Ep 465: What's saving your reading life?

Today's guest is a mood reader who often finds herself falling down a reading rabbit hole. Madelyn Kresinske is an elementary school librarian, wife, and mom who reads widely from middle-grade and picture books to romance, family dramas, and more. Madelyn doesn't hate her pattern of falling into sometimes a rut, sometimes she actually quite enjoys it, but it can also be tough to break out and figure out which title to read next. She and Anne discuss that struggle today before changing their focus to Madelyn's upcoming road trip to the Grand Canyon and other National Parks. Madelyn would love both fiction and non-fiction titles that will captivate her attention while also getting her ready for this big trip. Anne has so many ideas for her! Around here we think that the National Park Service is one of our nation's best ideas, and in addition to being super crowded the past few years they're now grappling with staffing issues. If you can't make to a park in person this summer for whatever reason, we think you'll especially enjoy today's show. Please let us know if you have recommendations for Madelyn by leaving a comment on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/468, where you'll also see the full list of titles mentioned. This week also marks the fifth anniversary of Anne's book Don't Overthink It. This book is full of practical ideas on how to tame your inner questioner, stop second-guessing yourself, and bring more joy to your life. If your thinking feels repetitive, unhealthy, or unhelpful, if you're stuck in a cycle of what-ifs plagued by indecision or paralyzed by fear of getting it wrong, or if you could just use a boost of happy in your everyday rhythms, Don't Overthink It is for you. Pick up a copy at your favorite local or online bookseller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guests excel in pairing the perfect read with worldwide destinations: joining Anne today are her friends, fellow book lovers, and podcasters Mel Joulwan and Dave Humphreys. You may know them as the literary minds behind Strong Sense of Place. They've also been guests on our show a handful of times across the years. Today, Mel and Dave are back to help Anne load up her to-be-read list with an assortment of literary tourism reads from destinations they've been to together, destinations Anne knows are on many reader wishlists, and other places that might surprise you.   We have a long list of titles to share with you today. So pack your bags and get ready to add new stamps to your literary passport. You'll find the list of books mentioned and more on our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/466. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest has a bookish birthday trip in the works. When Barbara Andrade DuBransky told us about her tradition of taking big trips with her best friend to mark big life milestones, Anne knew she wanted to talk about Barbara's upcoming European trip. Barbara and her friend are passionate readers who rely on their libraries to help them plan and prepare for their trips. Barbara was eager to get Anne's recommendations for their upcoming destinations. Today, they talk about the place of reading in Barbara's life as well as what makes a great travel read in the first place. After narrowing down the list of possible destinations, Anne offers up a handful of recommendations for each one. Whether you are planning a trip yourself, or are here for the armchair travel, we hope you come away from today's episode inspired to dig into a great story that will carry you away via the written word. Find the full list of titles mentioned today and leave your recommendations for Barbara at our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/464. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Readers, today we're thrilled to share a delightful conversation with Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, authors of The Personal Librarian. This conversation originally took place over in our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club community, where Marie and Victoria joined Anne, our MMD Book Club Community Manager Ginger Horton, our MMD Book Club Co-Host Shannan Malone, and a whole bunch of our Book Club Members for this live event. Today, you'll hear that conversation too as Marie and Victoria bring us behind the scenes of their co-writing process. This conversation feels especially timely to share with you right now, because Marie’s new book The Queens of Crime is out February 11, and Victoria’s new book Harlem Rhapsody—her first solo-written historical novel—is out February 4. Whether you’ve read The Personal Librarian or not, we think you’ll really enjoy today’s spoiler-free discussion. Let us know if you have a favorite title by either author to recommend to your fellow readers, or if there's a book you’d love to read in Book Club, by sharing a comment on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/463. That's also where you'll find the full list of titles mentioned today. And if you loved today's conversation with Marie and Victoria, you'll love our library of author talks in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club. Along with other events, classes, and programs, we host monthly talks just like this with a wide range of favorite authors. We’d love to have you join us—find out more at modernmrsdarcy.com/club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices