Book Riot - The Podcast

Prof. Laura McGrath returns to talk with Jeff and Rebecca about statistics that show just how much readers read what they are. Mostly. For some readers. Most readers. But not all. It's complicated. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the news that Goodreads is rumored to be launching an official Did Not Finish category, Audible and Spotify innovations, recent reading, and more book news. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Spotify rolls out Page Match to sync print & audio reading Audible launches Read & Listen immersive reading Is Bindery’s influencer-led publishing startup working? Who can tell. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca power rank the top 10 of Amazon's 25 Book of the Year picks from the last 25 years. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about The Washington Post Books section shutting down, a NYT profile of a romance writer diving into AI with both feet, recent reading, and more. Then Rebecca and Vanessa talk about seeing Wuthering Heights. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: We’re hiring a Digital Content Specialist Washington Post cuts Book World section The romance industry is embracing AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca power rank the 10 most important, influential, and otherwise impactful books of 2016. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa sits down with director Kim A. Snyder and librarians Martha Hickson and Carolyn Foote to discuss the film The Librarians: how it came to be, where to watch it, and why its message is such an urgent one for our times. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read and its brand new companion newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The Librarians premieres on PBS on February 9, 2026 Where to watch The Librarians screening near you All 850 Books Texas Lawmaker Matt Krause Wants to Ban: An Analysis (2021) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca consider 10 finalists for the title It Book of February. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca try to make sense of a bunch of adaptation news before talking about recent reads, Don DeLillo's hockey smut, and more. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read and its brand new companion newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Updates on the Fourth Wing adaptation The Testaments is coming to Hulu April 8 Brandon Sanderson’s unprecedented adaptation deal with Apple TV Percival Everett was the bestselling Black author of 2025 Don DeLillo wrote hockey smut in 1980 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about George Saunders' new novel, Vigil. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read and its brand new companion newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The Book Riot Podcast Patreon This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the National Book Critics Circle Award Finalists, which publishers had the most best-sellers in 2025, Katie Couric's book club, and usher in the era of The Big 6. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read and its brand new companion newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The Book Riot Podcast Patreon NBCC Awards finalists Libro.fm has launched an annual subscription Ranking the bestselling adult publishers of 2025 Katie Couric launches book club James Daunt sees bright future for Barnes & Noble Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa returns with another surprise topic from literary history: Christopher Marlowe: Playwright, lover, thinker, spy (?). Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read and its brand new companion newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca look at some 2025 sales numbers, are astounded by the rise of Heated Rivalry, applaud a new subscription box, have some harsh words for Oreo, and more. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read and its brand new companion newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Print book sales rose slightly in 2025 There’s a new Heated Rivalry book coming later this year Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has launched a romance subscription box Book Riot’s best fantasy books of the century so far The Royal Shakespeare Company is bringing Hamnet to U.S. stages Give yourself the gift of this George Saunders interview Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca run through the notable adaptations coming this year (at least the ones we know about). Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read and its brand new companion newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa and Sharifah sit in for Jeff and Rebecca to discuss a poll on American reading habits, this year's most anticipated books and adaptations, and more. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read and its brand new companion newsletter, and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. A survey of American reading habits reveals 40% of Americans didn't read a single book in 2025. Barnes & Noble's most anticipated fiction and nonfiction of 2026 Book Riot's Most Anticipated Books of 2026 Utah bans three more books at all public schools, leading the U.S. in book bans Book Riot's guide to fighting book bans and censorship 2026 adaptation roundups from The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a bonus preview of our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon-only⁠⁠⁠⁠ episode in which Rebecca and Jeff compete to compile the best basket of 10 new releases for the season. To listen to the full episode and all previous bonus content, ⁠⁠⁠⁠become a Patreon member here⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca consider 10 finalists for the title It Book of January. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca look at what we know of the 2026 publishing calendar to pick 10 books we are most excited about (with some quibbling and caveats). Lots to like this year. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Come to Powell's to see Gabriel Tallent in Conversation with Jeff O'Neal Vigil by George Saunders On Morrison by Namwalli Serpell Language as Liberation by Toni Morrison Kin by Tayari Jones Brawler by Lauren Groff Python's Kiss by Louise Erdrich London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe My Dear You by Rachel Khong Go Gentle by Maria Semple On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward Country People by Daniel Mason Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead Exit Party Emily St. John Mandel American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee Transcription by Ben Lerner Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez Depths of Wikipedia by Annie Rauwerda Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood Screen People by Megan Garber Inside the Box by David Epstein Land by Maggie O'Farrell The Missed Connection by Tia Williams The Typing Lady by Ruth Ozeki Whistler by Ann Patchett This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca discuss the award-winning books, pop culture phenomena, book club picks, and crossover hits of 2025 and attempt to identify the ones that might someday join the canon. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to help you get the most out of your reading life. Email us: [email protected] Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about how the story of the year in books was that there really wasn't a story. Except the big one. AI. Plus, NBCC longlists, getting boomers off slop, recent reading, and more. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon NBCC fiction longlist PW names the top 10 bookselling stories of the year The Wedding Date is getting a Netflix adaptation The Book Gossip of 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a bonus preview of our ⁠⁠⁠Patreon-only⁠⁠⁠ episode in which Jeff and Rebecca talked about the books they wanted to read but didn't, they want to read and might still, they definitely are OK not reading, and other subtleties of which books went unread in 2025. To listen to the full episode and all previous bonus content, ⁠⁠⁠become a Patreon member here⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a bonus preview of our ⁠⁠Patreon-only⁠⁠ episode in which Jeff and Rebecca talk about their favorite non-book things of 2025. To listen to the full episode and all previous bonus content, ⁠⁠become a Patreon member here⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca list their favorite books of the year, and then are joined by a series of Book Riot editors to share their picks: Kelly Jensen, Danika Ellis, Erica Ezefedi, Sharifah Williams, and Vanessa Diaz. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about Book Riot's 2025 Read Harder Challenge, PW's 2025 Salary & Job Survey, a new Gen Z book club, and resurrect the spirit of Annotated for a very cool story about the women who invented the audiobook. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon The 2026 Read Harder Challenge 2025 PW Salary & Jobs Report Let’s check in on The Odyssey Hello Sunshine launches Gen-Z book club Check your sources before you ask a librarian or bookseller for a title AI recommended to you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca sits down with Vanessa Diaz to discuss the adaptation of Hamnet, in wide theatrical release this week. They talk about the film as a standalone piece of art, how it works as an adaptation, the key differences between the book and the movie, and how to tell if it's for you. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. We’ve got the chops to match the book lover in your life with their next favorite read. And it only takes a few clicks to gift Tailored Book Recommendations! Simply head to mytbr.co/gift to get started. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this Episode: Even as a Shadow, Even as a Dream Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the Goodreads Choice Winners, the NYT's 10 Best of the Year, NPR's excellent year-end round-up before talking to Katie del Rosario of Spotify about the year in audiobooks and Spotify's Audiobooks Wrapped. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Spotify Audiobook Trends for 2025 NYT 100 Notable Books of 2025, which does, in fact, contain its top 10 NYT Top Ten NPR’s “Books We Love” WaPo’s top ten Goodreads Choice Awards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca look back on their It Books selections from 2025 to see what they got right and wrong. But first, take a look at a pretty uninspiring slate of December new releases. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon December Releases: House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear by Gyles Brandreth A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls by Adam Morgan A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken The Tower and the Ruin by Michael Drout Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum Feast on Your Life by Tamar Adler An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits For a complete list of It Books discussed in this episode, visit our website. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca wrap up the 2025 Holiday Recommendations. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez 2 AM at the Cat’s Pajamas by Marie-Helen Bertino The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Pachinko by Min Jin Lee The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr The Slough House series by Mick Herron My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Jane Harper Tilt by Emma Pattee A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean The Unveiling by Quan Barry Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Riverman by Ben McGrath The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy Kevin Wilson People Like Us by Jason Mott Marie-Helene Bertino Katie Kitamura Colson Whitehead Tom Robbins Oreo by Fran Ross Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey Something From Nothing by Alison Roman Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly Good Things by Samin Nosrat Six Seasons of Pasta (and/or Six Seasons of Vegetables) by Josh McFadden Now & Again by Julia Turshen The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri East of Eden by John Steinbeck The Lost Man by Jane Harper The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo Like a Mother by Angela Garbes Essential Labor by Angela Garbes Splinters by Leslie Jamison Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead Jonathan Evison Model Home by Rivers Solomon Reign & Ruin by J. D. Evans So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport The Imposter Cure by Jessamy Hibberd Life in Three Dimensions by Shigehiro Oishi The Broken Shore by Peter Temple Light Years by James Salter I Married You for Happiness by Lily Tuck Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levitan Ross Gay Hanif Abdurraquib Ada Limon Sarah Kay This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca are back with another holiday recommendation show. Part 2 coming on Monday. