Today's guest enjoys tackling heavy topics in her reading, but today she's here for Anne's help to bring more levity to her reading rotation.

As a South African of Indian descent, Natasha Govender appreciates reading real life stories from authors across the globe. These stories help her connect with the human experiences behind the pages, but she'd love to balance these emotional stories with titles that are just plain fun.

Natasha's especially interested in discovering Brown voices writing stories that feel joyful and celebratory. If these books come from the fantasy, thriller, or middle grade shelves, even better. And, because Natasha loves to reread the books she loves best, she and Anne focus on finding titles to add to Natasha's to-be-read list that she'll connect with on the first read, and love enough to read again and again.

Find the full list of titles discussed in today's episode and leave your recommendations for Natasha at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/428.

Our summer merch shop is open! Pair your stack of summer reads with a cozy t-shirt, a tote that's perfect for library hauls, bookish stickers, and more. Explore our latest merch selections at modernmrsdarcy.com/shop.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices