[00:00:00] JANAE MAST: I must say I despised this book with a passion. And I would not have finished this book. I don't have anything against not finishing books. And I would not have finished it, except it was a book for my book club. And so I wanted to finish it to be able to talk about it and defend my argument.
ANNE BOGEL: Hey readers, I'm Anne Bogel, and this is What Should I Read Next?. Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader, what should I read next? 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. Every week we'll talk all things books and reading and do a little literary matchmaking with one guest.
[00:00:55] Readers, with a fresh year of books ahead, many of us are setting goals, trying new tracking methods, and exploring fresh ways of observing what we're reading and what it means to us. Here at What Should I Read Next? and Modern Mrs. Darcy, we have lots of tools you can use to keep your reading life on track, and that is however you want to do it.
For instance, our beautiful Ampersand Leuchtturm journals are back in stock. Our team hand-selected these colors last year with reader input. We have tried and tested many journals over the years, and I can tell you that these are truly fantastic. They come with dotted and numbered pages of creamy, ink-proof paper and are perfect for your book journal, daily diary, bullet journal, or any other way you'd like to use them.
If you're looking for a bit more structure, check out my reading journals, My Reading Life for Adult Readers, and My Reading Adventures, designed with younger or younger-at-heart readers in mind. Each version comes with custom reading lists, to-be-read lists, literary quotes, and plenty of room to record and reflect on what you've read and what you would like to read next.
[00:01:57] Find the reading journal of your choice at ModernMrsDarcy.com/shop, where you'll also find perfect accessories like stickers, pencils, and book darts. If you've been thinking about joining Modern Mrs. Darcy book club, you might not know that they get 10% off shop orders. But anyone can order from ModernMrsDarcy.com slash shop.
Today's guest is looking for books that she can sink into and feel transported to a different place or time. She is especially on the hunt for classics that come alive in an audio format. Janae Mast lives in small town, Kansas, where she's a stay-at-home mom to her young son and looking forward to the arrival of her second child this spring.
Janae's found that the audio format works especially well for her in this season of life, and she's particularly drawn to classics in this format. As Janae wrote in her submission, accents and good readers really make the text, plot, and characters come alive. Can I point her to titles with particularly good narration and work especially well in that format?
[00:02:57] And she's looking for classics. She would especially love ideas for classics on audio that offer immersive reading experiences, that prompt curiosity, and that teach her new things about a moment in time or significant historical event. I love this quest for Janae and cannot wait to explore titles that may fit her listening criteria this spring. Let's get to it.
Janae, welcome to the show.
JANAE: Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to be here, and it's such an honor. I feel like I have a lot of friends who come to me and say, "Oh, what should I read? I need some recommendations." And I love that. I absolutely love giving recommendations and saying, "What are you in the mood for? What books do you like?"
But I don't always feel like I have a lot of people I can do that with, and it kind of feels like, you know, when you're the one always giving the back rubs but never getting a back rub. And today I get a back rub. So thanks for giving me a literary back rub.
[00:03:57] ANNE: I'm glad to step into your circle.
JANAE: Thank you.
ANNE: So that it becomes a circle and not a line. Although, what lucky readers that they have a friend to turn to and say, "Help me find a good book."
JANAE: I love it. I love that so much. Yes.
ANNE: Janae, I'm so excited to talk today. And thank you for being our first listener guest of 2026. It's a big day.
JANAE: It's my pleasure.
ANNE: Oh my gosh. Well, I can't wait. We are so excited by your submission. Readers, if you don't know what I'm talking about, Janae sent in info on her reading life at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/guest, and our team went, "Ooh, that sounds fun to kick off the year." So thank you, Janae.
JANAE: Yes, thank you.
ANNE: Okay, I'd love to start by giving the readers a glimpse of who you are. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
[00:04:42] JANAE: I live in Hutchinson, Kansas, and have lived here all of my life or close by. I love it here. My 16-year-old self would fall over dead if I would hear myself say that, but I do genuinely love it here. I can picture myself here the rest of my life. Who knows where I'll be, but I can picture that.
And if you would drive into town, you'd probably be like, "Why would anyone live here?" But it's the people. We have a great community here. I live here with my husband and our one-and-a-half-year-old son, and we're very excited to welcome our second son in March. So we'll have crazy, wild, and fun times this coming next few months.
ANNE: Well, congratulations.
JANAE: Thank you. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I love it. It's challenging and hard, but love it so much. Never wish to go back to work, and I'm so privileged that I don't have to. Cost of living is low, but we love to travel, so we are able to travel quite a bit.
[00:05:53] Our two big destinations this year were the Netherlands and New York City. And Amsterdam and New York City are now some of my favorite cities that I've ever been to. Very different cities, but I loved both of them. We love traveling with a baby as well, which is a new challenge, but super fun as well.
When I'm home and have free time, I love to read, I love to sew and go thrifting, I like to paint and do interior decorating, going for walks and spending time outside. And then we also just love being involved in our community and our church, and we love to host people in our home. That's a little bit about me.
ANNE: Well, thank you. Oh my gosh, I have so many literary, well, I guess, and travel questions about the Netherlands and NYC. We'll see if that weaves its way into our conversation today.
JANAE: Totally.
ANNE: Janae, could you paint me a picture of your reading life?
[00:06:49] JANAE: As a kid, I loved to read, like many readers on this show. I wouldn't say I just read a crazy amount as a kid or that was my number one thing, but I did really love it. I have memories of just having a whole day where I could read a whole book, and it was so much fun.
And then in my teens and 20s, I was very social and just had time for friends and didn't have time for reading, and so I kind of got into a slump. And then after I was married, my sister-in-law, who is a big reader, was telling me about all these different books she's heard about and maybe has read, and I was just like, "How do you know about so many books? And how do you find out about books?" So she got me onto Goodreads.
I feel like that really just got me back into reading. I started reading again and getting excited about reading. And so for the last probably six years or so, reading has become a really big part of my life. There was one year, a few years ago, where I read 75 books, which was too much for me. But it was crazy that I had gone from reading maybe one or two books to that many. So it's a really big part of my life. I don't read nearly as much now with being a mom, but I try to read a little bit every day. It feels like a big part of my identity.
[00:08:21] And then I also started a book club, I think it was four years ago, with one of my friends. The women in the book club have just become such a big part of my reading life. My friendship circle and leading the book club is one of my favorite things that I do. It's just so much fun to plan parties. And yeah, we're just a big part of each other's lives. So that's a big part of my reading life.
Then I usually have about one to two physical books going. I usually have a fiction book that I read before bed, and then sometimes a little essay book or something like that on the side. And then audiobooks at this stage feel a lot easier with the stage of life I'm in. Just with pregnancy and postpartum, my reading has felt weird and a little off sometimes. But audiobooks feel easier to get through.
ANNE: I know that's a big part of what brings you to the show today.
[00:09:22] JANAE: Yes, it is. Yeah. I really feel like I want a lineup of good audiobooks because I often feel like if I don't have a good audiobook to reach for, I'm reaching for YouTube or just kind of random podcasts, which isn't always a bad thing. But I would rather be reading.
ANNE: Not a bad thing. And what I'm hearing is if your reading life is feeling weird. Are you reaching to stabilize it a little bit?
JANAE: Yeah, totally. Yeah. I feel like in postpartum especially, it was just really hard for me to find anything that was interesting enough to keep my attention, but gentle enough to take or process in postpartum and all the different things you're dealing with. So I think if I have something that grabs me and takes me in with it, but isn't harsh and devastating at the same time.
[00:10:28] ANNE: So this is the voice of experience speaking?
JANAE: Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I think I know a little bit more what to expect with second postpartum and I'm hoping for a little bit of a list perhaps.
ANNE: Okay. So you really like reading, especially in audiobooks, to be part of your life come March and today we want to help you get ready.
JANAE: Yes.
ANNE: Okay. Well, this sounds fun. We're not going to talk about genres right now. We'll wait for that. But what we're going to do is talk about what you've loved in the past, get a better feel of what you're hoping to assemble into this lineup of good audiobooks and see where it takes us. How does that sound?
JANAE: Sounds perfect.
ANNE: Janae, you know how this works. You're going to tell me three books you love, one you don't, and what you've been reading lately. How did you choose the books you brought to the show?
JANAE: I chose these books by just not overthinking it.
ANNE: I love it.
[00:11:26] JANAE: They're kind of a funny combo of books. I don't feel like they go together and they're not like a big theme throughout them, but I just chose them because I like them.
ANNE: Janae, the unifying theme is you love them all. Let's get started. What's the first book you love?
JANAE: The first book I chose is These Precious Days by Ann Patchett. I love Ann Patchett's writing. I'm not a completist. I haven't read all of her books, but I've read her most recent ones probably from Bel Canto on, I would say. I just love, love her writing, specifically her nonfiction writing, but I love her novels as well.
In These Precious Days, she writes essays, personal essays. She talks about growing up with three fathers. She talks about purging and getting rid of things in her house. She talks about her experience during the pandemic and art and dogs and writing and knitting and just normal life things.
[00:12:34] One of the kind of big recurring themes and stories, continued story in the book, is her friendship with Sooki, Tom Hanks' assistant, and kind of her new friendship with her and that whole story with her.
I think one of the big reasons why I love this book is because Ann Patchett has a way of writing experiences and thoughts and feelings in a way that I can relate to, but would never have known how to put into words. I can either relate to them on a personal level or just kind of as a general human experience. And she makes her experience relatable. And I love that. I just love that in an author when they can write something and I go, "Yes, I experienced that too," or" Yes, I can totally understand that from your perspective without me knowing how to say that.
And I think I've read this book like, I don't know, I want to say four or five times. I'm not a big rereader, but this is the kind of book where I'm just like, "Oh, I'm in a reading slump, I think I should read These Precious Days book," "Oh, it's a new year, I think it's time to read These Precious Days again." So I love this book.
[00:13:59] ANNE: Okay. Is that when you read in print or is that audio?
