Ep 526: Anne unboxes the 2026 Minimalist Summer Reading Guide

This week, Anne is sharing an excerpt from our 2026 Summer Reading Guide Live Unboxing. To mark our 15th Guide, we’re inviting you to listen in as she tells you all about this year's Minimalist Picks.

During our Summer Reading Guide Unboxing, Anne goes through every book and tells you why out of the hundreds of books she considered for the Guide that year, these are the ones she landed on. What makes them interesting, what is each story like, what kinds of readers might they appeal to?

In today’s excerpt, we're sharing what Anne had to say about the six titles in this year’s Minimalist Guide.

We hope this gives you an exciting preview of our 15th Summer Reading Guide. For the list of titles mentioned today and more, visit our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/526.

This year's complete Guide includes 35 new-for-2026 releases, our popular “For fans of” backlist recommendations, Awesome on Audio picks, reading retreat best practices from our team, and a splashy anniversary feature looking back on 15 years of the SRG.

If you’ve not yet gotten your Guide, you can do that now or anytime with instant digital delivery. Your a la carte purchase or membership also grants you access to our video Unboxing of the entire Guide. We’re also offering a professionally printed guide, delivered straight to your mailbox in the U.S. These are shipping now: visit our shop at modernmrsdarcy.com/shop to order yours. That's where you'll also find retreat-worthy merch, like our cozy new sorority sweatshirt, a brand new hat that I hope brings a smile to your face, restocked book darts, stickers, totes, and more more.

Chapters

03:05 What’s in the 2026 Summer Reading Guide?

04:52 The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh

07:23 Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

9:48 Sisters of a Halved Heart by Nayantara Roy

12:10 Land by Maggie O’Farrell

13:54 The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders

15:38 Whistler by Ann Patchett

17:58 How to get the complete 2026 Summer Reading Guide

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