What Should I Read Next?

Anne is back with the latest episode in a new-ish series in which she invites a team member to join her in recommending titles for a guest. Today Anne is joined by Patreon community manager Shannan Malone as they chat with Lindsey Bloodworth.

Lindsey is a mom to two boys who lives in Homewood, Alabama. She's found joy and community in a mom's workout group that she's managed to turn into a book club, as well as through another book club at her local indie bookstore.

Lindsey would love to hear ideas for books her community of moms would enjoy reading and discussing together. Lindsey's found that having other moms to chat with through all of life's small and big moments has been really important to her, and she's enjoyed using books to spark these conversations.

Shannan also lives in Alabama and in a prior life ran the Rocket City Mom Virtual Book Club for 10 years, where they read over 60 books together. So when she saw Lindsey's query, Shannan knew she had ideas to share. Today, she and Anne will see what types of books they can put on Lindsey's reading radar that might make for great conversations with either one of her book clubs.

Find the list of titles discussed today and share your suggestions for Lindsey by leaving a comment on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com.

We’ve had some big changes lately over on Patreon. We launched our new Ad-Free Episodes Tier, which delivers weekly episodes of What Should I Read Next? without the ads. We also rolled out our Patreon All-Inclusive Tier, which includes everything we do on Patreon: our weekly bonus episodes, live events like our Fall Book Preview and Summer Reading Guide Unboxing, and weekly ad-free episodes of WSIRN. If you’re a patron: thank you! If not, consider joining us: check out the options and sign up for a monthly or annual membership at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.
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Today, Anne is talking all things fall books with our executive producer, Will Bogel. They'll discuss the 2026 Fall Book Preview, which came out last Thursday, September 17th. In their conversation, Will and Anne will bring you behind the scenes as they talk about where the idea came from, when it started, how it's changed, what's happening this year, and why.

Find out more and share your comments on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com.

Our Fall Book Preview was released last Thursday, which means you can now get yours at modernmrsdarcy.com/FBP. Members of our Patreon community in the Bonuses & Events or All-Inclusive tiers get the Fall Book Preview as an included membership perk. This is a great time to become a member, not only for the Fall Book Preview, but also our upcoming bonus episodes and our team's Best Books of the Year, coming up in just a few months. Find out more at modernmrsdarcy.com/FBP.
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Today's guest wants to experience the satisfaction of engaging in what she calls meaningful reading more often, but she finds herself easily distracted by the new and shiny. Jane Baldwin has ideas for different reading projects but has gotten overwhelmed by the possible options, and would love Anne's help navigating these roadblocks.

Jane lives with her husband and two dogs in St. Louis, where she's an accounting manager by day and a devoted gardener and Dungeons & Dragons regular by night. Lately, Jane is attempting to fill some gaps she's identified in her American literature reading to date, but she's finding herself stalling out.

In hopes of boosting her enthusiasm for this project, Jane would love to identify clusters of books that can be in conversation with each other. Today Anne will aim to identify both contemporary and classic options that will provide interest and context to some of Jane's older picks. Along the way, they notice how much some of Jane's chosen shiny and new books have in common with these older titles she's been less excited to read.

Share your ideas for Jane and find the list of titles mentioned today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com.

Readers, the coming fall weather means sweatshirts will soon be back in our team's wardrobe rotation, and we're especially partial to our MMD Sorority Sweatshirt, tailor-made for your fall activities on or off campus. Choose from a crimson or blue jean colored comfort color sweatshirt adorned with navy felt applique letters and white stitching. Order your fall sweatshirt and shop our refreshed for fall collection of bookish merch at modernmrsdarcy.com/shop.
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When today's guest felt something shift in her reading life, she found herself turning to other forms of entertainment instead of the books she typically enjoys. Jacquelyn Duggan isn't thrilled with this substitution, and came to Anne for help in figuring out what's changed and what she can do about it.

Jacquelyn is joining Anne from her home in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to reading, she enjoys being outside and working in her flower garden, with a special appreciation for her zinnias and roses.

Today Jacquelyn and Anne explore what’s going on with her reading life right now, and Anne shares ideas to help Jacquelyn get back to reading the types of books she's been missing lately. They also discuss the one element of Jacquelyn's reading life that hasn't changed throughout this experience: her love for a great coffee table book.

Find the list of titles discussed today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com.

Our Fall Book Preview is coming up soon on September 17, and this year we’re featuring a new option to purchase a compact printed booklet to complement your Fall Book Preview experience. We’re calling it our lookbook. It's been thoughtfully designed in a small format and is pleasantly packed with bookish goodness for the literary season to come along with backlist recommendations perfect for fall from our team.

If you’ve already purchased your a la carte ticket, or you’re a member of our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club, Patreon All-Inclusive, or Patreon Bonuses & Events Tiers, then you’re all set to receive the digital guide and attend our live Unboxing. If you’d enjoy a little analog delight along with, or instead of, those digital experiences, we think you’ll really love the lookbook. Find out more and select the Fall Book Preview experience that’s right for you at modernmrsdarcy.com/fbp
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Today's guest is recently retired and is excited to have more time to read in this chapter of life. She wants to find good books and, in particular, long books that she can really sink into, but her library holds keep wreaking havoc with her well-laid plans. When Amy Czuba wrote into our submissions page with this plea for help, Anne could not say no.

After wrapping up her career as a global HR leader, Amy said goodbye to Massachusetts after living there for nearly 40 years and moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where she's now enjoying soaking up the history of her new hometown.

Amy is here today seeking ideas for those long books that she's craving. She would especially enjoy a book that teaches her about a topic she might not otherwise learn about. Amy also has a goal to read more books from her as-yet-unread pile of titles that she already owns, but she cannot resist a shiny new library book that's available for checkout at her local branch, and this is keeping her from reading through her owned titles. Anne has ideas to share.

Find the list of titles discussed today and share your tips for Amy on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/540.

Our eighth annual Fall Book Preview releases on Thursday, September 17th to members of Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club and our Patreon All-Inclusive and Bonuses & Events tiers, plus our a la carte ticket holders. The Fall Book Preview experience includes our 12-page digital PDF lookbook and an invitation to our live Unboxing event happening at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 17th. This year we are also offering a printed, delivered by snail mail lookbook that is available as an add-on to your Fall Book Preview experience order or as a standalone purchase. Mark your calendars, get your a la carte ticket or professionally printed lookbook, or just get more information at ​modernmrsdarcy.com/fbp​.
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