Podcast Summary: What Should I Read Next? – Ep 506

A New Way to Think About Your Reading in the Coming Year
Host: Anne Bogel
Guest: Callie Dean
Date: December 9, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Anne Bogel talks with guest Callie Dean about reimagining reading challenges for the new year. Callie, a passionate reader and creative professional from Shreveport, Louisiana, shares her ambitious "AlphaBook Challenge"—an attempt to read one book for each letter of the alphabet in 2026. The episode dives into how to make reading challenges both structured and flexible, reveals how Callie’s reading tastes guide her challenge selections, and features Anne’s tailored recommendations to help Callie—and listeners—find inspiration for the year ahead. The tone is enthusiastic, encouraging, and practical, perfect for all types of readers who want new ways to approach their reading life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Meet Callie Dean and Her Reading Philosophy

• Callie describes herself as a lifelong reader whose passion ebbed during young adulthood but was reignited through Anne’s blog and recommendations around 2014.
• She has a diverse reading background and loves branching into new genres (excluding horror and true crime), emphasizing joy and community in reading.
• “Reading has become a really important and central part of my life. It’s something that gives me a lot of joy. I read pretty widely.” (07:17)

The AlphaBook Challenge Explained

• For 2026, Callie aims to read 26 books, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. Her twist: Every word in the book’s title must start with the same letter (e.g., “The Thirteenth Tale” works for T, but "East of Eden" does not for E).
• She’s determined to keep the challenge fun, balanced, and achievable—not all-consuming.
• “What I realized is I don’t have a great system for finding books that fit into this narrow criteria… I have this long list of books, and it’s been kind of fun to see what potentially fits into these categories. But I don’t really have a great sense of whether I will enjoy these books or whether these are books to get excited about.” (10:53)
• She plans to read in alphabetical order but wants to remain flexible to suit her mood and circumstances.

Approaching Reading Challenges with Flexibility

• Anne advises maintaining discernment and passion over mere box-checking:
  “You gotta think about books in a different way… you still wanna read books that are good for you, that you will be glad you spent time with. And for that to be true, it has to have more going for it than to start with the letter N.” (12:16)
• Callie recognizes the importance of balancing types of books by length, genre, and tone.

Callie’s Book Preferences and Insights

• Favorite Genres & Structures:
  • Loves books with multiple points of view and intersecting storylines.
  • Enjoys both fiction and nonfiction, especially history and social science.
• Three Favorites She Shared:
  1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (multiple timelines, value of art, post-apocalypse, intersecting stories)
     “It transformed the way I saw the world because it’s such a celebration of all the small and big things that are part of our society and part of what makes us human.” (19:27)
  2. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (cozy fantasy, comfort read, light yet substantive)
     “It wasn’t too complicated, but it wasn’t too simple… I still cared about the characters and it felt meaningful.” (24:05)
  3. The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon (nonfiction, American history, inspirational, page-turner, funny)
• Least Favorite:
  • Come and Get It by Kiley Reid (characters’ “colossally bad decisions” made for a stressful, unpleasant read). “It was a little bit like watching a train wreck happen because you could see where it was going before it got there. And so that was deeply uncomfortable.” (30:55)

The Logistics of the AlphaBook Challenge

• Callie organizes a detailed spreadsheet to track potential titles by letter, genre, length, and excitement level.
  • “I have a column that right now is titled Books I Might Enjoy. These are the books that kind of look interesting. But… I don’t have a good sense of whether these are books that actually will fit into my wheelhouse.” (27:24)
• She targets around 40–50 books a year, so the challenge will be significant but not the entirety of her reading.

Making Recommendations: Anne’s Personalized Picks

• Anne walks through the alphabet, focusing on Callie's challenge "trouble letters" (D, E, G, J, N, O, P, U, V) and offers multiple options for each.

• Recommendations span literary, genre, and international fiction, as well as memoir, middle grade, and graphic novels, ensuring diversity in tone, subject, and length.

• Notable recommendations (with notable explanations and timestamps):

  D (42:56)

  • Day’s Work by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel – “It's a husband and wife writing duo… slice of life story, a book about books, about creative partnerships.”
  • Dakota by Kathleen Norris (short spiritual memoir)
  • Descent by Tim Johnston – “There’s a great but ominous mystery… about a family on vacation in the Rockies… one child comes back and the other has been disappeared.” (45:13)

  E (46:47)

  • Eventide by Kent Haruf (literary, small-town, interconnected lives)
  • Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal (French novella, two fugitives on the Trans-Siberian Railway)
  • Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (YA, unique afterlife premise)

  G (50:12)

  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds (middle grade, running, identity)
  • Ghosts by Dolly Alderton (romantic comedy, tone: “wry and real”)
  • Ghosted by Rosie Walsh (“How much can we really know the people we love?”)

  J (52:55)

  • Jubilee by Margaret Walker (sweeping historical novel, inspired by author’s family)

  N (53:47)

  • Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder (“Artist and stay-at-home mom realizes she’s turning into a dog… if you liked Shark Heart, you’ll love this.”)
  • Brief mention: Next by Michael Crichton (though not discussed in depth)

  O (55:35)

  • One on One by Jamie Harrow (college basketball romance)
  • Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (“A woman who doesn’t live her life in chronological order… bonkers premise, maybe a lot of fun.”)
  • Orleans by Sherri L. Smith (dystopian, New Orleans as a closed-off zone)
  • Nonfiction options: Open by Andre Agassi, Oranges by John McPhee

  P (57:36)

  • Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (diaspora epic)
  • Passing by Nella Larsen (short classic)
  • Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (graphic memoir)
  • Piglet by Lottie Hazel (quirky, literary)
  • Plainsong by Kent Haruf
  • Possession by A.S. Byatt (dark academia classic)
  • Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
  • Priceless (nonfiction, art crime)
  • Pride by Ibi Zoboi

  (Anne invites the community to share alpha-titled recommendations in the episode’s comments as well—see 46:05 for the callout.)

Important Quotes and Moments

• “What I really want to know is, you’ve hinted at this a little bit, but how can I help today?” – Anne (33:03)
• “So, to be clear, like, I do have options for every letter of the Alphabet. There are books that exist, but there are some holes in terms of, like, books that I’m really excited about.” – Callie (33:55)
• “If you get to the letter E and nothing is sounding good right now, you can go to F or Q and go from there. Or at least this is easy for me to say, is that actually true?” – Anne (15:23)
• Callie, on the challenge’s impact: “I feel like this conversation has done everything I hoped and more to just kind of enrich this challenge… I kind of want to read them all.” (59:22)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

| Time | Segment | |---------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:16 | Introduction to Callie Dean and her AlphaBook challenge project | | 06:00 | Callie on her background and reading journey | | 10:41 | Detailed rules for the AlphaBook Challenge | | 13:31 | Mood reading vs. alphabetical order—challenge logistics | | 19:27 | Callie’s top 3 favorite books explained | | 27:24 | The spreadsheet method for organizing her reading challenge | | 42:56 | Anne’s tailored book recommendations by letter D | | 46:47 | Recommendations for letter E and community callout for suggestions | | 50:12 | Navigating tricky letters: G, J, N, O, P—options and book pitches | | 59:22 | Callie shares her excitement and episode wrap-up |

Memorable Moments & Listener Takeaways

• The episode spotlights how a highly structured challenge can also inspire creativity and joy through flexibility.
• Anne and Callie model practical, flexible thinking about reading goals—reminding readers they’re the “boss of their own reading life.”
• “I want to make sure I don’t get stuck with, you know, a bunch of nonfiction in a row or all fiction in a row. And so I’m trying to, like, be strategic.” (26:17)
• Callie’s data-driven yet joyful spreadsheet approach offers a methodical yet playful template for other ambitious readers.
• Community engagement is encouraged: Anne invites listeners to suggest more Alpha titles in the episode comments (46:05).

Conclusion & Where to Connect

Callie leaves the conversation energized, ready to tackle the challenge with Anne’s new recommendations and a renewed sense of fun and possibility for her reading year. The episode closes with an invitation for listeners to join in the AlphaBook Challenge, share their own recommendations, and connect with Callie online.

Find Callie at:

• calibdean.com
• Instagram & Facebook (links in episode show notes)

For a full booklist, listener suggestions, and future reading inspiration, visit the episode show notes at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com