Ep 529: A short summer project to rebuild reading stamina

What Should I Read Next?

Anne Bogel

Leisure, Arts, Books

4.8 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2026

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We love a summer reading project of any style, and when Anne read the submission from today's guest and her quest for what she is calling a short summer of reading, she wanted to talk about it on the show. Emily Henderson is a mom of four, writer, and runner with a passion for home design, and she loves a project. While Emily came to reading later in life, she's found through trial and error what really works for her, and these days that's often books in an audio format. This summer, though, Emily would love to prioritize daily reading on the page. She's looking for short reading experiences that will not only get her reading more in print, but also serve as a satisfying substitute for social media that she wants to spend less time on. Emily is looking for short stories, essay collections, memoirs and essays, and micro histories that deliver the quick bite-sized reading experience she is hoping to log every day of summer break. And she'd especially appreciate stories that leave her breathless or make her think about them long after she finishes. Anne has ideas she can't wait to share. Find the list of titles mentioned and leave your suggestions for Emily on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/529. Our 2026 MMD Summer Reading Guide, the 15th edition, is available now. Buy your 38-page Summer Reading Guide PDF digital copy at modernmrsdarcy.com/shop, and you'll also get access to the Unboxing event recording. This is also the second year we are offering a beautifully printed edition of the Guide, which you'll also find at modernmrsdarcy.com/shop. At this time, we are only able to ship to U.S. addresses. Chapters: 04:05 Meet Emily 13:24 Emily’s short summer reading project 20:36 The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck 24:01 The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green 27:28 This is a Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett 30:58 Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert 39:35 Seasonal Work by Laura Lippman 43:08 So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan 45:53 World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil 48:12 Small Town Girls by Jayne Anne Phillips 53:51 What will Emily read next? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	In preparation for this, I reread some of the short stories and essays with the pen in hand.
0:05.5	And I was like, oh, now I really know this story.
0:08.5	I like short stories so much that I don't read them, I guess.
0:13.8	Well, it sounds like perhaps you really want to do justice to them.
0:20.2	Hey, readers, I'm Anne Bogle, and this is What Should I Read Next?
0:25.6	Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader.
0:30.7	What should I read next?
0:32.6	We don't get bossy on this show.
0:34.8	What we will do here is give you the information you need to choose your next read.
0:39.6	Every week, we'll talk all things books and reading and do a little literary matchmaking with one guest.
0:51.5	Readers, our 2026 MMD summer reading Guide, the 15th edition, is available now. For instant gratification,
1:00.5	you want the digital experience. Go to modern mrs. Darcy.com slash shop and get your summer
1:07.3	reading guide. You'll get the 38-page summer reading guide PDF immediately,
1:12.8	and you'll get access to the unboxing experience where I walk you through the guide book by book
1:18.7	so that you can decide how your reading time is best spent this summer. Now, if you want a beautiful
1:25.6	delivered by snail mail, hold it in your hand, professionally printed, 38-page guide, well, this is the second year that has been available.
1:34.1	I have already told you these were going, going, gone so fast. And we sold out of that batch. They sold so quickly, in fact, that Will Bogle says we have to order more.
1:43.8	So more are on the way.
1:45.4	If you want yours, you still have a chance.
1:47.8	Go to, again, modern mrs. Darcy.com slash shop.
1:52.4	What you want to order is the summer reading guide, print magazine.
1:56.9	It will say very clearly, this is the one that's coming in the mail.
	...

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