Readers, today’s guest is a mood reader who often finds herself falling down a reading rabbit hole.

Madelyn Kresinske is an elementary school librarian, wife, and mom. She reads widely from middle-grade and picture books to romance, family dramas, and more.

Madelyn doesn’t hate her pattern of falling into sometimes a rut, sometimes she actually quite enjoys it, but it can also be tough to break out and figure out which title to read next. We’ll touch on that today and then spend most of our time exploring a theme she’s especially interested in right now.

This summer, her family is taking a big road trip out west to the Grand Canyon and other National Parks, and she would love both fiction and non-fiction titles that will captivate her attention while also getting her ready for this big trip. I have so many ideas for her. Around here we think that the National Park Service is one of our nation’s best ideas, and in addition to being super crowded the past few years they’re now grappling with staffing issues. If you can’t make to a park in person this summer for whatever reason, we think you’ll especially enjoy today’s show.

Please let us know if you have recommendations for Madelyn by leaving a comment below.

Don’t Overthink It

Readers, this week my book Don’t Overthink It is celebrating it’s fifth anniversary. This book is full of practical ideas on how to tame your inner questioner, stop second-guessing yourself, and bring more joy to your life. I still turn to it and its principles all the time, relying on what I learned when I’m making decisions both big and small.

If your thinking feels repetitive, unhealthy, or unhelpful, if you’re stuck in a cycle of what-ifs plagued by indecision or paralyzed by fear of getting it wrong, or if you could just use a boost of happy in your everyday rhythms, Don’t Overthink It is for you. Pick up a copy at your favorite local or online bookseller and start creating new, positive thought patterns that will bring more peace, joy, and love into your life.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Christina Soontornvat (try The Last Mapmaker)
• Hena Khan (try More to the Story)
• Hooked by Sutton Foster
• The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
❤ The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel
❤The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell
• Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
❤ The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day
▵ The Fury by Alex Michaelides
• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
• Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
• The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
• Grand Canyon by Jason Chin
• A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko
• The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko 
• Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L Sevigny
• Over The Edge: Death in Grand Canyon by Michael P. Ghiglieri and Thomas M. Myers
• I Am the Grand Canyon: The Story of the Havasupai People by Stephen Hirst 
• Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West by Wallace Stegner
• Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors by Amber Share
• Three Keys by Laura Pritchett

Also mentioned:

• Sibert medal
• Please support our sponsors.