What Should I Read Next?

Episode 501: Crafting a Personal Curriculum for a Lifelong Learner
Host: Anne Bogel
Guest: Amy St. Amand
Date: November 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Anne Bogel sits down with Amy St. Amand, a Rhode Island-based clinical pharmacist and dedicated lifelong learner, to explore the art of crafting a personal reading curriculum. Inspired by a viral “personal curriculum” trend on social media, Amy seeks guidance on harnessing her intellectual curiosity—transforming an overwhelming amount of interests into a purposeful, organized learning journey. Together, Anne and Amy unpack the philosophy behind lifelong learning, discuss Amy’s reading loves and goals, brainstorm new topics to explore, and share practical strategies for making self-directed education joyful, intentional, and sustainable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meet Amy—A Profile in Curiosity

• Timestamp [05:29-07:45]

  • Amy shares her background: born and raised in Rhode Island, a clinical pharmacist working in primary care, teacher, and indoor cycling instructor.
  • She’s a self-described “Type A overachiever,” meticulous by nature, with a love for organized lists and deep explorations into varied topics.
  • Reading is a multi-generational love in her family, now shared with her young niece.

  “I just want to know everything.” – Amy St. Amand [11:58]

2. The ‘Personal Curriculum’ Movement

• Timestamp [10:55-12:14]

  • Amy describes the social media trend (via creator “Parmesan Princess”) where individuals design their own learning “courses” based on curiosity.
  • The appeal: freedom to choose, dive deep, and synthesize interests traditionally outside the classroom.
  • Her challenge: narrowing endless options to a manageable, meaningful syllabus.

  “I’ve never been so thoroughly influenced by a trend in my life.” – Amy [11:23]

  • Anne empathizes with the delight and overwhelm of boundless curiosity:

  “Intellectual curiosity leads to a good deal of overwhelm, because when everything sounds interesting…” – Anne Bogel [12:16]

3. Amy’s Reading Life—Loves and Preferred Formats

• Timestamp [08:28-10:14]
  • Amy is an avid audiobook listener but enjoys physical and e-reading, multitasking on walks or while exercising.
  • Keeps a highly organized TBR (to-be-read) list but allows room for spontaneous “top of the stack” picks.
  • Treasures sharing book trips and recommendations with her 10-year-old niece.

4. Books Amy Loves & Why

• Timestamp [19:36-26:37]

  • Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
    Loved for shifting perspectives, community-building, and learning about the actuary profession.
  • My Friends by Fredrik Backman
    Backman is an “all-time favorite” for Amy; valued for emotional depth and humor.
  • Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green
    Stands out for its blend of personal story, public health, and compelling deep-dive nonfiction.
  • Anne draws connections between Amy’s picks: a love for narrative nonfiction, micro-histories, and vibrant storytelling.

• A Miss:

  • Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
    Didn’t enjoy the stream-of-consciousness style or gratuitous detail.

5. Defining and Refining a Personal Curriculum

• Timestamp [27:54-41:41]

  • Amy explains her method: usually picks a topic and searches for resources, but is open to letting a compelling book guide the direction.
  • Anne encourages flexibility (e.g., monthly themes, cross-format assignments, and “outputs” like discussions or projects).
  • Amy shares recent “modules” she’s completed:
    • Building a Better Vocabulary: Used The Great Courses and the Merriam-Webster app for daily practice.
    • Psychology of Cults: Another Great Courses series.
    • Fleetwood Mac: Sparked by cycling class playlists, eager to explore band history and influence.
  • Amy relishes both input (books, courses) and output (using new words, engaging in conversations, sharing what she’s learned).

  “There’s no end date. There’s no finishing… you can take elements and implement going forward.” – Amy [38:59]

6. Topics Amy Wants to Explore Next

• Timestamp [37:07-39:01]
  • Food Science & International Cuisine
  • Greek Mythology (retellings, originals, deeper backstory)
  • How Music Affects the Brain (Oliver Sacks, Daniel Levitin)
  • American Sign Language (ASL)
  • Anne observes a connecting thread: many of Amy’s interests are about storytelling, meaning-making, and modes of human connection.

