What Should I Read Next?

Ep 508: Anne's Best Books of 2025

January 6, 2026

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  • The episode marks the beginning of 2026, a year celebrating the 10th anniversary of the *What Should I Read Next?* podcast, alongside other milestones for the associated blog and book club. 
  • Host Anne Bogle, joined by Executive Producer Will Bogel, shares her personal favorite books of 2025, defining 'best' by emotional resonance and unique reading experiences rather than technical merit. 
  • Anne's favorite books of 2025 spanned unique genres, including surprising picks like a soulful book about weightlifting and a structural puzzle in a short story collection, alongside several tragicomedies and immersive reads. 

Segments

Podcast Introduction and Milestones
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(00:00:10)
  • Key Takeaway: The What Should I Read Next? podcast is entering 2026, celebrating its 10th anniversary on January 12th, with special episodes planned.
  • Summary: The episode opens the year 2026, which includes the podcast’s 10th anniversary on January 12th. The show notes confirm this episode is an annual tradition where Anne discusses her favorite reads of the past year with her husband and Executive Producer, Will Bogel. Listeners are directed to the show notes for the full list of titles mentioned.
Sponsor Segment: Quince Apparel
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(00:00:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Quince offers luxury essentials made in ethical factories, providing free shipping and 365-day returns via quince.com/readnext.
  • Summary: Quince is promoted for its versatile, durable essentials suitable for both casual and formal wear. Specific items mentioned include tailored Italian wool coats and ultra-stretch Ponty cropped wide-leg pants. The company emphasizes ethical factory production and offers listeners free shipping and 365-day returns.
Sponsor Segment: Wayfair Home Decor
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(00:01:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Wayfair provides extensive home decor and essentials inventory, meeting evolving tastes and budgets for spaces like kitchens, living rooms, and offices.
  • Summary: Wayfair is highlighted for refreshing reading spaces and general home needs during the winter season. The variety of inventory allows shoppers to find items for specific needs, such as kitchen essentials, accent pieces, or storage solutions. Anne specifically praised a recent purchase of a bench for the end of her bed, noting the ease of using Wayfair’s filters.
2026 Milestones and Episode Context
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(00:03:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Beyond the podcast’s 10th anniversary, the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog turns 15, and the Book Club celebrates 10 years later in the year.
  • Summary: Anne welcomes listeners to 2026 and outlines upcoming celebrations, including the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog’s 15th anniversary in February and the Book Club’s 10th anniversary later in the year. This episode, focusing on Anne’s best books of 2025, is a companion to her annual blog posts on the same topic.
Defining ‘Best Books’ Criteria
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(00:05:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Anne defines her ‘best books’ subjectively as those that resonated most strongly with her heart, prioritizing memorable reading experiences over technical literary brilliance.
  • Summary: The definition of ‘best’ is established as highly subjective, focusing on books that elicited a ‘wow’ reaction or spoke to the heart. Anne clarifies she is not grading manuscripts but sharing personal favorites where the reading experience was ’top-notch superb.’ She notes that this is the fourth time she has done this annual review.
Sponsor Segment: Mint Mobile Wireless
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(00:11:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Mint Mobile is offering 50% off unlimited premium wireless plans starting at $15 per month until the end of January, running on the nation’s largest 5G network.
  • Summary: Mint Mobile is presented as a way to manage budgets post-holidays by offering a simple, no-contract wireless alternative. The promotion includes upfront payments for three, six, or twelve months, equivalent to $15/month for the unlimited plan. The service maintains the same quality and reach as major carriers.
Sponsor Segment: American Giant Apparel
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(00:13:06)
  • Key Takeaway: American Giant clothing, particularly their slub tees and classic full-zip hoodie, is praised for year-round comfort, durability, and being made in America.
  • Summary: American Giant’s slub tees are highlighted for their breathability in hot weather and comfort in cold weather, layering well under hoodies or blazers. Their classic full-zip hoodie features mobility side panels and reinforced elbow patches for longevity. Listeners can receive 20% off their first order using code READNEXT.
Themes in 2025 Reading Year
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(00:14:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Key themes emerging from Anne’s 2025 reading included books that were surprising, unique, or stretched her comfort zone, alongside immersive stories and tragicomedies with strong family dynamics.
