What Should I Read Next?

Ep 498: Books that feel like your favorite comfort TV shows

October 14, 2025

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  • The central goal of the episode, as established by guest Kayla King, is to find books that replicate the soothing, comforting feeling derived from re-watching favorite television shows like *Friends* and *Parks and Recreation*. 
  • Kayla King's reading preferences are expanding beyond her usual genres of mysteries, thrillers, and SFF to include romance, spurred by discovering authors like Emily Henry and the increased reading volume enabled by her new e-reader and Libby access. 
  • The desired book qualities that align with comfort TV are being quirky, mostly ridiculous, funny, and heartwarming, emphasizing immersion in a world with a strong cast of characters over plot-driven puzzle-box mysteries like *The Paris Apartment*. 

Segments

Podcast Introduction and Patreon Drive
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(00:00:21)
  • Key Takeaway: The What Should I Read Next? Patreon community offers bonus episodes, including deep dives on publishing topics like library digital collections, and provides crucial financial support for the weekly podcast.
  • Summary: The show, hosted by Anne Bogel, aims to provide readers with information to choose their next read through literary matchmaking. Listeners are encouraged to join the Patreon for bonus content, such as an episode detailing how Overdrive, Libby, and Hoopla digital collections function behind the scenes. Financial support via Patreon is emphasized as increasingly vital due to shifts in the podcast industry.
Mint Mobile Advertisement Break
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(00:03:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Mint Mobile offers premium wireless plans starting at $15 a month, avoiding contracts, overages, and hidden fees.
  • Summary: Mint Mobile promotes saying ’no’ to traditional wireless contracts and high bills by offering plans starting at $15 monthly. These plans include necessary high-speed data, unlimited talk, and text, requiring users to bring their own phone. The service can be accessed by visiting mintmobile.com/readnext.
Guest Introduction and Comfort TV Request
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(00:04:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Guest Kayla King seeks books that deliver the same soothing feelings as her comfort TV shows to manage stress and reduce screen time.
  • Summary: Kayla King, who lives on a small-scale dairy farm in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania, is branching out from her usual genres of mysteries, thrillers, and SFF. Her request stems from a desire to replace re-watching comfort TV shows with equally comforting literary experiences. Anne Bogel notes the relatability of wanting book alternatives to regular comfort viewing.
Guest Background and Reading History
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(00:05:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Kayla King is a lifelong reader who recently incorporated audiobooks and the romance genre (specifically citing Emily Henry’s Happy Place) into her reading habits.
  • Summary: Kayla taught herself to read young and has always been a reader, previously sticking to mysteries, thrillers, sci-fi, and fantasy. She recently began reading romance, a genre she previously avoided, after enjoying an audiobook. Audiobooks have recently increased her reading volume significantly.
Defining Comfort Show Vibe
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(00:08:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Kayla’s favorite comfort shows (Friends, Parks and Recreation, The Office, Gilmore Girls, etc.) share a common theme of being quirky, mostly ridiculous, funny, and heartwarming.
  • Summary: The core appeal of her comfort shows is the blend of humor and emotional warmth, often resulting in both laughter and tears. She seeks books that can provide a similar feeling to avoid screen time, noting that reading tends to lead to more thoughtful reflection than watching television.
E-reader Impact on Reading Habits
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(00:10:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Acquiring a Kindle and using it with Libby has increased Kayla’s reading speed and consistency due to the pressure of expiring digital holds.
  • Summary: Kayla has found that reading faster on her e-reader, especially when borrowing from the library, helps her turn off the TV. The deadline imposed by Libby holds motivates her to read more frequently.
Totally Booked Podcast Advertisement
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(00:11:33)
  • Key Takeaway: The Webby Award-winning podcast Totally Booked with Zibby offers daily, short-form interviews with authors, including a new season of live recordings.
  • Summary: Zibby Owens, a past guest, hosts Totally Booked, featuring conversations with authors in 30 minutes or less. Season two of Totally Booked Live invites audiences to live interviews with authors like Mitch Albom and Kate Bear, with all conversations released on the podcast feed.
Quince Advertisement Break
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(00:12:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Quince offers luxury-quality essentials, such as Mongolian cashmere sweaters and European linen items, at half the price of similar brands by partnering with ethical factories.
  • Summary: Quince provides stylish, high-quality wardrobe and home decor staples, including linen table runners and premium denim. They offer free shipping and 365-day returns when using the specific podcast URL.
Loved Book Analysis: Assistant to the Villain
