What Should I Read Next?

For years now, our team members have joined Anne on the podcast in late summer to share the books they’ve been loving most this season. Last year, we split this conversation into two episodes: we heard really positive feedback, so that’s what we’re doing again this year.

In today’s episode, the first in our two part series, Anne is in conversation with three of our team members: our Resident Spreadsheet Queen Donna Hetchler, our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club Community Manager Ginger Horton, and Modern Mrs Darcy Editor and Social Media Manager Leigh Kramer. Next week, you'll hear from the rest of our team.

Our reading lives vary widely and we read across a range of genres that reflect the reading world at large. Today you’ll hear about true crime and books in translation, a backlist novel that inspired an award-winning musical, a literary mystery from a fan favorite author, romantasy and thriller titles that captured our team’s imagination this season, and more.

Find the list of titles discussed today and leave a comment to share your best book of the summer on ⁠our show notes page.⁠

Fall reading is just around the corner and if you’re curious about the titles that you may be hearing about in the weeks ahead, or what new releases might be suited to your TBR list, our Fall Book Preview was designed to help with those answers. We’ll be gathering for our 8th annual Fall Book Preview on Thursday, September 17. A la carte ticketholders and eligible community members will receive a downloadable digital preview, as well as an invitation to the live Unboxing event happening that night at 8pm EDT. We’re also offering a printed booklet edition of the digital preview: it’s smaller and in a different format than our printed magazine-style Summer Reading Guide, and priced accordingly. Find out more and join us at modernmrsdarcy.com/fbp.
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We hear from many readers who set reading goals informed by their to-be-read stacks, whether physical or digital. Today's guest has a specific and relatable goal of making progress through her library of already purchased ebooks.

Danielle Petrie lives and works in the Canadian prairies, where she enjoys swing dancing, outdoor activities, and reading. Historically, it's been important to Danielle to keep her ebook library at about 50% read, with the other half ready to enjoy. But lately, Danielle's balance has tipped heavily towards the purchased but not yet read end of the spectrum.

When she reached out as a potential guest, she was currently sitting at 36% read, and shared her desire to create a reading challenge to bring that ratio back into balance and focus on reading from her unread library of titles.

Today, she and Anne take a look at Danielle's reading life, see what's on her Kindle and how it got there, and make a plan for her to experience reading satisfaction on several different levels.

Find the titles discussed today and leave your suggestions for Danielle on our show notes page.

For many years now in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club, we mark the month of August by reading an Austen novel. This year, we're reading Pride and Prejudice. We'll enjoy reading through the annotated edition together, gathering for a watch party of the 1995 BBC edition, and enjoying all things Austen all month long. We'd love to have you join us and stick around into the fall for more bookish connection and conversation. Get all the details or join us now at modernmrsdarcy.com/club.
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If you’ve ever felt intimated by old books, or haven’t been sure you’re reading them “correctly”, it is NOT just you. We regularly hear from readers seeking tips and advice on how to read the classics.

Earlier this season New Yorker Lizzey McFarlin sent us her guest submission asking for help to approach the classics in a different way. She’d been trying to read them the way she’d approach any other book—late at night, hoping to sink in and quickly turn the pages—but was too often growing so bored she would abandon them. She knew that strategy wasn’t working, but she wasn’t sure what to do instead. Lizzey would appreciate some fresh ideas, and Anne has those to share today.

You'll also hear about Lizzey's local book club and the themed excursions they pair with the classics they read each quarter.

We hope you’ll find this conversation inspiring and empowering. Find the list of titles mentioned today and share your ideas for excursions over on our show notes page.

We’re excited to share that beginning today, August 4, we are adding a new option to enjoy our weekly What Should I Read Next? episodes without ads. When you sign up for our new ad-free tier on our Patreon platform and add your personal subscriber link to your favorite podcast player, you’ll get an ad-free version of our weekly episode automatically each week. Learn more about our Patreon options and join us at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.

