What Should I Read Next?

Latest Episodes:

Ep 485: A midyear reading check-in Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

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.

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Ep 484: A summer to slow down and sink into what you love Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

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.

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Ep 483: Help me find my new go-to summer author! Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

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.

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Ep 482: Diving into evocative ocean reads Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

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

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Ep 481: A reading life that comes in waves Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

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.

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Ep 480: Branching out with escapist, emotionally resonant novels Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

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.

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Ep 479: Balancing backlist with shiny new releases May 27, 2025

Show notes

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.

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Ep 478: A snippet from the 2025 Summer Reading Guide May 20, 2025

Show notes

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.

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Ep 477: A summer reading road trip May 13, 2025

Show notes

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.

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Ep 476: Offbeat, intricately plotted books for an ambitious reading project May 06, 2025

Show notes

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.

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