Readers, sometimes podcasting doesn’t go as planned. Schedules conflict, last-minute emergencies strike, the flu sneaks up on us, I lose my voice during pollen season… and any of those situations can end with a guest cancelling their recording at the last-minute. That happened recently here at What Should I Read Next HQ, and we needed someone to record on short notice, RIGHT AWAY, to avoid a hole in our release schedule.
Luckily there was an obvious answer — tapping into our Patreon community. We asked who would be available to record within 48 hours. Enter Addie Yoder, self-described “farm wife”, who needed book recommendations to fill her time during harvest season. I couldn’t imagine a more fall-appropriate guest!
Today, Addie and I are chatting about libraries that aren’t free, books that lend us a little distance from real life when we need it, and the best time of year for a happily-ever-after. Let’s get to it!
You can follow Addie’s farm and reading life on Instagram.
Click here to read the full episode transcription (opens in a new tab).
If you want more What Should I Read Next become a supporter on Patreon! We’re sharing the full interviews we did with the past guests featured in our special 200th episode. Supporters also get bonus episodes of One Great Book, behind the scenes looks at how the podcasts are made, AND occasionally they get to save the day! Join Addie and all of the other delightful readers over on Patreon.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Some links are affiliate links. More details here. If you’d like to support your local indie, check out Indiebound.com. And by all means, go grab one of these from your local library!
Books mentioned:
♥ Rebecca, by Daphne DeMaurie
♥ A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah E. Harkness
♥ The Bride Test, by Helen Hoang
♥ The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang
● Twice in a Blue Moon, by Christina Lauren
● Author Jodi Picoult (try Small Great Things)
● The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
● The Gifted School, by Bruce Holsinger
● The Shell Seekers, by Rosamunde Pilcher
● Tara Road, by Maeve Binchy
● The Dublin Murder Squad series, by Tana French
● The Friend Zone, by Abby Jimenez
● The Hating Game, by Sally Thorne
● 99% Mine, by Sally Thorne
● A Study in Scarlet Women, by Sherry Thomas
● Lovely War, by Julie Berry
***
What do YOU think Addie should read next? And tell me — what does fall reading look like for you?
58 comments
The Watchmaker’s Daughter (Glass and Steele series) by C.J. Archer
Oh I am so looking this up!
I’m taking advantage of the recommendations and adding to my TBR list- I just looked this up on Amazon- Book 1 is free for kindle (at least for today!).
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter – WWII Historical fiction based on true events from the Author’s family history
This has been on my radar for a long time. I should look for it at the library!
It is so, so good. I read it almost two years ago and I still recommend it to everyone.
The fourth Lady Sherlock book, The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas, must have come out today because it is on my kindle this morning! I pre-ordered it awhile ago. Fun episode, thanks Anne and Addie. I’m not in a farming household myself but I live in a rural area and have friends who are farmers. Great recommendations!
Well, its exciting to know that there are more to the series! I can’t wait to start it! Rural living is so fun, isn’t it?
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes and The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary.
I have the Flatshare in my library stack right now!
Seconding the Evie Drake Starts Over recommend! Loved that book!
I really liked Evvie Drake, too! Did you read the Accidental Beauty Queen? There were some really good fun books on the SRG. I loved Ayesha at Last, too!
Louise Penny books, start with Still Life. Has all the elements she liks in a mystery, history, an atmosphere where you want to blend in with the characters, and satisfying ending. These are not romance books though. Endings are satisfying or tantalizing, makes you want to read the next in the series.
I love those kinds of books that leave you wanting more….and especially love a tied up ending!
The Poldark series by Winston Graham is a wonderful tale of a family in Cornwall in the late 1700s through the early 1800s. There’s romance and wonderful characters and karma. And there’s a beautiful PBS Masterpiece series!
oh we LOVE the show! I have wondered if the books hold up!
Yes, the books are fantastic! And they give a richer picture of the characters and their motivations.
oh I can’t wait to tell my girls. All 4 of my kids watch it faithfully with me!
Jenny Colgan books!
I loved The Cafe by the Sea. And it’s the first of a series of 3. Modern themes, delightful setting (an island in Scotland, with farmers!) and a love story. I think you’ll love it.
oh this is very exciting!! I am looking them up!!
Addie,
Sorry this response is late. I teach on Tuesday evenings and listen to the podcast on the way to and from class.
It seems that, for the most part, you love the kinds of books I do so I thought I’d recommend Octavia Randolph’s series that begins with *The Circle of Ceridwen*. I think there are six or seven books in the series so far. One of them is a side book about a male main character. But Ceridwen and her female friends and family members are the focus of the other books. They take place in the late 800s early 900s in England some years after the Vikings have begun to settle there. It has romance and historical figures and battles. And the thing I loved most was that I learned so much about the early Middle Ages that I didn’t know. It was a much more vibrant time than my history classes led me to believe.
My in-laws live in Independence, MO. It was good to hear a guest from that state.
Happy reading,
Lucinda
Lucinda! This sounds really good. Have you read Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction? Thank you so much for the suggestion! These comments are so fun.
