What Should I Read Next?

Ep 502: Choosing book gifts your friends will love

November 11, 2025

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  • The guest, Meredith Amadee, started her intentional book club in February 2022 as a birthday gift to a friend, fostering deep community through a commitment to monthly reading and discussion. 
  • Thoughtful book gifting involves knowing the recipient's specific tastes, as demonstrated by Meredith's goal to select books that make her book club members feel 'known and seen' rather than just gifting books the giver loves. 
  • Books that generate the best discussions often feature high-concept premises (like *The Measure*), emotionally resonant themes, or unexpected twists, even when dealing with difficult subjects. 

Segments

Guest Introduction and Background
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith Amadee, a wedding photographer from Tucson, Arizona, hosts a book club that hosts an annual book exchange, prompting her appearance on What Should I Read Next? for gift guidance.
  • Summary: Meredith started her book club as a birthday gift to a friend who encouraged her, and the club officially began in February 2022 with The Sentence by Louise Erdrich as the first read. The club maintains an intentional membership of around 10 people who commit to reading and participating monthly to foster deep conversations. Meredith values stories across all mediums, including photography and books, as a source of comfort and connection.
Guest’s Reading Life
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(00:10:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith’s adult reading journey was reignited by The Shadow of the Wind series, and she now uses reading as an escape and a way to connect with stories in other media.
  • Summary: Reading served as an escape for Meredith since childhood, though it took a backseat during high school and college due to academic reading requirements. Her adult reading life was sparked by a friend’s recommendation of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. She views reading as a vital way to engage with storytelling, similar to photography or music, and enjoys discussing these stories with others.
Guest’s Favorite Books
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(00:13:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith selected three recent favorites: Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones (for its reflections on community and small business ownership), It’s a Love Story by Annabelle Monaghan (for its warm depiction of family immersion), and The Favorites by Lane Fargo (a fast-paced, plotty story about Olympic figure skating).
  • Summary: Meredith chose books she enjoyed recently, strategically selecting titles that might not have been heavily featured on What Should I Read Next?. Ordinary Time resonated due to shared experiences as small business owners and reflections on laying down roots. It’s a Love Story provided cozy immersion into a large, loving family dynamic. The Favorites offered high-stakes drama and fascinating insight into the technical world of figure skating.
Book That Did Not Work
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(00:21:19)
  • Key Takeaway: James by Percival Everett did not fully connect with Meredith because its screenplay-like, emotionally distant writing style kept her at arm’s length from the characters and the gravity of the events.
  • Summary: Meredith rated James generously but felt it did not meet her expectations, noting its writing felt devoid of emotion, possibly intentionally to highlight the atrocity of the events. Lacking background knowledge of Huck Finn may have contributed to her feeling disconnected from the plot’s impact. She still acknowledges the book deserves recognition for its writing quality.
Book Club Gift Preparation
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(00:25:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith seeks guidance on selecting personalized backlist book gifts for her ten book club members, aiming to make each person feel ‘known and seen’ based on their unique reading tastes.
  • Summary: Meredith hosts an annual white elephant book exchange but wants to buy each member a specific book they will enjoy as a personal year-end gift. She recognizes the book club has diverse tastes, ranging from high fantasy to historical fiction. Her philosophy is to buy gifts people will actually appreciate, reflecting their interests rather than just her own.
Matchmaking for Book Club Member Lucy
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(00:42:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Lucy enjoys high fantasy, diverse perspectives, and well-crafted prose, but disliked Orbital for being too meandering; potential recommendations include Miller’s Valley (2016), Shiner, How High We Go in the Dark, and The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019).
  • Summary: Lucy is an outspoken reader who consumes many books monthly and values diverse voices. Recommendations leaning toward Appalachian/rural settings or high fantasy were offered based on her enjoyment of Betty and her high fantasy preference. How High We Go in the Dark offers literary science fiction with high-stakes survival themes, while The Priory of the Orange Tree provides complex world-building with queens, spies, and dragon riders.
Matchmaking for Book Club Member Steph
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(00:47:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Steph values beautifully crafted, concise writing, disliking superfluous language and character resurrections; she enjoyed emotionally intense, character-driven books like Demon Copperhead and Wild Dark Shore.
  • Summary: Steph appreciates emotionally resonant, character-driven narratives with unexpected elements and strong craft, evidenced by her enjoyment of Wild Dark Shore and Demon Copperhead. Recommendations focusing on evocative, concise prose include Clear (2024), a short historical novel about an unlikely connection between two men in the Scottish Islands, and Silver Sparrow (2011), a compelling coming-of-age story about a man living a double life. For memoir, Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan offers deep relationship insights.
Matchmaking for Book Club Member Vicki
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(00:54:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Vicki enjoys historical fiction, fantasy, and romance, but strongly dislikes books that falsely advertise strong female friendships when betrayal is central, preferring hopeful narratives over overly dark ones.
  • Summary: Vicki likes books with good prose that balance tragedy with whimsy, such as Family Family and The Cherry Robbers, while avoiding narratives where female friendships end in betrayal. Suggestions include Wayward by Amelia Hart (2023), a multi-century historical story with subtle magical elements connecting three women, and The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett, which blends tragedy with dark humor and hope. The Bandit Queens was also suggested as a sharp, funny book that transforms a grim premise.