What Should I Read Next?

Ep 501: Crafting a personal curriculum for a lifelong learner

November 4, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Intellectual curiosity, while delightful, often leads to overwhelm due to the abundance of interesting options, which the concept of a personal curriculum aims to structure. 
  • Guest Amy St. Amand is developing a personal curriculum to structure her reading life around diverse interests, seeking deep dives (micro-histories) rather than broad overviews. 
  • The personal curriculum concept encourages readers to define learning plans that combine various formats (books, lectures) and include 'output' assignments to actively utilize new knowledge. 

Segments

Introduction and Guest Context
Copied to clipboard!
(00:00:26)
  • Key Takeaway: The podcast ‘What Should I Read Next?’ connects readers with book recommendations, often featuring guests who are lifelong learners.
  • Summary: Host Anne Bogel introduces the show dedicated to literary matchmaking. The episode features guest Amy St. Amand, a primary care clinical pharmacist from Rhode Island. The core topic is Amy’s pursuit of a personal curriculum to manage her wide-ranging intellectual curiosity.
Personal Curriculum Origin
Copied to clipboard!
(00:10:09)
  • Key Takeaway: The personal curriculum trend, popularized on TikTok by creator Elizabeth Jean (Parme Mahjan Princess), involves creating self-designed courses based on personal interests.
  • Summary: Amy discovered the personal curriculum trend on TikTok and sought Anne’s help to refine her learning topics. Anne notes that intellectual curiosity often causes overwhelm, making structure necessary. The concept allows for formal or informal learning plans tailored to individual interests.
Guest Reading Preferences
Copied to clipboard!
(00:16:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy enjoys narrative nonfiction and micro-histories that offer deep dives into specific subjects, preferring detailed knowledge over broad overviews.
  • Summary: Amy loves books like Here One Moment (which features an actuary) and The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern (about a pharmacist). She is a major fan of Fredrik Backman, appreciating his blend of heartbreaking and funny storytelling. She dislikes writing styles that are overly stream of consciousness, citing Leave the World Behind as a book that did not work for her.
Curriculum Progress and Topics
Copied to clipboard!
(00:25:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy has already completed modules on building vocabulary using library resources and is currently studying the psychology of cults.
  • Summary: Amy’s September focus was building vocabulary using a Great Courses lecture series and the Merriam-Webster word of the day. Her current focus is ‘Warping Reality: Inside the Psychology of Cults’ via another Great Courses lecture. She is excited to next study the personal dynamics and history of the band Fleetwood Mac.
Future Curriculum Topics
Copied to clipboard!
(00:34:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy’s future curriculum topics center on communication, human interaction, and scientific principles, including food science, Greek mythology, music’s effect on the brain, and American Sign Language (ASL).
  • Summary: For food science, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is a priority to understand flavor principles, and Science and Cooking: Physics Meets Food is suggested for its scientific approach. For music, books by Daniel Levitin on music neuroscience and Susan Rogers’ This Is What It Sounds Like are recommended. For ASL, Oliver Sacks’ Seeing Voices and the novel True Biz are suggested resources.
Greek Mythology Deep Dive
Copied to clipboard!
(00:53:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy seeks to build a working knowledge of original Greek mythology stories to better appreciate modern retellings and reimaginations.
  • Summary: Amy enjoys modern fictional retellings like Jennifer Saint’s Hera but wants foundational knowledge of the original myths first. Suggestions include listening to Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey on audio. Reimagining novels like Home Fire (a modern Antigone) and This Tenderland (a loose Odyssey retelling) offer ways to see ancient themes in contemporary settings.
Conclusion and Next Steps
Copied to clipboard!
(00:58:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Amy plans to prioritize Fleetwood Mac next, noting that the exploration of topics often branches into new, related avenues, such as focusing on Oliver Sacks’ works.
  • Summary: Amy feels energized by the resources provided for her diverse interests. She intends to use the Fleetwood Mac: All the Songs reference book alongside biographies. The conversation highlights how structured learning plans naturally lead to further interconnected areas of study.