Anne Bogel Books in Order

Anne Bogel is a writer, reader, and podcast host whose work starts with a simple question: what should we read next, and why might it matter to us? She created Modern Mrs. Darcy, a blog where books sit alongside everyday life, habits, family schedules, and the small decisions that shape a week.

The project began in early 2011. Bogel was working as a property-law paralegal and raising young children when she wanted a creative outlet that felt personal, useful, and possible to finish. After a New Year's conversation with her husband, she started a blog from her basement and initially kept it quiet, even from her mother.

At first, she wasn't trying to become a professional book recommender. But she soon found that she loved writing about what a book made her think about rather than delivering formal reviews. The conversations that grew around those posts helped turn a solitary writing habit into a community of readers.

Books became the center of the work. In 2016, she launched What Should I Read Next?, a podcast built around literary matchmaking: guests talk through their reading lives, and Bogel suggests titles that may suit them.

The show has a clear rhythm. A guest names three books they love, one that didn't work, and recent reading, then Bogel responds with recommendations. That format makes room for the idea that reading tastes are personal, and that the right next book is not the same for everyone.

Her nonfiction carries that same practical, curious spirit. Reading People looks at seven personality frameworks, including Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder, and the Enneagram, and asks how they can help people understand themselves and one another. It is less about putting people in boxes than noticing patterns, making room for difference, and applying that knowledge at home, at work, and in relationships.

In I'd Rather Be Reading, Bogel turns to the pleasures and frustrations of being a devoted reader. The essay collection considers first books, beloved rereads, overstuffed shelves, and the way a favorite title can become part of a person's story. It's a warm book for people who keep mental lists wherever they go.

Don't Overthink It takes on a different everyday problem: the draining cycle of worry, indecision, and second-guessing. Bogel offers tools for giving choices the right amount of attention and for replacing unhelpful thought patterns with steadier habits. Her later guided journals, My Reading Life and My Reading Adventures, invite adults and children to keep track of what they read and discover more books.

No need for complicated rules. A good reading life can begin with noticing what pulls you in, what leaves you cold, and what you want to try next.

Bogel still lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband, four children, and a yellow Lab. Her shelves hold thousands of books, and that fits the larger point of her work: books can be useful companions, conversation starters, and a way to see both ourselves and other people a little more clearly. That is often enough to start a conversation.