My staff was like, books. No, no, they love books. No, they love books. I'm teasing. But I get to do whatever I want, so it's great.

It's on.

Hi, everyone. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

This is On with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher.

This is the last episode of the year, and we know that everyone is running out of time in their holiday shopping list.

You might expect me to come out with a tech wish list, but I'm going analog this year, books.

I used to read a ton when I was younger, and then I stopped because I

got onto the internet, and I've been, you know, it's the black hole of information, and so

you're always going to the next thing. But I have started reading books in book form,

although I do read on my screen a lot, too. I'm not one of those people who likes, is against

either way. I also listen to a lot of books. It depends on the author. I'm not one of those people who likes, is against either way. I also listen to a lot of

books. It depends on the author. I'm right now listening to Rachel Maddow's prequel, for example.

I'm reading Daniel Mason's books. I love Northwoods, and now I'm going down the Daniel Mason

rabbit hole. And so I think it's really important to think and talk about books. And of course,

they've been in the news a lot because of book bannings and about how the book industry is

doing actually surprisingly better than people thought it would. So we'll see about that.

But I thought it was important to bring in two of my favorite critics besides my wife, Amanda,

Becca Rothfeld from the Washington Post, a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant,

and Dwight Garner, equally brilliant from the New York Times. They're great writers in their own right.

Dwight is the author of The Upstairs Delicatessen on Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, and Eating

While Reading, What's Not to eating, and eating while reading,

what's not to like, which came out in 2023. Beka's debut book, All Things Are Two Small

...