What Should I Read Next?

Ep 512: I'm looking for 5-star stunners

February 3, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • Guest Meredith Wiggins is experiencing a reading slump characterized by an 18-month run of consistently average (three to three-and-a-half-star) reads, preventing her from finding the emotionally resonant, five-star "stunners" she seeks. 
  • Meredith defines a five-star read as one that, upon finishing, makes her clutch the book to her chest and well up because it stuck the landing so beautifully, a feeling she has missed recently. 
  • The conversation suggests that a reader's current life circumstances, even calm ones, might influence their ability to connect deeply with books, and that a preference for 'smart, but not sharp' writing may define her ideal reads. 
  • A collection of short stories structured using a 'hook and chain poem' format, featuring paired stories with different perspectives, was recommended for its vivid, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant moments. 
  • Jean Hamp Korlitz's novel *The Latecomer* centers on triplets conceived via IVF and the upheaval caused by the birth of a fourth, later-conceived sibling, with the father's passion for modern art collection adding significant texture to the plot. 
  • Meredith Wiggins, seeking '5-star stunners' in the episode "Ep 512: I'm looking for 5-star stunners," ultimately chose to read *The Latecomer* because its described surprises were most appealing to her current reading slump. 

Segments

Introduction and Guest Context
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode features Meredith Wiggins, who works in library services in Lawrence, Kansas, and is seeking five-star reads after an 18-month run of three to three-and-a-half-star books.
  • Summary: Meredith Wiggins is a library services professional struggling to find deeply satisfying books, defined as those that leave her in tears at the end due to a beautiful landing. She has tried various tactics without success. The episode aims to provide insight and new techniques to help her find these standout titles.
Podcast Logistics and Community
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(00:00:49)
  • Key Takeaway: The What Should I Read Next? podcast has been running for 10 years and offers access to an archive of over 500 episodes, including team episodes for new listeners.
  • Summary: New listeners are encouraged to start with the homepage or team episodes to explore the archive. For greater searchability, listeners can join the Patreon community to access a spreadsheet listing every episode and book recommended.
Guest Introduction and Background
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(00:04:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith Wiggins, a queer elder millennial from Lawrence, Kansas, works in law student professional development and part-time in public library reader services.
  • Summary: Meredith enjoys reading widely, preferring historical romance, and has a default mechanism for quitting a book: mentally copy-editing the prose. She also has hobbies including thrifting, junk journaling, and writing parody pop songs.
The Reading Slump Dilemma
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(00:11:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith’s definition of a five-star read involves an emotional punch and a perfect landing, contrasting with three-star reads which are enjoyable but not memorable.
  • Summary: For Meredith, a four-star read is well-done with compelling characters and an interesting setting, but a five-star read must have an emotional punch and feel perfectly executed from start to finish. She notes that her life has been calmer recently, prompting reflection on whether her current state affects her reading satisfaction.
Book Love: The Goldfinch
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(00:21:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch earned a five-star rating because its lush language and narrator’s voice, which adapted across different societal strata, culminated in a satisfying landing after being a solid four-star read.
  • Summary: Meredith is drawn to art crime, which is central to the plot involving the inadvertent theft of a painting after a terrorist attack at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She appreciated how the narrator’s voice remained authentic across the protagonist’s journey from childhood to adulthood.
Book Love: KJ Charles Romance
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(00:26:22)
  • Key Takeaway: KJ Charles’ The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is a five-star queer historical romance featuring compelling character motivations and a strong mechanical writing style, often involving fundamentally good people navigating difficult situations with integrity.
  • Summary: Meredith is a prolific reader of KJ Charles, appreciating her strong character pairings and the charming use of external narration that comments on character absurdity. The book involves a baronet and a smuggler, and features weighty concerns without feeling like a heavy read.
Book Love: Art Collecting Nonfiction
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(00:31:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Erling Kaga’s A Poor Collector’s Guide to Buying Great Art was a five-star delight due to its immersion in an unfamiliar topic, the narrator’s witty and certain voice, and its philosophical take on collecting limitations.
