Ep 427: The collaborative act of reading

Anne recently attended Tallahassee’s recent Word of South Festival of Literature and Music, and today we're sharing her live conversation about all things reading with Festival Director Sara Marchessault and Kati Schardl. Book festivals offer so much potential for discovery, by connecting readers with writers they already love, new authors to experience, and often, books that capture the spirit of the region. Today, Sara, Kati and Anne talk about the books they've been reading lately, the titles they can’t stop recommending to others, the epic fails when these recommendations fall flat, and what they learn about themselves and other readers in the process. They wrap up with some great conversation on summer reading moods, and Anne recommends a handful of titles they can add to their summer reading stacks. Find that list of the titles mentioned in today's conversation at our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/429. For more live book talk with our great community, join us for our thirteenth annual Summer Reading Guide launch party. Listen in as Anne takes you through 42 hand-selected reads to pair with your summer adventures and activities. Join us on May 16th - find out more, save your seat, and pre-order your guide right here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest enjoys tackling heavy topics in her reading, but today she's here for Anne's help to bring more levity to her reading rotation. As a South African of Indian descent, Natasha Govender appreciates reading real life stories from authors across the globe. These stories help her connect with the human experiences behind the pages, but she'd love to balance these emotional stories with titles that are just plain fun. Natasha's especially interested in discovering Brown voices writing stories that feel joyful and celebratory. If these books come from the fantasy, thriller, or middle grade shelves, even better. And, because Natasha loves to reread the books she loves best, she and Anne focus on finding titles to add to Natasha's to-be-read list that she'll connect with on the first read, and love enough to read again and again. Find the full list of titles discussed in today's episode and leave your recommendations for Natasha at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/428. Our summer merch shop is open! Pair your stack of summer reads with a cozy t-shirt, a tote that's perfect for library hauls, bookish stickers, and more. Explore our latest merch selections at modernmrsdarcy.com/shop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When big changes happened in Caleb Wilson-Johnson's life, his reading life shifted, too. Today, he's eager for Anne's suggestions after two exciting changes derailed his previous strategy of choosing his next read. Caleb used to love planning his entire reading year in advance, and especially enjoyed pairing books with the season—sometimes down to the specific month or even day. But Caleb recently got married and moved across the state to live with his new husband. Both of these joyful events shook up his previous reading routine. Caleb's interested in exploring what a new path forward might look like as he enjoys these other new starts in his life. Today, Caleb and Anne explore how Caleb can bring a fresh outlook to planning his upcoming reads, and Anne recommends a handful of engaging and plotty books that will keep Caleb reading until the last page. Find all of the titles we discussed today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/426 Our 13th annual Summer Reading Guide is only a few weeks away from landing in inboxes, and we'd love to invite you to join us for this year's book party. We'll be hosting two live events, both on May 16th, and you're invited. Get all of the details and find out how to get your guide at our at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent career shift has opened up more reading time for today's guest, and Tara Bañuelos is looking to make the most of this abundance by exploring new-to-her genres and overlooked backlist titles. Tara lives in Washington, D.C., where she practices law. In the past, she's relied on reading for her preferred form of stress management. But with her recent career shift, Tara's finally able to read for pleasure again, and not just anxiety relief. Tara's been loving what this has meant for her reading selections, and she's not suffering for choice: Tara's access to the regional library system in her area means she has a whopping total of 15 library cards, which she primarily uses for ebook access. Tara's not sad about this, but she needs a better system to manage her multiple library holds that often come in all at once. Today, she and Anne identify patterns, hone in on Tara's reading taste and create a plan for moving forward.  Leave your recommendations for Tara and see the list of titles mentioned in today's episode at our show notes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/425. We're only weeks away from releasing our 13th annual Summer Reading Guide. This is our team's marquee event for the year, and we are so excited for what's in store for 2024. We celebrate the start of the season with a huge book party, and you're invited. Learn more, save your seat, and pre-order your guide at our Summer Reading Guide page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recovering from a reading slump can be challenging, and today's guest credits a book subscription box for saving her reading life.  In today's episode, Anne Bogel is chatting with Tiffany Vicars, a pharmacist, mom and State Fair prize-winning paper crafter in Louisville, Kentucky. Tiffany knows reading is her highest form of self-care, but the past few years have been disruptive to her reading life in both good and challenging ways. Tiffany tried a few approaches to re-boot her reading life, but nothing stuck until she tried out a book subscription box and figured out a way to make its promised combination of curation and discovery work for her.  These days, Tiffany is thrilled with her overflowing, never-ending TBR, but she'd also like to make sure she's not just reaching for what she calls the new and glittery books. Today, she and Anne talk about which of the titles on Tiffany's TBR deserve to be bumped to the top of her current reading priority list. Find the full list of the titles discussed today and leave your recommendations for Tiffany on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/424. Join Anne to celebrate Indie Bookstore Week at ​The Bookshelf​ in Thomasville, GA on Thursday, April 25. Anne will be joining Bookshelf owner Annie B. Jones to talk about summer reading. Tickets are on sale on the Bookshelf's website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices