a lifestyle blog for book lovers

WSIRN Ep 28: Books that no one’s writing about in Entertainment Weekly

It’s Tuesday, which means a new episode of What Should I Read Next!

Today’s guest is Andrea Griffith. Andrea is a former medical librarian, mom of two daughters, and independent bookstore owner, and she came to me with a plea: she misses reading at whim, is craving depth, and wants help finding great books that aren’t relentlessly new, new, new. As you can imagine, I resonated so much with this request and was more than happy to help.

What Should I Read Next #28: Books that no one's writing about in Entertainment Weekly

Connect with Andrea on instagram and at the Browsers Bookshop website.

Books discussed in this episode: 

Some links are affiliate links. More details here.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
LaRose: A Novel by Louise Erdrich
Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
The Girls by Emma Cline
The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and Women’s Work by Kathleen Norris
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
In Short Measures: Three Novellas by Michael Ruhlman
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America by Michael Ruhlman
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
Lila by Marilynne Robinson

Also mentioned:

Ep 13: Memoir, creativity, talent, and more memoir with Ed Cyzewski
Talking about books I don’t like

24 comments

Leave A Comment
  1. Cathy A Armour says:

    This was a great one — I love hearing someone who goes toe-to-toe with you on her author and book knowledge. Really made me want to visit Olympia to see her quaint store. Cannot wait to follow her on Instagram.

  2. Sandra Mosolgo says:

    Also love Wendell Berry & Marilynne Robinson. Would like to suggest Plainsong & Eventide by Kent Haruf and Peace Like a River by Leif Enger.
    Sandra

  3. Mary says:

    I would like to suggest My Antonia by Willa Cather. It’s a classic but doesn’t feel old. It’s fiction but it is historical.
    I am interested in reading Berry because I just ordered a non-fiction book about farming and food by him. I have not read any of his fiction. We are “kind of” neighbors, too, so I should. The prompt to read his farming books was spurred by this article (https://www.circeinstitute.org/2012/01/what-happens-when-a-city-girl-reads-wendell-berry) and “Garden and Gun” magazine recommended his books. ( http://gardenandgun.com/gallery/wendell-berry-reader#slide-0 )

  4. Lynn says:

    Anne, I feel like you met your soulmate on this one. You and Andrea seemed so equally excited about talking all things bookstore, books, and authors. Loved this episode!!

  5. Jamie says:

    Olympia, Washington??!! That’s the place I was born and raised!!! How neat. We are visiting in August and I will HAVE to visit Browser’s. And geek out about MMD and WSIRN.

  6. Tracy says:

    What do you think about Like Water for Chocolate? I’m not much for food related books, but I really loved this book. We read in our book club over 20 years ago and it was loved by all. I think you would both like it.

  7. SoCalLynn says:

    I highly recommend The Crosswicks Journals by Madeleine L’Engle. They are four memoirs that discuss her life through the years, her marriage, her mother, the seasons of life, her faith. I just finished Two-Part Invention and I plan to just start all over again right away, it’s that good.

  8. Libby says:

    I loved this episode – it was amazing to hear her describe A Little Life – that’s EXACTLY how I felt about it and couldn’t articulate it. I wish I could read it again for the first time, and to me that’s the highest praise I have for a book.

  9. Laila Archer says:

    This was my favorite episode yet. I loved hearing about how Andrea came to own a bookstore. We seem to like a lot of the same books. I, too, love literary fiction but am more of a backlist type of reader. I’ve only read Stegner’s Angle of Repose and MUST read Crossing to Safety soon! And I’ve never read Wendell Berry either, something I need to rectify soon.

  10. This was SUCH a great episode!!! One of the best in a while (and not to say the last ten haven’t been awesome as well). I think I may have missed my calling as a medical librarian though. I was a Chemistry major in college and lived in the library. The rapport with y’all was wonderful; I feel like I may listen again. 🙂 Cannot wait to start following Andrea on Instagram!

  11. Catie says:

    This is absolutely, positively one of my most FAVORITE podcasts ever! (The whole shebang–not just this weeks! 😀 ) I look forward to it every week!!!

    Keep ’em coming!

  12. Lynnette says:

    I love the podcasts! This one had so many titles in it that I actually did have to come to the website to get them all. Every podcast inspires more reflection on my ‘reading life.’
    Thank you, Anne!
    Lynnette in Colorado

  13. Laura Schwartz says:

    Great episode! I’m growing my TBR list at my overdrive library since discovering your podcast! Love it!

  14. Christine says:

    I loved this episode! I am a huge fan of the podcast, but particularly enjoyed this one for 2 reasons: (1) I was so happy Andrea had “A Little Life” as one of her favorites (it’s amazing!) and (2) my dream job is to own an independent bookstore, so it was great to hear about Andrea’s career path. Every week, I keep adding books to my list after listening (and love it). Thanks Anne!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We appreciate a good conversation in the comments section. Whether we’re talking about books or life, differing opinions can enrich a discussion when they’re offered for the purpose of greater connection and deeper understanding, which we whole-heartedly support. However, my team and I will delete comments that are hurtful or intended to shame members of this community, particularly if they are left by first-time commenters. We have zero tolerance for hate speech or bigotry of any kind. Remember that there are real people on the other side of the screen. We’re grateful our community of readers is characterized by kindness, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. Thank you for helping us keep it that way.

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Plus weekly emails with book lists, reading life tips, and links to delight avid readers.