Chapters:

04:00 Meet Lizzey

15:26 How Lizzey's reading habits have changed recently

19:54 East of Eden by John Steinbeck

22:38 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

24:30 A Room with a View by E.M. Forster

27:14 The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

35:35 What Lizzey is hoping for in today’s conversation

54:46 Passing by Nella Larsen

58:01 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

1:03:26 Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin

1:08:27 What will Lizzey read next?

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Today's guest is a Kentucky neighbor who has both a specific reading project and a dilemma we know is shared by many readers. Emily Holladay is a pastor in Frankfort, Kentucky, where she lives with her family. As a newish mom, Emily is still finding her outside-of-parenthood hobbies, but reading has been a constant throughout her life.

Emily's a member of a book club at Carmichael's Bookstore, which happens to be Anne's local bookstore. When Emily completed her guest submission form and told us about her struggles with completing her Carmichael's bingo card, Anne couldn't wait to talk about this reading challenge with Emily.

Emily also often finds herself browsing Libby for her next read. She often feels like every book that's top of mind for her is also on everyone else's mind, and suspects she would be happier if she had an assortment of backlist books on her radar that might be available on Libby right when she wants them.

Anne has ideas for Emily, and we'd love to hear your suggestions too: please share the titles and tips you'd like to share with Emily by leaving a comment on our show notes page, where you'll also find the list of titles discussed today.

Every week here on the podcast, we share an hour of enthusiastic book talk, and our podcast stays free for all to enjoy. A lot goes into crafting this hour of free bookish entertainment every week, and while we love what we do, that's why we value your support so much. Not only does it help the finances work, it's a huge morale booster to hear that you value what we do here every week.

If you want to help us keep producing high-quality, human-made work like we do every week, there are many ways to support us, and we hope you can find one or even several that are right for you.

If you'd like to support us financially, that's easy to do by joining our Patreon community, becoming a member of the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club, visiting our shop, or buying Anne's books. To everyone who has already supported us in any of these ways, thank you so much.

And if financial support isn't an option for you right now, or even if you're already a financial supporter, there are great free ways that support us as well. Simple actions make a big difference, like subscribing to our email list, subscribing to or following our podcast on your favorite app or player, sharing a post, a story, or an episode on social media, or by telling a friend to listen in.

No matter which of these actions you take, know that our team is grateful. We truly couldn't do this without you. Thank you for listening, and thank you for supporting our show.

Chapters

05:49 Meet Emily

14:48 Emily’s search for books to fill her book bingo card

33:28 The Guncle by Steven Rowley

37:02 Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

39:47 The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson

42:52 My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

48:18 Returns and Exchanges by Kayla Rae Whitaker

55:02 Marce Catlett: The Force of a Story by Wendell Berry

57:11 Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

1:03:02 Open Throat by Henry Hoke

1:06:43 What will Emily read next?
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Today we're sharing a conversation with an author who has been discussed often here on the podcast: William Kent Krueger.

We originally held this author talk over in Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club, and which we're sharing with you today as we explore Krueger's book This Tender Land.

This conversation feels especially timely and has been on our minds and on our tongues, as This Tender Land was inspired by Homer's The Odyssey, a timeless story that many of you tell us you're looking forward to seeing on screen this summer in the new blockbuster adaptation film.

Today's conversation and your enjoyment of it does not hang on whether you know anything at all about The Odyssey, or whether you've read anything by Kent Krueger yet. Join us as we explore the power of a good story well told, how authors make creative decisions, and the backstories behind Krueger's beloved series and his decidedly different standalone novels. You'll also hear the story behind his favorite pair of boots.

Let us know if you're looking forward to seeing (or reading) The Odyssey this summer in the comments section. Find that along with the list of titles discussed on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/534.

For more conversations like this one, join us over in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club, where we're excited about our upcoming annual observance of Austen in August, followed by our Fall Book Preview in mid-September. We'd love to have you join us for our live events. Members also enjoy our robust community featuring dedicated book forums, buddy reads, classes, and more happenings. We hope you'll find your book people in Book Club. Find out more and join us at modernmrsdarcy.com/club.
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