I'd Rather Be Reading
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I'd Rather Be Reading
A podcast about the best nonfiction books hitting shelves today, hosted by journalist Rachel Burchfield.
Episodi recenti
328 episodi
Erin Claire Jones on Our Human Design Type, Strategy, and Authority—and How It Impacts Our Lives
We’ve got a special bonus episode of season 16 for you—I’m chatting with Erin Claire Jones, author of the new book How Do You Choose?: A Human Design...
Dr. Sparky Reardon on His Legendary Career as Dean of Students at Ole Miss
As we close season 16, I have a guest today that goes all the way back to season one of the show—well, actually, for me personally he goes back way fu...
Jay Busbee on the Iron Bowl, the Alabama Versus Auburn College Football Rivalry, and How It Shaped the SEC and the South
The kickoff of college football, blessedly, is just around the corner, something I’ve been waiting for since January and the end of the last college f...
Scott Ellsworth on the Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America
We’ve got a great episode for you today with Scott Ellsworth about his new book Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln A...
Dr. Michael Norton on the Ritual Effect and the Power of Ritual
Happy July—so excited to be back with you to talk about one of my favorite books I’ve read lately, Dr. Michael Norton’s The Ritual Effect: From Habit...
Nora Princiotti on the Women That Built Pop Music in the 2000s, from Britney to Beyoncé to Taylor
We’ve got such a fun one for you today—we’re chatting with Nora Princiotti about her new book Hit Girls: Britney, Taylor, Beyonce, and the Women Who B...
Megan Hellerer on Directional Living and How That Can Lead to Fulfillment in Both Work and Life
So excited to be back with you and our guest today, Megan Hellerer, author of Directional Living: A Transformational Guide to Fulfillment in Work and...
Dr. Judith Joseph on High Functioning Depression, Anhedonia, and How to Reclaim Our Joy
One of the most popular books of 2025 so far is Dr. Judith Joseph’s High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy, which intr...
Sophie Gilbert on the Effects of the Late 1990s and Early 2000s on Culture and on Women, Even Still Today
Today on the show I’m thrilled to have Sophie Gilbert, author of Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, which...
Amina AlTai on Escaping the Ambition Trap and Reclaiming Our Ambition
I am thrilled to have Amina AlTai here with me today to talk about her new book The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living, which is out...
Tinx on the Hamptons, Influencer Culture, and Writing Fiction—Steamy Scenes Included
Once again, we don’t often have fiction picks on I’d Rather Be Reading, but usually every year I leave you with a fiction book of the summer around th...
DawnCheré Wilkerson on the Work and the Wonder of Life’s Waiting Seasons
Today we are talking about a topic that will resonate with each and every one of you—waiting. Every last one of us has walked through a waiting season...
Annie B. Jones on the Power of Staying Put
Today on the show we’re talking about the beauty of staying put, and we’re talking with Annie B. Jones, author of the new book Ordinary Time: Lessons...
Chris Guillebeau on How to Cultivate a Better Relationship with Time
I am delighted to have on the show today Chris Guillebeau, here to talk about his latest, Time Anxiety: The Illusion of Urgency and a Better Way to Li...
Kevin Evers on the Genius That Is Taylor Swift
Whether you are decidedly a Swiftie or decidedly not, I promise you’re going to get something out of this conversation. It’s hard to believe that we’v...
Dr. Morgan Cutlip on Why Understanding the Mental Load Is Critical to the Success of a Relationship
We are in for such a fun conversation today with Dr. Morgan Cutlip, author of A Better Share: How Couples Can Tackle the Mental Load for More Fun, Les...
Dr. Caroline Fleck on Validation and Why It’s Psychology’s Best Kept Secret
As our guest today, Dr. Caroline Fleck, writes in her new book Validation: How the Skill Set That Revolutionized Psychology Will Transform Your Relati...
Ilana Kaplan on the Incredible Nora Ephron and Her Impressive Resume of Movies That Still Shape Culture Today
I have spoken before on the show about my absolute love and admiration for the one and only Nora Ephron, who is the reason why I am a writer. I have m...
Jenny Wood on How Wild Courage Will Help You Go After What You Want and Get It
Today on the show we’ve got Jenny Wood discussing her new book Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It, which hits shelves on March 25. In the...
Brad Meltzer on a Secret Plot to Kill John F. Kennedy and the Book of Inspiration Everyone Needs to Grab
Our guest today, Brad Meltzer, is one of the busiest people in book writing. It’s only March, and already he’s had two books come out in 2025 alone: T...
Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist on Why Some Stress Might Actually Be Good for Us
There aren’t many of us—if any of us—who aren’t experiencing stress. But what if I told you that a little stress isn’t just okay for us as humans, but...
Grace Valentine on How to Have Better Friendships—and Be a Better Friend
Welcome back to week two of I’d Rather Be Reading season 16! Today on the show we have the lovely Grace Valentine, here to talk about her new book The...
Neha Ruch on The Power Pause and Reimagining Stay-at-Home Motherhood
I am thrilled to be back with each and every one of you for season 16—and I am thrilled to be joined by our guest today, Neha Ruch, author of The Powe...
Gretchen Rubin on Secrets of Adulthood, Happiness, Habits, and Her Deep Love of Reading
Today I am chatting with one of my absolute favorite writers, the one and only Gretchen Rubin, about her forthcoming book Secrets of Adulthood: Simple...
Jennifer Jones on Making History as the First African American Radio City Music Hall Rockette
What an absolute honor it is today to have the first ever African American Rockette, the fabulous Jennifer Jones, here with me to talk about her new b...
Dr. Steven M. Gillon on How World War II Shaped Seven U.S. Presidents
We have a really powerful conversation today from a second time guest—Dr. Steven M. Gillon is back to talk to us about the U.S. presidents who served...
Anna Goldfarb on What We All Need to Know About Modern Friendship
Right on the heels of my power punch conversation about love and grief with Loren Ridinger is an equally power punch conversation with friendship expe...
Loren Ridinger on Love, Grief, and the Loss of Her Beloved Husband, JR Ridinger
Today on the show we have the fantastic Loren Ridinger, author of the new bookScrambled or Sunny-Side Up?: Living Your Best Life After Losing Your Gre...
Dr. Cassie Holmes on the Intersection of Time and Happiness, Time Poverty, and How to Make the Most of Our Time
Today is an extra special episode — it’s officially our 300th episode of the show! I am so proud of this. In an appropriate nod to reaching the milest...
Dr. Aditi Nerurkar on the Five Resets to Lessen Stress and Burnout in Your Life
Stress and burnout are common and pervasive problems in our society. As today’s guest Dr. Aditi Nerurkar writes in her new bookThe 5 Resets: Rewire Yo...
Lynne Peeples on How Paying Attention to Our Circadian Rhythm Can Improve Our Quality of Life
I’m excited to have on the show today Lynne Peeples to discuss her bookThe Inner Clock: Living in Sync with Our Circadian Rhythms,which came out last...
Brian Kelly on How to Save Money, Save Time, and Ultimately Win at Travel
We are back today with Brian Kelly — who you might know as The Points Guy — chatting about his brand new book How to Win at Travel, which came out thi...
Laura Tremaine on All Things Friendship — Including the 10 Friends Everyone Needs on Their Life Council
As season 15 continues, we’re chatting today about a topic that has been close to my heart lately, and always, really — the power of friendship. We’ve...
Dr. Ethan Kross on Why Managing Our Emotions Is a Critical Life Skill
As we continue this great week of episodes, I’m delighted today to welcome Dr. Ethan Kross to the show to talk about his latest book Shift: Managing Y...
Catherine Price on How Breaking Up with Your Phone and Having More Fun Are Related
Today on the show we’re talking about two topics that seem quite different but are actually incredibly related: breaking up with our phones and having...
Dr. Sue Varma on Practical Optimism and How Everyone Can Become One
One year ago this month — February 20, to be exact — the world was introduced to Dr. Sue Varma’s landmark book Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, a...
Annie Duke on the Power of Our Decisions — and Why Quitting Needs a Reframe
Like so many, my heart is deeply heavy today for the victims of both the Washington D.C. plane and helicopter collision and now, as of Friday night, t...
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith on Triggers and How They Impact Behavior Change
We’ve got an absolute legend on the show today, although he’d never refer to himself that way. Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, world-renowned executive leader...
Molly Fletcher on How Dynamic Drive is the Key to Unlocking Sustainable Success
I could not be more excited to continue our big week of programming with the fantastic Molly Fletcher, who is a podcaster, entrepreneur, speaker, and...
Lindsay Jill Roth on Romances and Practicalities, the Soon-to-Be Go To Way to Foster Deeper Intimacy in Relationships
I could not be more excited, because today is R and P day on the show! That’s right — today we’re chatting with the fabulous Lindsay Jill Roth, one of...