What Should I Read Next?

After completing a classics reading project, today's guest really wants to keep her reading momentum while also bringing more non-classics back into her reading life.

Today we're trying something new and inviting a team member alongside Anne to help tackle one reader-specific reading dilemma. As you'll hear today, Anne couldn't help but notice that guest Cheryl Drury's tastes and recent reading project shares a lot in common with team member Ginger Horton's reading life.

Ginger is our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club community manager, and she has recently been immersed in the classics due to her current enrollment in a Great Books graduate study program. That's why Ginger seems like exactly the right reader to bring along for this conversation with Cheryl.

Cheryl hails from Charleston, South Carolina. While she's always been a reader, she'd never really dabbled much in classics or Great Books until 18 months ago, when she embarked on a challenge to read through a year-long list of more than 100 influential books. The project energized Cheryl's reading life, but now she's not quite sure where to go next.

Anne, Ginger, and Cheryl talk about how Cheryl may retain some of the structure from her classics project as well as where she can have more flexibility to follow where her reading whimsy takes her. Plus, they'll offer title ideas that may feel like just the right bridge between what Cheryl's been reading lately and what she'd love more of in the months ahead.

Find the list of titles discussed today and share your ideas for Cheryl on our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/523.

This year marks our 10th anniversary of Book Club. It has been so much fun along the way, and we've got great events queued up to celebrate this year. Plus, this is a wonderful time to join because it's Summer Reading Guide season. For more from Ginger and more Book Club fun, join us at modernmrsdarcy.com/club.

Chapters:

07:43 Meet Cheryl

12:10 Cheryl’s decision to read the classics

21:08 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

23:38 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

26:15 A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

30:05 Dead Wake by Erik Larson

46:34 1000 Books to Read Before You Die by James Mustich

51:42 Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff

54:15 Hagseed by Margaret Atwood

55:52 What will Cheryl read next?

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We often hear from readers who wish to avoid heavier topics in their reading lives, and today Anne is talking with a guest hunting for books that feel light, warm, and stimulating, but not overly stressful.

Angela Frith hails from Lexington, North Carolina, where she works as a K-12 curriculum developer and is a member of our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club and What Should I Read Next? Patreon communities.

As she considers her reading life this year, Angela is hoping for titles that feature the warmth she loves, without the chaos that also sometimes marks titles in her favorite genres of memoirs, found family stories, historical fiction, or fantasy.

Anne has ideas to share. You'll find the full list of titles mentioned on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/522.

Our Patreon community is full of exciting ways to get more books in your life, from our weekly bonus episodes on a variety of themes to seasonal events like our upcoming Summer Reading Guide. Your monthly or annual support helps us pay our team and keep the lights on around What Should I Read Next? HQ. We are so grateful to all of you who are or have been Patreon members. If you're not a current member of our community, this is a great time of year to join. Find out more at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.

Chapters

03:49 Meet Angela

09:06 Angela’s reading dilemma

18:52 I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott

21:22 Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

23:04 The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

26:10 Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

40:12 Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin

45:48 Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau

50:34 The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl

55:18 What will Angela read next?

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Many of you will well understand our team's excitement when we saw today's guest submission land in our inboxes. Today, Anne is talking with Kate Scarth, chair of L.M. Montgomery Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island. 

They discuss Kate's work as well as some of Kate's favorite Montgomery retellings and homages, but their main focus today is on Kate's reading life. She's interested in building out a deep reading roster for the kinds of books she especially enjoys. Books featuring literary women, books where an investigation or detective work is a big part of the story, books that center on a house, and nonfiction about creative and artistic women in history. She's also very interested in finding more books with magical realism and ghosts. Anne has ideas to share.

Find the list of titles mentioned today at our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/521, where you can also leave a comment to share your ideas for Kate.

We're so excited to tell you about a live event happening this spring. On May 7th, Anne will be joining Laurie Frankel in conversation at Parnassus Books in Nashville on tour for her new novel, Enormous Wings. We love to tell you about new additions to the calendar on the podcast, but if you want to make sure you don't miss any news, be sure to subscribe to our email list at modernmrsdarcy.com/subscribe so you'll be the first to know all our What Should I Read Next? news and happenings.

Chapters

04:45 Meet Kate

24:00 The Postcard by Anne Berest

28:11 A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

30:47 The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

35:02 All Fours by Miranda July

46:38 Grown Women by Sarai Johnson

51:08 North Woods by Daniel Mason

57:24 Possession by A.S. Byatt

1:00:19 What will Kate read next?

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Today's guest would love to add more four and five-star picks to her reading list and she's curious about techniques that might help get her there.

Kelly Krause is a first grade teacher who lives in Northwest Arkansas with her family. When Kelly discovers a winning author, it feels like a slam dunk to read the rest of their work. But when it comes to branching out in new directions, Kelly is not as confident.

She's wondering whether devoting more time to reflecting on her reads by analyzing what's worked well or practicing the art of writing book reviews will help her pick more winning titles. Anne can't wait to explore this with Kelly today, along with sharing titles and authors Kelly may enjoy.

Find the list of titles mentioned today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/520.

Our 15th Summer Reading Guide is coming your way next month! Creating this guide each year is truly a labor of love. Our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club and What Should I Read Next? Patreon community members are automatically invited, and we'll also be offering our popular a la carte ticket. To make sure you get the 15th anniversary edition in your inbox and to find out how to join us for our live unboxing event, visit modernmrsdarcy.com/srg.

Chapters

02:25 Meet Kelly

04:47 Kelly’s reading dilemma

07:09 The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams

08:44 The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

10:04 The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

12:27 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

28:06 The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

35:35 Kate & Frida by Kim Fay

38:58 Grief Cottage by Gail Godwin

50:29 What will Kelly read next?

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We hear about all different kinds of reading challenges around here, and today's guest is seeking titles to help mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Mary Pogue lives in St. Louis with her family, where she enjoys her work as a digital marketing strategist and her hobbies like coaching field hockey, traveling, and of course, reading.

This year, Mary's embarking on a challenge she is calling Read the USA. Her goal is to read a book set in or written by an author from every U.S. state. While Mary has made great progress already at this point in the year, she is hoping for Anne's help in picking books for a handful of states Mary has yet to visit, either in person or on the page, and is having a hard time finding options for.

Mary would be thrilled if these books could do double duty. She especially enjoys learning about each state's history and culture through works of historical fiction, and she has a preference for titles she'll find at her local library. But as you'll hear today, Mary is open to all kinds of options. Today we'll tackle her list of outstanding states and discover titles she might want to add to this reading road trip.

Find the list of the books discussed today and leave your suggestions for Mary on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/519.

Chapters:

03:56 Meet Mary

08:32 Mary's Read the USA reading project

16:56 The Huntress by Kate Quinn

20:44 The Secret Book of Flora Lee by Patti Callahan Henry

23:05 The Library Book by Susan Orlean

25:47 Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein

41:11 The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

44:57 The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

49:15 Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

51:22 Montana 1948 by Larry Watson

56:04 Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

57:56 What will Mary read next?

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