What Should I Read Next?

Today's guest has been participating in reading challenges for nearly a decade, and she's putting a unique spin on this tradition in 2026 that you'll hear about today.  Callie Dean lives in Shreveport, Louisiana, where in addition to reading she enjoys playing the violin in the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, writing children's books, and running and baking. Reading challenges aren't for every reader, but Anne wanted to talk about Callie's 2026 project because it sounds like fun and might help get you thinking about what you want from your own reading life in the year to come. Callie's challenge is both highly structured and incredibly flexible: in the new year, Callie's hoping to read one book that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Today she and Anne talk about the surprisingly difficult challenge parameters and the books Callie's already identified. Then, Anne fills in some of Callie's gaps in her 2026 reading alphabet, aiming to help her strike a delightful balance of topics, genres, and authors.