What Should I Read Next?

Today's guest is facing a shift in her reading life now that she's an empty nester. Candice Brown-Murray lives in South Florida with her husband, children, and dogs. Her career in public relations keeps her very busy along with her hobbies like kayaking, travel, renovating a historic home, and of course, reading. Candice has always been a reader. She describes herself as a sucker for a good story, but she also struggles with finding enough time to read and dealing with real-life distractions—a challenge we hear from so many readers. Today, Anne and Candice explore what's happening with Candice's reading life lately, and also dive into discussion about her love affair with a specific author. Find the list of titles mentioned today and leave your recommendations for Candice on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/493. modernmrsdarcy.com/fbp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love fielding very specific readerly requests that will also appeal to a wide range of readers, and today's episode is just that. Lynn Bain describers herself as an accidental entrepreneur. While she loves to read a wide range of genres and styles, she's here today to get Anne's help in identifying good business books to read alongside her beloved stack of fiction. Lynn's tried a bunch of business books and found they haven't worked out well for her. But Lynn is also confident that there are good titles out there and she would love to find them, because she knows they will really benefit her, personally and professionally. She and Anne explore this today and Anne makes recommendations that fit this particular section of Lynn's reading life. If you have ideas for Lynn, please share those by leaving a comment on our ​show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/492​. That's where you'll also find the list of titles discussed in today's episode. Our Fall Book Preview is right around the corner! This signature event includes our live unboxing party on Thursday, September 18th, and our 12-page digital booklet featuring the selected titles. It's always a great time. Enjoy this event and access our library of bonus episodes and past previews by joining our Patreon community. Find out more at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're sharing Part 2 of our summer superlatives episode, featuring four more of our team members talking about the books they've loved most this season. Our executive producer Will Bogel joins Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club Community Manager Ginger Horton to talk about their favorite summer reads. Then, you'll hear from Modern Mrs Darcy Editor and Social Media Manager Leigh Kramer and What Should I Read Next Media Production Specialist Holly Wielkoszewski. Today's picks feature our team members and their wide-ranging preferences: romance to sci-fi, classics to outdoor adventure, literary fiction to narrative nonfiction, and beyond. No matter your reading tastes, we bet you'll hear a title that appeals. Find the list of titles mentioned today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/491. While we're soaking up the rest of summer, fall is just around the corner, and we have the best new and timeless back-to-school book merch in our shop. Check out all these items and more at modernmrsdarcy.com/shop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Readers, we’re back today with an annual tradition we know so many of you look forward to, as our team joins Anne to talk about their favorite books of the summer and what’s happening in their reading lives right now. As always, our team’s range of reading tastes ensures we share titles from a wide range of genres and styles that will appeal to all kinds of readers. You’ll hear titles that might especially appeal to readers looking for your next family drama, who are open to a unique blend of sci-fi/horror, are ready to be pleasantly surprised by memoir, or would love to add a witty read that Jane Austen fans might especially love to your TBR. You will not be surprised to hear that when the team and Anne get together to talk books, they can talk. So this year, for the first time, we’ve split our best books of summer into two episodes. Today you’ll hear from What Should I Read Next Patreon Community Manager and Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club Co-Host Shannan Malone and our Resident Spreadsheet Queen Donna Hetchler and then you’ll hear the conversation between Anne and Community Coordinator Brigid Misselhorn.  Find the list of titles discussed today and let us know any of today's titles are on your list of summer favorites—or your TBR—at our show notes page, which you'll find at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/490. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest isn't only a reader with a specific readerly conundrum, she is also a beloved author. Anne has recommended Julie Berry's work to several past guests, and Julie also joined us over in the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club back in 2020. Today, she's here to talk with Anne about writing and discovering smart books with big heart. They also dive into conversation about Julie's independent bookstore and her unexpected path to becoming a bookstore owner. Plus, they discuss Julie's upcoming new release and how she finds books that shine through the clamor of blurbs and endorsements. Anne shares a handful of recommendations with Julie while also inviting her to tell us more about some of her favorites. You'll find the full list of titles mentioned over on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/489. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Novels featuring an ensemble cast of characters and multiple points of view are a favorite for today's guest, and she'd love Anne's help in finding more of this particular type of reading experience. Olivia Haber Greenwood is joining Anne from Barcelona, where she's lived for the past seven years working as a copywriter and freelance journalist. Olivia is a happy reader with an abundant reading life, but she's found herself stymied when it comes to novels featuring multiple points of view.   Olivia loves the concept of these books, and sometimes she'll find one that really works for her. But since voice is such a strong component of what she loves in a book, too many of the multiple point of view novels she's read fall a bit flat. She's on the hunt for a story told from multiple points of view where every character's distinctive, unmistakable voice elicits a big wow. It's a tall order. Can they do it? Anne and Olivia sure have fun trying in today's conversation. Find the list of titles discussed today and leave your suggestions for Olivia at our show notes page, which you'll find at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/488.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest has joined Anne in conversation on the podcast before, but now our media production specialist Holly Wielkoszewski is in the spotlight as they explore her evolving reading tastes and her favorite genres of science fiction and fantasy. Holly splits her time between New Mexico, where she and her husband are building an Earthship, and traveling internationally for several months each year. When Holly mentioned at a recent team meeting that she's shifting away from fantasy and more towards sci-fi in her reading life lately, Anne couldn't wait to explore that on the air. Today's conversation delves into Holly's evolving journey as a sci-fi fantasy devotee, the trends she's seeing in recent books, and some of her very favorites in these genres. They also explore what appeals to Holly most about these types of books and how she sees the crossover from these genres to other stories she seeks out. This episode highlights a whole bunch of titles that readers who resonate with Holly might also enjoy reading, too. Please let us know if you have ideas for Holly's next sci-fi read or other suggestions by leaving a comment on our show notes page, where we've also listed all of the titles mentioned today. That's at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/487. If you love hearing from team members like today's conversation with Holly, you will love our Patreon community, where our team members regularly pop up for bonus episodes. Thank you to everyone who's already signed up, and if you're curious, find all the details at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ellen Heath, a reader from the Atlanta area, shares Anne's passion for urban planning, but that's not all they talk about today. Ellen is looking for immersive settings, characters she can connect with, and books that might even teach her something, and Anne has ideas! Ellen and Anne also talk about her Ellen's interesting and unique method for choosing her next read on her eReader, and her desire to DNF—that's do not finish—more books in 2025. Please share your ideas for Ellen by leaving a comment on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/486, where you'll also find the list of titles mentioned today. Check out all of our summer merch, like our popular Well Read hat, our To Be Read tote, stickers, t-shirts, and more at modernmrsdarcy.com/shop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A midyear reading check-in has become a small tradition around here, and today Anne is welcoming team member Shannan Malone back to the podcast. Today, you'll hear Anne and Shannan dive into the history of this practice before exploring how this year’s been going so far, what they're each excited about, and what’s working (and not working) in each of their reading lives.  With so many books to choose from, and so much going on in all of our busy lives, a midyear check-in is a useful tool to make any adjustments or recalibrations to ensure you’re getting exactly what you want from your reading life, whether that’s escape, education, pure enjoyment, or all of the above. Find the links and resources mentioned today along with the list of titles discussed at our show notes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/485. If you haven’t yet ordered your Summer Reading Guide—either the digital version (plus the replay of our Unboxing party)—or the printed version—there’s still plenty of summer reading season ahead. Grab your copy at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is looking for ways to slow down and sink into what she loves most as she plans her summer of reading. Chelsea Siler is an early childhood special education teacher in Tacoma, Washington. She's often found reading to be a source of joy, escape, and growth, and she'd like these positive experiences to be reflected in her reading selections this summer. Chelsea's always searching for immersive, character-driven stories she will not want to put down. Anne can't wait to share ideas and hear more about Chelsea's plans for a summer of slowly savoring what she reads next.  Find the list of titles discussed in today's episode on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/484. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often discuss auto-buy authors and completist authors around here, and today's guest is a completist on a mission to discover her new favorite summer author.  Stephanie Edwards-Gass is a seventh-grade English teacher and an Elin Hilderbrand completist. For years, she's turned to Hilderbrand's novels for summer reading satisfaction. She's read (and reread) every book in Hilderbrand's catalog, but now that there aren't any new Nantucket books to look forward to, Stephanie's on the hunt for a new go-to summer author that scratches the same itch. She's looking for stories with complex characters, a strong sense of place, lots of juicy details, and often salacious scandals.  Stephanie's already done a lot of legwork here and has a really good idea of what has and hasn't worked for her so far. Today she and Anne talk about which author (or authors) might fill this gap in Stephanie's summer reading plan. See the long list of titles mentioned today and leave your suggestions for Stephanie at our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/483. Thanks to all of you who have joined us lately in our Patreon community: we could not make this show without you. If you haven't joined us yet, it's an easy way to show your support for our show and financially support the work we're doing. When you sign up, you get immediate access to the 2025 Summer Reading Guide, our unboxing video, and bonus episodes like the books Anne read and really loved but didn't include in the Guide, and of course all of our archives and the new bonus episodes we're creating this summer. To sign up and get started, go to patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We always love reading on a theme, and today's guest would love to see her real-life love of the ocean mirrored in the pages of her books.  Noelle Leong is a science and medicine-focused librarian at a small liberal arts college. She especially loves her work for the opportunities it provides her to join the students on trails and visiting tidepools. So it’s perhaps unsurprising she’d love Anne's help finding books about the ocean, whether that means pop science, books where the ocean is the setting, or even a character—she’s up for anything. While this isn’t an exclusively summery theme, so many readers associate the ocean with summer vacations and family trips, so it feels like just the right time to dive in and find titles that will appeal to Noelle’s reading wishes right now. Find the list of titles mentioned today and share your ocean reading recommendations by leaving a comment on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/482 For more summer reading fun, join us in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club. We had a blast at our Summer Reading Guide Unboxing party, and next week, we’re hosting Summer Reading Guide author Kevin Wilson for our June live author talk. Book Club is a great place to gather with fellow readers and talk all about this summer’s most discussable books. Join the fun at modernmrsdarcy.com/club Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nonfiction books often change the way that readers see the world, and today's guest Evan Carlson is on the hunt for fiction that packs the same punch as the nonfiction works he loves. Evan's joining Anne from Chicago, where he lives and works as an actor and poet. He's found that reading poetry and nonfiction helps him challenge his ways of thinking, and he really enjoys this experience. While Evan has read fiction that's worked for him before, too often it leaves him feeling bored. Evan's confident he's just not finding the right fiction picks, and today he and Anne talk about what he's really looking for and how he might find the titles that will excite and engage him. Find the list of titles mentioned today and share your recommendations for Evan on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/481. Stock up on our new summer merch, including new stickers, tees, hats, and more in our online shop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeling more confident about finding the right reads is a common bookish goal. In today's conversation, Anne welcomes Tynisha Coleman to the show to talk about her current reading goals. Tynisha is a leadership development coach, university lecturer, and sci-fi and fantasy lover from New Jersey. She doesn't shy away from books that tackle tough plot points, which often feature in the emotionally resonant books she loves. But she does expect these trickier developments to serve a sense of purpose to the plot, and she'd like to avoid reading experiences that send her into the depths of despair. Right now, Tynisha is looking for titles that offer a sense of escapism, both in her current preferred genres, and while also keeping open to other works she'll enjoy. Anne has a bunch of ideas to share. Find the list of titles mentioned in today's episode at our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/480. We kicked off summer reading season with our 14th annual Summer Reading Guide and Live Unboxing just a few weeks ago. If you missed the launch, you can still get your copy of the digital Guide and the video replay from our Unboxing party by visiting modernmrsdarcy.com/srg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year we get some variation of this question: how can a reader like today’s guest, Elise Brancheau, balance all the shiny new books of summer with the backlist titles that are already patiently waiting on her to-be-read list? Elise is a New Jersey-based professional classical singer who describes herself as a huge reading-planning nerd. We know Elise is in good company here! But with all of the summer reading titles coming her way, Elise is wondering how she can unapologetically embrace old and new possibilities to read right now. Anne always loves to talk about this particular reading dilemma, so today she and Elise explore how a reader who loves to plan can also incorporate shiny new summer releases into her reading rhythms without throwing those carefully laid plans way off course.  Find the titles mentioned today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/479. If you haven't ordered your Summer Reading Guide yet, there's still plenty of time. It's a great way to add to your summer reading list while tangibly supporting our show. Snag your copy at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're taking you behind the scenes of our 2025 Summer Reading Guide and sharing an excerpt from our live Unboxing party. Our 2025 Guide includes 35 books across a range of genres which we've grouped into six categories. Today you'll hear Anne's commentary of three books from the first category, Family Sagas.  Our Summer Reading Guide and Unboxing are designed to give you an idea of what your own reading experience might be like with each book so you can then decide if that's a reading experience that you want to have.  This year's Guide is 40 packed pages, and we've built in fun features like more of summer's most anticipated new releases, tons of backlist titles that play into our road trip theme, our ever-loved Awesome On Audio selections for both new releases and backlist books, and more. We hosted our Live Unboxing party last week, which has been a tradition around here since 2019. When you opt in for the Summer Reading Guide experience by joining one of our membership communities or purchasing a la carte, our Unboxing replay is available for you to access anytime on your schedule. We hope this little preview gives you a taste of what our Summer Reading Guide and Unboxing is like. Find the links and titles mentioned in today's episode on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/478 And if you missed our 2025 Summer Reading Guide when it released last week, it's not too late to get your copy of the digital guide and access the recording of our live Unboxing party. Get all of the details at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're kicking off Summer Reading Season with our fourteenth annual Summer Reading Guide, coming this Thursday! Today on the podcast Anne is joined by a special guest who is particularly well qualified to go behind the scenes of our 2025 Summer Reading Guide with her: Will Bogel! Many of you consider Anne's husband Will to be your book twin, and today they're diving into the project and pleasure that is creating the Summer Reading Guide each year. We hope you'll enjoy this peek behind the scenes and that it whets your appetite for this year's Unboxing parties, too. Find the links and titles mentioned today at our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/477 . There's still time to join one of our membership communities or purchase your a la carte ticket for Thursday's Unboxing party, which includes a digital copy of the 2025 Summer Reading Guide. Get all of the details at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reading projects take all shapes and sizes, and today's guest has set a goal to read all the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlists and winners. Today, Anne is talking books with Kathryn, who lives on the island of Okinawa, Japan, with her military husband and energetic golden retriever. Kathryn works for a nonprofit and spends her leisure time reading, knitting, or walking on the beach close to their home. Since Kathryn's project is an ambitious one, she's come up with a strategy of reading one year at a time, though not necessarily in chronological order. Today she and Anne talk about which years or titles she may want to bump to the top of her read-next list. They also touch on reading project fatigue and ways Kathryn can truly enjoy the process of reaching her reading goal. Find the list of titles mentioned today and share your reading and project recommendations for Kathryn by leaving a comment over at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/476. Our 2025 Summer Reading Guide is nearly here: we'll be gathering on May 15th for our live unboxing party. Get your RSVP and digital guide by joining our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club or Patreon community, or purchase an a la carte ticket. Join us to kick of summer reading season: get the details at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is an avid reader, retired social worker, and What Should I Read Next? completist who lives in New Jersey. Jill Jaclin has a reading conundrum: she really wants to read more nonfiction, but she's struggled to find a way to incorporate it into her reading life. As she told Anne, she also knows that there are nonfiction books out there that will educate her if only she would take the time to read them. In fact, she's got a whole bookshelf full of books that she's acquired but hasn't touched. Today, Anne helps Jill explore her unread shelf and offers ideas to refine her reading balance in the future. Find the full list of titles discussed today at our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/475. We're just a few weeks away from releasing our 2025 Summer Reading Guide. If you're a part of our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club or Patreon communities, the digital Guide and unboxing party are included in your membership. We're also offering our popular a la carte tickets again for 2025. Find all of the details at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Readers, if you are feeling burned out right now, you are not alone. In our team meeting last week, we talked about the fact that things are hard right now. That's why this feels like a great time to revisit a favorite past episode from another time not so long ago when we were also feeling burned out. Today we're sharing Anne's May 2021 conversation with journalist Anne Helen Petersen, which originally aired back then as Episode 284. Anne Helen writes the weekly email newsletter Culture Study and she knows a lot about burnout because she literally wrote a book about it: Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. In today's episode, Anne Helen shares her personal experience with reading during a grueling season, advice and hope for readers who feel stuck in burnout, and a handful of backlist favorites from her own bookshelves. No matter how your reading life has evolved over the last few years, or even if it hasn't, we think you'll find comfort and insight in today's episode. Find the full list of titles mentioned today at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/474. We've been working hard behind the scenes to prepare your 2025 Summer Reading Guide! This year will be our 14th annual Summer Reading Guide, and we kick off the celebration with our live unboxing before continuing with all sorts of bonus reading adventures in Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club and in our Patreon community. Order your Summer Reading Guide at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices