Readers, today Shannan Malone, our Patreon Community Manager, is joining me for a third year as we dive into our reading lives for a midyear check-in.
This is a conversation that I and many of you have come to look forward to every year, and now I can barely believe this is only year three, because it feels like I’ve been reflecting for this episode and planning for this episode for a long time. I’m so excited about what Shannan is bringing to share today. You’ll also hear about what’s been happening so far in my reading life and where recalibration or adjustment may be called for as we head into the second half of 2026.
We’d love to hear your midyear reflections: please leave a comment to share an answer to any of the questions Shannan and I discuss today.
Find more team book talk on Patreon
Our Patreon community features more conversations with our team as well as bonus episodes from me. We rely on our Patreon community members to keep everything running: their financial support is a critical part of how we create our episodes and pay our team. A huge thank you to everyone who is already a paid supporter: if you’re interested in more conversations like today’s or want to be part of making What Should I Read Next? happen each week, we would love it if you’d consider joining us as a monthly or annual member on Patreon. Find out more at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.
[00:00:00] SHANNAN MALONE: Okay. You've thrown a spanner into the works, so listeners, I take all that back. Maybe I'll keep it.
ANNE BOGEL: No, no, no, no, no. Don't take it back. Don't take it back. I'm not the boss of you, but don't take it back, Shannan.
Hey readers, I'm Anne Bogel, and this is What Should I Read Next?. Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader, what should I read next? We don't get bossy on this show. What we will do here is give you the information you need to choose your next read. Every week we'll talk all things books and reading and today, we are having a wide-ranging conversation with our team member, Shannan Malone, for a fun and informal mid-year reading check-in.
[00:00:51] Readers, Shannan serves as our Patreon community manager. Something I love about that space is that's where we get to feature more conversations with our team and dig further into topics that we talk about here on the podcast. In Patreon, every Friday we share a bonus episode. Many of these come from me directly, like our Industry Insights episodes or our Mini Matchmaking ongoing series. That's where I do speed recommendations in response to regular requests from our Patreon community members asking what they should read next.
Many of our Friday bonuses also come from our team, either individually or as a large or small group. We rely on our Patreon community members to keep everything running here at What Should I Read Next HQ. Their financial support is a critical part of how we create our episodes and pay our team.
A huge thank you from me and our team for everyone who is already a paid supporter. And if you're interested in more conversations like today's or want to be part of making What Should I Read Next? happen each week, we would love it if you consider joining us as a monthly or annual member over on Patreon. Find out more at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext.
[00:01:59] Now for today's episode, readers, this is the third year that Shannan is joining me here to dive into our reading lives for a mid-year check-in. Something we do around here often is embark on a little experiment that feels like so much fun to me and our team, and also to you, that it comes to be a little tradition.
And this is one of those. This is a conversation that I and many of you have come to look forward to every year, and now I can barely believe this is only year three, because it feels like I've been reflecting for this episode and planning for this episode and getting to talk to you here, Shannan, for a long time. So I'm so excited about what Shannan is bringing to share today.
And you'll also hear about what's been happening so far in my reading life and where recalibration or adjustment may be called for as we head into the second half of 2026. This is going to be fun. Let's get to it
Shannan, thanks so much for joining me on Tuesday edition, What Should I Read Next?
[00:03:00] SHANNAN: Thank you for having me again.
ANNE: Oh, I really enjoy doing this every year. And something that I find really beneficial, and listeners, I hope you have some version of this in your own life, even if it's just reflecting in a journal or on a walk, is that you reflect back to me what I've said I wanted in my reading life. Somehow it sounds different to me when I'm listening to you tell me what you heard versus me just trying to remember what I said or listening to an old episode or seeing what I put in my reading journal. So this is great for me. Thank you so much.
SHANNAN: It's great for me. It keeps me accountable, external accountability. I'm an obliger from Gretchen Rubin's personality thing, so if I'm reporting to somebody else, I'm probably going to do it.
ANNE: Mm-hmm. And we joke around here. I wrote a book by this title, We'd Rather Be Reading. But also, I love talking about what I'm reading. I love thinking about my reading life. I love talking with other readers about those same things.
[00:04:03] First, it's just enjoyable and interesting to me. But also, I have seen how I get more out of my reading life, and I make wiser and more informed choices. And if that sounds really boring, reflection on fun and satisfaction begets more fun and satisfaction. So, really, the goal of this episode is to reflect upon and then take away what we need to know about how 2026 has gone so far so that we can thoroughly enjoy the rest of our reading year.
SHANNAN: I must admit that I probably enjoy the reflecting and the planning more than the actual doing.
ANNE: Luckily, that is part of being a reader. So you can have both experiences. And if one works better than the other, well, I'm glad that both are available to you.
Okay, so here's what we are going to do today. We are going to look back on our reading intentions that we shared in a Patreon bonus back in January.
SHANNAN: Yes, January, and we'll link it in the show notes for-
ANNE: Great.
SHANNAN: ...our Patreon members obviously. And if you're not a member of Patreon, as Anne has said, feel free to join us over there. We have a lot of fun.
[00:05:14] ANNE: And then you joked to me that you're going to turn this into your own personal bibliotherapy session.
SHANNAN: I am.
ANNE: So we're going to explore some of your... I mean, you tell me, what are we going to explore there? Give us a little preview.
SHANNAN: I am going to talk about an intention I made, and then what happened when I made that intention. Well, what happened after I made that intention, and where that went, and now I'm in a... I have a conundrum, so I'm going to bring it to you.
ANNE: Okay. We're going to address a readerly conundrum.
