What Should I Read Next?

Ep 510: Finding classics that shine on audio

January 20, 2026

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  • The guest, Janae Mast, is specifically seeking classics that offer immersive experiences when consumed in audiobook format, valuing narration and accents for bringing the text alive. 
  • Audiobooks serve as an accessible format for readers, especially during life stages like postpartum, allowing them to engage with complex or older texts like classics that might be more challenging in print. 
  • Books that feature strong character development, aspirational characters, and lush descriptions of setting/atmosphere are highly valued by the guest, contrasting with disliked books that prioritize plot over character depth or lean into dark gothic moods. 

Segments

Introduction and Guest Context
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(00:00:25)
  • 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 ‘What should I read next?’ by offering information rather than directives. The format involves literary matchmaking with one guest each week. The show also promotes reading tools like Leuchtturm and Anne’s reading journals available at ModernMrsDarcy.com/shop.
Guest Background and Reading Habits
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(00:05:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Guest Janae Mast seeks classics on audio that provide immersive experiences, especially as a stay-at-home mother expecting her second child.
  • Summary: Janae lives in Kansas, is a stay-at-home mom, and is expecting a second child in the spring. She finds audiobooks particularly helpful during this life stage and is focused on finding classics that offer immersive listening. Her reading life revived after using Goodreads, and she leads a book club, valuing reading as part of her identity.
Guest’s Favorite Books
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(00:17:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Janae favors authors like Anne Patchett for relatable personal essays and Elizabeth Gouge for deeply developed, aspirational characters in historical settings.
  • Summary: Janae loves Anne Patchett’s ‘These Precious Days’ for making specific experiences relatable, having reread it multiple times. She also highly values Elizabeth Gouge’s ‘The Dean’s Watch’ for its focus on character development and the pure, albeit idealistic, heart of its main character. ‘The Correspondent’ by Virginia Evans was appreciated for its hopeful portrayal of late-life healing through examining past letters.
Book Not Enjoyed
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(00:24:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Daphne Du Maurier’s ‘Jamaica Inn’ was disliked due to a lack of character development, a contrived plot, and an overall dark gothic mood that did not suit the listener’s preference.
  • Summary: Janae despised ‘Jamaica Inn’ and only finished it for her book club, citing a lack of character development as the primary issue. The story, involving a young woman forced to live with a shady uncle, felt too scary for her taste while simultaneously not being scary enough for its gothic genre. She prefers stories where character journeys are central over plot-heavy narratives.
Recent Reads and Audiobook Preferences
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(00:08:09)
  • Key Takeaway: Recent listens include the biography ‘Woman Watching’ and the historical survival narrative ‘Endurance,’ confirming a preference for narrative nonfiction and historical accounts on audio.
  • Summary: Janae recently finished ‘Woman Watching’ by Marilyn Simmons, a biography of a Swedish nurse who became a Canadian naturalist, and ‘Endurance’ by Alfred Lansing about Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition. She noted that audiobooks are easier to consume during pregnancy and postpartum, but she needs a strong narrative hook to avoid defaulting to other media.
Specific Audiobook Criteria
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(00:29:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The guest requires a curated lineup of quality classics on audio, prioritizing excellent narration and accents to enhance the listening experience over sheer volume of options.
  • Summary: Janae needs a stable lineup of audiobooks, particularly classics, because the language and accents in older works flow better when heard than read physically. She is selective about narrators, stating she won’t commit 18 hours to a book if the reader’s voice is not right for her. This need for quality curation stems from feeling overwhelmed by the vast number of available classic audiobooks.
Classic Audiobook Recommendations
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(00:42:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Classics like ‘Anne of Green Gables’ (narrated by Rachel McAdams) and ‘Middlemarch’ are recommended as accessible entry points, while Graham Greene’s ‘The Correspondent’ offers a shorter, WWII-era literary option.
  • Summary: The host suggests ‘Anne of Green Gables’ as an obvious, enjoyable classic, especially the version narrated by Rachel McAdams. ‘Middlemarch’ by George Eliot is highlighted as a deep study of provincial life and happiness, which Janae previously read in print. Graham Greene’s novel, set in WWII London and narrated by Colin Firth, is proposed for its themes of war, love, and redirection, and its manageable length of six and a half hours.
Further Classic and Nonfiction Suggestions
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(00:49:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Narrative nonfiction like Zora Neale Hurston’s ‘Barracoon’ and the collection ‘Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick’ are suggested, alongside fantasy classics like ‘The Hobbit’ and literary nonfiction from Madeline L’Engle.
  • Summary: Since Janae loved ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ on audio, Hurston’s short story collection ‘Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick’ and the nonfiction interview ‘Barracoon’ (narrated by Robin Miles) are recommended. ‘Watership Down’ by Richard Adams is suggested due to its thematic overlap with Elizabeth Gouge’s work concerning courage and nature in the English countryside. Madeline L’Engle’s ‘A Circle of Quiet’ is proposed for its slice-of-life musings on work and life, which align with Janae’s appreciation for Patchett’s nonfiction.