Anne, I just have to say I was confused when I saw the mention of Charlotte Holmes in The Lady Sherlock Series—-I just read A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallero, about, guess who? Charlotte Holmes, a teenage girl descendant of the great Sherlock! Who solves crimes. The Sherlock character was certainly the gift that keeps giving!
So fun to hear from a fellow midwesterner and harvest widow! May your yields be high, fields dry, and books binge-worthy! Hello from Iowa!
Same to you!! I hope you all have had a good run this week. Its been nonstop here! Thank goodness!
I also love Rebecca and any Maeve’s Binchy books I read. A while back I read Light a Penny Candle, did you read that? I have it on my winter reread stack! I wanted to recommend The Stationary Shop. I just read it and loved it. It is a love story, with current world issues. I read it so quickly and thoroughly enjoyed it! Happy reading.
The 4th Lady Sherlock came out Oct. 15 (same day as this podcast). It’s a great series!
I loved this podcast! Addie and I have very similar reading tastes, and I also live in a rural area. Everyone in my family farms, so it was fun to hear from Addie about harvest and farm life.
Addie, I recommend that you check out the Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn- it’s historical mystery with a wonderful romance. I also love the Mary Russell historical mysteries by Laurie R. King.
Julie Garwood wrote some terrific historical romances including The Secret, The Bride, and For The Roses. And lastly, Nora Roberts isn’t a best selling author for nothing- she has some great books that I think you’d enjoy like The Witness, Dance Upon The Air, and Northern Lights. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Sarah!! You are totally preaching to the choir with Julie Garwood and Nora Roberts. I have read all of Julie Garwood and most of Nora. I am going to look up Laurie King now! I read the first Veronica Speedwell last month with MMD book club! Have you read the Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas??
I have! I especially loved #2 and #4 in that series. I really like her Ravenels series too. Tessa Dare writes really cute, funny historical romances, if you haven’t checked her out yet.
I was so excited to hear Anne recommend The Hating Game to you because that is my FAVORITE book- I just love it. 99 Percent Mine wasn’t quite as good, sadly, but I’m holding out hope for Thorne’s next one! R.S. Grey writes hilarious open door rom-coms, especially Not So Nice Guy, Hotshot Doc, and Anything You Can Do.
Other favorites include Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Lady
Be Good, First Lady), Julie James (Something About You, A Lot Like Love) and Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles. 🙂
I have heard so much about the Lunar Chronicles but wasn’t sure about the cyborgs. I think I am just going to have to move past it and get into them! I just got my 13yo her Renegades series and am waiting to see how that goes! (really, she probably won’t read it because I gave it to her. lol but I can read it!)
I just last week finished up the Ravenel’s and am excited for Cassandras story! I added all these authors to my list. Its so nice to hear from someone instead of just wondering at the library!
I haven’t read the Renegades series, but I have Heartless on my TBR. I’m a sucker for fairy tale retellings. 🙂 There aren’t too many cyborgs in Cinder- it’s definitely a unique world, but I thought the characters were interesting and the fast pace kept things fun.
You and your daughter might like reading the Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden. It’s so atmospheric (perfect to read under a cozy blanket!) and the magical elements are compelling. The first book is kind of slow to start, but the ending is so good, as is the rest of the series (especially book #2, IMO).
Like Addie, I have struggled with Jodi Picoult books because of the horrible things that happen to children, particularly when she kills someone off at the end! In fact, I had decided that I was done with her books several years ago. I just couldn’t take all the heartbreak! I finally relented when my book club was going to see her talk at an event in Pittsburgh about 5 years ago. She gave the audience the opportunity to ask questions, and I wanted to ask her why she often has a main character, and often a child, die at the end. She didn’t get to me during the talk, but I emailed her through her website later that night and she answered me right away! Here was her response:
I think it’s because the scariest thing of all for me to imagine is losing a child. So I face it over and over again in my books!
JP
So, famous authors, they’re just like us! I have since read more of her books. Somehow, understanding her motivation has helped me to continue reading such difficult stories.
Wow! How sweet of her to get back to you so quickly. It does change it just a little to have that insight!
I would suggest Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult it is about what happens to a nurse when an infant dies soon after birth.
Hi Addie! I just finished listening to the podcast and can I just tell you how nice it was to hear from a reader that has similar tastes in reading. Please tell me you know that Deborah Harkness has a 4th book out called Time’s Convert!
Try Caraval- a fantasy series
The Golem and the Jinni
Sara Donati’s Into The Wilderness Series- It has romance, historical fiction and such likable characters. She also has a new series which starts with The Gilded Hour, the second one in the series just came out in September.
I just read The Things We Can Not Say – switches between present day and World War II – I really enjoyed it as well
Hi Laura!! Yes! I have read Time’s Convert! I am so glad you mentioned Caraval. I have been wondering about it, but hadn’t heard much from a reliable source! Thank you! I just found Sara Donati while listening to the podcast and have only read the Guilded Hour. I am an Outlander fan, too, so these are super exciting! I have got to get going on the rest! Thank you for the suggestions! I have such a fabulous list going.
You should read A Thousand Roads Home by Carmel Harrington. One of the main characters an adult with Asperger’s. The story is about several people who are homeless for varying reasons and they all find “home.”