SHANNAN: Yes
ANNE: We're going to discuss what we want for the rest of the year. We're going to talk about what's working and what's not. Maybe we could take a little snapshot of where we are midsummer 2026. And then we're going to talk about what we want more of of the rest of the year, and we're going to close with a... I think other podcasts might call this a lightning round.
SHANNAN: Yes.
[00:06:10] ANNE: I don't know that we've ever been especially speedy at answering these questions. But we're going to rattle through some what's working, what's not, most anticipated, biggest disappointment, favorites, that kind of thing.
Well, I'm excited to do this. Let's begin. Do you want to go first?
SHANNAN: Sure.
ANNE: Okay. Tell us about your January 2026 intentions for the year.
SHANNAN: So I had this grandiose idea. I always have grandiose plans.
ANNE: Uh-oh.
SHANNAN: You should always know this. I said earlier, I love planning. I love reflecting and coming up with things, and then life has a way of hitting me straight in the face. I don't know if anyone's watching the soccer on television, but I heard a quote, I believe it was Mike Tyson, sorry to be quoting Mike Tyson. But he said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." And I'm like, yes. So that's where I am.
[00:07:12] I had this really good intention of aligning my reading with my real life, so I wanted to read books and consume media about being courageous and strong, physically, emotionally, and mentally. And I call this my Personal Curriculum Project. But life has hit me in the face, and I think I have moved more to what you said during that bonus episode that we talked about earlier. And I wrote it down. You said, "Act from the gut with a little Post-It Note plan."
ANNE: I think readers might appreciate some context on that. I mean, I know what you're talking about.
SHANNAN: Well, I took it to mean, and that's what I'll say. I took it to mean, like, okay, Shannan, you have plans, great. I am going to go a little bit more intuitively with a general idea of what I want to do. And so that's where I've wound up. My pseudo personal curriculum about strong and courageous physically, mentally, and emotionally, that fell off, but I did end up doing a pseudo personal curriculum around poetry, and I have read a lot more poems this year and listened to podcasts about poetry.
[00:08:36] And that has really, really worked for me. I've enjoyed it. I've read more poetry than I ever have. I still feel like I've done a pseudo-personal curriculum, just not the one I was intending on doing.
I did not have a reading goal this year. That was great. It's the first year I've never had a reading goal in terms of numbers, I mean. I have read 13 books, which is kind of in line with what I normally do, which is kind of surprising that without a goal intention, I'm still kind of following my usual trend.
I would say that I would love to have a five-star fiction read, but I don't have one yet, and that's a little disturbing to me. I think I'll hold the next observation for after you discuss your intentions.
[00:09:32] ANNE: Okay. Well, as you captured, I shared that my intentions apparently were not reading-related, I think because I had so few reading-related intentions. Like I told you, that I was going to change Daisy's bandana every single day. Y'all, our 10-year-old lab is such a sweetie, and she gets so excited about mealtime, obviously, going outside, because she's a dog. I mean, I know not every single dog does this, but I know many dog owners know exactly what I'm talking about. And also, when she gets a new bandana, she is so, so happy.
So this was my resolu… I never make resolutions, but I made one: every day, I'm going to change the bandana, and I have. This has been a winner. Like, small success, happy dog, happy family. We all go, "Oh, Daisy. You're wearing my school color. You're wearing my favorite color. You're dressed for, I don't know, Fourth of July." It's great. Also, apparently, I told you I wanted to vacuum less, because I was going to brush my dog more.
SHANNAN: Yes. I believe you did say that.
ANNE: Yeah, yeah.
SHANNAN: How's that coming?
[00:10:32] ANNE: I mean, okay, so my 16-year-old realized there was a setting on the vacuum that I didn't know existed, so I'm vacuuming less because apparently I've been vacuuming on low this whole time, and vacuuming on low is not good for the dog hair. It's a Dyson stick vacuum, y'all. Make sure you know how to turn it to high, and all of a sudden, it zips up the dog hair. It's amazing.
SHANNAN: Good.
ANNE: So maybe more satisfaction from less vacuuming.
SHANNAN: Oh, nice.
ANNE: I'm killing it, you know? Thank you, teenager. But with books, which is probably why you all are tuned in, I wanted to make space to welcome the unexpected, and weird, and strange into my reading life. And the making space has to do with the obligations I have created for myself, and we've created for me as a team in a little readerly business with things we do for Summer Reading Guide, and fall and Spring Book Previews, and various projects.
[00:11:31] At Austin in August every year, I know I'll be reading the Pride and Prejudice Annotated Edition. I do have a fair amount of reading that I'm committed to. And I wanted to be really thoughtful about how I approach all my reading. I was interested in exploring what I'm finding especially satisfying and fruitful in my reading life, and to make sure that as best as I was able, I'm making decisions that align with that. Like even when I'm choosing... Not even, I mean, always when I'm choosing Summer Reading Guide and Fall Book Preview books, like what I even want to vet, I'm thinking about what would you all find surprising and unexpected and unusual, but be really glad you found. But I have to read a lot of books to find the ones that I think are worth talking about.
Also, this isn't captured in that unexpected and weird intention, but I am very aware of the space that I carve out in my reading life for not just the unexpected and weird, but maybe like classic and just unexplored or off the beaten path that came out in 1982. I just wanted space to explore... This is a long-winded way of saying backlist. I'm always looking for a way to carve out lots of time for backlist.
[00:12:54] SHANNAN: Hey, how is it going?
