I'd Rather Be Reading

Mar 30 2025 313 ep. 35 mins

I'd Rather Be Reading Podcast artwork

A podcast about the best nonfiction books hitting shelves today, hosted by journalist Rachel Burchfield.

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Dr. Morgan Cutlip on Why Understanding the Mental Load Is Critical to the Success of a Relationship

Mar 30 2025 30 mins

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, Less Resentment, and Great Sex, which is out April 8. In today's episode, Morgan teaches us why understanding the mental load is so important to a successful partnership. She teaches us that the mental load is comprised of three part

Dr. Caroline Fleck on Validation and Why It’s Psychology’s Best Kept Secret

Mar 26 2025 47 mins

As our guest today, Dr. Caroline Fleck, writes in her new book Validation: How the Skill Set That Revolutionized Psychology Will Transform Your Relationships, Increase Your Influence, and Change Your Life—which came out February 18—validation is psychology’s best kept secret. What is validation, anyway, and why does it matter? Caroline and I dig into all of it, including the

Ilana Kaplan on the Incredible Nora Ephron and Her Impressive Resume of Movies That Still Shape Culture Today

Mar 25 2025 30 mins

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 met my match in today’s guest, Ilana Kaplan, who I previously worked with at People, who is absolutely fantastic, and who has written this gem of a book about our shared heroine called Nora Ephron at the Movies: A Visual Celebration

Jenny Wood on How Wild Courage Will Help You Go After What You Want and Get It

Mar 24 2025 28 mins

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 book, Jenny writes about how courage is essential to our success, and how, in her words, “Wild courage will change your life.” She explains to us what wild courage is, anyway; how to look fear in the eye and do it—whatever it

Brad Meltzer on a Secret Plot to Kill John F. Kennedy and the Book of Inspiration Everyone Needs to Grab

Mar 22 2025 36 mins

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: The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy—and Why It Failed, written with his friend Josh Mensch and released January 14, and Make Magic: The Book of Inspiration You Didn’t Know You Needed, which came out March 4. Tod

Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist on Why Some Stress Might Actually Be Good for Us

Mar 16 2025 30 mins

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 it’s necessary? That’s what Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist writes about in her new book The Stress Paradox: Why You Need Stress to Live Longer, Healthier, and Happier, which is out March 25. Now, hear her out—in this fas

Grace Valentine on How to Have Better Friendships—and Be a Better Friend

Mar 09 2025 30 mins

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 Better Friend: 12 Truths to Shift from Shallow and One-Sided Connections to Vibrant Friendships, which comes out March 11. We talked a lot in season 15 about friendship, and the conversation is spilling over to season 16, too. Grac

Neha Ruch on The Power Pause and Reimagining Stay-at-Home Motherhood

Mar 03 2025 33 mins

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 Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids—and Come Back Stronger Than Ever, which came out January 14. We’ve all heard that phrase about having it all, about work/life balance (which I find to be a fallacy), and how to jugg

Gretchen Rubin on Secrets of Adulthood, Happiness, Habits, and Her Deep Love of Reading

Feb 19 2025 27 mins

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 Truths for Our Complex Lives, which comes out April 1. Gretchen writes here about the lessons she’s learned to making life more meaningful and satisfying, covering areas as wide ranging as self-improvement, adventure, the challenge

Jennifer Jones on Making History as the First African American Radio City Music Hall Rockette

Feb 17 2025 30 mins

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 book Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette, which comes out February 18. What a powerhouse woman Jennifer is. The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes had been in existence for 62 years in 1