What Should I Read Next?

Ep 505 Recs For A Reader In Search Of Best In Class Books

December 2, 2025

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  • Guest Kate Mosesso maintains a unique, community-inspired reading project where she reads a book recommended by a loved one each month, a practice she started in 2021 to foster connection. 
  • Kate is seeking guidance on how to evolve her reading project for 2026 to include reading 'best in class' books outside her comfort zone, specifically in genres like fantasy and sci-fi, to avoid reading derivative or poorly written books within her preferred genres. 
  • The conversation highlights that reading is a powerful connector, and the guest finds reassurance in hearing others on *What Should I Read Next?* express differing opinions on widely beloved books, validating her own subjective reading tastes. 

Segments

Introduction and Book Club Peek
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(00:00:19)
  • Key Takeaway: The Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club offers extensive programming, including annual retreats, author talks (like with Charmaine Wilkerson and Kevin Wilson in 2025), and community-exclusive events like the January Best Books of the Year event.
  • Summary: The episode opens with host Ann Bogel introducing the show’s mission and providing a detailed look into the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club offerings. The club celebrated its fourth annual readers’ retreat in 2025 and has numerous events planned for 2026, marking the club’s 10th anniversary. Membership is promoted as a source for making the most of one’s reading life, with specific 2026 events including a Spring Book Preview and Austen in August.
Guest Introduction and Background
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(00:05:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Guest Kate Mosesso, an improv comedian from Chicago, has maintained a reading project since 2021 where she reads a book recommended by a loved one monthly.
  • Summary: Kate Mosesso is introduced as a lifelong reader and improv comedian who values the connections reading fosters. Her reading project involves soliciting one book recommendation per month from a person she loves, which has successfully guided her reading choices. She also shares her background, including performing at Chicago’s Second City Training Center and appearing on Jeopardy! in 2012.
Early Reading Influences
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(00:09:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate’s high school English teacher, Miss Sebes, significantly shaped her lifelong reading habits by assigning a project that required students to present on recent American literature, acting as an early literary matchmaking service.
  • Summary: Kate credits her mother, a reading teacher, for fostering her early love of books, though she initially preferred popular series over classics. She experienced a reading drought in high school until Miss Sebes introduced her to a curated list of contemporary American authors. This assignment introduced her to books like Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and provided a roadmap for navigating adult literature.
The Recommendation Project Details
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(00:15:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate’s monthly recommendation project, started during COVID, connects her with loved ones and has introduced her to diverse titles, including A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Briar Club from a favorite professor.
  • Summary: The project involves asking 12 initial contacts for their favorite or most recent read, though adherence varies based on life events. The recommendations span different ages, including her nieces/nephews and even honoring her late grandmother by reading a Jeeves novel. For 2026, Kate plans a twist: seeking recommendations from favorite celebrities, particularly comedians, to understand their literary tastes.
Identifying Reading Goals and Dislikes
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(00:20:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate seeks to move beyond reading only popular books within familiar genres, like domestic noir (citing a negative experience with The Housemaid by Freida McFadden), to find ‘best in class’ examples across broader genres like historical fiction and narrative nonfiction.
  • Summary: Kate wants guidance on finding high-quality entry points into genres she rarely reads, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of books. She notes that high ratings on platforms like NetGalley are not reliable indicators for her personal taste, especially in certain genres. She also finds validation in hearing others on the podcast dislike books she only found ‘okay,’ like The Dutch House, granting her permission to trust her own intuition.
Guest’s Favorite Books
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(00:30:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate’s favorite books reveal a preference for character-driven narratives featuring found family, happy endings (Evening Class), detailed behind-the-scenes information (A Very Young Dancer), and masterful storytelling with rich character description (The Godfather).
  • Summary: Kate names Evening Class by Maeve Binchy as a favorite, highlighting its found family and happy ending, recalling a memorable experience listening to the audiobook with her mother. A Very Young Dancer by Jill Cremence is loved for its photojournalistic detail about the world of ballet. The Godfather by Mario Puzo is appreciated for its epic scope and detailed character descriptions, despite its problematic content.
Book Not Chosen and Recent Reads
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(00:39:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Kate disliked The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand because its plot lines felt cliched and the characters were unnecessarily mean to each other, reinforcing her aversion to reading about people being ‘crappy’ to one another.
  • Summary: The book that was not a good fit was The Five Star Weekend, which featured a group of friends on Nantucket dealing with grief, but the interactions were too negative for Kate’s preference. Recently, she enjoyed The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz and is looking forward to its sequel, The Sequel.
Recommendations for New Genres
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(00:43:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Recommendations aimed at Kate’s goals include Crooks by Lou Berney (a lighthearted, multi-generational organized crime saga with found family elements), The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (a fantasy heist novel), and The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp (narrative nonfiction about creative process).
  • Summary: To explore crime fiction adjacent to The Godfather, Crooks is suggested for its heart and rotating POVs, fitting Kate’s interest in detailed character studies. The Lies of Locke Lamora is offered as an accessible fantasy heist novel, described as ‘Robin Hood meets Ocean 11.’ For nonfiction, The Creative Habit offers behind-the-scenes insight into a creative field (choreography), similar to what she enjoyed in A Very Young Dancer.
Final Fantasy Recommendation
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(00:53:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine, the first in The Great Library series, is recommended as a fantasy book about books, featuring a protagonist who is a spy within a powerful library system that controls access to all written knowledge.
  • Summary: The final recommendation, Ink and Bone, is a fantasy novel appealing to book lovers because it centers on a world where books are illegal to own outside the controlling Great Library. The hero, Jess, trains as a scholar while secretly working for his bookselling family, forcing him to question the value of knowledge and whose side he truly belongs on. This title blends fantasy world-building with themes of information control and espionage.