ANNE: You know, it's going okay. It's going okay. I read fewer books this year. Part of that is just how I'm spending my reading time. Actually, part of that is I'm looking directly at Jane Smiley's Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel, which maybe isn't unexpected and weird. But I bought this book after speaking with Julie Berry on the podcast. She mentioned it, and I thought, "That sounds amazing."
And I do not even remember at this point, Shannan, what I expected from this book. But lots of people are surprised to find out I was not an English major. I didn't take English courses after my freshman year of college. I haven't critically analyzed anything in a classroom since the '90s. And this book and the way she talks about the evolution of a novel, and what is it even, and what does it mean, and what's the French novel versus the English novel, and how did the Russians contribute and, you know? You know, you may not know. On and on and on in that vein. I felt like this is the literature class I never had. But this book was 600 pages, half theory, half book by book, going through 100 novels.
SHANNAN: Wow.
[00:14:10] ANNE: I felt like this was the literature seminar that I didn't take as a college student, but I am ready for now. It was a slow read, and I did a lot... I mean, I'm a fast reader, but I don't read a book like this at the same speed I read like Lucy Foley. Probably takes me four times as long per page.
But I made this my morning reading, and I spent like four months with this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But that was very much in line with my intentions. Like, I wanted to be deliberate and not feel rushed and make time for the things that are important to me.
And I hope the things I'm learning filter through me and end up coming out in my work and make everything feel richer and better anchored and stronger. And I got all kinds of ideas for further exploration of a whole bunch of backlist for what to read next but, of course, I'm thinking about what I learned as I'm reading this fall's crop of forthcoming novels.
[00:15:12] SHANNAN: Sounds like you did a little personal curriculum of your own there.
ANNE: Yes. English nerd. And then I've picked up some books on my travels and accumulated some backlist titles of interest. And I've tried to be really thoughtful about how and when I make sure I'm taking the time to go back and look at those old ones.
I'm also trying to be thoughtful about how I approach the rhythms of my reading. Right now it's for our Fall Book Preview. Like, how can I make the most of my precious reading time for my own sake, and also, I hope, for your sakes. So we just got back from the beach, where I read... It's been a while since I read a book a day, and I didn't quite do it. But I spent two days on the new 512-page Chloe Benjamin. But other than that, I read a book a day.
SHANNAN: What?
[00:16:08] ANNE: I enjoyed it so much. Only one of those was backlist, and I thought it was going to be a dry read, and I loved it. I just zipped through it. I know you want to know. That was Prague Spring by Simon Mawer, which I picked up on my travels at the recommendation of Melissa Joulwan from Strong Sense of Place. She told me it was great, and I said, "Okay, enough said." Oh, but I loved it. And it made me wish I'd brought more backlist on that trip, but it worked out okay.
And unexpected and weird, like just picking stuff up on my travels. Y'all, I don't travel all the time, but I think I've said "on my travels" several times. Like when I'm visiting my college kid and we go to the bookstore, I really enjoy just browsing the shelves of a store that I'm not familiar with and just seeing what strikes me, what looks good. And I came home with a couple books that way that I've been looking forward to. I've only read one of like the three I bought on that college visit in the fall, but I'm making my way through there.
[00:17:05] And just recently, Will and I were in Grand Rapids, and I picked up this book on the table at Books & Mortar. I picked it up, I said, "That looks really interesting. I've heard good things about this author. I bought their previous book several years ago and haven't read it yet." And then I put it back down. And Will's like, "Aren't you going to buy it?" I said, "Didn't you hear me? No, I'm not reading these things."
But it was The Fifth Year by Marlen Haushofer, a German author. The publisher's New Directions. I keep an eye on what they're doing. They have interesting stuff from around the world, often in translation. But it sounded interesting. It's 100 pages, a little novella. And Will's like, "Isn't that like the off-the-beaten-path kind of unique, weird reading experience you said you wanted?" And I said, "Okay, fine." So I brought it home with me. I'll be reading that soon. So I'm making room for that book, and books like that, in my home right now. And you know, they're hanging out on my, like, "Oh, think of all the things I could read right now if I wanted to," after I finish the forthcoming RF Kuang.
SHANNAN: Ooh.
ANNE: Ooh. I thought you might be interested in that.
[00:18:10] SHANNAN: You talked about making space, and my therapist has been working with me on the subject of capacity. Apparently, I don't have as much as I think I should have. And she has been working with me very steadily for the past two or three months about it. And one of the things I read was that if something isn't adding up in your life, you should start subtracting.
And the way I like to do that is removing physical things. So one of the things that I did was curate my bookshelf, and I kept five-star reads, and I have a few sentimental books that maybe weren't five-star reading experiences, but I still loved anyway. I love looking at my bookshelf now. It's so joy-inspiring. It sparks joy. Yes. What am I trying to do? Just quote Marie Kondo. It sparks joy, and I love it. And over 65 books have been released back into the world, and I couldn't be happier about it.
[00:19:20] Now, Anne, can we now go to where I turn this session into being all about me and get your opinion on some books that I have that you have discussed in the podcast, in book club, and in various spaces, and I'm not sure if I should read it or not. So kind of like a Dear Book Therapist session.
ANNE: Yes. Let's do it. Okay. Okay. We can say that it's going to help my purposes for this question of "should they stay or should they go?" But also just out of nerdy curiosity, what are some of those five-star reads that are now smiling back at you from your bookshelf?
SHANNAN: Oh. Well, I mean, so many. Of course, you guys can't see me, but I'm literally turning myself so that I can see my bookshelf. Pretty much anything by Alix E. Harrow is here. I think I own a copy, physical hardcover copy of everything she's written in book form. And I cannot wait to read The Slantwise Histories, her short story collection that is coming out shortly.
