Ep 522: Keeping things light in my reading life

What Should I Read Next?

Anne Bogel

Arts, Books, Leisure

4.8 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2026

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We often hear from readers who wish to avoid heavier topics in their reading lives, and today Anne is talking with a guest hunting for books that feel light, warm, and stimulating, but not overly stressful. Angela Frith hails from Lexington, North Carolina, where she works as a K-12 curriculum developer and is a member of our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club and What Should I Read Next? Patreon communities. As she considers her reading life this year, Angela is hoping for titles that feature the warmth she loves, without the chaos that also sometimes marks titles in her favorite genres of memoirs, found family stories, historical fiction, or fantasy. Anne has ideas to share. You'll find the full list of titles mentioned on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/522. Our Patreon community is full of exciting ways to get more books in your life, from our weekly bonus episodes on a variety of themes to seasonal events like our upcoming Summer Reading Guide. Your monthly or annual support helps us pay our team and keep the lights on around What Should I Read Next? HQ. We are so grateful to all of you who are or have been Patreon members. If you're not a current member of our community, this is a great time of year to join. Find out more at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext. Chapters 03:49 Meet Angela 09:06 Angela’s reading dilemma 18:52 I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott 21:22 Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness 23:04 The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray 26:10 Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier 40:12 Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love by Marianne Cronin 45:48 Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau 50:34 The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl 55:18 What will Angela read next? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It is fascinating.
0:01.7	I keep telling my husband, oh my gosh, listen to this.
0:05.0	This is what happened.
0:06.5	I mean, this is the laugh of recognition, as in like, how is this real?
0:09.9	It's amazing.
0:10.7	She's an amazing writer, too.
0:12.0	This is going to be the nonfiction.
0:13.7	I'm going to be pushing on people.
0:19.1	Hey, readers.
0:20.3	I'm Ann Bogle, and this is What Should I Read Next?
0:24.7	Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader.
0:29.5	What should I read next?
0:31.4	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.
0:38.2	Every week we'll talk all things books and reading and do a little literary matchmaking with one guest.
0:50.6	Readers, our Patreon community is full of exciting ways to get more books in your life,
0:55.2	from our weekly bonus episodes on a variety of themes to seasonal events like our upcoming
0:59.3	summer reading guide. We also rely on members of our Patreon community to help us out sometimes
1:04.7	by voting on the title of an upcoming episode, submitting questions for a live event, or
1:09.6	as you'll hear today, volunteering when we need
1:12.3	to fill a last-minute guest recording spot. Our Patreon members are also a huge part of what we do
1:17.7	around here when it comes to the nuts and bolts of creating our podcast every week. Monthly or
1:22.7	annual support helps us pay our team and keep the lights on around What Should I Read Next HQ.
	...

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