What Should I Read Next? (Podcast) – I’m obsessed with lit

This past weekend has been completely overwritten by my new favorite podcast. One that I can’t seem to get enough of, no matter how hard I try to quit it: What Should I Read Next?

As a kid, my books were my escape, my sanctuary. Books gave this weird, sheltered kid alternate realities to live vicariously through. As I got older, life got in the way, self-help reading became the norm, and as it turns out, all so I could come full circle and seek out what that weird, sheltered kid had going for her all along: a banging imagination and a life worth obsessing over–no matter how fictional the lives in those pages were.

Getting lost in a good book is still one of my favorite past times, which is why one of my most dreaded past times is finishing a book and figuring out what to read next. Now what? How do I top the last one? If I read another similar title, am I being unfaithful to the last book? Ok, not really that last line, but I do agonize over it. There are just too many titles, with too many opinions and too many sites to get these titles and opinions from.

Cue, What Should I Read Next?

The first and most obvious feature of this podcast is the host, Anne Bogel. Her voice is soothing to the ears, her personality has a calming effect and her mission is so uncomplicated and clear. Each episode has a guest speaker, always a literary somebody, and each guest is asked to tell the audience:

• 3 books they love
• 1 book they hate
• Books they are currently reading

Anne absorbs this information before recommending 3 books for the guest to read based on their recommendations and personality. It’s like palm reading for lit-geeks!