When the world feels heavy, many of us look to books for distraction, inspiration, or reassurance. Today's guest has a unique spin on what she's seeking and would love Anne's help in figuring out how the types of reads she wants right now fit into her existing to-be-read (TBR) system.
Émilie Weidl lives in Wales, where she's taken a year off before starting her PhD. When she's not reading or volunteering, you'll likely find her out for a walk or a hike, exploring the beautiful country around her.
Émilie has always had a good grasp on her reading tastes, but lately she's found that the historical fiction she's always loved isn't working well for her. She's also having a hard time reading nonfiction because the topics she's been drawn to in the past feel harrowing right now. Plus, she's found that the TBR management system she's relied on for ages isn't work as well as it used to.
Émilie's looking for absolutely gut-wrenching books that will distract her from her real-world worries, and a system that will help her tee up books she'll really enjoy reading right now. Anne has ideas for Émilie, as you'll hear today.
Suggest gut-wrenching reads you think Émilie might enjoy and see the full list of titles discussed today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/473.
We always have exciting things on the horizon in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club, and right now is no exception. Next week, we're going to learn all about Commonplace Books: what they are, and how to keep one, also why you might want to. When you join the club, you get immediate access to this class and all of our past events, along with our 2025 Summer Reading Guide which is coming out in May. Join us for a month or longer and experience the reading buffet book club has to offer.
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1:00:46
Ep 472: Literary + Genre = match made in heaven
Finding highly discussable books for book clubs often feels like a full-time job, especially if you're a member of multiple long-standing book clubs like today's guest, Lara.
Today, Lara joins Anne to talk about her constant search for fiction that explores the human condition in all its messy glory. She loves these sorts of books because they give her so much to talk about with her fellow readers. Recently, Lara was listening to an episode of our podcast when she heard Anne mention her appreciation for books that are literary AND, as in literary novels that also bring in strong genre elements like romance or adventure or mystery. Lara's reaction was, Oh, me too.
In their conversation today, she and Anne talk more about books that are literary AND, and Anne recommends specific titles Lara may want to add to her TBR.
Find the full list of those titles and other links from today's show at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/472.
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56:55
Ep 471: Don't let perfectionism ruin your reading life
Over the past few years, today's guest has been on a journey of self-discovery. Florida reader Casey has been working on coming to terms with her perfectionism and along the way, she's been noticing what it means for her reading life.
Casey's noticed she tends to save highly anticipated books for later: some uncertain time down the road when circumstances make the timing at long last completely perfect to pick up that book she's really been wanting to read.
But Casey knows firsthand that our time is limited, and it is a certainty she'll run out of time to read everything she wants to. So, how to decide what should she read right now, and how can she prompt herself to actually read those books?
Today, she and Anne explore these readerly struggles, with special emphasis on finding backlist titles that are a little bit weird, a little bit whimsical, and that just might take Casey by surprise.
Find the list of titles mentioned today and leave your suggestions for Casey over on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/471.
Many of Patreon Community members enjoy the flexibility of Patreon, which lets them tune in to Bonus Episodes and other features on their own schedule. When you join us on Patreon, you'll get our weekly bonuses right in your podcast feed just like our Tuesday morning episodes, and all our live events are recorded so you can take part on your schedule. Patreon is also a tangible way to support everything we do here at What Should I Read Next?. Find out more and join us at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.
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1:07:42
Ep 470: Revisiting childhood favorites for a nostalgic reading project
Re-reading is a practice fits into every reader's life in a different way, and today's guest has embarked on a unique reading challenge that brings a fresh perspective to her re-reading.
Sarah Swarbrick joins Anne today from the outskirts of Sydney, Australia, to talk about the special project she's crafted in advance of her 53rd birthday. With her responsibilities shifting and her kids getting older, Sarah's finding more time for reading lately, and she's excited about having extra space to approach her books with a different kind of thoughtfulness and intention.
Sarah's decided to re-read a selection of her favorite books from childhood, and she's also trying to pair each childhood favorite with a more recent release. She's looking for books that have a lot to say to each other, that can really be in conversation with each other, and not just in the ways that are obvious on the surface. She and Anne discuss Sarah's project so far, and explore some unpaired re-reads to discover which new-to-her titles Sarah might enjoy matching with her long-standing favorites.
See the list of titles discussed today and leave your suggestions for Sarah on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/470.
Our What Should I Read Next Patreon community makes a very real difference in our ability to do the work we do: as a way to say thank you for that ongoing financial support, we share weekly bonus episodes and invite our community members to join us for special events, like our upcoming Summer Reading Guide live unboxing. Thanks to everyone who is already a part of our Patreon community, we are so appreciative. If you would like to come join us, get the details at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.
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57:30
Ep 469: Book Club is for discussing, discovering, and dissenting
Readers, we often receive questions from you about our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club and what actually goes on in our online reading community, and today's guest is here to help Anne take you behind the scenes! You may already know Ginger Horton, our MMD Book Club Community Manager, from her prior appearances here on the podcast or because you interact with her all the time in book club.
Today, Ginger and Anne dive into all things book club, like the nitty-gritty details of our approach to choosing the titles, which we have a finely honed philosophy for, to what kinds of books we hear that our readers love the most.
Along the way Anne and Ginger talk about specific books that really stand out to Ginger from her own book club experience over the years, plus some perks that our book club members enjoy, like access to our upcoming Summer Reading Guide and live unboxing experience.
Whether you're curious about book club or you're honestly not interested at all, we think you'll really enjoy today's conversation.
Find the titles and other resources mentioned today at our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/469.
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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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