Courtney Dezahd, a marketing professional and mom, seeks novels with staying power and soul-changing reads. She loves stories of unrequited love and human triumph. Anne provides recommendations like 'Kindred' and 'Bird Song'. Topics include themes of survival, hope in literature, and exploring love in 'Snow Falling on Cedars'. Also, Olympic dreams and intense competition in 'Gold' are discussed along with exciting book recommendations.
Courtney seeks novels with themes of unrequited love and the triumph of the human spirit for soul-changing reading experiences.
Transitioning to physical books, Courtney focuses on character-driven narratives and propulsive plots in her quest for impactful reads.
Deep dives
Discovering Favorite Types of Stories
Courtney, a marketing professional and mother who appreciates a wide range of reading experiences, is inspired by themes of unrequited love, survival, and the triumph of the human spirit. Finding novels in these genres that resonate deeply and deliver soul-changing reading experiences is her focus.
Exploring New Reads
Transitioning from audiobooks to physical books, Courtney embarks on reading a hundred books a year challenge, seeking literature with character-driven narratives, propulsive plots, and themes of unrequited love and survival.
Literary Matchmaking
Recommended Titles: 1. 'Jay Bur Crow' by Wendell Berry - A character-rich portrayal of a man's life in a small Kentucky town, navigating love, community, and ambitions. 2. 'Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet' by Jamie Ford - A historical novel set against the backdrop of Seattle during World War II, exploring friendship, love, and loss. 3. 'Gold' by Chris Cleave - A riveting story of friendship, rivalry, and personal challenges among Velodrome cyclists vying for Olympic success.
Choosing the Next Reads
Courtney plans to start with 'Jay Bur Crow' and 'Gold,' drawn to their themes and character depth. These selections align with her preference for soulful, impactful reads that explore human relationships and endurance.
Today, Anne talks with Courtney Dezahd about discovering themes in her reading and finding novels that will stick with her long after she turns the last page.
Courtney is a marketing professional and a mom whose reading tastes range from World War I history to outdoor survival stories and beyond. But lately, she's really honed in on themes she always finds satisfying, like stories of unrequited love and the triumph of the human spirit. Courtney's looking to find more books that will stick with her for years, if not decades, and deliver soul-changing reading experiences. Anne has recommendations that speak to Courtney's bookish quest. We've collected the full list of those titles on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/420.
In today's episode, you'll also hear a brief update about our recent change to the Airwave Media Podcast Network. If you'd like to share your opinions to help inform our future partnerships with advertisers, we'd be grateful for your time and input. There's a short survey at this link, and it would be a big help to us.