What Should I Read Next?

Guest Sachi Argabright discovered a rich vein of books by Asian American authors who inspire her, and it’s given her reading life wings. In today's episode, Anne tops up her list with unique and soon-to-be-released titles so she can stay in that happy place for a long time to come.  They also discuss travel, reading goals, book organization (see her gorgeous "favorites bookshelf" on the shownotes...

It’s time to get your library holds all set up for a long summer of reading! Whether you’re looking for a contemporary page-turner, something spine-chilling, a chunky classic, a dose of reality, or if you’re suspending expectations in hope of some bookish serendipity… Anne is here with friend of the show and bookseller Annie Jones to discuss the alllll the hot titles they can’t help but want to sh...

Jane Austen devotees will get a big kick out of today’s guest - Clara Breitenmoser is originally from New Zealand, currently lives in England, and now spends her days smack in the middle of a favorite literary landmark. Anne and Clara talk about heritage preservation, tracking reading with the help of our friends, excellent foodie memoirs, and also dive into Clara’s tough special request: She want...

Pop quiz - what is true of only 14 of the 110 Nobels awarded for Literature since the category's founding in 1901? Answer: only 14 women have received the honor. Today’s guests Kendra Winchester and Autumn Privett are intent on giving brilliant female authors their due. Every month, their podcast Reading Women shines a spotlight on a different genre or type of author - some favorite past themes in...

Between her 2016 appearance on WSIRN and today, reader Osheta's Moore's creative projects have blossomed in beautiful ways. Today, Anne is catching up with Osheta to find out about the podcast that was just a baby project when they first chatted, the perfect library haul formula, how a reading life can change in 2 years, and how Osheta's one especially important bookshelf has grown over time.  Cli...

If the word “biography” doesn’t fill you with excitement, maybe today’s guest Tracie Haddock’s enthusiasm can convince you to give them another shot. She even calls one famous biographer her “adopted grandfather”—although what she’s REALLY looking for are great biographies about amazing women, because she just hasn’t found enough out there. In this episode, Anne and Tracie discuss books about extr...

Everything’s upside down this week - WSIRN guest Jordan Bradley needs help QUITTING books! Years of higher education taught him to just push through a bad reading experience - but now it’s time to recalibrate. In today’s episode, Anne and Jordan talk futuristic fiction, vast histories, far-flung expeditions, and together chart a course toward Jordan's happier reading ever-after. Readers, we’re sta...

Today's guest is Roxanne Coady, proprietor of RJ Julia bookstore in Madison, Connecticut and host of the Just The Right book podcast. Years ago, Roxanne did what many of WSIRN listeners have dreamed of doing - she left her old career behind, and started a bookstore. Join Anne as she investigates how Roxanne found a calling that appealed to her heart rather than her head, emotionally resonant narra...

Do you ever feel a little out of place in the world of online readers? Perhaps you're more of a dabbler? You might relate to today's guest!  Dana Hartness is fascinated by “reading culture” but feels like she doesn’t belong because her interests are so far-flung, and most of the time she’d rather just curl up with Netflix. Today, Anne tries to connect the dots between Dana's WILDLY different favor...

Today’s episode is a FESTIVAL of book recommendations for all ages. You might recognize children’s lit enthusiast extraordinaire Sarah Mackenzie from Episode 49 during our Reading for a Lifetime series, when she came on the show to help Anne recommend books to some truly adorable bookish kids. Today, they’re doing more of the same, but Anne also gets to recommend 3 books that Sarah can incorporate...

Today’s guest is a reader who loves to laugh. Rissie Lundberg wrote in to the show to tell us she’s been a listener from the very beginning, but has NEVER heard her favorite titles discussed on the air. We knew we had to have her on the show to remedy that situation as soon as possible. Rissie is a high school math teacher with a bookish bent - she even assigns English literature as math homework!...

You might recognize today’s guest if you’re a reality tv buff - Scott Flanary WON season 29 of The Amazing Race! But he also happens to be a huge book nerd, and that’s what we get to talk about today. Scott says his home-base genre used to be chick lit, but after recently discovering a new favorite niche genre, he's ready to travel even further in his bookish journey. Today I get to chat with Scot...