JANAE: I've done both. My friend actually gave me a signed copy, personalized and signed copy for my birthday. So I read it in hard copy first, and then I think the rest of the times I've read it on audio.
ANNE: As we think about audiobooks, I'm just interested to hear what works, especially if it's worked for you four or five times.
JANAE: Yes, exactly. Ann Patchett is a great reader.
ANNE: I'm glad to hear that because she's given herself some stiff competition with having celebrity narrators.
JANAE: Yes, she has.
ANNE: Janae, what's the second book you love?
JANAE: The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge. I am also not a completist of hers, but love lots of her books. This book is set in the 19th century in a little English village, remote English village. There's a cathedral there, and the dean of this cathedral is the main character in the story.
[00:15:00] He is this shy, insecure man who's unsure how to relate to the village people or his parishioners and even his own wife. He kind of almost worships his own wife and he doesn't know how to even barely relate to her. But in spite of his awkwardness and everything, he has this really deep, genuine love for everybody around him, everybody in his village, and he just doesn't know how to express it. He just feels so kind of trapped in his own body.
But then he meets the watchmaker in the town and they form this super unlikely friendship. It's like they come together and... it's like God shows up for both of them in really unexpected ways through their friendship. And they both grow in the different ways that they need. It's very little plot, but so much incredible character development.
[00:16:02] I've heard her book, especially The Dean's Watch, but I can see it in her other books as well. But I've heard her writing criticized as kind of having like very idealistic characters and not very realistic, which I can see. But that's in a way sometimes why I like her book so much is because after I finished The Dean's Watch, all I could think of was just like, "I just want to be like that Dean. I just want to genuinely love everybody around me like the Dean."
He was so imperfect in his... you know, he wasn't just the saint that knew exactly what to do all the time. But his heart was just so pure and he loved everybody so genuinely. I think that's why I love her books is because usually there's a character where I go like, "Oh, I want to be like that person." So it is a little bit idealistic and a little unrealistic, but it's a little bit why I like it. But yeah, very character-driven.
[00:17:06] ANNE: So it can feel aspirational and it's okay with you that it doesn't necessarily feel 100% real? Like it's painting a picture of what maybe the world could be like, though won't be.
JANAE: Exactly.
ANNE: Okay. I think we're going to spend more time talking about Elizabeth Goudge before we're done today.
JANAE: Okay, great.
ANNE: Janae, what's the third book you love?
JANAE: The third book I love is a new book. I think you had it in your Summer Reading Guide. I think that's where I learned about it. But it is The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I loved this book. It was just the perfect book for the right time for me.
It's a story of this woman looking back on her life and making sense of her life through her letters written. She particularly examines one of, or the hardest season of her life. And through her courage to look at the hard things from her past, she finds incredible forgiveness and healing in the very sunset years of her life.
[00:18:15] I just thought it was incredibly well done, incredibly well written. And the character, just the way she grew at that point in her life was so hopeful to me because I feel like sometimes it's more portrayed as like, once you reach a certain age, then that's just who you are. But this woman was still learning and growing and finding healing. I just thought it was so beautiful. And I just bawled at the end of the book. I couldn't take what happened at the end. In the very best way I couldn't take it. But it was an amazing book.
ANNE: I'm so glad you enjoyed it. And yes, that was in Summer Reading Guide. Janae, I heard you say as we launched into these books that they didn't really have any common themes, but I don't know, they're really painting a picture for me.
JANAE: Okay. Well, I'm glad to hear that.
ANNE: Okay. Well, I'll see if I can do that thing you really enjoy and articulate that. You know what comes next. Would you tell me about a book that was not right for you? And I think it's important we hear why. Did it not align with your taste? Was it bad timing? Was it about a topic that you don't read about when you know what you're actually choosing? What did you choose?
[00:19:30] JANAE: The book I chose for this was Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier. I must say I despised this book with a passion. And I would not have finished this book. I don't have anything against not finishing books. And I would not have finished it except it was a book for my book club. And so I wanted to finish it to be able to talk about it and defend my argument why I did not like it.
I did not like this book because... well, there were a number of things. The biggest reason I would say was because there was very little to no character development. And that is a theme I love. I love character development. I don't mind plot. But if there's plot, like if it's a very plotty book without characters being developed, then I'm not interested. And I feel like that's what this book was.
[00:20:29] It's a story about this girl who is, I don't remember how old she is, but I would say teens or early 20s. And her mom passes away. And on her deathbed, she has her daughter make this promise that she'll go live with her sister, the girl's aunt. And the girl promises this, but she doesn't want it. She would rather stay in their village, on their farm.
But she goes to live with the aunt, and the uncle ends up being a very shady character, and things just go downhill from there. She gets involved in this whole big scheme. I felt like it was supposed to be scary, but it wasn't scary enough for what it was supposed to be, but it was too scary for me. And I felt like there was just very little character development. Even the plot felt very contrived to me. Somehow, you know, the girl was always the hero and everything fell into place just too perfectly.
But yeah, the character development, I think, was the biggest thing. But it's a very gothic novel as well. And I don't love creepy, dark, gothic style things. So it just overall was definitely not the right book for me.
