What Should I Read Next? — Ep 496
Warm and Inviting Stories of Hearth and Home
Host: Anne Bogel
Guest: Jemima Welsh
Date: September 30, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode of "What Should I Read Next?" centers on the joys of literary coziness and domesticity — books that invite readers into warm, lively homes, celebrate complex but lovable families (sometimes found families), and richly evoke the pleasures and challenges of everyday life. Anne's guest is Jemima Welsh from Brisbane, Australia, who seeks immersive, warm-toned stories featuring "rambling houses," found families, and the soothing minutiae of home.
Meet the Guest
Jemima Welsh
- Early 30s, lives near Brisbane with her husband Ben, two young kids (4 & 1), a dog, and four chickens "named for the March sisters" (06:10)
- Lifelong reader, eldest of six, English lit graduate, book club member
- Moved into a wooden Queenslander cottage; built a wall library (06:49)
- Loves community, nature, and domestic details: "We wake up to the sound of kookaburras...and cockatoos eating the passionfruit from our veggie garden." (06:18)
"Books are a really big, important part of my life. They bring a lot of joy." (08:50, Jemima)
Jemima's Reading Life & Preferences
- Grew up in a family where "big debates at the dinner table" revolved around books (07:38)
- Recently more reflective about her reading — loves "immersive" stories centered on families, homes, and "all the chaos and higgledy biggledy nature of life" (09:27)
- Enjoys reading challenges and monthly book club discussions
- Loves books rich with “the interior or parochial life... within the home, family or community” (10:44)
- Seeks stories with sensory and emotional detail over plot, with strong settings she can vividly imagine (27:11–27:41, 35:40)
Jemima's 3 Books She Loves
1. Darling by India Knight (13:28)
- Modern retelling of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love
- Set in a sprawling Norfolk farmhouse; follows the eccentric, affectionate Radlett family as seen by cousin Franny
- Strong sense of home; “big rambling house,” a bohemian matriarch, family chaos, and loving humor
"There's this wonderful quote...the siblings say they wish they could carry the people that they love around in their pockets and put them on their bedside tables. And I thought that was such a beautiful way to think about the world and the people we love." (16:58, Jemima)
2. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym (18:11)
- 1952 British comedy-of-manners focused on Mildred, an unmarried 30-something in London
- Wry, understated humor; much of the story happens in “the minutiae of everyday life”
- Examines women’s roles with “very subtle, very clever” satire
“She’s this unflappable good woman who’s just trying to live a good life… It focuses more on the feelings and the observations of Mildred and her very rich inner world.” (19:32, Jemima)
3. Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher (21:23)
- Gentle, atmospheric novel set in the Scottish Highlands at Christmas
- Four unlikely housemates, each nursing grief, form a makeshift family; themes of healing and hope
- Celebrates “the ordinary pitter patter of everyday life” and the restorative power of home
“It restores your belief in the inherent goodness of people, which I really appreciate at this point in the world where things tend to feel hard.” (23:21, Jemima)
One Book That Wasn’t a Fit
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (24:08)
- Japanese novel featuring time travel in a magical café
- Jemima found it “jolty,” too earnest, “more tell rather than show,” lacking immersive world-building
- Prefers linear narratives and rich, tangible domestic details
“This book...was very earnest in tone, which didn’t sit well with me. I tend to prefer books that have a sense of humor or...not take themselves too seriously.” (25:14, Jemima)
Recent and Noteworthy Reads
- The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd (nature memoir, highly praised for its sense of place) (27:45)
- Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (“too sparse,” struggles with AI/robot themes except for Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series) (28:47)
What Jemima Is Looking For
- Books with a “strong sense of place,” “warm in tone,” featuring “rambling big houses,” lovable or found families, “minutiae of everyday life,” cooking, eating, listening, being together (29:54, 34:00)
- Wants stories to “bring you back down to earth and reassure you that the world is a good place and that starts at home.” (33:39)
- Hopes to spend less time researching and more time reading for pure enjoyment
“Most of our lives are lived in the home and with our families and with the people in our local communities. And those are such rich settings for self discovery and relationships, and they really are windows to the world.” (32:22, Jemima)
Anne's Recommendations to Jemima
1. A Big Storm Knocked It Over by Laurie Colwin (37:28)
- US author known for her warmth, humor, and “domestic fairy tales for adults” (39:04)
- Novel follows two women through marriage and new parenthood, focusing on the “utterly mundane but also cataclysmic life changes” and creation of new family (39:48)
- Not plot-heavy; deeply hospitable, gently comic; extensive backlist if Jemima enjoys her style
"She shows decent, really fundamentally likable people living realistic lives...Some readers are like, 'Yes, this feels accurate, so friendly and hospitable.'" (40:02, Anne)
2. The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander (42:28)
- Memoir of love, loss, and joyous domesticity after the author’s husband’s sudden death
- Despite grief, it celebrates family traditions, food, music, multicultural gatherings — all painted with a poet’s skill for detail and observation
- Described as “sad, but exuding joy on every page” (42:47)
“She wants to paint this picture of how good and wonderful and joyous it was… right down to the details of the food on the table and the look on someone’s face and the smell in the kitchen.” (44:08, Anne)
3. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (47:15)
- Warm, whimsical fantasy set in an enchanted inn only found by those in need
- Focuses on daily domestic life with magical flourishes (magical rain in guest rooms, wildflowers in teacups), a found family, and the joys of hospitality
- Anne compares cozy setting to Louise Penny’s bistro in Three Pines (50:04)
“All these people come together and create this, oh, we never want to leave… this home we’ve made together feels so wonderful and warm and safe.” (50:28, Anne)
Other Bookish Moments & Quotes
- Literary debate and appreciation as part of family culture: “Dad always used to introduce me to books or ask what I was reading, and we would have these big debates at the dinner table about life’s big questions…” (07:38, Jemima)
- Anne encapsulates Jemima’s taste as: “Books that bring you back down to Earth and like a safe, welcoming, inviting, warm, lit by candles ready with cups of tea Earth, home.” (34:26, Anne)
- Jemima on researching vs. reading: “All that research and discovery is heaps of fun, but I think it takes away really valuable time from actually just sitting down with a book and reading.” (31:25)
- Jemima’s delight at potential reads: “I trust you implicitly and I’m going to buy all of them.” (53:04)
Notable Timestamps
- 04:14 Jemima’s introduction and background
- 06:45 Jemima describes her home and family
- 09:05 Why Jemima seeks cozy domestic reads now
- 13:28 Book #1: Darling by India Knight
- 18:11 Book #2: Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
- 21:23 Book #3: Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher
- 24:08 Book not for Jemima: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
- 27:45 Recent reads and further reflections
- 29:54 What Jemima is looking for in her reading life
- 37:28 Recommendation: Laurie Colwin’s novels, esp. A Big Storm Knocked It Over
- 42:28 Recommendation: The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander
- 47:15 Recommendation: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
- 53:04 Jemima picks which book to read next — “Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping”
Memorable Moments
- Jemima on being more excited about the podcast than her sisters’ engagements:
“I remember sitting at the dinner table with my family going, yes, yes, it’s all very exciting that you’re getting married, but I’m going to be on what Should I Read Next Podcast and I thought that was just as exciting.” (04:18)
- Anne distilling Jemima’s taste:
“Books that bring you back down to Earth and like a safe, welcoming, inviting, warm, lit by candles ready with cups of tea Earth, home.” (34:26)
- Reflecting on cozy, immersive literature:
“It restores your belief in the inherent goodness of people...it is really nice to have a book that reassures you that humanity is inherently good.” (23:21, Jemima)
- Jemima’s trust in Anne’s book matchmaking:
“I trust you implicitly and I’m going to buy all of them.” (53:04)
Conclusion
Jemima leaves thrilled with Anne’s suggestions, especially A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping — a book she’s noticed in her local shop and is now ready to pick up, excited about an episode full of literary warmth for “when the world feels a lot.” Listeners are reminded of the restorative pleasures of stories that celebrate hearth, home, caring friendships, and the everyday magic of domestic life.