What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads

Planning a trip to Puerto Rico and want something more enriching than tourist traps? Yes, you can do an island-wide indie book crawl!
Whether you are packing an empty tote bag for your next vacation or exploring the vibrant local scene from home, author and PEN International PR board member J.D. Estrada joins Laura on What to Read Next to deliver the ultimate guide to Puerto Rico’s thriving literary revival. From atmospheric shops tucked inside the historic cobblestone streets of Old San Juan to hidden coastal hubs, dark romance specialists, and lively mountain book festivals, discover the coolest indie book destinations across the island!
Puerto Rico Indie Bookshops & Spots to Add to Your Book Crawl:
Librería El Laberinto (Old San Juan) — An iconic, labyrinthine shop tucked in the heart of historic Old San Juan
The Bookmark (Santurce, Guaynabo & Hatillo) — A lively community hub known for launches and midnight release parties
El Bookstop (Santurce & Hormigueros) — Hyper-curated by book nerds with rotating indie stock (and available on Libro.fm!)
Casa Norberto (Plaza Las Américas & Río Piedras) — A bustling daily event powerhouse and a retro time-warp second location
Santuario & El Antiko (Bayamón) — Perfect day-trip stops right off the Tren Urbano, featuring coffee, music, and an exclusive romance bookshop
La Casita Books (Aguadilla Mall) — Western coast haven specializing in dark romance and indie reads
Apostrophe (Vega Baja) — Delicious matcha and great book selection
Island-Wide Crawl Gems: El Rincón del Lector (Camuy), Las Nuevecitas (Manatí), Tienda Ágape (Arecibo), El Candil (Ponce), and Serendipia (Barranquitas)

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Love millennial nostalgia? This episode is your backstage pass to the TV shows that shaped us—told through juicy, bingeable nonfiction.
I’m sharing my favorite millennial nonfiction reads—mostly oral histories—about The O.C., The West Wing, The Office, Disney Channel, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Simpsons era at FOX, The Vampire Diaries, and (of course) The Real Housewives. If you love pop culture deep dives, full-cast audiobooks, and comfort-listen vibes, this list is your new TBR starter pack.
📚 Books Mentioned
Welcome to The O.C.: The Oral History of The O.C. by Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage & Alan Sepinwall — Buy on Amazon | Pop Culture, TV, Oral History | Audio ✅
It’s (Almost) Always Sunny in Philadelphia by Kimberly Potts — Buy on Amazon | TV, Comedy, Oral History | Audio ✅
What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing by Melissa Fitzgerald & Mary McCormack — Buy on Amazon | TV, Politics, Oral History | Audio ✅
The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There by Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey — Buy on Amazon | Pop Culture, TV, Memoir | Audio ✅
Disney High by Ashley Spencer — Buy on Amazon | TV, Pop Culture, Industry | Audio ✅
Stupid TV, Be More Funny by Alan Siegel — Buy on Amazon | TV History, The Simpsons/FOX, Pop Culture | Audio ✅
I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries by Samantha Highfield — Buy on Amazon | TV, YA-adjacent, Oral History | Audio ✅
Not All Diamonds and Rosé by Dave Quinn — Buy on Amazon | Reality TV, Pop Culture, Oral History | Audio ✅

⏱️ Time Stamps

[00:00] Why nonfiction on audio just works
[01:00] The O.C. oral history & the era-defining soundtrack
[04:00] FX’s scrappy gamble → It’s Always Sunny origin story
[05:00] The West Wing as a comfort listen in messy politics
[06:45] My NYC office days → The Office BFFs is pure serotonin
[09:00] The Disney Channel machine (Bug Juice to Wizards)
[11:00] Simpsons/FOX golden age and comedy-first writers’ rooms
[12:30] Vampire Diaries casting + Twilight-era TV boom
[14:00] Housewives canon: feuds, lore, and Bravo world-building
[16:00] Outro + your TV nonfiction recs

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What if you could see every version of your life, including the one where your high school nemesis turns out to be the love of your life? Bridget Morrissey is back to talk about her dazzling new speculative sapphic romance.
Bridget returns to the show to dish on In What World. Two former theater-kid rivals reunite as adults to find their missing drama teacher and end up tumbling through alternate realities. We talk about how she plotted a multiverse romance, and how writing adult, YA, and cozy fantasy keeps her a full-time author. We also cover the state of sapphic romance in publishing right now and her witchy YA rom-coms, perfect for spooky season. Stick around for three speculative romance recs (plus a bonus sapphic mystery series) that are ideal for your library holds list or your next audiobook.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
📚 Books Mentioned
In What World by Bridget Morrissey — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Speculative Sapphic Romance, Enemies-to-Lovers, Second Chance | Audio ✅
Everything She Does Is Magic by Bridget Morrissey — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | YA Sapphic Romance, Witchy Cozy Fantasy | Audio ✅
I Put a Spell On You by Bridget Morrissey — Preorder on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | YA Sapphic Romance, Epistolary, Valentine's Day | Releases Jan 12, 2027
Seeing Other People by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Paranormal Romance, Grief, Romantic Comedy | Audio ✅
In Every Possible Way by Alicia Thompson — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Magical Realism Romance, Ireland Setting | Audio ✅
Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Sapphic Sci-Fi Romance, Multiverse, Found Family | Audio ✅
Love a Comeback by Ruthie Knox & Annie Mare — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Sapphic Cozy Mystery, Hollywood (TV Detectives #2; start with Big Name Fan) | Audio ✅
⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Welcome back, Bridget
[00:40] Writing adult, YA, and cozy fantasy under a pen name
[01:40] A day in the life of a full-time author
[03:30] Writing sapphic romance in 2026 and the publishing landscape
[06:50] The need for more sapphic stories
[08:00] Theater-kid love and a Spring Awakening story
[08:50] The pitch: In What World
[09:55] How Bridget plotted a multiverse romance
[11:50] Bridget's witchy YA rom-coms
[13:50] Rec: Seeing Other People
[15:05] Rec: In Every Possible Way
[15:55] Rec: Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon
[17:00] Bonus rec: the TV Detectives series
[18:00] Where to find Bridget

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This post was an original Subtack Live that aired on September 18, 2026.
Awards season has landed — and the 2026 National Book Award (NBA) fiction longlist is stacked. Deedi Reads joins the pod to break it all down.
Deedi from the Deedi Reads Substack joins What to Read Next for a special crossover covering all ten titles on the 2026 National Book Award fiction longlist — from Marlon James's queer epic The Disappearers to Valeria Luiselli's Beginning Middle End. We also dig into the Hugo Awards, the biggest NBA snub of the year, and how to build a budget-friendly award-season TBR using your library
📚 Books Mentioned
Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Fantasy, Dark Academia, Horror |
Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction |
Red Ants by Kimberly Blaeser — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Short Stories, Horror
Dèy by Edwidge Danticat — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction |
Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You by Julián Delgado Lopera — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Magical Realism
Python's Kiss by Louise Erdrich — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Short Stories
The Disappearers by Marlon James — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Crime
Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction
Passengers by Alexander Maksik — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction |
The Renovation by Kenan Orhan — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction
Mad Eden by Morgan Thomas — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction |
The Song of Stork and Dromedary by Anjet Daanje (trans. from Dutch) — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Translated Literature

⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Intro — NBA fiction longlist collab with Deedi Reads
[00:01] Deedi's whirlwind NBA announcement week
[00:02] Reacting to Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo
[00:03] The full 2026 fiction longlist, read aloud
[00:04] Deedi's reads so far: Paradiso 17 & Beginning Middle End
[00:06] Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You — magical realism & Latin American lit
[00:08] Deedi's reading game plan — library holds, formats, timeline
[00:10] NBA after-party & free livestream info
[00:11] Balancing award reading with a fantasy-heavy TBR
[00:12] October fantasy lineup + finishing Sabaa Tahir's Empire
[00:14] Tease: Deedi's upcoming Divergent essay
[00:15] Hugo Awards recap — Alix E. Harrow & The Raven Scholar
[00:17] Nonfiction longlist picks + the year's biggest NBA snub (Tayari Jones's Kin)
[00:19] Translated literature longlist & The Song of Stork and Dromedary snub
[00:20] Wrap-up and sign-off

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This podcast originally aired March 2026
What happens when influencer culture, megachurch ambition, and algorithm-driven community collide?
This week, I’m joined by longtime friend and fellow early-podcaster Alli Hoff Kosik to talk about her debut novel, Too Blessed to Stress — a sharp, nuanced story about faith, friendship, ambition, and the very online world we’re all living in.
We talk about how her MFA journey led her here, why religion in fiction felt like a “risky” topic just a few years ago, and how influencer culture (hello Mormon wives and MomTok 👀) makes this story more relevant than ever. If you love messy friend groups, big institutions, powerful men, and complicated women trying to build something meaningful — this one is for you.
Bonus Book Recommendations
Check out my latest Substack episode with 2 additional bonus recommendations and my thoughts of the latest SLOMW episode drop of Season 5.
https://whattoreadnextpodcast.substack.com/p/books-like-mormon-wives
🕒 Timestamps
[00:00] Early podcast days & friendship origin story
[02:00] Alli’s MFA journey and first abandoned manuscript
[05:00] The Christian influencer rabbit hole
[07:30] Influencer monetization & megachurch power
[10:00] Religion, algorithms & modern politics
[14:00] Community after the pandemic
[21:30] Behind the Scenes podcast (BTS-TBTS)
[24:00] Book recommendations: cults, ambition & satire
[37:00] Where to find Alli & audiobook details
📚 Books Mentioned
Too Blessed to Stress by Alli Hoff Kosik — Book Club Fiction | Influencer Culture | Literary Fiction
Little One by Olivia Muenter — Cult Fiction | Dual Timeline | Psychological Drama
Paper Cut by Rachel Taff — Literary Fiction | Power & Family Dynamics
Tehrangeles by Porochista Khakpour — Satire | Reality TV Culture | Pandemic Fiction
Glossy by Marisa Meltzer — Nonfiction | Business Biography | Millennial CEO
Workhorse by Caroline Palmer — Literary Fiction | Publishing Industry | Ambitious Female Lead
Join the Conversation
Subscribe to our Substack for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com)
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Subscribe & leave a review!