[00:21:57] ANNE: Janae, I'm extrapolating a little here, but it sounds like you didn't like the mood, the gothic atmosphere. But also, perhaps we could think about this as a portrait of a certain kind of relationship and the effects of that playing out over time. And that wasn't a relationship you wanted to be a part of, and didn't want to see what was going to unfold. You were looking for a different kind of journey.
JANAE: Yeah, totally.
ANNE: Okay. Janae, what have you been reading lately?
JANAE: I just finished Woman, Watching by Merilyn Simonds. I really enjoyed this. It's a biography about a woman who is born in Sweden and then she moves... well, she ends up in Russia during the war because she's a nurse. And then she marries a Russian soldier and he gets killed, and then she is stuck in Russia without her husband and can't get out for a number of years. Then she actually ends up going to Canada and becomes a natural scientist and studies birds. She just has a super interesting life. I did really enjoy the book. I did it on audio, but it did get a little bit long for me.
[00:23:13] Then I also just finished Endurance by Alfred Lansing. This is about Shackleton and his quest to walk across Antarctica on foot with his team and how everything went wrong. I really enjoyed that book. It was super depressing in a lot of ways just because of all the horrible things they had to endure and how cold and miserable it was. But just the endurance they had was incredible. I did end up giving it five stars.
ANNE: Okay. And Janae, what are you looking for in your reading life right now? Now, we've already heard you say a lineup of audiobooks, but what would you like to add to that? Or how do you want to flesh that out?
JANAE: I think I want to stop feeling like I don't have an audiobook to reach for, which I have had a few recently. But there was definitely a period recently where I didn't. And now I'm done with my audiobook and feel that again.
[00:24:14] Well, there's a few different genres I love, specifically love on audio. And one of those is classics. And I love classics. I've read not a ton, but the ones I've read I've really enjoyed. I tend to enjoy them more when I listen to them instead of read them.
I think it's partially because sometimes if it's like old English or a little bit of a different way of speaking, it makes it just flow better on audio for me. And then also sometimes there's a great accent and that just, I feel like, adds to the story. So yes, I would love to have some really good classics to sink into on audio.
I read Anna Karenina last fall and really enjoyed it. It was like by far the biggest book I've ever read, but I honestly like zoomed through it and it was super interesting and fascinating to me, really got into the story. Now, I'm not saying I have to have 900-page books recommendations. I still love short books.
ANNE: That's not the request.
[00:25:27] JANAE: That's not the request. But I do love classics on audio. I would love to have a nice lineup of good classics to sink into. Also, like I said, my reading has been weird. Specifically, the first few months postpartum, they were weird. And I kind of expect that again. And if we have time and you want to recommend me some good literary fiction that I can have on my nightstand, that's great. Totally fine if we don't have time for that.
ANNE: Okay. Janae, I want to start with a question that I want to apologize for in advance. You graduated all your schools a long time ago. But when you say classic, what do you have in mind?
JANAE: You know, I am not super rigid about what a classic is. If you look on my... I have a little tag or whatever on my Goodreads of classics I've read, and I'm sure that some people who would look at that and they'd be like, "That is not a classic. That does not count."
[00:26:35] But to me, a classic is something that has stood the test of time. It doesn't need to be a household name. But it needs to have been around long enough for it to have stood the test of time.
ANNE: Okay. So we're not going to get fussy about it. We're just looking for books that have been around a while. I mean, books with staying power that may feel old, but still feel like they speak to the human experience.
JANAE: Yes.
ANNE: You know, I'm thinking of what you said about Ann Patchett, how she really writes about the specific in a way that feels relatable. And maybe even, you didn't use this word, universal.
JANAE: Yes, totally. Wendell Berry.
ANNE: So Wendell Berry is writing today, but he's in the right wheelhouse?
JANAE: Yes, he is. I feel like he writes classics. I don't know. I just feel like the way he... which I've actually only read Hannah Coulter of his, but he's another author where I read the book and I go, "Yes, oh my word. Like, how did he think to write that?" And that to me feels classic. You know, that feels like a classic. I don't know if I would classify it as a classic, just because they are newer books, but I do feel like he writes classics.
[00:27:50] ANNE: Janae, that gives me a lot to work with. And I'm wondering if you can help me figure out something I'm curious about. You have mentioned a time where you felt like you didn't have any audiobooks to turn to. And I'm wondering if that's because you felt overwhelmed by options, nothing sounded good, nothing was readily available that was really speaking to you.
The reason I'm asking is if you want to read classics on audio, it seems like there are so many to potentially reach for. Is it too many? Did you not know which ones are right for you? Like, I'd love to make you a lineup, but I want to make sure the books in it are actually going to serve you when the time comes.
JANAE: Yes, that makes sense. Most of the time in my life, I've had plenty of books on my shelves, saved on my Everand or whatever, that I can always find a book to read. Something will strike my fancy at that time. But in postpartum and pregnancy and kind of some of those weird months, it's not that I don't have things saved or things on my shelves. It's that maybe I don't have anything that sounds right or strikes my fancy at the time.
