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

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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
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What happens when a literary agent decides to become the author she's spent her career championing for other people? Jennifer Herrera joins us to talk genre-hopping, feminine rage, and why her new witchy fantasy almost didn't happen.
Jennifer Herrera — literary agent at the David Black Agency and author of the thriller The Hunter — is back with something completely different: Siren Says, a Celtic-Welsh botanical fantasy about power, curses, and reclaiming your humanity. If you've ever wondered what agents actually do for writers (beyond "sell the book"), or you're hunting for your next romantasy pick with real teeth, this one's for you.
📚 Books Mentioned
Siren Says by Jennifer Herrera — Buy on Amazon | Fantasy / Romantasy (Celtic-Welsh mythology, botanical magic) |
The Hunter by Jennifer Herrera — Buy on Amazon | Thriller |
If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie — Buy on Amazon | Nonfiction / Mythology & Feminism |
Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross — Buy on Amazon | Fantasy Romance (Letters of Enchantment prequel) |
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle — Buy on Amazon | Classic Fantasy |
⏱️ Time Stamps
[00:00] Welcome & intro
[01:00] From philosophy grad school to literary agent
[02:00] Moving to NYC to break into publishing
[03:00]–[05:00] Why writing rarely pays the bills — and why that's okay
[06:00]–[08:00] The myth of the "debut author"
[09:00]–[10:00] Why thrillers feel easy and fantasy feels hard to write
[10:00] Elevator pitch for Siren Says
[11:00]–[13:00] The myth of Mis, power, and reclaiming humanity
[13:00]–[16:00] Romance, healthy relationships, and feminist themes in fantasy
[16:00]–[20:00] What writers should expect from a literary agent
[20:00]–[23:00] Networking, community, and building your author platform
[23:00]–[25:00] Marketing, selling vs. giving, and how author podcasts changed
[26:00]–[29:00] Book recs: If Women Rose Rooted, Wild Reverence, The Last Unicorn
[29:00]–[32:00] On aging, identity, and living an interesting life
[32:00] Where to find Jennifer online

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Ever wanted to try horror but didn't know where to start? This episode is your gentle on-ramp.
Bri from the Book Goose Substack joins the show to talk about building a book community from scratch — and brings three monster hunter reads perfect for horror-curious readers. If you love found-family adventure stories, a dash of romance, or eerie underground worlds but want something that won't keep you up at night, this episode is for you.
📚 Books Mentioned
A Fable for Hollow Creatures by R.R. Schaeffer — Buy on Amazon | Dark Fantasy/Horror | Releases Oct 27, 2026
(Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Horror/Fantasy, light Romance |
What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne — Buy on Amazon | Horror/Fantasy | Releases Oct 6, 2026
⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Welcome & intro
[00:01] Bri's blogging journey: from Blogger to horror blog to Substack
[00:07] Substack community & the ARC conversation
[00:09] Book Goose publication & upcoming virtual book club
[00:12] How Bri finds hidden-gem books to recommend
[00:16] Bookseller mindset & intro to today's trope
[00:17] Trope reveal: Monster Hunters
[00:17] Book 1: A Fable for Hollow Creatures
[00:19] Book 2: (Mostly) Human Resources
[00:21] Book 3: What Feeds Below
[00:24] Where to find Bri online & outro

CONNECT WITH BRI
https://bookgooseblog.substack.com/
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Pirates, mermaids, sea witches, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance — this episode has everything.
Leslie Vedder joins us to talk about The Siren's Kiss, a sapphic fantasy romance she describes as Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Little Mermaid, following a cursed pirate and a fierce mermaid who team up to take down ancient sea gods. We dig into her love of anime and manga, her upcoming graphic novel, and get five (okay, six) can't-miss pirate and fantasy-romance recommendations for your TBR.
📚 Books Mentioned
The Siren's Kiss by Leslie Vedder — Buy on Amazon | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy Romance / Sapphic / Pirates
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy / Romantasy / Pirates
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy / Sapphic / Pirates
The Devourer by Alison Ames — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy / Sapphic / Pirates
In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy Romance / Mermaids
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | YA Fantasy / Historical Piracy / Trans MC
A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames (bonus) — Buy on Amazon | Buy on Libro.fm | Search on Libby | Fantasy Romance

⏱️ Timestamps
[00:00] Welcome back Leslie Vedder
[00:30] What she's been up to since her debut trilogy
[01:00] Elevator pitch for The Siren's Kiss
[01:30] Sapphic pirates and badass female pirate captains
[02:00] Pirate history research and the reality behind the myth
[03:30] Anime and manga influence on her writing
[05:00] Upcoming sapphic Robin Hood graphic novel ⚠️ genre departure
[07:00] Book recommendations: pirates and mermaids
[10:30] Where to find Leslie online

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