What Should I Read Next?

Today’s guest is an oil and watercolor painter with a deep appreciation for the storytelling power of both art and writing.As a child, Gina Ariko Marioni discovered how language could help her better understand the world around her, and to this day, reading brings her joy.But lately, Gina's been feeling stuck in her reading life. While she's used to reading a wide range of stories from coming-of-age tales to complex, multigenerational epics, in the past year or so she's found herself either reading extremely serious and weighty non-fiction or breezy, escapist, easy-to-read novels.Today, Gina is asking Anne for some suggestions to broaden her reading palette. Listen in for recommendations for titles to fill in the gaps of Gina's reading life, and spark the feelings of surprise and delight she's seeking.Learn more about Gina's art, leave your suggestions for what she should read next, and find the full list of titles discussed today over on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/322. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest discovered the joy of reading as a child listening to audiobooks on 45s. As an adult, she still turns to audiobooks consistently, and especially loves listening to books in the car with her boys or tackling some self-help titles on her commute.Tiffany Uzor is regularly on the hunt for new reads that will draw her in immediately or transport her somewhere else. Tiffany describes herself as a serial starter—she’s up for beginning any book that sounds interesting, and as a mental health therapist, she’s especially drawn to stories that probe complex human relationships. As much as Tiffany loves audiobooks, listening on the go, especially during her commute, can make it tricky to keep track of what she loves in a reading experience in the moment. She’s eager for some ideas to address this challenge, and Anne is here to offer techniques that should help, while also suggesting some titles that speak to the types of stories and voices Tiffany wants more of in her reading life right now.Connect with Tiffany at her website, www.dfwtalktherapy.com, and find today's show notes with the full list of titles we discussed at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/321. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Readers, today's guests were already linked through legal and family ties, and since discovering their mutual love of reading, they've become even closer. Father-in-law and daughter-in-law Verne and Gabby Wright hit it off from the start, but their friendship deepened when Gabby lent Verne a book from her personal library. It was the start of a beautiful reading relationship! Gabby and Verne have found that their reading interests intersect with contemplative, philosophical stories that make them consider things from a different perspective or plant a new idea, and they'd love some recommendations for new titles to tackle together. Anne recommends three matched pairs of books to inspire their next joint read.Connect with Gabby on her website, mommylikesbooks.com, and see all of the titles mentioned in today's episode at our show notes page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Erin Fagan sent in her guest submission describing herself as a “grumpy man whisperer” who turns to books to create connections, we just had to invite her onto the show.Erin works as an airline pilot and spends hours in the air with her colleagues. To quickly build relationships in a small space, she's found a perfect shortcut: talking about books!Luckily, Erin loves to read widely and can rely on her reading rolodex for almost any conversation. She's an avid audiobook reader, but today she'd love a recommendation for an old-fashioned paper book that she won't be able to put down.Erin and Anne chat about what's really on your pilot's airpods and the book Erin can't stop recommending, and Anne suggest some new titles to help Erin make connections on her next trip. Connect with Erin on Instagram and see what she’s reading lately on Goodreads. To see the full list of titles we discussed today or to share your own recommendations for Erin, visit our shownotes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/319. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Readers, our guest today is sharing a struggle that feels increasingly common: she's finding herself easily distracted when reading, and she's not happy about it!Hannah Gorrie has always loved reading and has a sweet spot for fast-paced doorstoppers that totally engross her attention. But lately, she's felt like she just can't get into reading as easily, or stay as engaged as she used to. Anne and Hannah talk about the type of reading experiences Hannah's loved in the past, then Anne gives Hannah some advice on practical ways she can rediscover her reading groove, and suggests some books that will captivate her attention despite the many distractions of modern life. Visit the podcast website for today's complete book list, and connect with Hannah over on her Goodreads account. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, Anne's not the only one giving the recommendations: guest Shreyasi Desai, who also goes by Cece, passes on her own suggestions for our reading community.Cece grew up in India, where her parents fed her a regular reading diet of mysteries and mythologies. Today, Cece lives in the U.K. and is on the hunt for books featuring serious, angsty topics explored in lyrical and compelling ways.During their conversation today, Cece shares some of her favorite Indian mythologies and adaptations, while Anne recommends three books that fit Cece's desire for engaging, brave stories she won’t want to put down.To see what Cece reads next, follow her on Goodreads, or leave your own recommendations for Cece on our shownotes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/317. That's also where you'll find a full list of the titles discussed today.Content Warning: while it’s not the focus of the episode today, Anne's conversation with Cece touches on themes of domestic and sexual abuse. If you know that these themes may be difficult for you, please take care of yourself by listening with caution, or simply give this episode a pass and tune in next week.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here at What Should I Read Next? and Modern Mrs Darcy HQ, our team of bibliophiles talks books all year long, and today our whole team is chiming in to share what they loved most in their 2021 reading life. Our team has a wide range of reading tastes, so our selections today are all over the literary map, but one thing holds true: each of these books made a major impact on a member of our team, and stood out from the thousands of pages we each read over the past year. Our conversation today debuted as a live event in our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club community, but today's podcast episode contains some extras just for our listeners! Listen in, then let us know in the show notes: which of these reads might be the title you decide to read next?See the full list of titles we discussed today on the show notes page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past six years of talking books with our guests, we've heard about life-changing reading experiences, but today's guest has a unique twist on this story. When Nicole Fagan decided to give away almost every book she owned (not an easy decision for a lifelong bibliophile), she wasn't sure what to expect. But in the years since, Nicole became convinced that this drastic book purge was absolutely worth it, and in today's episode she'll tell us why. We'll also talk about Nicole's reading life now, digging into what makes a book work for her, the specific type of story she’s enjoying lately, and a genre she’s hoping to break into. Anne will add to Nicole's reading menu with some suggestions for titles that line up with her tastes and what she's hoping to bring into her reading experience this year. Have a suggestion for Nicole? Leave a comment at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/315, where you can also find the full list of titles we discussed today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love reconnecting with previous guests to get an update on their reading life, and today's conversation with Tara Nichols is no exception! Since Tara's previous appearance on the show, in WSIRN Ep 168: A century of good books in a single year, we've been curious to know how her challenge worked out, and what she learned along the way.If you missed Ep 168, Tara shared her goal to read one book published each year between 1920 and 2019, and she and Anne talked about some options that might help her complete her century-long reading list. Tara's back today to share the results and chat about what's she's looking for in her reading life now!Join Anne and Tara in conversation about what surprised Tara about her challenge and how it's impacted her reading choices now that she's not looking for books tied to a specific time.As always, all the books mentioned today can be found in the show notes at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/314, and that's also where we'd love to hear what you think Tara should read next!To see more peeks into Tara's reading life, find her on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a fresh new year ahead of us and so much reading to look forward to, today's conversation brings back a listener favorite and sets the stage for a year of thoughtful reading experiences.Jim Mustich, who you may know as the author of 1000 Books to Read Before You Die, first joined us on the podcast back in January 2019 on Episode 165 (which shared a title with his book). That’s one of our most downloaded episodes, and if you missed it the first time around, it's worth a listen to hear him describe the process of choosing those thousand books.Join Jim and Anne in conversation about the challenge of choosing what to read when we’re faced with so many options and so little time. Many readers reach for the latest book getting buzz on social media or a celebrity book club, but they might be missing some incredible titles that require just a little bit more effort to discover.Today we'll share a lengthy list of titles that have proven their staying power across the years. We'll also pass on some ideas to help you reconnect with what you love most about reading, and feel more confident in picking up your next read.See the full list of titles we discussed today at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/313, and let us know whether you'll be adding any of the books we mentioned today to your 2022 reading list! You can also connect with Jim on his website, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices