What Should I Read Next?

Ep 504: Niche and nerdy narrative nonfiction

November 25, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Guest Laura Howard realized she prefers learning history through engrossing, shorter nonfiction rather than historical fiction, which she finds can romanticize events. 
  • Laura Howard values reading as a form of connection, actively seeking out bookish conversations with friends and neighbors, contrary to viewing it as a purely solitary hobby. 
  • Laura is seeking nonfiction history recommendations focused on specific hinge points, little-known moments, or niche topics like national parks, medical histories, and the history of writing, specifically requesting titles that read like novels and avoid excessive length. 

Segments

Podcast Introduction and Host Greeting
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The podcast ‘What Should I Read Next?’ aims to provide information for readers to choose their next read through literary matchmaking with a weekly guest.
  • Summary: Host Anne Bogle introduces the show dedicated to answering the question, “What should I read next?” The format involves literary matchmaking with one guest each week. The show emphasizes providing information rather than being bossy about reading choices.
Holiday Reading and Archives Promotion
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(00:00:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Listeners are encouraged to use the Thanksgiving holiday gathering time to engage in bookish conversations using a mini-matchmaking exercise or by exploring the podcast’s archive of over 500 episodes.
  • Summary: The host suggests using the upcoming Thanksgiving season for book discussions with family or groups. A suggested activity involves asking people to name three books they love and one they didn’t, followed by a recommendation. The podcast archives offer matchmaking episodes suitable for starting bookish conversations.
Sponsor Segment: Wayfair
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(00:01:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Wayfair’s Black Friday sale starts October 30th, offering deals up to 70% off on home goods, including smart options like seating and storage ottomans.
  • Summary: The host promotes Wayfair’s Black Friday sale running throughout October, highlighting deals on home decor, seating, and kitchen essentials. Wayfair’s loyalty program offers 5% back on purchases across its family of brands, along with free shipping and member-only sales.
Sponsor Segment: Aura Frames
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(00:03:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Aura digital frames allow family members to easily share photos across decades, and listeners can receive $45 off the Carver Matte frame using the promo code READNEXT.
  • Summary: Aura frames are presented as a way to revisit family stories during the holidays by displaying a rotating selection of digital photos and videos. Users can preload unlimited free content before shipping the frame as a gift. The exclusive Black Friday Cyber Monday deal offers $45 off the Carver Matte frame with the specified promo code.
Guest Introduction and Reading Profile
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(00:04:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Guest Laura Howard, an Atlanta-area faculty developer and professor, realized she dislikes historical fiction and prefers learning actual history, leading her to seek guidance for finding engaging, shorter nonfiction history titles.
  • Summary: Laura Howard discovered she prefers nonfiction accounts of history over fiction inspired by real life, noting gaps in her historical knowledge. She works in higher education, supporting faculty teaching effectiveness, and values reading as a form of connection. Laura finds online searches for suitable history books overwhelming.
Laura’s Reading Habits and Connection to Reading
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(00:08:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Laura reads widely across formats (audio, e-book, print) and seeks variety to avoid genre burnout, often discovering new titles at literary festivals.
  • Summary: Laura enjoys reading about growth and reinvention, preferring journeys that unfold later in life rather than coming-of-age stories. She employs strategies like using audiobooks during commutes and keeping a ‘purse book’ to maximize reading time. She now views reading as a vital way to connect with others, often receiving requests for recommendations.
Laura’s Specific Reading Needs
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(00:14:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Laura is looking for history/historical nonfiction that is super engaging, reads like a novel, focuses on specific moments or turning points, and crucially, is on the shorter side.
  • Summary: She is moving away from her usual nonfiction (like self-help) toward history to fill knowledge gaps. She specifically wants to avoid the long history books that require dedicated, uninterrupted reading time. She seeks topics she wouldn’t easily find through standard bestseller lists.
Laura’s Dislikes: Historical Fiction and Length
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(00:17:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Laura avoids historical fiction because she feels it romanticizes history and prefers engaging with primary sources or expert accounts over fictional characters.
  • Summary: Laura generally steers her book club away from historical fiction, finding it inauthentic in some ways. She prefers learning from experts rather than fictionalized accounts of real events. Lengthy books are daunting, especially while busy with young children, reinforcing her need for shorter reads.
Laura’s Favorite Books Shared
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(00:23:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Laura loves ‘An American Marriage’ for its psychological depth and performance in audio, ‘The Remains of the Day’ for its powerful themes of the unsaid, and ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ for juxtaposing science and humanity.
  • Summary: Her first favorite, ‘An American Marriage’ by Tayari Jones, explores human nature and impossible situations, resonating with her interest in introspective journeys. ‘The Remains of the Day’ captivated her by showing how the reader realizes character flaws before the narrator does. ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ appeals due to its exploration of parental history and the collision of science and emotion.
Laura’s Recent Reads and Misfits
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(00:30:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Laura recently disliked the satirical corruption and cruelty in Carl Hiaasen’s ‘Sick Puppy’ due to timing, and is currently finding Lula Dean’s ‘Little Library of Band Books’ not resonating, though she highly recommends Dara Horn’s ‘The Bombshell’.
  • Summary: Laura found ‘Sick Puppy’ difficult to engage with because of its heavy themes of corruption, which felt ill-timed for her current reading mood. She is currently reading ‘The Hating Game’ (audio) and ‘Radical Candor’ for professional insights. She loved ‘The Bombshell’ for its originality and unexpected ending.
History Recommendation: London Cholera
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(00:37:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Stephen Johnson’s ‘The Ghost Map’ details the 1854 London cholera epidemic, focusing on Dr. Snow’s unorthodox epidemiological work, which transformed understanding of disease and city infrastructure.
  • Summary: This book fits Laura’s interest in medical histories and specific turning points in science. It covers the baffling spread of cholera when sanitation knowledge was lacking. The narrative highlights how Dr. Snow’s genius approach revolutionized public health science regarding disease transmission.
History Recommendation: Thinking Technology
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(00:40:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Roland Allen’s ‘The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper’ argues that the physical tool of the notebook fundamentally changed human thought processes across various disciplines since the 13th century.
  • Summary: This niche, nerdy history traces the notebook from 13th-century Florentine bookkeeping to its use by figures like Da Vinci and Curie. The book posits that the technology of recording thoughts shaped the modern world. This aligns with Laura’s interest in the history of human writing and communication.
History Recommendation: Berlin Escape
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(00:43:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Helena Merriman’s ‘Tunnel 29’ is a thrilling, quick read detailing the 1961-62 escape of 29 people under the Berlin Wall, including fascinating details about US diplomatic involvement funded by NBC News.
  • Summary: This nonfiction account reads like a thriller, focusing on a specific, intense moment in Cold War history. Laura found the details regarding the US diplomatic crisis surrounding the tunnel construction completely new information. Its shorter length makes it suitable for her current reading pace.
History Recommendation: Presidential Medicine
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(00:45:15)
  • Key Takeaway: Candace Millard’s ‘Destiny of the Republic’ details President James Garfield’s assassination and subsequent medical treatment, illustrating the dangerous intersection of politics, nascent germ theory, and technology in the late 1800s.
  • Summary: Millard writes compact histories (around 300 pages) appealing to fans of Eric Larson who prefer shorter books. The narrative covers Garfield’s 200-day presidency and the fatal medical decisions made after he was shot, featuring Alexander Graham Bell’s attempt to locate the bullet. This satisfies Laura’s interest in medical technology history and presidential history.
History Recommendation: Roosevelt’s Journey
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(00:47:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Candace Millard’s ‘The River of Doubt’ chronicles Theodore Roosevelt’s near-fatal, psychologically and physically taxing expedition in Brazil after his 1912 election loss, providing context for his dedication to conservation and U.S. National Parks.
  • Summary: This book offers an adventure travel tale focusing on a challenging journey undertaken by the former president. It provides insight into the man who established five U.S. national parks. The intense physical and psychological demands of the trip appeal to Laura’s interest in taxing journeys.
Final Selection and Wrap-up
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(00:49:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Laura chose ‘Tunnel 29’ as her next read because its thriller aspect appeals to her love of suspense and it offers a shared reading experience with her husband.
  • Summary: Laura decided on ‘Tunnel 29’ first, appreciating its suspenseful narrative and the opportunity to share the book with her husband. She plans to read all the recommended titles eventually. The host concludes the episode by encouraging listeners to follow or subscribe to the podcast.