What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads cover art

What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads

What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads

By: Laura R Yamin
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You know you want to read. You just don't know what. What to Read Next is the podcast for readers who love romance, thrillers, and women's fiction — and spend more time staring at their TBR than actually reading it. I'm Laura, and twice a week I bring you book recommendations built around one thing: how you actually feel right now. Not what's new. Not what's trending. The right book for this exact mood, this exact moment, this exact week of your life. Some weeks that means asking an author what they read for joy — not what they wrote, but what they reach for when they need to escape. Their answer is always your next discovery. Some weeks it means me telling you exactly what I read, what stayed with me, what I DNF'd at 40% and why, and which one I'd press into your hands right now if we were having coffee. Romance across every subgenre. Psychological thrillers. Beach reads with actual substance. Women's fiction that makes you feel seen. The books that give you the escape you came for — and a few that'll quietly change how you see things too. New episodes every Monday and Wednesday. The Reading Receipt — my weekly reading log — drops every Thursday on Substack. Start anywhere. The right episode will find you.Copyright Laura R Yamin Art Literary History & Criticism Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Ghosts, Multiverses & Magic: Speculative Romance Recs | Author Interview Bridget Morrissey

    Ghosts, Multiverses & Magic: Speculative Romance Recs | Author Interview Bridget Morrissey
    Sep 27 2026
    What if you could see every version of your life, including the one where your high school nemesis turns out to be the love of your life? Bridget Morrissey is back to talk about her dazzling new speculative sapphic romance.Bridget returns to the show to dish on In What World. Two former theater-kid rivals reunite as adults to find their missing drama teacher and end up tumbling through alternate realities. We talk about how she plotted a multiverse romance, and how writing adult, YA, and cozy fantasy keeps her a full-time author. We also cover the state of sapphic romance in publishing right now and her witchy YA rom-coms, perfect for spooky season. Stick around for three speculative romance recs (plus a bonus sapphic mystery series) that are ideal for your library holds list or your next audiobook.This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.📚 Books MentionedIn What World by Bridget Morrissey — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Speculative Sapphic Romance, Enemies-to-Lovers, Second Chance | Audio ✅Everything She Does Is Magic by Bridget Morrissey — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | YA Sapphic Romance, Witchy Cozy Fantasy | Audio ✅I Put a Spell On You by Bridget Morrissey — Preorder on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | YA Sapphic Romance, Epistolary, Valentine's Day | Releases Jan 12, 2027Seeing Other People by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Paranormal Romance, Grief, Romantic Comedy | Audio ✅In Every Possible Way by Alicia Thompson — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Magical Realism Romance, Ireland Setting | Audio ✅Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Sapphic Sci-Fi Romance, Multiverse, Found Family | Audio ✅Love a Comeback by Ruthie Knox & Annie Mare — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Sapphic Cozy Mystery, Hollywood (TV Detectives #2; start with Big Name Fan) | Audio ✅⏱️ Timestamps[00:00] Welcome back, Bridget[00:40] Writing adult, YA, and cozy fantasy under a pen name[01:40] A day in the life of a full-time author[03:30] Writing sapphic romance in 2026 and the publishing landscape[06:50] The need for more sapphic stories[08:00] Theater-kid love and a Spring Awakening story[08:50] The pitch: In What World[09:55] How Bridget plotted a multiverse romance[11:50] Bridget's witchy YA rom-coms[13:50] Rec: Seeing Other People[15:05] Rec: In Every Possible Way[15:55] Rec: Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon[17:00] Bonus rec: the TV Detectives series[18:00] Where to find BridgetJoin the ConversationSubscribe to our Substack for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com)Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog | YouTube: What to Read NextSubscribe & leave a review!
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    19 mins
  • 10 National Book Award Nominees You Need to Know | Literary Fiction Longlist

    10 National Book Award Nominees You Need to Know | Literary Fiction Longlist
    Sep 20 2026
    This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.This post was an original Subtack Live that aired on September 18, 2026.Awards season has landed — and the 2026 National Book Award (NBA) fiction longlist is stacked. Deedi Reads joins the pod to break it all down.Deedi from the Deedi Reads Substack joins What to Read Next for a special crossover covering all ten titles on the 2026 National Book Award fiction longlist — from Marlon James's queer epic The Disappearers to Valeria Luiselli's Beginning Middle End. We also dig into the Hugo Awards, the biggest NBA snub of the year, and how to build a budget-friendly award-season TBR using your library📚 Books MentionedDead Beat by Leigh Bardugo — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Fantasy, Dark Academia, Horror | Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction | Red Ants by Kimberly Blaeser — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Short Stories, Horror Dèy by Edwidge Danticat — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction |Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You by Julián Delgado Lopera — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Magical Realism Python's Kiss by Louise Erdrich — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Short StoriesThe Disappearers by Marlon James — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Crime Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction Passengers by Alexander Maksik — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction |The Renovation by Kenan Orhan — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction Mad Eden by Morgan Thomas — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction | The Song of Stork and Dromedary by Anjet Daanje (trans. from Dutch) — Buy on Amazon | Borrow on Libby | Literary Fiction, Translated Literature ⏱️ Timestamps[00:00] Intro — NBA fiction longlist collab with Deedi Reads[00:01] Deedi's whirlwind NBA announcement week[00:02] Reacting to Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo[00:03] The full 2026 fiction longlist, read aloud[00:04] Deedi's reads so far: Paradiso 17 & Beginning Middle End[00:06] Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You — magical realism & Latin American lit[00:08] Deedi's reading game plan — library holds, formats, timeline[00:10] NBA after-party & free livestream info[00:11] Balancing award reading with a fantasy-heavy TBR[00:12] October fantasy lineup + finishing Sabaa Tahir's Empire[00:14] Tease: Deedi's upcoming Divergent essay[00:15] Hugo Awards recap — Alix E. Harrow & The Raven Scholar[00:17] Nonfiction longlist picks + the year's biggest NBA snub (Tayari Jones's Kin)[00:19] Translated literature longlist & The Song of Stork and Dromedary snub[00:20] Wrap-up and sign-offJoin the ConversationSubscribe to our Substack for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com)Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog | YouTube: What to Read NextSubscribe & leave a review!
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    23 mins
  • What to Read After Watching Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (SLOMW) | Too Blessed to Stress by Alli Hoff Kosik

    What to Read After Watching Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (SLOMW) | Too Blessed to Stress by Alli Hoff Kosik
    Sep 14 2026
    This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.This podcast originally aired March 2026What happens when influencer culture, megachurch ambition, and algorithm-driven community collide?This week, I’m joined by longtime friend and fellow early-podcaster Alli Hoff Kosik to talk about her debut novel, Too Blessed to Stress — a sharp, nuanced story about faith, friendship, ambition, and the very online world we’re all living in.We talk about how her MFA journey led her here, why religion in fiction felt like a “risky” topic just a few years ago, and how influencer culture (hello Mormon wives and MomTok 👀) makes this story more relevant than ever. If you love messy friend groups, big institutions, powerful men, and complicated women trying to build something meaningful — this one is for you.Bonus Book Recommendations Check out my latest Substack episode with 2 additional bonus recommendations and my thoughts of the latest SLOMW episode drop of Season 5.https://whattoreadnextpodcast.substack.com/p/books-like-mormon-wives🕒 Timestamps[00:00] Early podcast days & friendship origin story[02:00] Alli’s MFA journey and first abandoned manuscript[05:00] The Christian influencer rabbit hole[07:30] Influencer monetization & megachurch power[10:00] Religion, algorithms & modern politics[14:00] Community after the pandemic[21:30] Behind the Scenes podcast (BTS-TBTS)[24:00] Book recommendations: cults, ambition & satire[37:00] Where to find Alli & audiobook details📚 Books Mentioned Too Blessed to Stress by Alli Hoff Kosik — Book Club Fiction | Influencer Culture | Literary FictionLittle One by Olivia Muenter — Cult Fiction | Dual Timeline | Psychological DramaPaper Cut by Rachel Taff — Literary Fiction | Power & Family DynamicsTehrangeles by Porochista Khakpour — Satire | Reality TV Culture | Pandemic FictionGlossy by Marisa Meltzer — Nonfiction | Business Biography | Millennial CEOWorkhorse by Caroline Palmer — Literary Fiction | Publishing Industry | Ambitious Female LeadJoin the ConversationSubscribe to our Substack for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com)Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog | YouTube: What to Read NextSubscribe & leave a review!
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
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