Ep 467: I love literary fiction... don't I?

Feb 25, 2025

Phoebe Mellinger, a Philadelphia-based book thrifter, shares her transformative reading journey after a shift in her literary preferences. She discusses the challenges of transitioning from familiar genres to exploring speculative fiction and horror. The conversation touches on impactful reads and the emotional connections they evoke, including her favorites from 2024. Phoebe seeks guidance on making more tailored book choices, highlighting the importance of self-discovery and resonating narratives in her evolving reading journey.

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ANECDOTE

Reading Taste Shift

Phoebe's reading slump ended when she found an interesting book.
This sparked her exploration of "weird girl" books and diverse genres.

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INSIGHT

Emotional Depth in Books

Phoebe values books that explore the human condition and deeper emotions.
She appreciates authors who articulate feelings we don't always discuss.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

The Power of Unique Writing

Phoebe loves "Milk Fed" by Melissa Broder, not for the story, but the writing style.
Broder captures complex, often unspoken feelings in creative and extreme ways.

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Life, Reading, and Community

02:43 • 5min

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Evolving Reading Tastes: From Thrillers to Literary Fiction

07:29 • 4min

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Reflections on Literary Fiction

11:39 • 20min

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Navigating Literary Tastes

31:15 • 13min

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A Book Lover's Journey: From Discovery to Discussion

44:05 • 4min

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Exploring Literary Adventures

48:20 • 15min

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Exploring Literary Fiction: Recommendations and Reflections

01:02:58 • 3min

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Remarkably Bright Creatures

Shelby Van Pelt

The novel follows Tova Sullivan, a widow who works the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, where she forms a remarkable friendship with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus. Marcellus, with his keen intelligence and detective skills, helps Tova uncover the truth about her son's mysterious disappearance over thirty years ago. The book delves into themes of friendship, coping with loss, and the search for truth and hope.

The Nickel Boys is a powerful and disturbing novel that delves into the horrors of Nickel Academy, a segregated juvenile reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. The story follows Elwood Curtis, a bright and idealistic young man who is falsely accused of stealing a car and sent to Nickel Academy. There, he and his friend Turner navigate the brutal and corrupt environment, marked by physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The novel explores themes of systemic injustice, human perseverance, and the lasting impact of trauma. It alternates between the 1960s and the present, as the dark history of Nickel Academy is uncovered and its survivors come forward to share their experiences.

Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution

Michel Pagel

Rebecca Kuang

In this novel, R. F. Kuang explores a fantastical version of Oxford in the 1830s where Britain's dominance is fueled by magical silver bars that capture the power of 'lost in translation' between languages. The story follows four students at the Royal Institute of Translation, their growing awareness of the imperialist system they are part of, and their eventual rebellion against it. The book delves into themes of imperialism, academia, and the moral dilemmas faced by those caught in the system.

The Dutch House is a narrative told by Danny Conroy, the son of a self-made real estate mogul, Cyril Conroy. The story revolves around the Conroy family's life in the Dutch House, a lavish mansion in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The house, bought by Cyril as a surprise for his wife Elna, becomes a central character in the story. Elna's departure to India to serve the poor leaves Maeve and Danny in the care of household staff. After Cyril's remarriage to Andrea, the siblings are exiled from their home and must rely on each other. The novel spans five decades, exploring themes of sibling loyalty, loss, forgiveness, and the enduring impact of their childhood experiences on their adult lives.

Ready Player One

Trivia-on-Books Staff

In 'Ready Player One', Ernest Cline introduces Wade Watts, an 18-year-old living in a dystopian future where people escape their harsh reality through the OASIS, a vast virtual reality world. The story revolves around Wade's quest to find an Easter egg hidden by the OASIS's creator, James Halliday, which would grant the finder immense wealth and control over the OASIS. Wade, known as Parzival in the OASIS, must compete against other 'gunters' and the corporate-sponsored Sixers to achieve this goal. The novel is filled with 1980s pop culture references, adventure, and social commentary, making it a deeply engaging and nostalgic read.

This is How You Lose the Time War

Amal El-Mohtar

Max Gladstone

This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epistolary novel that follows agents Red and Blue as they travel through time, altering history on behalf of their warring empires. Despite their initial adversarial relationship, they develop a romantic connection through secret messages. The story explores themes of conflict, love, and resistance, with a poetic and sharp prose style. The book has won several awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and British Science Fiction and Fantasy awards.

The Frozen River

Ariel Lawhon

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Today's guest has a common readerly dilemma: what to do when reading tastes change?

In her submission to join Anne on the show, Philadelphia dweller and avid book thrifter Phoebe Mellinger shared that she'd had pretty consistent reading tastes for her whole life, until last year when she noticed that her taste suddenly and vastly changed. Her go-to genres just were't working any more.

This experience led Phoebe to embark on a year of discovery: she read a bunch of books in a range of genres, but she's not really sure where to go from here. While Phoebe is getting a better feel for what she enjoys and understanding how to talk about what she's looking for with more clarity, she's also picked up quite a few books based on enthusiastic recommendations, only to find they weren't her cup of tea.

Today she's here to get Anne's help in figuring out how to discern the difference between what simply sounds good and what may actually be a good fit for her. Anne has ideas, of course!

Please let us know if you have recommendations for Phoebe by leaving a comment over on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/467, where we've also collected the list of all the titles mentioned today.

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