Ep 199: The perils of public book recommendations

The WSIRN intro sounds straightforward enough - Anne chats with a reader about books they love, books they hate, and books they could pick up next. Simple. But long-time listeners know this show was originally supposed to be a tight 20 minutes… and today, each episode is easily twice that long. It turns out, a person’s reading taste reveals a lot about who they are as individuals, and digging into those discussions is worth much more to the WSIRN team than hitting a timestamp. Today’s guest is no stranger to seemingly-mundane belongings that hold deep meaning - Tara Anderson hosts the NPR show 5 Things, where she gets to know people by discussing five items that matter to them. A guest's treasured items might be books, but they might also be a houseplant, a special coat, heirloom knitting needles, even something as practical as a rice cooker. There are no home appliances in this episode, but Anne is investigating what Tara’s 3 favorite titles say about what she wants out of life, and what new books will take her there.  Click over to the podcast website for a list of books mentioned in this episode: http://whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/199 Follow Tara on Instagram and Twitter, and make sure to go check out her newest project at musicboxpod.org  Thanks to today's sponsor:Brooklinen sells luxury sheets, towels and bedding without the luxury markup—which helped make them the winner of the “Best of Online Bedding” category by Good Housekeeping. Get 10% off AND free shipping when you use promo code READNEXT at Brooklinen.com.