What Should I Read Next? – Details, episodes & analysis

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

When the world feels heavy, many of us look to books for distraction, inspiration, or reassurance. Today's guest has a unique spin on what she's seeking and would love Anne's help in figuring out how the types of reads she wants right now fit into her existing to-be-read (TBR) system. Émilie Weidl lives in Wales, where she's taken a year off before starting her PhD. When she's not reading or volunteering, you'll likely find her out for a walk or a hike, exploring the beautiful country around her. Émilie has always had a good grasp on her reading tastes, but lately she's found that the historical fiction she's always loved isn't working well for her. She's also having a hard time reading nonfiction because the topics she's been drawn to in the past feel harrowing right now. Plus, she's found that the TBR management system she's relied on for ages isn't work as well as it used to. Émilie's looking for absolutely gut-wrenching books that will distract her from her real-world worries, and a system that will help her tee up books she'll really enjoy reading right now. Anne has ideas for Émilie, as you'll hear today. Suggest gut-wrenching reads you think Émilie might enjoy and see the full list of titles discussed today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/473. We always have exciting things on the horizon in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club, and right now is no exception. Next week, we're going to learn all about Commonplace Books: what they are, and how to keep one, also why you might want to. When you join the club, you get immediate access to this class and all of our past events, along with our 2025 Summer Reading Guide which is coming out in May. Join us for a month or longer and experience the reading buffet book club has to offer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest grew up reading fiction for fun, but as she got older, she felt the pressure to read for work and self-improvement. Today, Effie Alofoje-Carr joins Anne to talk about finding her way back to the whimsical reads she loved when she was younger. As a Michigan-based mom & wife juggling a consulting career and a business, Effie doesn't want to entirely close the book on professional reading: she appreciates how these types of titles support her professional growth. But, Effie's ready to refocus her energy on reading for pleasure, and wants Anne's help in building a list of titles that will bring that delight back into her reading life. Find the list of Anne's recommendations and the rest of the titles mentioned today over on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/384. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may know Anne's favorite novels feature complicated family relationships, and today's guest, author Amy Jo Burns, shares Anne's appreciation for this particular type of story. You may know Amy from her novel Shiner and memoir Cinderland, both of which we've talked about on the show. Amy's also a dedicated reader, and her recommendations for smartly written stories and big-hearted family novels often end up on Anne's to-be-read list, too. Anne and Amy dive into a lively conversation today, talking about the titles they both love, sharing recommendations for overlooked gems in this genre, and chatting about Amy's forthcoming novel Mercury. You'll find the full list of titles discussed today, and links to where you can find Amy's work, over on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/383. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've ever wondered about the process of adapting books for the screen, you'll want to tune in to today's episode. Joining Anne on the show is Kat Ramsburg, who has what some might call a dream job: she reads YA books to decide which ones will translate beautifully to screen, and then works on forthcoming TV and film adaptations of these popular titles.  While Kat loves this career and the books it sends her way, she also wishes she had more time to reflect on her reading, and read more of the quiet, contemplative types of stories that don’t always make for the most exciting television. Anne and Kat have a great conversation about the art of adapting your favorite books to the screen, before Anne gives Kat suggestions for titles she can enjoy when she's not reading for work. You'll find that full list of books and more at our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/382. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even for dedicated readers, it can be tricky to find the right summer reading formula. Our Summer Reading Guide is here to help, and today Anne is talking all about summer reading with our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club community manager Ginger Horton. Ginger made her What Should I Read Next? debut in 2021 in Episode 283: Don't save the good stuff, and today she's back to talk about finding her way when it comes to summer reading. Ginger and Anne chat about a whole bunch of Summer Reading Guide books, past and present, and Anne recommends a few titles that speak to what Ginger's seeking for this summer's reading experiences. If you joined our Unboxing Party for the 2023 Summer Reading Guide last week, we hope you had as much fun as we did! If you missed it and want to grab your copy (and access to the recording of that delightful book party), you'll find that link as well as the full list of all the titles discussed today at our show notes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/381. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our 12th annual Summer Reading Guide releases this week! We put so much time and effort into this big, big project. This year, we decided it would be fun to bring you along with us for a peek behind the scenes of how the guide gets created. Today’s narrative episode features a bunch of voice notes and actual conversations between members of our team that take you into the nitty-gritty of making the SRG. Listen in to excerpts from team meetings about the guide, conversations about book-math, the excruciating (and arts & crafts heavy) process of final book selection, and many more of the details that go into making what has been a summer reading staple for many of you since 2012.  We've had so much fun along the way, and can't wait to share some of that journey with you before you open up your 2023 Summer Reading Guide. We're pushing "publish" on the 2023 guide on Thursday, May 18 at 8:00am EDT (that's NYC time). To get your guide: Want your own copy of the 2023 MMD Summer Reading Guide? There are three ways to get the full 2023 MMD Summer Reading Guide and included Unboxing access: Join our MMD Book Club community​ Support our What Should I Read Next Patreon​ ​Purchase the Guide and Unboxing access a la carte. Not sure which option is right for you? This page has a side-by-side comparison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest loves to travel, and since she hasn't been doing quite as much of that in recent years, she's relied on books to take her to a wide range of destinations. Laurel Korwin is a wife, toddler mom, and software engineer who lives in San Francisco, and she's found her work in code overlaps nicely with her love of reading. While she reads a range of genres, Laurel has a particular affection for a certain kind of story that lets her travel to otherwise unaccessible times and places. Anne and Laurel have a great conversation about how Laurel came to identify this reading niche and what it's meant for her reading life. Laurel shares some of her favorite "impossible" destinations, while Anne recommends a handful of titles to take Laurel on new journeys this summer. See the full list of books mentioned today over at our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/379. Summer Reading Guide news! What you need to know about the 2023 Summer Reading Guide, coming May 18th, the blog post I mention in today's episode. You can also learn more about how to get the guide, what's happening with Unboxing, and preorder your copy at https://members.modernmrsdarcy.com/2023-unboxing/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest Michelle Acierno Loftus loves her work as a veterinary radiologist, but the demanding training that her career required meant that her reading life took a hit. These days, Michelle's found her way back to reading by embracing a genre she's always loved: Young Adult literature. These days Michelle lives in Seattle with her husband and young son, and she credits her YA book club for helping her keep reading on her radar during a busy season in her life. Even better, the combination of a book club focused on a genre she's always loved and a community of similarly inspired readers has helped her feel more fully like the reader she wants to be. Today Anne and Michelle are talking about rekindling her love of reading and the role YA books have played in Michelle's life. Anne suggests some titles that will continue to infuse this delight into Michelle's reading experience.  Find the full list of titles mentioned today at our show notes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/378. Get yourself ready for spring with totes and tees that rep your love of reading at modernmrsdarcy.com/store. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices