What Should I Read Next?

Readers, sometimes podcasting doesn’t go as planned. Schedules conflict, last-minute emergencies strike, the flu sneaks up on us, Anne loses her voice during pollen season… and any of those situations can end with a guest cancelling their recording at the last-minute. That happened recently here at What Should I Read Next HQ, and we needed someone to record on short notice, RIGHT AWAY, to avoid a hole in our release schedule.Luckily there was an obvious answer — tapping into our Patreon community. We asked who would be available to record within 48 hours. Enter Addie Yoder, self-described “farm wife”, who needed book recommendations to fill her time during harvest season. We couldn’t imagine a more fall-appropriate guest! Today, Addie and Anne chat about libraries that aren’t free, books that lend us a little distance from real life when we need it, and the best time of year for a happily-ever-after.Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/205You can follow Addie’s farm and reading life on Instagram @addie.yoderIf you want more What Should I Read Next become a supporter on Patreon! We're sharing the full interviews we did with the past guests featured in our special 200th episode. Supporters also get bonus episodes of One Great Book, behind the scenes looks at how the podcasts are made, AND occasionally they get to save the day! Join Addie and all of the other delightful readers over on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today Anne talks books with David Krohse, an Iowa reader who’s woven a love of literature into all aspects of his life — the waiting room of his chiropractic practice, the bar with a group friends, and quality time spent with his wife. David loves larger than life nonfiction, especially if it reads like an intense thriller, so Anne is hooking him up with exactly that. Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/204You can join David's Inspired Book and Brew Crew on Facebook!If you want more What Should I Read Next become a supporter on Patreon! We're sharing the full interviews we did with the past guests featured in our special 200th episode. Supporters also get bonus episodes of One Great Book, behind the scenes looks at how the podcasts are made, and invites to special events like our Fall Book Preview!More fun book recommendations happen on our Instagram feed where we use the hashtag #readerrecs to gather your recommendations for a reader who's looking for a little literary inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, Anne talks with Emily Carter about a genre they both used to think they were too smart to be reading. When Emily entered a season when she was busy and stressed, and she discovered that the genre she’d once categorically dismissed was full of books that were exactly what her lackluster reading life needed.Fellow repentant "book snobs" will relate to this conversation about what we miss out on as readers when we seal ourselves off from whole sections of the bookstore, how our misperceptions can be corrected with the help of our fellow readers, and how we can take smart chances on books outside our readerly comfort zones. Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/203You can connect with Emily on her blog: https://thesecondarrowblog.wordpress.comIf you want more What Should I Read Next become a supporter on Patreon! We're sharing the full interviews we did with the past guests featured in our special 200th episode. Supporters also get bonus episodes of One Great Book, behind the scenes looks at how the podcasts are made, and invites to special events like our Fall Book Preview! More fun book recommendations happen on our Instagram feed where we use the hashtag #readerrecs to gather your recommendations for a reader who's looking for a little literary inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's double-feature, Anne chats books with sisters Mia & Micah. But unlike most of our episodes with multiple guests, they aren’t looking to find titles they’ll enjoy together. Mia & Micah already read the same books frequently, so we’re looking to individualize their reading lives with totally separate recommendations. Mia is looking to introduce a little romance to her bookshelves… without leaving her comfort zone of action and adventure behind. Meanwhile Micah battles a classic middle-sibling problem... all her books end up being hand-me-downs, so she’s looking for a good mystery novel (or better yet, a series) that’s exactly suited to HER taste first and foremost. Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/202Get another double feature of What Should I Read Next by becoming a supporter on Patreon at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext! Right now we're sharing new interviews with past guests to hear if they loved or hated Anne's recommendations and of course, what they are reading now. If you didn't catch our producer Brenna's Instagram takeover during our 200th episode celebration @whatshouldireadnext, be sure to check out the highlights! Her listener Q&A that gives you a fun look at how each episode comes together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Brian Eichenberger dives straight into a hotly debated issue, discussing horrible books that taught him and Anne lessons they still think about allllll the time. Brian is the kind of reader who wants to chew on big ideas, follow characters from childhood to old age to see what makes people tick, and who loves big juicy family sagas. But he also has a taste for the unusual, so Anne recommends 3 titles that hopefully hit more than one target.Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/201You can follow Brian on Twitter @beichen22, and check out his podcast Story Guys at wearethestoryguys.com/podcast or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's milestone 200th episode, Anne and her producer Brenna catch up with the guests of 8 fan-favorite episodes to see what recommendations were hits, which flopped, and what changed in their reading lives after the show. Some guests approached their bookshelves with fresh eyes, some overcame their genre fears, and some realized that stepping out of their comfort zone just wasn’t what they were interested in — and finally felt at peace with the decision.Thanks for 200 fantastic episodes, we couldn't have done it without you, our wonderful listeners.Click over to the podcast website for a list of books and episodes mentioned in today's episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/200 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The WSIRN intro sounds straightforward enough - Anne chats with a reader about books they love, books they hate, and books they could pick up next. Simple. But long-time listeners know this show was originally supposed to be a tight 20 minutes… and today, each episode is easily twice that long. It turns out, a person’s reading taste reveals a lot about who they are as individuals, and digging into those discussions is worth much more to the WSIRN team than hitting a timestamp.Today’s guest is no stranger to seemingly-mundane belongings that hold deep meaning - Tara Anderson hosts the NPR show 5 Things, where she gets to know people by discussing five items that matter to them. A guest's treasured items might be books, but they might also be a houseplant, a special coat, heirloom knitting needles, even something as practical as a rice cooker. There are no home appliances in this episode, but Anne is investigating what Tara’s 3 favorite titles say about what she wants out of life, and what new books will take her there. Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/199Follow Tara on Instagram and Twitter, and make sure to go check out her newest project at musicboxpod.org  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since Anne visited today’s guest, Annie F. Downs, on her podcast That Sounds Fun a little while ago to talk about Summer Reading, she's been wanting to talk all things books and reading with Annie on What Should I Read Next. It's finally happening - and the conversation is going unexpected places.Anne and Annie are chatting about the author who made Annie a better storyteller, her surprising love for reading what she calls “Dead Men’s writing”, totally fangirling about all the literary good Dolly Parton has done in the world, and Anne recommend a few books she didn’t expect to recommend when the conversation started...Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/198Learn more about Annie:Website: www.anniefdowns.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/anniefdownsTwitter: twitter.com/anniefdownsInstagram: www.instagram.com/anniefdowns Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest, Amelia Mattingly, went through a gut-wrenching experience that ripped her book collection away from her – shelves and all – along with countless other precious signifiers of home. As a result of this experience, the books she craves are different now, and every book purchase feels weighty.Anne is connecting Amelia with three books that will hopefully take some of that heaviness off her shoulders and let her choose a different world to escape into, just for a few hours. CONTENT WARNING: Amelia tells her story of surviving an enormous natural disaster in heartbreaking detail, and it might be too much for anxious or sensitive listeners. If you need to skip the detailed descriptions, our book discussion starts about 20 minutes in, and mentions of the traumatic events are less detailed after that point. Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/197You can find information about the Paradise, CA mobile clinic, MedSpire, at http://www.medspire.org, and contribute a tax-deductible donation at http://www.medspire.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today you’ll get to know Anudeep Reddy, a reader who grew up in a competitive school environment where engaging books were in short supply, so he had to get creative with his reading from a young age. He’s an imaginative reader who appreciates the escapist quality of a good novel, but has struggled lately to find books that call out for him to live between their pages. Fantastic escapist reading can be found in any genre, so today Anne recommends three books to Anudeep that you’d find on completely different bookstore shelves. They're also exploring books that combine adventure and philosophy stories, streamlining reading decisions, and what it’s like to date a librarian.Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/196Catch up on all of the episodes in Volume II of One Great Book, Anne's short-form podcast where she recommends just one great book in 10 minutes or less. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices