other burnout busters
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A registered nurse on the night shift is looking for ways to battle burnout and what it's done to her reading life, and Anne is here to help. We know so many of you have been impacted by the stress of the past few years, and Lexie Hayes is no exception. The last few years of working in healthcare have make it more crucial than ever for her to focus…
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Ep 352: Bookish gifts to delight kids and teens
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Finding the perfect titles for young readers can be tricky, so today we're answering your questions and suggesting books (and bookish gifts) for the kids and teens in your lives! Every year we ask our audience to write in with their requests for bookish gift recommendations, and Anne partners with another literary professional to share suggestions …
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Ep 351: Book Club Favorites: LIVE from Bookmarks!
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Four dynamic authors gathered to speak on a Book Club Favorites panel last month at the Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors—and Anne was the moderator! Their conversation went in wildly delightful directions, and we're so excited to share it with all of you today. Anne was thrilled when Festival chair Beth Buss (whose name you might recognize fro…
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An octogenarian world traveler and her book-loving daughter join Anne to discuss how reading continues to play a vital role in their relationship. Barbara Costner grew up in World War Two London before traveling and working around the world as an adult. Along with gardening, reading's always been one of her passions, and she made sure to cultivate …
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