[00:20:35] Then of course, we have Becky Chambers' A Song for the Wild-Built. I have a bunch of memoir that I absolutely love, Elizabeth Gilbert's All the Way to the River, Mary Laura Philpott's two, Bomb Shelter and... oh, man, I can't see the title of the other one. It is slipping my mind.
ANNE: I Miss You When I Blink.
SHANNAN: Thank you. I have my paperback backlist novels that I love: My Oxford Year, Charlie Lovett's The Bookman's Tale. I have books about writing, which prompts me to one of the books that I need to ask you about. And I have my TBR shelf, which I have curated. And so that brings me back to some that are on my TBR shelf, and I'm like, "Do these still need to be here?"
ANNE: All right. Do you want to tell me about what they are?
[00:21:30] SHANNAN: Yes. My first one that I wanted to talk about, since I already mentioned my writing books, is On Writing Well by William Zinsser. I've read a lot of writing books, and I struggle to keep all the information in my head from the ones that I do read. Bird by Bird is my absolute favorite. Anne Lamott released another one with her husband that I am currently enjoying. And I'm wondering, "Do I need to read On Writing Well? Is this one that you think I should keep? Is it on the pantheon of writing books? What's your opinion on that?"
ANNE: I mean, gosh, I read this a long time ago.
SHANNAN: Okay.
ANNE: What I'm interested in knowing for this and all your books is what are you hoping to get out of the book?
SHANNAN: Okay.
[00:22:27] ANNE: Like, why read it, and why read it now? And I think only then can we talk about if you need to. I mean, need? The answer to "need" is, absolutely not. This is a modern classic on writing nonfiction. So, practical, helpful, fun to read if you're interested in such things or a grammar geek. Are you looking for insight into reading, into writing? Are these tips you want to put into practice? How did it end up on your list? You don't have to answer all those questions, but these are the things I'm wondering.
SHANNAN: I think it was on the list of books to read if you want to be a writer. Again, I'm going back to my newish intention given to me by my therapist in terms of capacity. If it's one that you're like, "Yes, Shannan, I learned a lot from that book. I still remember it. You definitely need to read it," then I would say, okay, I should. But if it's not, then I think that what I'm wanting to do is have room to implement the ones that I have read and the things that I did learn from those books and not, you know, put more on my plate. So that's kinda like what I'm asking.
[00:23:49] So I kind of got that answer from what you said, so I think I might release this one back into the world.
ANNE: Okay. Okay, counterpoint. As I recall, it's very actionable. And I wonder if it would be interesting for you to experiment with reading a chunk as you're sitting down to write something because I believe much of what you write is, like personal essay, narrative, a little bit of technical writing where you're explaining things. And I wonder if connecting the... I don't really like digestive words. Ingest is a little like, ugh. Okay.
But I wonder if taking that into your brain and then seeing if there's anything that you could find helpful right away could, I mean, at least give you the information you need to tell you like, "Am I going to find this useful?" Not that there's not things that you couldn't reflect upon further, but some of what he says is like, you know, when you're writing a sentence, think about how you're loading the verbs in the sentence and in the reader's mind. Like, do you find that kind of stuff helpful? Are you like, "You know what? I've read a lot of writing books, and I don't need to hear more from Zinsser"?
[00:25:03] SHANNAN: Okay. Well, you've thrown a spanner into the works, so listeners, I take all that back. Maybe I'll keep it.
ANNE: No, no, no, no, no. Don't take it back. Don't take it back. I'm not the boss of you, but don't take it back, Shannan. Okay.
SHANNAN: All right. My next three books are fiction. The first is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Now, I have heard that people love this book, and I've heard other people who have been like, "Ugh." Now, I have to say, it's here because I adored A.J. Fikry. I've read it three times. It's on my favorites shelf. I love it so much.
But I have to say, I have started Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow many times — Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow — and I have always been distracted and I haven't been able to get into it. I can't tell you why. Maybe the subject matter is not appealing to me. I've probably gotten 20% in, and something has always come up. And you know I like a good ending in a book, a satisfying ending. Should I keep this one?
[00:26:22] ANNE: Okay. What I wonder is how this book fits into what you've said about capacity.
SHANNAN: Okay.
ANNE: Is there an option here where we can take a hefty, emotional, 500-page, epic might not be going too far and put it on a little shelf that says, "For an era with a different kind of capacity"? It has a lot of elements that I think you would really enjoy.
SHANNAN: Okay. But maybe not in this space of right now. Because you just said the words there that made me say, "Hmm. Yeah, no, not right now." Epic, 500 pages. Hmm. Okay, thank you. I think I might release this one back into the world, and then get it when I am in a space for that.
[00:27:21] All right, my next one is a shorter, not 500-page epic. Heart the Lover by Lily King. Now, I loved Writers & Lovers, and I think I loved it because of the ending. The ending was worth everything I went through in the first part of the book. It was so satisfying. I appreciated it so much.
Now, I have good friends who loved Heart the Lover. Like, it's on their best book of the year consideration. I have started it once, and it feels very slow-paced for me right now. And I'm wondering, in your opinion, is the ending worth it?
ANNE: I hear your question, and I'm not going to answer it.
SHANNAN: Oh.
ANNE: I mean, to me, I thought so. These books have so much in common.
SHANNAN: Really?
ANNE: Yes.
SHANNAN: Oh.
ANNE: They feel like mirrors.
SHANNAN: Interesting.
[00:28:23] ANNE: Which is funny. So Heart the Lover takes place both before and after Writers & Lovers. So you get the backstory to what happens in Writers & Lovers, and also the what came after. But Writers & Lovers is about the protagonist, Casey, assembling a life. And it ends with like, no spoilers I don't believe, but like fireworks, and triumph, and fanfare. Lily King said, if the book hadn't come out on March 3rd, 2020, she thought she was going to get brutalized in critical reviews for it being happy, because literary fiction doesn't end happy. But she thinks that the book was perfectly timed because who didn't want something that wasn't bleak for a book that released on March 3rd, 2020?
SHANNAN: That is so interesting.
[00:29:22] ANNE: Heart the Lover is set into motion by an untimely imminent death. And the protagonist is going through... as this long-lost loved one is desperately ill, is going through this swim in all the complicated and untold and unspoken experiences and emotions of what happened between them back then. It's a very different emotional energy than a young writer struggling to make her way. I mean, there's no a cappella boys singing in the restaurant in Heart the Lover, you know, and other moments of levity. It's sad.
So is the ending worth it? I think so. But is that the right question? I don't know that that's the question for you. I don't know that that's the pond you want to swim in.
SHANNAN: I think that in this time, no. And I think I'm probably one of those people that Lily King was not talking about. I love my literary fiction to end happily. I know that's not traditionally what happens, but I love it when it does. And so I'm glad it happened, and I'm glad everyone got the response, or, you know, that it came out in March when it did, 2020, because it was perfect for me. But now this is on a different vein. I'm thinking this probably not for me right now because I do kinda struggle with the genre sometimes.
[00:31:03] ANNE: And I'm not saying it's unhappy, and I found it really satisfying, but the whole book takes place in a different emotional register. I mean, there's grief in Writers & Lovers. She's grieving the death of her mom, but also it's a different kind of loss, and she's grieving that loss in a different way than what's happening in Heart the Lover.
SHANNAN: I think my decision will be to hang on to this one because it is a little bit shorter, not the epic 500-plus pages, and see if I can get back to that space where I can read that one. Okay. And my final book, and I'm a little disappointed, but I think you hinted to this one, it was from last year's Summer Reading Guide. It was my pick, The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King.
[00:31:51] I remember I said, "I think I want to read The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King," and you hesitated, and I got a sense that you were like, "Hmm, I don't know if you'll like that, Shannan." And I have tried to read this twice, and I always put it aside for something else. Again, I think all of my questions are... You know, I said on my inaugural episode, I don't mind endings. I don't mind spoiler endings, I actually almost prefer them, but I kind of need to know that right now, a satisfying ending is more on a joyous, happier side of things. And so I can persevere if I know I'm going to kind of get that from The Phoenix Pencil Company. One, I'm curious why you were like, "Hmm, I'm not sure if you'd like that," and I'm beginning to think you were right, and I want to know why.
[00:32:51] ANNE: Well, that was a different conversation and a different time and place.
SHANNAN: Okay.
ANNE: I mean, I think it was about tone and where the history and meaning of The Pencil Magic lay. But I will say, it is so much like two books I think you really enjoyed. I mean, you enjoyed Babel by R.F. Kuang, right?
SHANNAN: Yes, I did.
ANNE: Okay. This one feels a little less deeply rooted in the meaning of where the... These pencils are magical in this book. They are used to capture and then extract people's memories and histories. Is that fair? I'm asking you this. I know you haven't finished it.
SHANNAN: Yes, yes.
ANNE: But you've read that much.
SHANNAN: Yes, I did read that much.
ANNE: And also it's got some major Ten Thousand Doors of January crossover with Alix E. Harrow.
SHANNAN: Which I loved.
ANNE: And also it's a book about painful family histories, and war, and betrayal. And I think it was those factors that caused my hesitation.
[00:33:54] SHANNAN: Yeah. As you said, painful family histories and war. I'm like, "Ugh." Everything you told me.
ANNE: Maybe that one can go on the capacity shelf, because it has a lot to recommend itself to you based on what you've enjoyed in the past.
SHANNAN: Yeah, I think so.
ANNE: And also what you just said.
SHANNAN: Okay. All right. Well, thank you for your assistance, Anne.
ANNE: Okay. Well, we're just throwing everything out the window. You got anything else you want to get rid of? Table for now?
SHANNAN: Readers, thanks for indulging.
ANNE: Not out the window. We're rearranging. Reshelving.
SHANNAN: Yes. Yes. Thanks for indulging me, readers. I hope you got something from that, because that is very, very helpful. I always appreciate your insight, Anne. You're so good at what you do.
ANNE: Oh. I love to hear what people are up to in their reading lives, what conundrums they're facing. So thanks for inviting me in.
SHANNAN: Shall we get to our mid-year questions?
ANNE: Yes, let's do it.
SHANNAN: Okay.
[00:34:51] ANNE: I was about to say I'm ready, but you know I'm not. I want to give you like 47 titles for the answer to every question.
SHANNAN: Right. Remember, we're going to try to do this as a lightning round. And readers, on last week's bonus episode, Holly and Brigid answered these questions, and I answer some of them as the host of that episode. It will be interesting to note that we recorded that two weeks ago, and some of my answers have changed since that recording. So there you go.
ANNE: That's so exciting. Oh, I can't wait to hear.
SHANNAN: All right. Best book you've read so far this year, Anne?
ANNE: Oh, okay. Please note that many of the Summer Reading Guide books I read in 2025, going on recency bias, one of the many Irish ones coming out this fall that I just read at the beach for Fall Book Preview was good. But also, I reviewed my reading journal, of course, in preparation for this episode, and I would like to tell you about my first week of the reading year. January 3rd through January 7th, I read The Great Wherever, The Camino, two old books by Anne Tyler, The Beginner's Goodbye and A Spool of Blue Thread, and Maggie O'Farrell's Land.
SHANNAN: Wow.
[00:36:05] ANNE: In one week, that's definitely my best reading week of the year.
SHANNAN: Yeah, you were killing it with that one.
ANNE: I really was. How about you?
SHANNAN: This has changed from the answer that I gave on the bonus episode. The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty. It is the second book in the Amina Al Sirafi series, but I can't stop thinking about it. It was four and a half when I finished, and it's probably going to work its way up to a five-star. I know I said I hadn't read a five-star. It's not quite there yet. If I keep thinking about it through the month of July, it'll firmly be a five-star. But that's my best one in fiction land.
And then in nonfiction, I finally finished I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. I was working my way slowly through that because I was incorporating all the steps. It's six weeks to a better financial future. Took me a year, but it's okay. I finished it. I got it done. It is my best nonfiction.
ANNE: All right.
[00:37:10] SHANNAN: Next, best sequel you've read so far, Anne?
ANNE: Ooh, I don't think I've read much in the way of sequels, but I reread, on audio, The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez because I wanted to do a One Great Audiobook episode on it.
SHANNAN: Ooh.
ANNE: So maybe that old book is my best sequel I've read so far, but I'm wondering if The Tapestry of Fate is going to make my list very soon because I was waiting till after the Summer Reading Guide to listen to the audio. I loved the first one on audio, and so I have it downloaded already, and I will be starting it before too long.
SHANNAN: Someone pointed out that it is kind of slow through the middle. And it is. It really is. But you keep going, it all comes together, and it is obviously my best sequel of the year so far.
[00:38:00] New release you haven't read but want to. And I'm going to cheat by saying Ransom by Daniel Silva. I think it releases the week we release this episode, so it would have released this week. It's the 24th book in the Gabriel Allon series. And I love that series and enjoy it very much. What about you?
ANNE: I'm going to say, actually, another series installment, Cool Machine, which will end Colson Whitehead's Harlem trilogy.
SHANNAN: Okay. Why am I just now discovering that was a trilogy?
ANNE: Well, they just come out one at a time.
SHANNAN: Oh, wow. Okay. Learn something new every day. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year. And I already mentioned mine, which was The Slantwise Histories: Collected Stories by Alix E. Harrow. And on the bonus, I mentioned The Paradox Club by Charlie Lovett.
[00:39:04] ANNE: I'm looking forward to both those as well and haven't read them yet. Okay, I'm going to say a book I haven't read yet, the new book from the author of A Ghost in the Throat, who is Irish and whose last name I am not even going to try. But I loved and adored A Ghost in the Throat.
SHANNAN: Me too.
ANNE: That was such an amazing surprise. And I was so excited to find out that she had a new one on the way, and it's supposed to be really interesting, genre-bending. I'm looking forward to it.
SHANNAN: Biggest disappointment. And Anne, I just saw your notes on that one, and I'm like, "Oh, no." So go ahead and tell us.
ANNE: Okay. Well, I don't think you're "oh, no-ing" would be by Kira Madden.
SHANNAN: I am not.
[00:39:56] ANNE: And the disappointment isn't just about the book, but I didn't think it was for me. I think I'm disappointed in myself. The book isn't what I wanted it to be, and I think I recognized that pretty quickly, that like, I don't think this is a good idea. But readers keep telling me, "But no, it's so good." And I get in trouble when I... I mean, I don't do it very often, but I kept picking it up, and I kept trying, and I should not have done that.
SHANNAN: Okay.
ANNE: Okay. I think the thing you're grimacing about is I said also maybe Priya Parker.
SHANNAN: Oh, no. Yes, I am grimacing about that.
ANNE: I adore The Art of Gathering. I've read it multiple times. I was really looking forward to... I mean, I'm still looking forward to. I'm looking forward to talking about it with people. The Art of Fighting, her book coming out in September, and I'll be talking about this more in the Fall Book Preview. So much of The Art of Fighting was so good, and some of it was really funny and refreshing. I read some passages that were examples out loud to my kids as I was reading, because I was like, "Guys, listen to this," because it was just cracking me up.
[00:41:03] But I was disappointed in the inclusion of some examples that I thought substantially weakened the argument. But not just that, but the book... And it was so close to great, but like thinking of some of the examples now, like I'm just... Could've been better. Subtract, as you were talking about with your theme for this year. Subtraction can make things stronger.
SHANNAN: It can.
ANNE: Okay. Moving on. Biggest surprise.
SHANNAN: I'm going to say Against Breaking on the Power of Poetry to represent all the poems that I have been reading and enjoying. I never considered myself a lover of poetry or even a reader of poetry other than, you know, a few things. And there's so many poems that I read that I can't even name, but I did pick up Against Breaking, and I absolutely adored the concept and what she's saying in the book. And so I'm throwing that out as the representative of all of the poetry that I've read this year, which has been a big surprise to me.
[00:42:14] ANNE: I'm surprised, and I love that for you. My biggest surprises are books that I either didn't enjoy in the past and came back to and was like, "What was I thinking? This is amazing." Or looked at the cover and went, "I'm not reading that," and then got talked into it. Okay, so what these books actually are, I started Kayla Ray Whitaker's debut, The Animators, when it came out back in 2018. I made it through maybe 30%, and I didn't like it, and I quit.
