Today’s guest is Susan Meissner, a historical fiction author based in the Pacific Northwest. You might know Susan from books like Only the Beautiful and The Nature of Fragile Things: Susan is also a reader and listener and today she's here to talk with Anne about her readerly dilemma.
Susan writes character-driven, historical fiction: sometimes books like hers are described as “quiet” and she’s okay with that. Susan knows what she loves to write and what she loves to read. But lately, there have been whispers in the industry that this kind of “quieter” historical fiction is not what readers want right now. Instead, today’s readers are seeking out short, snappy, and plotty books. At least, that’s the conventional industry wisdom these days. So what does that mean for Susan and everyone else loves to read and write "quiet" books?
As a lover of these types of books herself, Anne's been mulling over Susan's query, and in today's conversation, they unpack the quiet novel and discuss its place in today’s literary landscape. They dive into questions like what it even means to call a book “quiet” and whether readers have indeed lost their appetite for them, before sharing titles that are highly character-driven while also offering incredibly compelling plots. Whether you know you like quiet books or aren't quite sure, today's show is sure to pique your curiosity.
Find the full list of titles discussed today and share your thoughts (and book recommendations) with Susan on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/423.
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Ep 213: Art, fear, and discovering great books
Ep 212: Book gifts for your hardest-to-buy-for loved ones
Ep 211: Good reads from the Great North
Ep 210: Book gifts are the BEST gifts
Ep 209: Cracking the audiobook code
Ep 208: The underappreciated art of literary forgery
Ep 207: An all-you-can-read buffet
Ep 206: How to bypass the book hangover
Ep 205: Books that won’t let you stop reading
Ep 204: Nonfiction that reads like a thrilling novel
Ep 203: What happens in book club stays in book club
Ep 202: The art (and awfulness) of the cliffhanger
Ep 201: The hidden value of a terrible reading experience
Ep 200: The good, the bad, and the unread
Ep 199: The perils of public book recommendations
Ep 198: Reading for the FUN of it
Ep 197: Rebuilding a bookshelf in Paradise
Ep 196: What the cool kids are reading
Ep 195: Wanted: book enthusiast at large
Ep 194: No plot, no problem!
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