{"podcast":{"title":"What to Read Next — Book Recommendations for Romance, Thrillers & Escape Reads","slug":"what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873","podcast_index_feed_id":9873,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/whattoreadnext/","website_url":"http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/f7acd6df-7bd5-4b9f-bdcd-cc1c6c790629/4osSDj37v6rAcBIBBysi07ET.png","author":"Laura R Yamin","episode_count":928,"summary":"You know you want to read. You just don't know what. What to Read Next is the podcast for readers who love romance, thrillers, and women's fiction — and spend more time staring at their TBR than actually reading it. I'm Laura, and twice a week I bring you book recommendations built around one thing: how you actually feel right now. Not what's new. Not what's trending. The right book for this exact mood, this exact moment, this exact week of your life. Some weeks that means asking an author what they read for joy — not what they wrote, but what they reach for when they need to escape. Their answer is always your next discovery. Some weeks it means me telling you exactly what I read, what stayed with me, what I DNF'd at 40% and why, and which one I'd press into your hands right now if we were having coffee. Romance across every subgenre. Psychological thrillers. Beach reads with actual substance. Women's fiction that makes you feel seen. The books that give you the escape you came for — and a few that'll quietly change how you see things too. New episodes every Monday and Wednesday. The Reading Receipt — my weekly reading log — drops every Thursday on Substack. Start anywhere. The r…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T20:17:08.396085+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873"},"episode":{"title":"Sci-Fi Romance Recs With Formula Zero's Author Meredith Lanzen","slug":"sci-fi-romance-recs-with-formula-zero-s-author-meredith-lanzen","published_at":"2026-07-08T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/sci-fi-romance-recs-with-formula-zero-s-author-meredith-lanzen","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873","url":"http://www.whattoreadnextblog.com","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/65e68e69-6c3f-4b1c-9956-2e02174f499b.mp3","summary":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Ever wondered what happens when Formula 1 gets launched into zero gravity — and thrown in a childhood-best-friends-to-lovers arc for good measure? Debut author Meredith Lanzen joins us to talk about her sci-fi sports romance, Formula Zero . We dig into how a Drive to Survive rabbit hole turned into a book deal, why she wanted her leads to be equals on the racetrack, and her go-to recommendations for readers who love character-driven sci-fi, banter-heavy urban fantasy, and rom-coms with real emotional depth. If you love found family, slow-burn trust, and worlds that feel just a little bit magic around the edges, this episode is for you. 📚 Books Mentioned Formula Zero by Meredith Lanzen — Buy on Amazon | Sci-Fi Romance / Sports Romance | Audio ✅ Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell — Buy on Amazon | Sci-Fi Romance | Audio ✅ The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards — Buy on Amazon | Urban Fantasy | Audio ✅ The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun — Buy on Amazon | Contemporary Romance / Rom-Com | Audio ✅ Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir — Buy on Amazon | Sci-Fi Fantasy Mystery | Audio ✅ ⏱️Timestamps [00:00] Intro & welcome [01:00] Meredith's side quests: jigsaw puzzling, sourdough [02:00] The Formula 1 obsession begins [03:00] Discovering F1 via Drive to Survive; the writing journey starts [04:00] The idea for Formula Zero is born [06:00] Why she wanted her racers to be true equals [08:00] Formula Zero plot: Clark & Julian's fractured friendship [10:00] The fake-friendship PR twist [11:00] Favorite sci-fi elements & comfort rereads [13:00] Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell [14:00] The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards [16:00] The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun [19:00] Gideon the Nint…","meta_description":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Ever wondered what happens when Formula 1 gets laun…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1279,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/episodes/sci-fi-romance-recs-with-formula-zero-s-author-meredith-lanzen/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/sci-fi-romance-recs-with-formula-zero-s-author-meredith-lanzen.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}