But a book in the Summer Reading Guide is her new May release, Returns and Exchanges, which I loved. And so I went back to The Animators, wondering what 2026 Anne would think about this book. I mean, I don't know. This time, I couldn't identify where I stalled out. I listened to the audio. I read the print last time. Maybe that was the difference. But this time it caught, and I enjoyed it so much. Actually, you'll be hearing me talk about this more soon because I recommend it to a Kentucky guest later this month.
[00:43:18] And then the book, Finding Grace, came to me in the mail. I do not remember how it arrived. First I got the advance review copy, and then I got the hardcover, and both times I went, "I dislike that cover, and I don't want to read that book, and I don't even care what it's about. I don't want to look at it." Mm. But then Ginger read it, and she was like, "Have you read Finding Grace? It's amazing. Oh my gosh, this is all I want to be reading right now." And I listened to the audio. I don't think I even found my hardcover, but I started listening to the audio and just was so hooked. I enjoyed it so much. So yeah, I saw neither coming, but I really, thoroughly enjoyed them.
SHANNAN: That's making me rethink some of the books that I'm like, "I think I'll let them go," and then you're like, "Oh, 2018 Anne and 2026 Anne are different. Like, should I hang on to everything?" Listeners, let me know in the comments section."
[00:44:17] Next, favorite new author, debut or new-to-you. And I do not have one. In that vein of sticking with what I know and what I know I'm getting into, I pretty much read the back list or front list of authors that I know and love this year, and it's worked, so I'm happy about that. But what about you?
ANNE: Ooh, okay. I met a few authors this year that I want to read all their work or that I will wait patiently or impatiently for them to write more. Shannan Sanders, who wrote The Great Wherever, I loved her debut. I can't wait for more. First, we're talking about her... no, we're talking with her about her book in book club in August.
Nayantara Roy, who wrote actually, again, our July book club selection, Sisters of a Halved Heart. Loved that sophomore novel. Just went back and listened to her debut, The Magnificent Ruins. Can't wait for her to write more. I just read Prague Spring at the beach, that book that my friend Mel recommended to me. It's by Simon Mawer. He was shortlisted for the Booker for The Glass Room. He wrote serious literary fiction for a while. The Glass Room is his most famous, but I had seen his name around, but I didn't have any idea what he wrote about. But I love Prague Spring and would be very interested in reading more by him.
[00:45:33] SHANNAN: And finally, going to end with books that made you, or book, I should say, book that made you happy.
ANNE: Ooh, okay. So, at the beach, I had a little Christmas in July situation and I read the forthcoming Ally Carter called It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder, which I will absolutely be talking about at Fall Book Preview. I started reading it a couple times earlier in the week and ended up going for more serious literary fiction. But when I picked it up, it was the right book at the right time. Not years later, just like four days. And I enjoyed it so much. And also didn't mind the contrast between the Florida heat and the Colorado snowed-in mountains.
SHANNAN: Interesting.
ANNE: It was a delight.
SHANNAN: I think I'm going to go with a mystery thriller, The Fine Art of Lying by Alexandra Andrews. I have read quite a few mystery thrillers this year. I think I love the knowing that it's going to end kind of cleanly, about those. And that one, it was fun. Propulsive and fun. Made me happy.
[00:46:44] ANNE: Sometimes that's exactly what I want.
SHANNAN: I know.
ANNE: Propulsive, fun.
SHANNAN: Yeah.
ANNE: Meaty, but not I have to read this at four times slower than my normal speed.
SHANNAN: Mm. Yeah.
ANNE: Okay, final question. Shannan, how do you want December 31st Shannan to feel about her reading life?
SHANNAN: Oh, Anne, that is a good question. Relaxed. Can I feel relaxed? Ooh. Can I feel happy and contented? I am really enjoying being forced, by my therapist, to remove expectations and this drive. And so putting that into my reading life and just saying at the end, "I did what I could. I enjoyed what I did. It was a good year," I think that would be amazing. No pressure. None.
[00:47:50] And that totally feels weird to me to say. It's feeling weird to do. Sometimes I feel like I'm failing at something, but that's not the case. I have to constantly remind myself that's not the case, and if I can get to the end of the year saying, "Okay, that was a good reading experience in that I enjoyed it and there was no pressure," I will be very happy about that. What about you?
ANNE: Well, I love that for you, first of all.
SHANNAN: I feel like it's totally against brand, but-
ANNE: No. I mean, for years one of Book Riot's mottos, phrases that I'd see around was "read harder." And like I get it, like that sounds fun in a lot of ways, but also I think I'd like to read easier. It can be enjoyable, and we can be passionate about it and still have it... You know, it's not like I want to be lazy about... I don't think you're saying you want to be lazy. But you can read deeply, and intelligently, and thoughtfully, and also still have a sense of ease.
SHANNAN: Yeah.
[00:49:11] ANNE: Yeah. Oh, so perhaps an unhelpful abstract word, I want to feel satisfied.
SHANNAN: Oh, nice.
ANNE: And for me, I think that means I want to feel like I have done something substantial with my reading time. Like I was really unsure if I wanted to spend all those reading hours on one book for the Jane Smiley English literature seminar, but I felt like I did a thing that I will remember and will stay with me. And I don't feel that way about everything I read. So I imagine that having something to show for what I've done, not because I need something to point to necessarily. Like, I don't need to show you, "Look what I've done, Shannan." But I think I need to see for myself how what I'm reading is perhaps making a difference.
SHANNAN: I like that.