  • Summary: The book, which is heavily illustrated, presents the perspective that having too much money limits collection quality, forcing thoughtfulness. Kaga’s strong, opinionated voice was highly engaging, and the book offered applicable insights about challenging oneself through collecting, which Meredith related to reading.
Book Dislike: The Nicks
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(00:41:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Nathan Hill’s The Nicks was the book that ended Meredith’s lifelong policy of finishing every book because its writing felt self-indulgent and impressed with itself, failing to serve the characters or story.
  • Summary: The book is an intergenerational family saga and satire about a failing academic whose estranged mother becomes famous for throwing pebbles at a politician. Meredith found the tone snarky and satirical, which generally does not align with her preferred reading style, leading her to stop reading books that don’t work for her since then.
Recent Reads and Current Reading
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(00:45:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith has recently focused on nonfiction related to accumulation and collection, including multiple John Krakauer works, and is rereading the insightful essay collection American Bulk by Emily Mester.
  • Summary: She stopped reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell after 200 pages because she couldn’t discern the book’s core direction, despite loving the tone and narrator. She is currently enjoying the classic romance Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase on audiobook via CD.
Five-Star Novella and Reader Profile Synthesis
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(00:48:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Helen DeWitt’s novella The English Understand Wool was a five-star read because its intentionally gapped narration revealed deeper clues upon a second reading, demonstrating a clever structure that rewards close attention.
  • Summary: The story concerns a woman discovering she was kidnapped at birth and navigating society using the skills imparted by her captors. Meredith’s loved books suggest she prefers content that is ‘smart, but not sharp,’ favoring playful, clever narratives over biting satire.
Recommendations for Art and Setting Focus
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(00:57:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Recommendations for Meredith include art-focused nonfiction like The Art Thief and Get the Picture, and the thriller The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins, which features an isolated Scottish island setting and an art crime plot.
  • Summary: Meredith has already enjoyed The Art Thief and Get the Picture, suggesting a strong interest in art crime and the mechanics of the art world. The Blue Hour offers a compelling setting and mystery involving a reclusive artist and a human bone found in a sculpture.
Hook and Chain Short Story Structure
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(01:02:55)
  • Key Takeaway: A short story collection utilizes a ‘hook and chain poem’ structure, presenting stories in pairs that offer differing perspectives on shared events.
  • Summary: The book discussed features a unique structure where stories are paired, with the second offering a contrasting viewpoint to the first. The first and last stories bracket the entire collection. One featured story involves two young male musicians recording folk songs in Maine in 1919, later revisited in 1984 when the recordings are returned.
The Latecomer Art Family Saga
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(01:06:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The Latecomer by Jean Hamp Korlitz details a wealthy Brooklyn family whose triplets, conceived via IVF, act like strangers, leading the mother to use a frozen fourth embryo.
  • Summary: The novel follows the decades-long story of triplets conceived via IVF, who are emotionally distant from each other, even while attending the same university. The father is an avid collector of modern art, and details about his acquisitions, storage, and the art’s role in the plot add significant intellectual texture. The arrival of the fourth, later-born child exposes devastating family secrets.
Art Details and Googling Curiosity
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(01:09:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The art references in The Latecomer, including descriptions of abstract patterns, are enjoyable to research via Google but are not essential for understanding the core narrative.
  • Summary: The conversation addressed whether readers need to Google the specific artists or art crimes mentioned in The Latecomer. The book stands alone, allowing readers to enjoy the narrative without external research. However, those curious about the described patterns of dots, grids, and slashes can easily find visual references online.
Final Book Selection and Wrap-up
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(01:09:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Meredith Wiggins selected The Latecomer as her next read from the three recommendations because its element of surprise appealed most to her goal of finding ‘five-star stunners’.
  • Summary: The three titles discussed for Meredith to pick up next were The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins, The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck, and The Latecomer by Jean Hamp Korlitz. Meredith chose The Latecomer, noting that its surprising elements reminded her of a previous five-star read. The episode concluded with standard podcast sign-offs and listener engagement prompts.