[00:29:06] And specifically about classics, I think what you touched on is that, yeah, there are so many classics on audio, but it's overwhelming to find the right one. And sometimes I can be a little picky about the reader as well. And so if I want to read the book but the reader doesn't sound right, then I'm like, "I'm not going to spend 18 hours on that."
So I think it's a combo of things, but a little bit of like, I don't know what I want right now and also maybe not having the energy to look for it or to find it. And so a shortlist would be helpful of a quality story with a quality reader.
ANNE: I think I can work with that. And I feel like we have a lot to choose from.
JANAE: Yes.
[00:30:02] ANNE: Okay, let's recap. The books you loved were These Precious Days by Ann Patchett, The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge, and The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier was not for you. And lately, you've been reading Woman, Watching by Merilyn Simonds, and Endurance by Alfred Lansing.
Now, I remember in your submission, you said something about really loving the setting and atmosphere of some of the classics you've read and enjoyed. And that got me wondering about your love for Elizabeth Goudge. I feel like she's so big on setting and atmosphere and these really lush descriptions. I just want to know what comes up for you right now.
JANAE: That is so true. I do think that is huge. I think you're right on that. Character development is always a big thing for me, which Elizabeth Goudge is big on. But she does paint these just beautiful pictures of either nature and the woods that are surrounding this little cottage with a beautiful gate and vines growing over it, where you feel like you're there.
[00:31:10] I think Ann Patchett does that as well. And Tom Lake. I feel like I'm in the cherry orchard, and it's hot, and you're picking cherries, and you can just feel it. I think you're touching on something there. I think that is true.
I think I can do that with Jane Austen as well, where you feel how cold it is and how snowy and the anxiety around, you know, are we going to get caught in the snow out in the middle of nowhere in our carriage and won't have anybody to help us? I think you're right. I think that is big.
ANNE: Well, that's helpful, and I'm going to be thinking about the language a lot. I want to take a minute and talk about what is so great about classics on audio. I feel like this is a drum that we have beat in Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club and that it's worth talking about today.
[00:32:06] A lot of people get really intimidated by old books, and audio can be such an accessible way for that. It's fantastic for readers who just want to get lost in a story, they don't want to feel like they're in English class. For some of these old books, you can find a full cast performance that feels like you're listening to a play or a radio show.
Classics on audio are also really great for people who love the power and distinctiveness of the old language. Something that trips up a lot of readers, Janae, I don't know how this feels to you as you've stepped into this section of the library bookstore literary sphere on purpose, is that a lot of times with these older books, we really notice the language in a way that we don't notice reading something that was published this year. The authors are using older words and phrases of their time, because of course they are, or we may notice a recognizable quote that became famous over time from this book. So people who really enjoy this type of writing can find that in the classics.
[00:33:10] ANNE: What's your relationship with the language of old books? Is that cool? Is that an obstacle? Is it something you even notice listening on audio?
JANAE: I think when I'm reading it in hard copy... I'm actually reading Emma by Jane Austen right now, and it's a little bit more of an obstacle when I'm reading a physical book. On audio though, I feel like it is an enhancer to the story and the time and the history. I feel like it makes it more interesting and fascinating. Like in Anna Karenina, how I just feel like all the different... like the ways that religion and politics were so mixed and the language surrounding that is so fascinating and gives a lot to the book.
So I think it does vary. When it's on audio, I love it, and it adds to the story and to the experience of the reading, and I find it interesting and fascinating. And then when it is on physical copy, then it makes it harder for me to digest.
[00:34:22] ANNE: Okay, Janae, I think what we want to do is give you a list, more than three, but not too many, so as not to overwhelm you. We want this to feel manageable and not mire you in choices. I think what I want to do is leave it to you to decide what's right for right now and what you might want to save and see what feels good.
JANAE: Amazing.
ANNE: Okay. And I think we're going to mix in some... do we count that as a classic yet? I don't know, maybe, but it does seem right for Janae kind of books.
JANAE: Awesome. That's great. I'm so excited.
ANNE: Can we start with something super duper obvious that you've probably read, but I still think is worth pointing out, especially since you're a rereader?
JANAE: Absolutely.
ANNE: Have you read or listened to Anne of Green Gables? Because I think you might... not need, not need. But I think perhaps hearing what I've heard from you about what you enjoy and what you hope for your postpartum reading life, that that could be a lot of fun, especially the version narrated by Rachel McAdams.
[00:35:20] JANAE: Oh, yes. I don't know who read it, but I have listened to Anne of Green Gables and I love it. I have also read The Blue Castle, which I love.
ANNE: Oh my gosh.
JANAE: And you're totally on the right track.
ANNE: I was just reading something about it... Okay. We shared... it was something like kind of silly, but completely wonderful. Like all the Anne of Green Gables. It might've been like male leads ranked. We shared it in Links I Love on Modern Mrs. Darcy. And I've been itching to read The Blue Castle for the first time in 20 or 30 years ever since.
JANAE: Oh, yes. I think I need to reread that as well. I read it on Kindle, which I don't love reading digitally as much. So I think an audio reread of The Blue Castle would actually be really fun.
ANNE: Next, how about Middlemarch by George Eliot?
JANAE: Yes. I read Middlemarch several years ago. Actually I read that on physical copy and took me a long time to get through it. I don't know how big that book is, but it was big for me for a physical book. But I really, really enjoyed it. You're definitely on the right track.
[00:36:30] ANNE: Okay. Let's say more about that. Readers, if you relate to the finish Jane Austen, really enjoyed those, not sure what to read next, George Eliot, especially Middlemarch is such a good one. This is, in Eliot's own words, a study of provincial life that features this close look at several young couples who fall or think they've fallen in love.
You're watching this small village drama play out, but also a much larger meditation on happiness and, oh gosh, I'm kind of allergic to this word in literary settings, but virtue, and meaning and calling. You get to see, just in a more dishy way, who's going to find happiness and who won't and why? Like what's going to get in their way and how is the gossip going to turn things upside down.
Something I especially loved about reading Middlemarch is I didn't read it until I was in my 30s and finally realized, Oh, I have been reading so many Middlemarch allusions for decades and just had no idea what I was missing out on because I'd never read the source material. So for a nerd like me, that was a lot of fun. Janae, did you relate to that part?
[00:37:38] JANAE: It's been too long for me, honestly, to even remember a lot of those details. So I can't say for sure. But I did love it. I do remember that much.
ANNE: I'm glad to hear it. Have you read any Graham Greene?
JANAE: I have not.
ANNE: Well, he is often included in novels everyone should read and best of the century and classics you should have read in high school, like these kind of list. And he was really a multi-talented author. He wrote entertainments. That was his phrase for his spy novels, but he also wrote works that he thought of as serious and grounded and deep and literary and lasting.
And this one he thought kind of blurred the line between the serious and the entertainments. I plucked it for you because it has some of the similar themes that we see in Elizabeth Goudge about people struggling with calling and meaning and religion with these really vivid descriptions.
[00:38:33] This novel is set in World War II London. It's about war and love and betrayal and art. There's a novelist at the center of this who wants to write about a civil servant. This is his reason to finally meet his neighbor so he can find out about the small details of his life.
And when he meets his neighbor, he meets his neighbor's wife with whom he begins this torrid affair that goes on for some time despite her being so, so guilty and him being so jealous. But then he is nearly killed by a bomb in the Blitz, and it changes the whole trajectory of everything.
I'm not sure when a novel of life and death and redirection is right for you to read. I don't know if this is like a February read or an April read, but I wonder how this is sounding to you and also if it matters that it's read by Colin Firth. There are other versions available, but there is a version read by Colin Firth available that I will vouch for.
[00:39:35] JANAE: I must confess, Anne, that I don't keep track of narrator's names. I just hear voices and I'm like, "Oh, this guy. Oh, this girl. I love this one." So I must confess, I don't know who Colin Firth is, but if you recommend him, then I am sure he's great.
ANNE: That might not mean anything to you, but he is the actor who played Mr. Darcy in the 1995 version with Jennifer Ehle.
JANAE: Oh, yes.
ANNE: He was in Bridget Jones's Diary, The King's Speech.
JANAE: Okay. Amazing. Another thing, I don't keep track of his actor's name. I just see them and I'm like, "Oh, I love that guy. Oh, he's back." But yeah, that's great. This one's super interesting. Another thing I didn't mention earlier, but something I really love is books that spark conversation for my husband and I. My husband gets super bored with questions like, "How was your day? and "How was work?" And He's like, "Good. Not too bad."
[00:40:37] But when we start talking about history and politics and what I'm reading and all of that, then we have these really good conversations. And I love when I'm reading books that I'm like, "Oh, hey, did you know this happened in World War II?" or "Can you tell me more about this part of that history? Do you know anything?" So these kind of books spark those conversations, which I love.
ANNE: Hmm. Well, this is definitely a novel about big questions. I think you would find plenty to talk about. And for better or worse, it's six and a half hours. So this is on the shorter side.
Now, I feel like since you said you haven't read a lot of classics, you're looking to read more, we might want to talk about Jane Eyre. That feels like an obvious direction to go. But it's also Gothic. What do you think?
JANAE: Yes. So I have read Jane Eyre, actually, and I loved it, which I did say I don't like Gothic, but I did love her for some reason. I think there was enough character development and other kind of atmosphere than just the dark and Gothic. There was enough hope, perhaps, that I did really enjoy it. But it has been a while. So maybe a reread would be good.
[00:41:51] ANNE: I'm glad you read it. That's really interesting. And while it does have that Gothic mood, you have character development aplenty in that one. Have you read any Zora Neale Hurston?
JANAE: I have read Their Eyes Were Watching God, and I loved it. That was probably one of the best books I read that year.
ANNE: Did you read it on audio?
JANAE: Yes, I did.
ANNE: Okay.
JANAE: I think I've opened the physical copy, and I was like, "Wow, that would be so hard for me," just the different ways that they talk and stuff. But in the audio version, it was incredible. Like I said, I forget who read it, but she was incredible.
