{"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":"YA Historical Fiction That Adults Need to Read Right Now with Karyn Parsons","slug":"ya-historical-fiction-that-adults-need-to-read-right-now-with-karyn-parsons","published_at":"2026-06-08T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-to-read-next-book-recommendations-for-romance-thrillers-escape-reads-9873/ya-historical-fiction-that-adults-need-to-read-right-now-with-karyn-parsons","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/f2b3f698-86b9-4a8a-94be-78473e48147f.mp3","summary":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when a beloved actress becomes a storyteller of forgotten Black history? Karyn Parsons — yes, the Hilary Banks from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — joins us to talk about her powerful historical fiction for young readers, her nonprofit Sweet Blackberry, and why books like hers matter more in 2026 than ever. In this episode, we dig into Blue Beach , a YA murder mystery set on a segregated Black beach in 1929 that is equal parts page-turning thriller and gut-punch history lesson. We also talk about Clouds Over California , Karyn's middle grade novel set in the 1970s that reframes the story of the Black Panthers. Whether you're a longtime reader of YA or someone who thinks \"that's not for me\" — this conversation will change your mind. Adults: these books are absolutely for you. Plus: Karyn shares what she's been reading lately, including a deeply unsettling thriller about smell, murder, and obsession, a darkly funny book that involves... cannibalism (?!), and why Kindred by Octavia Butler is a required read for every human. 📚 Books Mentioned Blue Beach by Karyn Parsons — Buy on Amazon | YA Historical Fiction / Mystery | Set in 1929 on a segregated Black beach; a murder mystery with powerful themes of race, community, and colorism Clouds Over California by Karyn Parsons — Buy on Amazon | Middle Grade Historical Fiction | 1970s California; reframes the Black Panthers through the eyes of a young Black girl Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind — Buy on Amazon | Literary Thriller | A man with a preternatural sense of smell pursues an obsession with devastating consequences — dark, rich, and unforgettable Kindred by Octavia Butler — Buy on Amazon | Specul…","meta_description":"This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. What happens when a beloved actress becomes a story…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1948,"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/ya-historical-fiction-that-adults-need-to-read-right-now-with-karyn-parsons/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/ya-historical-fiction-that-adults-need-to-read-right-now-with-karyn-parsons.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}