Will Bogel, Anne's husband and fellow book lover, joins the discussion to share behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of the 2025 Summer Reading Guide. They reflect on the guide's evolution and the joy of curating seasonal reading lists. The conversation dives into how summer reading ideas blossomed from a road trip and the importance of community feedback in shaping their selections. With playful banter, they express excitement for this summer's anticipated reads and innovative approaches to exploring diverse storytelling.
The evolution of the Summer Reading Guide highlights its transition from a simple list to a significant annual event since 2012.
This year's 'Road Trip' theme connects personally to the hosts and aims to resonate with readers seeking adventurous and introspective narratives.
The guide's innovative 'pit stops' feature backlist titles that correspond with new releases, enriching the reading experience and encouraging exploration.
Deep dives
The Importance of Summer Reading Guides
Summer reading guides serve as essential resources for readers looking for their next book. The episode emphasizes the evolution of the summer reading guide, initiated by the host's husband, which began as a simple list and has grown into a significant annual event since its first release in 2012. This evolution has created a dedicated audience eager to receive recommendations as summer approaches, leading the team to start planning months in advance. The goal is to ensure that they provide valuable and distinct offerings in a saturated market of reading guides.
The Theme of the 2025 Guide: Road Trip
The chosen theme for the 2025 summer reading guide is 'Road Trip,' reflecting a fun and adventurous approach to summer reading. The hosts discuss how this theme connects to their personal history, recalling the inspiration drawn from conversations during road trips and the fond memories associated with them. The guide features books that embody both literal and metaphorical journeys, making it relatable to all types of readers, whether they enjoy adventurous narratives or introspective stories. The hosts express excitement for this theme, suggesting it will resonate well with audiences looking for engaging reads.
Incorporating Pit Stops and Backlist Titles
This year’s guide features unique 'pit stops' that highlight backlist titles relating to various geographical locations that appear in the new releases. These pit stops allow readers to discover and enjoy older books while they wait for the new titles to be released, ensuring that their reading options remain diverse and accessible. For instance, they highlight specific settings, like Texas, by listing beloved previous works set in that area, creating a broader context for readers. This innovative approach enriches the reading experience and encourages exploration of a wider range of literature.
Enhancements to Audio Features
Recognizing the popularity of audiobooks, the guide expands its 'Awesome on Audio' feature, emphasizing titles particularly suited for audio enjoyment. The hosts distinguish between new releases set to publish in 2025 and previously released backlist books, providing listeners with a blend of both. This section not only caters to road trip enthusiasts looking for engaging audio options but also responds to reader questions about which titles are exceptional in audio format. By emphasizing this feature, the guide continues to adapt to listeners' preferences and trends within the reading community.
Navigating Book Selection for the Guide
The meticulous selection process for the guide involves careful consideration of many new titles, requiring significant reading in advance of the release. The hosts discuss the challenges of balancing various genre categories while ensuring the guide remains cohesive and engaging. They note that some titles are excluded based on their content or availability, as well as in pursuit of presenting a mix of popular and lesser-known gems. This attention to detail ensures that the selections cater to diverse reader interests, fostering a welcoming environment for all types of book lovers in the community.
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.
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.