ANNE: Well, the audiobook narrated by Ruby Dee is one of those books that I think I heard you say some audiobooks really enhance the reading experience. And the way she reads the text, the prose, like her exclamations, her dialect, really incredible. Do you think?
[00:42:54] JANAE: Yes. You can feel the story through her voice, I feel like. You can feel the emotions and the atmosphere. It's incredible. She does an incredible job.
ANNE: Janae, since you enjoyed Their Eyes Were Watching God so much, there's a couple different directions you could go with Zora Neale Hurston, if you so choose. She had a new short story collection published just a few years ago, which I know sounds kind of funny because she died in 1960. But this collection of short stories includes pieces that contemporary readers have never seen before because they were published in periodicals and journals that are not in circulation or very difficult to track down today.
So there's 21 new pieces written between... it's like 1921 and 1940. And one of my favorite parts about this audiobook is that Tayari Jones does this incredible foreword. I love Tayari Jones as a novelist. And I haven't read much in the way of nonfiction from her, but in this foreword, she was writing about one of her literary inspirations, Zora Neale Hurston. And she shared about her personal connection to the material, but also just some straight-up fascinating stuff, like Zora Neale Hurston lied about her age for years, here's why, here's when it happened, here's why she did it, probably. Just like these little juicy life details that are so interesting.
[00:44:16] And I said that was the excellent foreword that might actually have been in the introduction by editor Genevieve West. But what I do want to say is don't skip those quote-unquote extra pages. They're so fascinating. So 21 pieces in all, lots of different tastes and samplings of things. And I'm thinking about how much you love the nonfiction collection These Precious Days. That could be a lot of fun. If I didn't say, it's called Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick. And it's just new the past few years, excellent on audio.
And then you could also read a nonfiction work of hers that's narrated by Robin Miles. I know you said you don't know who the people are, but I love Robin Miles. She's phenomenal. Lots of readers find audiobook narrators they love and they find new authors because they follow the narrator to their next read.
But Barracoon is a novel that I don't think I picked up until it was recommended to me by a podcast guest. And then I thought, "Well, that's so short. I love Robin Miles. I'm going to listen to the audiobook version of this and get some more Zora Neale Hurston in my life."
[00:45:19] So in this nonfiction story, she's talking about the true story of Cudjoe Lewis, who was believed to have been the last survivor of the last slave ship that came from Africa to the United States. And Hurston spent many moons interviewing Lewis to get his whole story before he died. And he was like 90 at the time. He'd seen some stuff. This is his story about Barracoon.
So I don't know how that sounds to you, but you definitely have some different directions you could go just with one author and with the broad category of classics here.
JANAE: Yes, those both sound super interesting. Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick. Am I getting that right?
ANNE: Yes.
JANAE: I have heard of that and I must confess, I stayed away from it because it was short stories. And I struggle with short stories, which is weird because I tend to love essays. But I want to give it a shot because of your recommendation. I think I might like it.
[00:46:21] And then also Barracoon sounds super interesting. Like I said, I do read a lot of nonfiction, and narrative nonfiction on audio is awesome. So that sounds really interesting as well.
ANNE: Okay. I'm glad to hear it. Janae, I'm wondering, because of the tone of the books you've really enjoyed, channeling Elizabeth Goudge, if you've read Richard Adams' Watership Down.
JANAE: I have not.
ANNE: Okay. Do you know about it? Do you know that this is a classic about a brave band of rabbits in the English countryside?
JANAE: I need to look at my audiobooks right now, but I'm almost feeling like I just borrowed that on Libby. I need to check. I did.
ANNE: What?
JANAE: I have it on Libby right now. And I've just been like, "I don't know. I don't know anything about this. Do I want to start this? This is crazy. This is awesome." No, I want to start it right now.
[00:47:15] ANNE: Well, I think somebody whispered this in your ear and it spoke to you. So I'm glad that this can be the confirmation. And really, I checked it out from the library so many times before I finally read it, and I may have done the same thing. Like, "I'm sorry, what? Like, why do I have this book?"
But so many readers, including on this podcast, spoke so fondly about it. And it showed up on so many book lovers' favorite books of all time lists that I finally thought like, "Well, I can invest six hours of my life or whatever to find out what is happening here."
But this is a 1972 classic about this band of rabbits bravely coming together in the bucolic English countryside. I mean, bucolic until, like, the scary humans threaten their very existence. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it because... I mean, it's about rabbits. So like, as a human reader, you have enough distance from it, I think, to get a different kind of perspective on what it means to be human.
[00:48:18] But Adams is interrogating these huge themes like love and courage and loyalty and human nature. And you do have violent encounters in this book alternating with these gorgeous portrayals of the idyllic English countryside in a way that feels very Elizabeth Goudge to me. I'm glad you have it waiting for you. Might you read that soon?
JANAE: Yes. I'm going to start it today. I just know I will.
ANNE: Okay. I'm glad to hear it. Have you read any Madeleine L'Engle's nonfiction?
