Ep 516: Don't overthink your buddy reads

What Should I Read Next?

Anne Bogel

Arts, Books, Leisure

4.8 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today's guest is looking for titles to help bridge the large geographic gap between her and her sister. Ruth Werwai hails from Vancouver, Canada, but she's lived in Germany with her family for over a decade. Recently, she and her sister have created a book club of two. They've found that reading books together helps them feel close even while they're physically far apart. But when it comes to finding the right books, Ruth is feeling a bit stymied. A few recent selections have been, in Ruth's words, flops, and she's worried she's overthinking it. Ruth would love to feel more confident about recommending books that both she and her sister will enjoy. And since they use these books to spark conversation, it's important that the selected titles not only reflect their diverse reading tastes, but also give them plenty to talk about. Today, Ruth and Anne will try to suss out where their reading tastes overlap, and Anne hopes to recommend titles that will make for ideal sister book club picks. Find the list of titles discussed today on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/516. Anne's book Don't Overthink It came out exactly six years ago today! If you haven't yet read it, we are happy to report: it holds up, and offers real, grounded ideas juggling both the small and big questions in our lives. In honor of its sixth anniversary, we’re putting the paperback on sale in our shop for $13. You can get it signed and personalized from Anne herself if you include how you’d like it inscribed in the special instructions box during checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I do wonder sometimes if part of the problem is I overthink it because I tend to do that and also because I get, you know, sometimes over-invested in book topics.
0:10.1	What? I want to say no such thing. And yet also I think I understand what you're talking about.
0:17.4	Hey readers, I'm Anne Bogle. and this is What Should I Read Next?
0:22.8	Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader.
0:27.8	What should I read next?
0:29.7	We don't get bossy on this show.
0:31.7	What we will do here is give you the information you need to choose your next read.
0:36.4	Every week we'll talk all things books and
0:38.1	reading and do a little literary matchmaking with one guest.
0:45.0	Did archaeologists discover Noah's Ark? Is the rapture coming as soon as the Euphrates River dries up?
0:55.8	Does the Bible condemn abortion? Don't you wish you had a trustworthy academic resource to help
1:01.3	make sense of all of this? Well, I'm Dan Beecher, and he's award-winning Bible scholar and
1:07.5	TikTok sensation, Dr. Dan McClellan, And we want to invite you to the data over
1:12.5	dogma podcast, where our mission is to increase public access to the academic study of the Bible
1:18.1	and religion and also to combat the spread of misinformation about the same. But you know,
1:23.8	in a fun way. Every week we tackle fascinating topics. We go back to source materials in their original languages. And we interview top scholars in the field. So whether you're a devout believer, or you're just interested in a clear-eyed, deeply informed look at one of the most influential books of all time. We think you're going to love the data over dogma podcast. Wherever you subscribe to
1:45.7	awesome shows. Are you earning and investing in the stock market? In real estate? How about
1:54.3	in relationships? Are you earning and investing in your life? I'm Doc G, semi-retired
2:00.3	hospice physician and host of the Earn and
2:02.4	Invest podcast where we have the 201 or next level conversations about money and life. Not only how
2:08.8	you make money and grow it, but also how you use your wealth to create a better and more fulfilling
2:13.1	existence. Join us every Monday and Thursday wherever you listen to Fine Podcasts.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Anne Bogel, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Anne Bogel and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.