Today’s guests take getting lost in a good book to a TOTALLY different level. Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg host By The Book podcast, a bookish comedy show where they live by the rules of different self-help bestseller, for two weeks at a time. Kristen and Jolenta have lived to the letter of books like The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, The Secret, The Miracle Morning, and more. Anne's...

Today's guest Elizabeth Smith is an English Major lives a life that will inspire envy in a a lot of WSIRN listeners. She and her family homeschool, run a theatre company, tend a hobby farm, and herd sheep. No more juicy details here though - it’s better when Liz tells it. Anne and Liz also chat about the BEST way to experience Shakespeare, books for people who thrive on melancholy, and how to get...

Today's guest Carly Friedman is a working mom, an advisor at her local university, and has a totally unique goal for her 2018 reading life. We'll give you one hint: backlist. Today Anne and Carly chat about nonfiction titles for people who love to learn, Carly's budding romance with audiobooks, novels with a strong sense of place and time, what moves a book from your bookshelf to your bedside tabl...

Anne and today's guest Dena Abramson Babb have a lot in common. Both were the girl in class who loved to choose the heftiest books possible from school reading lists, and now as adults they've infused their family cultures with reading. There's a little something special about today's episode, too - you'll get to snoop behind the scenes of the launch of Anne's book Reading People: How Seeing the W...

Today’s guest Rachael Robinson lives in Southern California, but Anne met her for the very first time in her own kitchen. (They'll get to that in the episode). Rachael describes herself as an “extreme” book lover who discovered her reading obsession when her son was born and Netflix just wasn’t cutting it for entertainment. Today Anne and Rachael chat about Rachael's best reading year ever, #BookC...

Readers, if you're intrigued by the behind-the-scenes of the publishing industry, this one's for you. In today's new episode I chat with John August, a screenwriter, devoted reader, and author of a brand-new (or soon-to-be) middle grade novel. As of this morning, John also has a brand new podcast out in the world: it’s called LAUNCH, and as someone who loves all the details about how books are bor...

Time FLIES when you're reading a good book... and, turns out, when you're podcasting.  Today marks WSIRN's second anniversary! We thought it would be fun to rewind allllll the way back to our VERY FIRST GUEST, ever-colorful personality and the co-host of The Popcast: Jamie Golden. Today you’ll get to hear some secrets about what Anne originally had planned for the show (and which of these plans we...

We asked 14 different podcast listeners how they organize their bookshelves … and we're sharing their ideas with you. (Some readers even provided photos of their methods— link below!) Ever-popular genre and color organization came up of course, but we also get to hear about the uniquely-displayed special interest book collections some of you have, including a bookshelf entirely dedicated to one sp...

"I want to read more" is a common refrain in January, so here's some good news: today's episode is full of tips and tricks to help you maximize your time and strategize your next best read! If you've been listening to WSIRN for a while, you've heard Anne talk more than once about supply-side vs demand-side readers. The brilliant mind behind that concept is author and podcaster Laura Vanderkam, who...

Today's episode is a cozy family affair! Anne chats with Emily and Daniela Loose, a mother-daughter duo from New Hampshire who have been reading together for Emily’s entire life. Emily went off to college this fall, and they're learning to navigate the pain of waiting way too long to talk to your book buddy about what you’re reading (texting in all caps about a book you just read is TOTALLY accept...

It's our first guest from Down Under! Today Anne talks books with Fiona Thoms, a party-planning, paleo cooking, PTA president mum of three kids who lives in Sydney, Australia. You may recognize Fiona’s voice from Episode 62, because she recommends two books to Anne in our special What Should ANNE Read Next episode. Today's topics: the pleasures and perils of the Australian literary life, reading f...

Today's guest is Annie Spence, author of Dear Fahrenheit 45: Love and Hate in the Stacks, a collection of breakup notes and love letters to books she encounters in her day-to-day as a public librarian. This week Anne learns all about how Annie became a public librarian. They also discuss the difficulty of recommending books when you’re in a HUGE reading slump yourself, bizarre nonfiction, and seas...

Anne kicked off her first visit to Malaprop's Bookstore in Asheville, NC in a big way - a WSIRN liveshow! You can read more details about what the show was like in this Modern Mrs. Darcy post. This episode is a fast and furious speed round of literary matchmaking for SEVERAL guests at the live event - get ready to live vicariously through your fellow WSIRN fans (and prepare your Goodreads - your T...