JANAE: No, I haven't, but it's been on my list.
ANNE: Knowing your love for These Precious Days, The Dean's Watch, The Correspondent, people thinking about what matters in life while narrating the daily living of it, I think she could be really, really great for you. The place I would recommend beginning is with her Crosswicks journals and specifically A Circle of Quiet. That's book one.
[00:49:16] So these are nonfiction slice of life stories about love and marriage and life and living. When I first read these, I was I think in my 30s, and she talks about the tired 30s in this book. And she talks about how she gets really crabby when she's not doing her work, like capital W work. And her kids told her to sit down at the typewriter and write for a little while. And she got so cranky, like, mom, what are you doing? And I really enjoyed that very relatable aspect, even as she's writing about a life that is so different from mine.
But in these pages, L'Engle is musing on her life and her career. And especially at the time she wrote these books, it's very clear that she's writing about herself as she's trying to figure it out, viewing herself as a work in progress and working through it in part by writing about it in the pages of this volume.
[00:50:13] The Crosswicks journals is a four-book collection. The next after A Circle of Quiet is The Summer of the Great-Grandmother, then The Irrational Season, then Two-Part Invention. Walking on Water is another one that I think you may find very interesting. I mean, there's all kinds of stuff you could read about Madeleine L'Engle, but you don't need a zillion, you just need a place to get started.
I don't have personal experience with the Crosswicks journals on audio, but I have heard anecdotally that they're quite good as narrated by Pamela Almand.
JANAE: That's all I need to know.
ANNE: Janae, I also wonder about Rumer Godden, especially in In This House of Brede and An Episode of Sparrows, which I have to say was put into my life by your fellow... no, not Kansan. Oklahoman. Sorry. Is it still legit as far as you're concerned?
JANAE: Yes. Fellow Midwesterner. Totally.
[00:51:08] ANNE: I wonder if P.G. Wodehouse could be a really fun diversion. Different kind of stories, very different tone, lighthearted, snappy. And then this is going to sound like maybe oddball compared to the rest, but Elizabeth Goudge was a huge Tolkien fan. And I wonder if you could get swept up in a wonderful story if you listen to The Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It could keep you busy for a million years or at least like a hundred hours. But I wonder if that's something you've done or considered, because I think maybe it has a lot of the things that appeal to you in there.
JANAE: Actually, I read The Lord of the Rings on physical copy, which did take me forever. And then my husband and I read the first two, and I don't think we made it quite through the last one, together on audio, which was really fun. But I haven't ever done The Hobbit on audio. And I think that sounds really fun. It's been years since I've read The Hobbit.
[00:52:06] ANNE: I mean, people love the old, like 20-year-old now, narration by Martin Shaw. And I know you don't know who people are, but readers may want to know that there's a newer edition out read by Andy Serkis. And that's going to appeal to a lot of people.
JANAE: Yes, he's incredible.
ANNE: What do you mean, yes, he's incredible? You know people. Look at you.
JANAE: Well, I do know him because he did read The Lord of the Rings, ones that we listened to. He was so good that I had to know who was doing it.
ANNE: I believe you. Janae, we talked about a lot of books today. What rises to the top? What do you think you might pick up? I wonder if I know the answer, if it's the obvious one.
JANAE: I love this list. I love just having options to go-to and places to start and having recommendations. This has been so fun for me to have somebody recommend books to me that you think I would love. So this has just been so fun. It's really hard to choose, except that I just can't say no to Watership Down because it's literally sitting right there waiting for me to listen to, so I have to start there. But so many of the other ones look so exciting and so interesting.
[00:53:19] ANNE: Well, I think it was meant to be. Thank you for talking books with me, and I wish you all the best for your 2026 reading life and your coming big changes and new arrivals.
JANAE: Thank you so much, Anne.
ANNE: Hey readers, I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Janae, and I'd love to hear what you think she should read next. Find Janae on Goodreads and find the full list of titles we talked about today at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com. We have all the books and links you need right there.
Follow our show on Instagram at @whatshouldireadnext and follow along for stories, updates, and quotes from our latest episodes.
Subscribe to our email list to get a reminder of what's new on the podcast and in the world of What Should I Read Next? in your inbox. Sign up at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/newsletter.
If you would please take a moment to check your favorite podcast player or app and make sure you're following us and downloading new episodes, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance. Whether that's Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, whatever you use, taking a moment to like, follow, subscribe, and download helps our show grow. And really, it shows the networks that listeners like you want more of what you're hearing from us each week. This matters in really practical ways to us. So thank you.
[00:54:43] And thank you to the people who make this show happen. What Should I Read Next? is created each week by executive producer Will Bogel, media production specialist Holly Wielkoszewski, social media manager and editor Leigh Kramer, community coordinator Brigid Misselhorn, community manager Shannan Malone, and our whole team at What Should I Read Next? and Modern Mrs. Darcy HQ. Plus the audio whizzes at Studio D Podcast Production.
Readers, that's it for this episode. Thanks so much for listening. And as Rainer Maria Rilke said, "Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading." Happy reading, everyone.
English (US) · 