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Today marks a major milestone: the 500th episode of What Should I Read Next!

To celebrate, Anne is joined by two guests today. First, you'll hear her in conversation with our What Should I Read Next Patreon Community Manager Shannan Malone as they explore what's new in our Patreon community space. Then, Anne welcomes one of our previous guests back to the show to talk about how her reading life has evolved since their first conversation nearly two and a half years ago.

Michelle Acierno Loftus joined Anne back in episode 378 to share her experience of rediscovering the joy of reading via her YA book club. As we mark 500 episodes of talking all things books and reading, it seemed a great moment to look back at just one way that What Should I Read Next has shaped an individual's life.

While much has changed in Michelle's life since her last conversation with Anne, as you'll hear, her reading life is still going strong. And yet, it's also shifted. Today, she and Anne discuss Michelle's recent explorations into nonfiction and character-driven, introspective stories. They also dive into how Anne's previous recommendations for Michelle landed, what's working for her these days, and what she's looking for right now in her reading life. Anne shares recommendations for Michelle, and each of them recommend titles that might work for many readers.

Find the full list of the titles mentioned today and share a comment to help us celebrate our 500th episode on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/500.

If you'd like to hear from more past guests or experience the bonus episodes Anne and Shannan discuss at the top of today's show, please come over and join us on Patreon. That's where we share bite-size insights into the reading life and a behind-the-scenes look into the podcast, as well as book recommendations galore. To all of the readers who support us on Patreon, thank you. We couldn't do this without you. If you'd like to join us there, you'll find all the details at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.

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