  • Summary: Anne enjoys analyzing themes that emerge across her reading year, noting a preference for books that felt unique or unexpected. She specifically enjoyed tragicomedies featuring strong family relational components. The conversation begins with books that felt surprising or unlikely for her to enjoy.
Unique and Surprising Favorites
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(00:16:19)
  • Key Takeaway: These Heathens by Mia McKenzie features a smart, sassy 17-year-old narrator in a weekend whirlwind, while A Physical Education by Casey Johnston offered unexpected emotional depth in a book about weightlifting.
  • Summary: Anne loved These Heathens for its unique voice and narrative style. Gossip by Kelsey McKinney was a surprisingly fun, chatty, and scholarly nonfiction blend spanning from the Epic of Gilgamesh to Gossip Girl. The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck is a short story collection structured as a ‘hook and chain poem’ with interconnected stories centered around Nantucket.
Structural and Genre Surprises
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(00:20:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Endling by Maria Riva features an unusual structure where the author and editor enter the narrative mid-book to discuss the story’s development.
  • Summary: Anne found Endling structurally unique, involving an abrupt shift where the author’s editorial process becomes part of the text, designed to frustrate readers seeking straightforward narratives. The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett Graff was a difficult but necessary read about 9/11 that Anne was glad she experienced. Crooks by Lou Burney, a tragicomedy about an organized crime family, was a favorite despite initial brutal content.
Tragicomedies and Immersive Reads
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(00:24:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Anne enjoyed several tragicomedies, including Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson and The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett, which balanced sadness with laugh-out-loud moments.
  • Summary: The immersive reading experiences category included The Everlasting by Alex E. Harrow, a lengthy fantasy epic about a lady knight and scholar that Anne compared favorably to The Frozen River for its emotional core. Cover Story by Vary McFarlane was a perfect workplace rivals-to-lovers novel set in Manchester, which Anne enjoyed so much she immediately read two more of the author’s books.
Family Sagas and Midlife Reckonings
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(00:33:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Anne favors books exploring thorny family dynamics, including multi-generational sagas like Grown Women by Sarah Johnson and ‘coming into middle age’ novels like The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy.
  • Summary: Heft by Liz Moore was enjoyed as a deep dive into thorny family dynamics and found family stories. Slanting Towards the Sea features a love triangle set against the backdrop of Croatia and Italy involving an ex-husband and ex-wife. The Wilderness was noted as a ‘coming into middle age’ novel, a theme Anne enjoys exploring.
Long-Listed and Near-Miss Favorites
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(00:37:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Anne shared several books that were ’long listed’ for her favorites, including Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall and Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaughey, which she read in 2024.
  • Summary: Anne mentioned that she reads many books that are interesting or teach new things but don’t make the final ‘favorite’ cut, such as A Marriage at Sea (an audiobook). She also revealed she read three unannounced 2026 titles that were among her best reads.
Anne’s Top Six Favorites of 2025
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(00:39:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The top favorites for 2025 include The Everlasting by Alex E. Harrow, These Heathens by Mia McKenzie, The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett Graff, The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck, Heart the Lover by Lily King, and the memoir Run Toward the Danger by Sarah Pauley.
  • Summary: Anne nearly named Run Toward the Danger as her single favorite, praising the unflinching memoir read by the author, which covered topics from scoliosis to child acting trauma. She noted that The Everlasting shares an emotional heart with The Frozen River, despite being fantasy.
Will Bogel’s Favorite Reads
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(00:46:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Will Bogel’s reading project focused on the control of nature, leading him to enjoy Forest Euphoria (about mushrooms) and Wendell Berry’s essays The Unforeseen Wilderness.
  • Summary: Will also enjoyed several surfing books, including the memoir Barbarian Days and Malibu Rising. He noted that his favorites will be discussed further during the Team Best Books segment on Thursday for patrons.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
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(00:48:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Listeners are encouraged to share their own 2025 superlatives on the show notes page and subscribe to the podcast to support the show’s production and team.
  • Summary: The episode concludes by thanking the production team, including Will Bogel and Holly Wilkachewski, who compiles the book list. Listeners are urged to sign up for the free newsletter and subscribe to the podcast to help maintain ad revenue and keep the show running.