[00:50:14] ANNE: You know, this is my question, and yet I think one of the reasons these midyear reflections are so helpful is because I know I want to feel satisfied, but thinking about how that needs to be worked out practically, like how am I going to get there?
Now, sometimes feeling satisfied means ripping through a really great thriller mystery. Like I want those moments of just enjoyment, and levity, and lightness, you know, as you're reading about murder. But sometimes it means like discovering new things about the world and about yourself, or learning more about how novels work.
SHANNAN: Yeah, or in my case, learning about poetry.
ANNE: Yes. Yes, and learning new things about yourself, and finding out that there are things that you can enjoy now that you didn't, and you know, that we're learning and growing. I don't want to sound too cheesy, but books are great. I love the places they can take us and the ways they bring us together. And I'll try not to be a sap about it. But every once in a while, it's just going to happen.
[00:51:22] Okay. Relaxed and satisfied. Readers, we would love to hear how you're feeling at your midyear and how you want to feel at the end of the year. Shannan, final thoughts?
SHANNAN: Happy reading.
ANNE: Oh, you know, maybe not the biggest surprise, but up there is the number of times I encountered Rainer Maria Rilke in the pages of fiction and nonfiction this year, epigraphs or woven through the text.
SHANNAN: That is true. I have noticed that myself.
ANNE: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I strongly connect him in my mind with What Should I Read Next? Since episode one. We've been telling everyone how wonderful it is to be with those who are reading, and well, among those who are reading, and I am always happy to see him out. And I just give like a little tip of my hat when I see him out in the world.
[00:52:21] Shannan, thank you for joining me in this conversation today. Readers, I hope you enjoyed listening in. If you're reflecting on your own reading life, we would love to hear what's working and where you may be making your own adjustments or facing your own conundrums. Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment on our show notes page. That's also where you'll find all the titles we talked about. We do that every week for you. That's at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com.
If you could take a moment to make sure you're following or subscribed on your favorite podcast app, that helps us so much in practical, tangible ways. We are on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, basically wherever you get your podcasts.
When you subscribe, that's free and easy for you. It also provides valuable data to our platforms, and this is a quick, easy, and free way to show your support for our show.
We also send out weekly emails with news and updates. Sign up at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/newsletter. We are on Instagram @WhatShouldIReadNext. Our team member Leigh runs that account, and she sees your every post and message and shares those with our team. If you share an update about your mid-year reading check-in, we would love to see. Please tag us in those posts or stories @WhatShouldIReadNext.
[00:53:35] Thanks to the people who make this show happen. What Should I Read Next? is created each week by executive producer Will Bogel, Media production specialist Holly Wielkoszewski, social media manager and editor Leigh Kramer, community coordinator Brigid Misselhorn, community manager Shannan Malone, and our whole team at What Should I Read Next? and Modern Mrs. Darcy HQ. Plus the audio whizzes at Studio D Podcast Production.
Readers, that's it for this episode. Thanks so much for listening. And as Rainer Maria Rilke said, "Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading." Happy reading, everyone.
SHANNAN: Happy reading.
Sign up to receive email updates
Enter your name and email address below and I'll send you periodic updates about the podcast.
Books mentioned in this episode:
• I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel
• The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, annotated and edited by David M. Shapard — please note: based on team member experience, it seems that if you want the Shapard annotated edition, it’s the print edition you want. Despite appearances to the contrary on the item listing, kindle (and potentially other ebook) links are not tied to the Shapard annotated edition.
• 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley
• Under Story by Chloe Benjamin
• Prague Spring by Simon Mawer
• The Fifth Year by Marlen Haushofer
• Taipei Story by R. F. Kuang
• The Slantwise Histories by Alix E. Harrow
• A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
• All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott
• I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott
• My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
• The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett
• On Writing Well by William Zinsser
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• Good Writing by Neal Allen and Anne Lamott
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
• The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
• Heart the Lover by Lily King
• Writers & Lovers by Lily King
• The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King
• Babel by R.F. Kuang
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow
• The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders
• The Camino by Anya Niewierra
• The Beginner’s Goodbye by Anne Tyler
• A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
• Land by Maggie O’Farrell
• The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty
• I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
• The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez (Audio edition)
• Ransom by Daniel Silva
• Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
• The Paradox Club by Charlie Lovett
• Said the Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
• Whidbey by T Kira Madden
• The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
• The Art of Fighting by Priya Parker
• Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limón
• The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker
• Returns and Exchanges by Kayla Rae Whitaker
• Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild (Audio edition)
• Sisters of a Halved Heart by Nayantara Roy
• The Magnificent Ruins by Nayantara Roy
• The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
• It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder by Ally Carter
• The Fine Art of Lying by Alexandra Andrews
Also mentioned:
• WSIRN Patreon
• Patreon Bonus: Looking back to look forward: Reading intentions with Anne and Shannan
• WSIRN Ep. 489: The satisfaction of sinking into a good book
• Strong Sense of Place
• Books & Mortar
• Patreon Bonus: Midyear freak-out with Shannan, Holly and Brigid
• Patreon Bonus: One Great Book: The Happy Ever After Playlist
• Please support our sponsors.
One comment
Hello! Really enjoyed the episode (as I do them all ☺️).
Feeling…. okay at my midyear. In a temporary summer slump after a very strong spring. Pretty common for me, though hoping to keep the slump shorter this year… I think this weekend’s MMD Reading Retreat will be helpful to that end!!!
So many books peaked my interest and I wanted to check on some titles in the show notes but the link in my podcast app was broken (seemed to be missing the ‘-episode’ in the actual link:
http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/533
— this was in Pocket Casts fwiw)