Thank you, Amanda! I am going to look for this!
There are so many fun recommendations here! Addie, I enjoyed hearing about your fall harvest as well as your reading choices. I work in the schools and Fall is often wild and crazy, so I also am looking for HEA’s. I read ‘smarter’ books in the summer and on vacation. 🙂 I have lots of recommendations!
I second Evie Drake Starts Over, The Flatshare, and The Hating Game (I agree that 99% Mine wasn’t as good, but I still enjoyed it). I also love Julie Garwood and Susan Elizabeth Phillips (laugh out loud funny).
Some additional authors I love are: Elizabeth Lowell (the Donovon series is about precious jewels and has romance and adventure), Judith McNaught (such beautiful classic romances- both historical and modern), and Jayne Ann Krentz (modern) and her pseudonyms (Amanda Quick- historical, Jayne Castle- paranormal). Krentz’s worlds/characters have connections which are fun. I also have liked all of Jasmine Guillory’s books. Some recent favorites are Well Met by Jen DeLuca (modern but the romance takes place at a renaissance faire), Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore (historical romance with a side of women’s liberation based on true events). I also was lucky enough to read and love an advance copy of The Bromance Club by Lyssa Kay Adams. It’s out November 5. Anne recommended it in a recent podcast. I love the JD Robb Series (book 50 is coming soon!). The Lady and the Highwayman was cute. And Elizabeth Berg is really heart-warming (especially the Mason County series). I know I could go on, but feel like I should stop!
Feel free to find and friend me on Goodreads. My user name is : goodreads.com/juliedg
Julie, I think you might be my people! I have read several of these authors and really enjoyed them. I am really looking forward to Bromance Book Club!! Look for my Goodreads request! I have Well Met and Bringing Down the Duke on my shelf!!
I just finished the Flatshare and loved it!! Great suggestion!!
This was a great episode, I had never known that there are places where you have to pay to use the library (city girl) so I learned something. Addie, have you read Jasmine Guillroy’s books? I think if you like Helen Hoang and Christina Lauren, you would also like her books. They aren’t a series but the characters are connected to each other so I would start with The Wedding Date, her first book. Another book I would recommend is Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine which isn’t a straight romance but more about an unusual woman and the people around her. Happy Reading!
oh I liked the Wedding Party a lot. I will have to pick up the others!
What a fun episode! When you started off with “Rebecca” I literally shouted, “Yes!” because I truly think it’s one of the best books ever written, and it’s odd because it’s not really my genre, either. However, I can help you out with fun romances in the vein of Christina Lauren and Anne’s recommendation The Hating Game (definitely read this before 99% Mine, because I really didn’t like that one, and would never have picked up The Hating Game after it!)
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
The “Love in London” series by Lucy Parker. There are 4, soon to be 5, books in the series, and they have interconnected characters! And they’re all about people in the theatre/showbiz world.
Red, White, and Royal Blue – This is a “hate to love” LGBT romance between the Prince of England and the son of the American President. It then turns into a “keeping this romance secret” story, which is one of my favourite things ever! It’s likely going to be my favourite book of 2019.
I just finished the Flatshare yesterday. It was so good! I am adding the others to my list. I am dying to get into Twice in a Blue Moon this week, too.
Glad you enjoyed it! I saw some others recommended it too. It’s SO good!
I loved this episode because I related to the guest. I have put several of the books on this podcast on my wish list. I had previously uploaded a book, I think it was free through Amazon Prime, and think it would be a great recommendation for this guest…. The Vine Witch by Luanne Smith. It was a fun read and also perfect for an October read.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! I wrote down the Vine Witch! What are you reading now?
I am reading Lovely War – from this podcast! I really enjoy listening and like so many of your listeners have added so many of your suggestions to my wish list. Thank you for your time and effort!!!
Wow, this is the first time checking after listening to the podcast, and I’m thrilled with all the suggestions!
I have a few older titles to add:
The Tea girl of Hummingbird Lane
The Language of Flowers
The Secret Life of Bees.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23151972-renee-freeman
Anyone is welcome to reach out to me on Goodreads!
Isn’t this list great?? I think I am going to be set on book shopping for MONTHS!! So much fun!
Just wanted to give a shout-out as a fellow NEMO girl! I grew up in Kirksville. So fun to hear from someone in that area! 🙂
Ahhh!!! thats my library!! I am in Kirksville all the time!!
A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell, #1)
by Deanna Raybourn
I am Addie’s book twin! 😀 any of these books mentioned you would recommend on audio? Going on a (solo!) road trip and this mama wants to make the most of the quiet listening time! 😀 TIA!
I’m really late to the party as I didn’t get around to listening to this until today. I was really surprised that Outlander wasn’t mentioned. I can only surmise that the guest has already read those books and therefore doesn’t need it recommended.
I know it’s been a while since this episode aired, but I just listened to it for the first time and you are my reading twin!! Every book you mentioned had me yelling, “Yes!!!” at my car speakers!
I don’t know if you have read them yet, but if not I think you would like the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco.
I just followed you on Instagram and I can’t wait to see what else you like reading! (I am @whitreadslit by the way)