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(00:14:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Mayer felt like watching The Princess Bride, offering a light, heartwarming, and engaging romp with a slow-burn romance element.
  • Summary: This book, which originated as TikTok content, is described as funny, quirky, and ridiculous, making the listener feel immersed in the fictional world. Kayla highly recommends the audiobook experience for this title.
Loved Book Analysis: On Earth as it is on Television
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(00:16:14)
  • Key Takeaway: On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane is a quirky, heartwarming sci-fi novel about an alien invasion that is highly engaging without being a traditional thriller.
  • Summary: Kayla discovered this book at the library and found it to be a fun, weird page-turner that she kept thinking about after finishing. The stories within the book are described as extremely quirky and ridiculous, yet ultimately heartwarming.
Loved Book Analysis: The Red Rising Saga
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(00:17:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Pierce Brown’s The Red Rising Saga represents the epic world-building and deep character immersion Kayla enjoys, akin to watching a Star Wars narrative.
  • Summary: While less of a direct comfort read, this sci-fi/fantasy series centers on an epic war with space travel, appealing to Kayla’s love for universes like Star Trek. The appeal lies in sinking into the world and following the development of the characters.
Disliked Book Analysis: The Paris Apartment
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(00:19:04)
  • Key Takeaway: The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley failed because the characters were unengaging, the mystery’s resolution felt irrelevant, and the overall experience lacked the desired emotional connection or warmth.
  • Summary: Kayla felt no emotional investment in the characters, describing the book as feeling flashy and contrived, like a CW show without substance. This experience highlighted that for Kayla, feeling ‘at home’ in a world is crucial, even in thrillers.
Recent Reads and Six-Star Experience
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(00:23:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Charlotte McConaughey’s Wild Dark Shore was a profound, six-star read that moved Kayla to tears over a single paragraph, an experience so impactful she broke her rule against rating books.
  • Summary: Kayla has recently enjoyed Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy and Wild Dark Shore. She also loved Hello Stranger by Catherine Senner for its quirky, ridiculous, and funny style, which aligns well with her comfort preferences.
Recommendation: Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers Series
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(00:26:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series, starting with The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, offers a joyful, warm, and friendly space opera focused on community and love over conflict.
  • Summary: This series is set in a sprawling galactic confederation populated by diverse alien species, aiming to create futures that feel good for everyone. The books are described as rollicking, big-hearted, and soothing, driven by a motley crew on a dangerous mission.
Recommendation: Carl Hiaasen’s Middle Grade Work
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(00:29:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Carl Hiaasen’s adult novels are satirical thrillers powered by rage, but his middle-grade books like Hoot offer the desired zany, over-the-top quirkiness with more inherent warmth.
  • Summary: Hiaasen’s adult work lampoons bad behavior and often features cosmic justice delivered by nature rather than police, though Kayla found Fever Beach only ‘all right.’ His children’s books are suggested as a better fit for the ‘heartwarming’ element she seeks.
Recommendation: Kevin Kwan’s Wealthy Comedies
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(00:33:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Kevin Kwan’s novels, like Crazy Rich Asians, provide cinematic immersion into a world of ludicrous wealth, featuring catty behavior balanced by charming, likable protagonists.
  • Summary: These books function as comedies of manners set primarily in Singapore, where the sheer opulence of the settings is a major draw for readers who enjoy visual storytelling. The plot often involves intrigue and outsiders navigating high society.
Recommendation: Kate Claiborne’s Lottery Series
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(00:36:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate Claiborne’s Chance of a Lifetime series focuses on three friends who win a modest lottery sum, exploring developmental milestones, friendship, and finding home in a small Virginia town.
  • Summary: The series rotates through the friends, showing how they handle unexpected means to pursue life goals, emphasizing ordinary happiness and community support. The books contain comforting, slice-of-life moments, such as characters watching Ina Garten, which contribute to their rereadability.
Conclusion and Next Steps
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(00:42:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Kayla King plans to start with Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series for a sci-fi break before moving to Kate Claiborne’s Chance of a Lifetime series.
  • Summary: The host summarized the recommendations, which included Chambers, Hiaasen (middle grade), Kwan, and Claiborne, noting Kayla’s existing enjoyment of Sarah Adams’ When in Rome. Kayla chose the sci-fi series first to transition away from the romance she read over the summer.