7. Recommended Resources & Approaches for Each Topic

• Timestamp [42:47-61:15]

  Food Science & Cooking

  • Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat (book & Netflix series)
  • Science and Cooking: Physics Meets Food by Michael Brenner et al
  • National Dish by Anya von Bremzen (examines food, culture, and national identity)
  • On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee

  “She mostly wants to tell you how it works and to consider your relationship with your ingredients...” – Anne [45:14]

  Fleetwood Mac & The Science of Music

  • Fleetwood Mac: All the Songs (comprehensive song-by-song history)
  • Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
  • This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin
  • This Is What It Sounds Like by Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas (on musical taste)
  • How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy (creative process)

  American Sign Language (ASL) & Deaf Culture

  • Great Courses: American Sign Language for Everyone
  • Seeing Voices by Oliver Sacks (neurology and culture of deafness)
  • Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language by Nora Ellen Groce (Martha’s Vineyard deaf community)
  • True Biz by Sara Novic (novel set in a school for the deaf)

  Greek Mythology

  • The Odyssey, trans. Emily Wilson (audio by Claire Danes)
  • Hera by Jennifer Saint and works by Madeline Miller, Natalie Haynes, Claire Heywood (modern retellings)
  • Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (modern Antigone)
  • This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger (modern Odyssey reimagining)
  • Lecture series & backgrounders for deeper context

8. Designing and Sustaining a Joyful Curriculum

• Anne champions “assignments” and creative outputs as a way to cement learning—anyone can structure their personal curriculum however they wish:

  • Combine reading with documentaries, journaling, cooking, museum visits, or creative projects.
  • Allow the curriculum to branch, circle back, or expand into new passions.

  “The ones I love…combine a variety of perspectives, wide variety of formats, and also don’t just focus on input… but also the assignments we make for ourselves to put this new knowledge to work.” – Anne [34:14]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Curiosity:

  “As an intellectually curious person… I just want to know everything.” – Amy [11:58]

• On Overwhelm:

  “Intellectual curiosity leads to a good deal of overwhelm, because when everything sounds interesting…” – Anne [12:16]

• On Personal Output:

  “Not only taking information in, but also… an element of utilizing and contextualizing the information… so we’re not just absorbing, but putting that out there as well.” – Amy [35:30]

• On the Structure of Learning:

  “There’s no end date. There’s no finishing this per se… as long as you’re enjoying it, you can take elements and implement going forward.” – Amy [38:59]

• On the Joy of Deep Dives:

  “Whenever I find an area of interest… I do end up doing a deep delve in—whether that’s a hobby or with cooking…” – Amy [43:37]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic / Segment | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:29 | Amy’s story & background | | 10:55 | Discovery of the personal curriculum trend | | 19:36 | Amy’s three book loves (and one not-for-her) | | 27:54 | How Amy approaches self-education and curriculum design | | 38:59 | The freedom and longevity of personal curricula | | 41:00 | Anne explores the shared thread of Amy’s topics | | 42:47 | Food science: Starting points and recommendations | | 49:56 | Applying outputs: Cooking, projects, and “assignments” | | 50:32 | Music & the brain: Recommendations for narrative nonfiction | | 53:55 | ASL, deaf culture, and more immersive learning | | 57:34 | Greek mythology: Retellings, literary crossovers, resources | | 61:43 | Reflections, next steps, and the joy of cross-disciplinary study|

Summary & Takeaways

The episode is a celebration of the lifelong learner’s spirit—embracing the delights and dilemmas of having “too many interests” and making space for structured, personalized exploration. Anne and Amy co-create booklists, multimedia resources, and practical strategies for building a personal curriculum that is rich, flexible, and truly one-of-a-kind. Whether listeners want to understand food science, music’s effect on the brain, ASL, or Greek myth, they’re encouraged to give themselves permission to follow the joy of curiosity, sketch out syllabi, and let one topic serendipitously lead to the next.

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