Today we’re revisiting a format that featured in one of last year’s popular episodes, as I welcome team member Shannan Malone back to the podcast.

You may know Shannan as our What Should I Read Next Patreon community manager or Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club co-host, but she’s also been a guest on the podcast and last year she joined me for a midyear reading check-in. Today, we’re back to discuss how our reading lives are going so far in 2025.

Listen in as Shannan and I explore how this year’s been going up to now, what we’re excited about, and what’s working (and not working) in each of our reading lives. 

With so many books to choose from, and so much going on in all of our busy lives, a midyear check-in is a useful tool to make any adjustments or recalibrations to ensure you’re getting exactly what you want from your reading life, whether that’s escape, education, pure enjoyment, or all of the above.

Share your midyear reading reflections by leaving a comment below.

Did you get your Summer Reading Guide yet?

So many of you have told us in comments on the blog and in our membership communities that you’ve been loving your selections from the Summer Reading Guide. Thank you! We love to hear this. And if you haven’t yet ordered your Summer Reading Guide—either the digital version (plus the replay of our Unboxing party)—or the printed version—there’s still plenty of summer reading season ahead. Grab your copy at modernmrsdarcy.com/srg.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• A Physical Education by Casey Johnston
• Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers (#1: A Psalm for the Wild-Built)
• The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck
• Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley (Audio edition)
• The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
• All The Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Heart the Lover by Lily King
• Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz
• These Days by Lucy Caldwell
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
• The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
• The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow
• Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
• Endling by Maria Reva
• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters 
• Improvement by Joan Silber
• This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone 
• How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
• Awake by Jen Hatmaker
• Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
• Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt
• These Heathens by Mia McKenzie

Also mentioned:

• Patreon Bonus Episode: 2025 Reading Intentions with Shannan
• 2025 Summer Reading Guide
• WSIRN Episode 465: What’s saving your reading life?
• WSIRN Episode 246: Does your reading life need a mid-year checkup?
• Browsers Bookshop
• WSIRN Episode 28: Books that no one’s writing about in Entertainment Weekly
• WSIRN Episode 479: Balancing backlist with shiny new releases
• Please support our sponsors.