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Little Blue Truck Little Pea by Amy Rosenthal I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Real Americans by Rachel Khong A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst The Lost Man by Jane Harper Highway 59 series by Attica Locke Tilt by Emma Pattee The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl Katabasis by R. F. Kuang The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin The Wright Brothers by David McCullough The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee We the People by Jill Lepore Bad Blood by John Carreyrou It’s Only Drowning by David Litt The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt The Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood Blob by Maggie Su The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff Matrix by Lauren Groff The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale Survivor’s Guilt by Robyn Gigl Jinx Ballou series by Dharma Kelleher How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe by Charles Yu Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson Audition by Katie Kitamura A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar Palaver by Bryan Washington Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff Mr. Ives' Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen Winter by Ali Smith This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca inhale a slew of best books of the year lists. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025 National Book Award winners Shein partners with Alibris to sell books Lit Hub’s Book Twitter bracket Libro.fm's top 10 audiobooks of the year Audible’s best of 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa Diaz is back to talk with Jeff and Rebecca about what magical realism is, where it comes from, and how to talk about it. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriela Garcia Marquez Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende Labyrinths or Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez Magical/Realism by Angelica Villareal The Week of Colors by Elena Garro, Megan McDowell (trans.) The Queen of Swords by Jazmina Barrera, Christina MacSweeney (trans.) This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa Diaz sits in for Rebecca this week and talks to Jeff about the challenges of making a best books of the year list before getting into the news of the week. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Amazon’s best books of the year David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh B&N’s best book of the Year is Mona’s Eyes The 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards. I’m bookmarking this deep dive into the fashion industry’s recurrent interest in literature for knife-and-fork reading this weekend Reader’s Digest asked three professional designers to pick the best book covers of the year Kindle translate Somebody is Walking On Your Grave by Mariana Enriquez Stolen Crown by Tracy Borman Devouring Time by Tod Goddard One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Flashlight by Susan Choi This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a bonus preview of our ⁠Patreon-only⁠ episode in which Jeff and Rebecca talk about what they've been doing with their lives recently, outside of the world of books. To listen to the full episode and all previous bonus content, ⁠become a Patreon member here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the books they still want to get to before 2026 gets here. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this Episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Flesh by David Szalay Maggie by Katie Yee Kaplan's Plot by Jason Diamond Who is Government? by Michael Lewis Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer The Uncool by Cameron Crowe Joyride by Susan Orlean A Truce That is Not Peace by Miriam Toews Trying by Chloe Caldwell Next of Kin by Gabrielle Hamilton Girl Warrior by Joy Harjo The Season by Helen Garner Does This Make Me Funny? by Zosia Mamet Palaver by Bryan Washington The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Black-Owned by Char Adams This is for Everyone by Tim Berners-Lee Every Screen on the Planet by Emily Baker-White Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad Heart the Lover by Lily King The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie Squirrel by Nancy Castaldo Isola by Allegra Goodman We The People by Jill Lepore The History of Money by David McWilliams Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane The Emergency by George Packer What We Can Know by Ian McEwan El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree The Librarians by Sherry Thomas The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett The Persian by David McCloskey Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're in a lull of current publishing industry news, so Jeff and Rebecca speculate about upcoming book awards, year-end announcements, and the book of the year, as well as touch on the impact of AI on writing. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this Episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon New Report Examines Writers’ Attitudes toward AI [Publishers Weekly] My Students Use AI. So What? [The Atlantic] The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers Erin Somers interview on First Edition The Running Ground by Nicholas Thompson Craftland by James Fox Make your Holiday Book Recommendation requests to podcast [at] bookriot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk Zadie Smith's Dead & Alive. Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff talks to Dhonielle Clayton and Caroline Richmond of We Need Diverse Books about censorship, book bannings, and the ongoing drive to diversify books and reading in the U.S. Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: We Need Diverse Books Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca consider 10 contenders for the title of It Book of November. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood The Look by Michelle Obama The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes The Emergency by George Packer The Eleventh Hour: Stories by Salman Rushdie Palaver by Bryan Washington The Pelican Child by Joy Williams Brimstone by Callie Hart This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca put on their rain gear as the best books of the year storm approaches. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Barnes & Noble kicks off Best Books of the Year season Amazon revisits 25 years of #1 Book picks We might have called it wrong about Frankenstein: the reviews are good Federal judge finds Texas READER Act unconstitutional A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin Replaceable You by Mary Roach The Unveiling by Quan Barry This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Book Riot's managing editor, Vanessa Diaz, returns to re-examine the strange and influential life of Edgar Allan Poe. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca applaud the news that Jeff Hiller will be hosting the National Book Awards in November before talking about more book news from the week. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Discussed in this episode: The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Maggie by Katie Yee wins the Barnes & Noble Discover Award Jeff Hiller will host the National Book Awards First book acquired from The Black List Texas school district bars students from school libraries The Millions fall book preview i Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Guillermo del Toro's Netflix adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in the news, we thought we would bring out an episode we did for Annotated several years ago. It's a great story and we had fun doing this one. Enjoy. This episode of Annotated was written by me, Jeff O’Neal, and directed by Jeremy Desmon. Sound editing and design by Kyle O’Neal. Our thanks to Mahvesh Murad for being our Mary Shelley, Bob Schinsky for being our Lord Byron, Amanda Nelson for being our Jane Clairmont and Kyle O’Neal for taking on the role of Percy Shelley. Further reading recommendations: Mary Shelley by Miranda Seymour The Lady and Her Monsters by Roseanne Montillo Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon Mary Shelley by Muriel Spark Mary Shelley: Romance and Reality by Emily W. Sunstein Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prof. Laura McGrath joins Jeff and Rebecca to talk about what some studies can tell us about just how much readers care (and don't) about genre. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Laura's newsletter: TextCrunch English, James and J.D. Porter, "The Eclectic Reader." JCA: The Journal of Cultural Analytics. August 20, 2025 Peterson, Richard A. “Understanding Audience Segmentation: From Elite and Mass to Omnivore and Univore.” Poetics, vol. 21, no. 4, 1992, pp. 243–58 Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sharifah Williams joins Jeff to talk about the 2025 Nobel for Literature, National Book Award finalists and more award season news. Then, Hachette CEO David Shelly talks to Jeff about book banning, inclusivity, and other issues facing the publishing world. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature 2025 National Book Award Finalists Kirkus Prize Announced Baker & Taylor going away? The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson Audition by Katie Kitamura Near Flesh by Katherine Dunn This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A drop-in of the most recent episode of Zero to Well-Read, in which Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinksy are joined by Book Riot editors Vanessa Diaz and Kelly Jensen to talk about Stephanie Meyer's cultural juggernaut: Twilight. This was a lot of fun. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Apply to write for Book Riot This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the opening of the portal to submit claims against the $1.5 Billion Anthropic settlement, Reading Rainbow's relaunch, One Battle After Another, and more of the week's book news. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Apply to write for Book Riot Authors can find out if they’re eligible for a settlement from Anthropic Reading Rainbow is coming back with a new host Publishing has a gambling problem Florida district judge rejects first amendment argument in book banning base Kamala Harris’s 107 Days on track to be best-selling memoir of the year 107 Days by Kamala Harris Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung Replaceable You by Mary Roach Enshittification by Cory Doctorow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca consider 10 candidates for the title, It Book of October 2025. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers King Sorrow by Joe Hill The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays by Harper Lee A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar Enshittification by Cory Doctorow The Unveiling by Quan Barry Joyride by Susan Orlean Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon Dead and Alive: Essays by Zadie Smith Tom’s Crossing by Mark Danielewski This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about The Booker Prize finalists, a judicial brow-beating, soft book sales, and more. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18! The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Booker Prize finalists Judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against NYT, PRH Book sales dropped in first half of 2025, romantasy losing steam The Fourth Wing adaptation has a showrunner Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood 107 Days by Kamala Harris Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have for you an episode from the Brooklyn Public Library’s Borrowed & Returned podcast series, looking back on Ezra Jack Keats' trailblazing picture book and how it continues to resonate with readers. You can find Borrowed & Returned wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the week's book news, from Trump flimsy lawsuit against PRH and The New York Times (and why it matters, flimsy as it is), break down a couple of award lists, do some Jefftionary entries, and more. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18! The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The National Book Awards fiction longlist is here Finalists for the 2025 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Trump sues NYT and PRH How “actual malice” works in defamation Scholastic launches streaming service Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arudhati Roy Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff, Rebecca, and Vanessa gather in a secret chamber to discuss the wonderfully absurd mysteries of Dan Brown's latest, The Secret of Secrets. Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices