Ep 512: I'm looking for 5-star stunners

What Should I Read Next?

Anne Bogel

Arts, Books, Leisure

4.8 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 February 2026

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today's guest has been on a long run of three or three-and-a-half-star reads. This isn't bad, but it's not what she's looking for, so she and Anne dive into this conundrum together. Meredith Wiggins works in library services from her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, which means she is well-versed in recommending books to readers and finding great titles for herself. Lately, though, Meredith has struggled to find the five-star reads that leave her in the best kind of tears at book's end. She's already tried a few solutions that haven't much helped, so she and Anne will dig deeper into what's going on and what tactics might put Meredith back on track to find these standout titles she's seeking. Anne hopes to leave Meredith with more insight into what exactly is going on here, plus ideas for titles and techniques that might just turn this trend around in the year to come and find plenty of stunners that she'll be glad she read. Find the list of titles discussed today at our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/512. We are always happy to welcome new listeners to our show. Whether you've recently found our show or you've been listening for all 10 years, we have so many good bookish conversations to bolster your reading life. Our What Should I Read Next? homepage is a great place to start. For more insight into past conversations, consider joining our Patreon community and you'll get access to our super secret spreadsheet, which lists every episode, every book recommended, and a quick summary of each episode's focus. Find us there at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This was the book that single-handedly ended my policy, which up to then had sort of been
0:05.3	lifelong of finishing every book that I read. That was the book where I was like,
0:09.9	I'm not doing that anymore. I love that you can point to, the one.
0:17.5	Hey readers, I'm Anne Bogle, and this is What Should I Read Next?
0:22.7	Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader.
0:27.5	What should I read next?
0:29.3	We don't get bossy on this show.
0:31.2	What we will do here is give you the information you need to choose your next read.
0:35.9	Every week we'll talk all things books and reading and do a little literary matchmaking with one guest.
0:49.0	Readers, we are always happy to welcome new listeners to our show.
0:52.8	It was an unexpected treat to be featured recently
0:55.1	by the New York Times on their list of seven podcasts for bookworms. And as we ease into a new year of
1:00.6	reading, whether you've recently found our show or you've been listening for all 10 years,
1:04.8	we have so many good bookish conversations to bolster your reading life. Our What Should I Read
1:10.2	next homepage is a great place to start.
1:12.4	You will find an easy link to subscribe to our show in your favorite podcast player
1:15.9	and an invitation to join our email list for updates on new episodes
1:19.4	and other happenings from What Should I Read Next, HQ.
1:22.8	With our archive of over 500 episodes, you are sure to find conversations with readers
1:27.2	whose tastes
1:27.9	or reading dilemmas mirror yours. If you're brand new to the show and unsure where to start,
1:32.6	one idea is to tune into some of our team episodes, where you'll hear from our What Should I
	...

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