Ep 487: Sci-fi, fantasy, and a sense of possibility
Today's guest has joined Anne in conversation on the podcast before, but now our media production specialist Holly Wielkoszewski is in the spotlight as they explore her evolving reading tastes and her favorite genres of science fiction and fantasy.
Holly splits her time between New Mexico, where she and her husband are building an Earthship, and traveling internationally for several months each year. When Holly mentioned at a recent team meeting that she's shifting away from fantasy and more towards sci-fi in her reading life lately, Anne couldn't wait to explore that on the air.
Today's conversation delves into Holly's evolving journey as a sci-fi fantasy devotee, the trends she's seeing in recent books, and some of her very favorites in these genres. They also explore what appeals to Holly most about these types of books and how she sees the crossover from these genres to other stories she seeks out. This episode highlights a whole bunch of titles that readers who resonate with Holly might also enjoy reading, too.
Please let us know if you have ideas for Holly's next sci-fi read or other suggestions by leaving a comment on our show notes page, where we've also listed all of the titles mentioned today. That's at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/487.
If you love hearing from team members like today's conversation with Holly, you will love our Patreon community, where our team members regularly pop up for bonus episodes. Thank you to everyone who's already signed up, and if you're curious, find all the details at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.
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Ep 486: Setting-driven stories, accidental reading themes, and winning characters
Ellen Heath, a reader from the Atlanta area, shares Anne's passion for urban planning, but that's not all they talk about today.
Ellen is looking for immersive settings, characters she can connect with, and books that might even teach her something, and Anne has ideas!
Ellen and Anne also talk about her Ellen's interesting and unique method for choosing her next read on her eReader, and her desire to DNF—that's do not finish—more books in 2025.
Please share your ideas for Ellen by leaving a comment on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/486, where you'll also find the list of titles mentioned today.
Check out all of our summer merch, like our popular Well Read hat, our To Be Read tote, stickers, t-shirts, and more at modernmrsdarcy.com/shop.
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Ep 485: A midyear reading check-in
A midyear reading check-in has become a small tradition around here, and today Anne is welcoming team member Shannan Malone back to the podcast.
Today, you'll hear Anne and Shannan dive into the history of this practice before exploring how this year’s been going so far, what they're each excited about, and what’s working (and not working) in each of their reading lives.
With so many books to choose from, and so much going on in all of our busy lives, a midyear check-in is a useful tool to make any adjustments or recalibrations to ensure you’re getting exactly what you want from your reading life, whether that’s escape, education, pure enjoyment, or all of the above.
Find the links and resources mentioned today along with the list of titles discussed at our show notes page, whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/485.
If you haven’t yet ordered your Summer Reading Guide—either the digital version (plus the replay of our Unboxing party)—or the printed version—there’s still plenty of summer reading season ahead. Grab your copy at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg.
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Ep 484: A summer to slow down and sink into what you love
Today's guest is looking for ways to slow down and sink into what she loves most as she plans her summer of reading.
Chelsea Siler is an early childhood special education teacher in Tacoma, Washington. She's often found reading to be a source of joy, escape, and growth, and she'd like these positive experiences to be reflected in her reading selections this summer.
Chelsea's always searching for immersive, character-driven stories she will not want to put down. Anne can't wait to share ideas and hear more about Chelsea's plans for a summer of slowly savoring what she reads next.
Find the list of titles discussed in today's episode on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/484.
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Ep 483: Help me find my new go-to summer author!
We often discuss auto-buy authors and completist authors around here, and today's guest is a completist on a mission to discover her new favorite summer author.
Stephanie Edwards-Gass is a seventh-grade English teacher and an Elin Hilderbrand completist. For years, she's turned to Hilderbrand's novels for summer reading satisfaction. She's read (and reread) every book in Hilderbrand's catalog, but now that there aren't any new Nantucket books to look forward to, Stephanie's on the hunt for a new go-to summer author that scratches the same itch. She's looking for stories with complex characters, a strong sense of place, lots of juicy details, and often salacious scandals.
Stephanie's already done a lot of legwork here and has a really good idea of what has and hasn't worked for her so far. Today she and Anne talk about which author (or authors) might fill this gap in Stephanie's summer reading plan.
See the long list of titles mentioned today and leave your suggestions for Stephanie at our show notes page, at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/483.
Thanks to all of you who have joined us lately in our Patreon community: we could not make this show without you. If you haven't joined us yet, it's an easy way to show your support for our show and financially support the work we're doing. When you sign up, you get immediate access to the 2025 Summer Reading Guide, our unboxing video, and bonus episodes like the books Anne read and really loved but didn't include in the Guide, and of course all of our archives and the new bonus episodes we're creating this summer. To sign up and get started, go to patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.
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What Should I Read Next? is the show for every reader who has ever finished a book and faced the problem of not knowing what to read next. Each week, Anne Bogel, of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy, interviews a reader about the books they love, the books they hate, and the books they're reading now. Then, she makes recommendations about what to read next. The real purpose of the show is to help YOU find your next read. To learn more or apply to be on the show visit whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com.
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