Book Riot - The Podcast

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

Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 8 December 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 3 December 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 1 December 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 26 November 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 24 November 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 19 November 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 17 November 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 14 November 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 12 November 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 10 November 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 5 November 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 3 November 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 29 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 27 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 22 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 19 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 17 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 15 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 13 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 8 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 6 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 1 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 29 September 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 24 September 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 22 September 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 17 September 2025

Book Riot's managing editor Vanessa Diaz joins Rebecca for a discussion about the National Book Awards longlists, authors' big settlement from Anthropic, and exciting adaptation news. Then, Vanessa takes Rebecca on a journey down the literary rabbit hole. 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! Discussed in this Episode: Anthropic agrees to pay $1.5 billion to settle book piracy lawsuit, but the judge has delayed it, citing concerns 2025 National Book Awards longlists are rolling out Audition is being adapted Annotated episode: The Original Gone Girl Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson Ruth by Kate Riley The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson 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

Transcribed - Published: 15 September 2025

Jeff and Rebecca introduce their new podcast, Zero to Well-Read, with its inaugural episode about The Great Gatsby. We dig into what makes Gatsby a classic, why it’s all over high school reading lists, and the ways it still echoes in our culture. This season of Zero to Well-Read is presented by Thriftbooks. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to help you get the most out of your reading life. Email us: [email protected] The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 September 2025

Jeff and Rebecca announce a couple of new projects before talking about authors settling with Anthropic, Obama's summer reading list, the Kirkus Prize nominees, B&N buying Books Inc, and more of the week's book stories. 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 and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. 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! Discussed in this Episode: The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Subscribe to Zero to Well-Read Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter Barnes & Noble to acquire Books, Inc Anthropic settles in AI copyright infringement case over book piracy Jonathan Karp steps down as Simon & Schuster CEO to run new imprint 2025 Kirkus Prize finalists (note the Nov 1-October 31 eligibility window, can we please stop) Obama’s summer reading picks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 September 2025

Jeff and Rebecca crown the It Book of September 2025. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. 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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 September 2025

This is a bonus preview of our Patreon-only episode: Deals Deals Deals for August 2025, in which Jeff presents interesting book deals for Rebecca's consideration. 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

Transcribed - Published: 29 August 2025

Jeff, Rebecca, and Vanessa talk about Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Spoiler-free discussion for the first bit, with warning when we wade into deeper plot waters. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. 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! Use code BOOKRIOT to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan at https://incogni.com/bookriot 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

Transcribed - Published: 27 August 2025

Jeff and Rebecca talk about a big new survey of American reading habits, the Polari Prize closing up shop for the year, Katabasis getting an adaptation, ghost-written vanity memoirs, and more. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. 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! Use code BOOKRIOT to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan at https://incogni.com/bookriot 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. Discussed in this episode: Update: Polari Prizes canceled in response to protest Katabasis set for TV adaptation Study shows 40% decline in Americans who read for pleasure 2004-2023 BookTok is boosting sales at romance bookstores Wealthy retirees are commissioning ghost-written memoirs Church Camp by Cara Meredith Katabasis by R.F. Kuang Abundance by Klein and Thompson Endling by Maria Reva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 August 2025

An encouraging court win, thoughts on book reviews, direct to Kanopy films, and more of the week's book news. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Book Riot is hiring a digital content specialist! If you love books and know the ins and outs of social media strategy, and especially social video, consider joining the team. Find details and apply by August 22, 2025, at riotnewmedia.com/careers. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Discussed in this episode: Judge strikes down much of Florida’s book banning bill Associated Press to end weekly book reviews Charlie Kaufman’s new short film will be distributed by Kanopy Authors withdraw from consideration  for queer book prize in protest of John Boyne’s inclusion Emerald Fennell’s new Jane Eyre adaptation sounds wild People Like Us by Jason Mott It's Only Drowning by David Litt Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 August 2025

Jeff and Rebecca process some public comments about the idea of being "well-read," a big influencer book club, a study on the gender of animals in kids books, and more book news of the week. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Book Riot is hiring a digital content specialist! If you love books and know the ins and outs of social media strategy, and especially social video, consider joining the team. Find details and apply by August 22, 2025, at riotnewmedia.com/careers. Use code BOOKRIOT to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan at https://incogni.com/bookriot This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Discussed in this episode: BookTok celeb Jack Edwards launches Inklings book club to “elevate” online reading culture Obamas’ production company picks up All the Sinners Bleed National Association of Black Bookstores launches Study shows gender bias in animal characters in children’s books Frontlist Foyer, brought to you by Thriftbooks:  The Book of Alchemy Clam Down by Anelise Chen How to Be a Living Thing by Mari Andrew Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 August 2025

Jeff and Rebecca break down the 2025 longlist for the Booker Prize, digest the news of a new book from Kamala Harris, lament the demise of class (behavior, not socio-economic status), and much more. Jeff and Rebecca decide what the It Book of August will be. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Book Riot is hiring a digital content specialist! If you love books and know the ins and outs of social media strategy, and especially social video, consider joining the team. Find details and apply by August 22, 2025, at riotnewmedia.com/careers. Use code BOOKRIOT to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan at https://incogni.com/bookriot This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Discussed in this episode: Kamala Harris to publish memoir about presidential race in September The 2025 Booker Prize longlist And a possible conflict of interest on the Booker panel We’re getting a new George Saunders novel in January Maggie by Katie Yee The Carpool Detectives by Chuck Hogan Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza The Feather Detective by Chris Sweeney  The Brain at Rest by Joseph Jebelli Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 August 2025

Jeff and Rebecca decide what the It Book of August will be. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! Discussed in this episode: We are hiring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2025

Vanessa Diaz joins Jeff as he workshops a couple of takes, before they dive into IMAX scalping, way early award longlists, and more of the week's book news. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! 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. Discussed in this Episode: The Odyssey IMAX Showtimes Sell Out Instantly as Scalpers List Resales Higher Than $200 The Center For Fiction Releases the Longlist for 2025 First Fiction Prize in July, because sure  The Book Industry Study Group conducting survey on how AI is changing publishing  Spotify expanding audiobooks plans, language is confusing Audiobook walking clubs? Deep Historical Survey on Gender Split of Who Writes Fiction The Bewitching by Silvia Morreno-Garcia Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan Algospeak by Adam Aleksic Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 July 2025

It's as far back as we go with these historical rankings--30 years to 1995. Strange year, that sees Jeff pick a single copy of an individual book in his top 10. Christian dystopias, fairy tale retellings, genre-changing memoirs: there are spots for all of them in our top 10s. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 July 2025

Jeff and Rebecca talk about a bunch of mid-year lists: best-ofs, best-selllers, and more. Then Erica Ezeifedi talks to Rodney Freeman, former librarian and producer of the documentary Are You a Librarian, about the rich & overlooked history of Black librarianship in the US. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Book Riot’s best books of 2025 so far The top 10 bestselling books of the year so far Bookshop’s bestsellers of the year so far Constance Grady explores whether there actually is a crisis with kids’ reading Sarah J. Maas has completed the first draft of the 6th ACOTAR book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 July 2025

Jeff and Rebecca try to answer the fun but impossible question of what are the top 10 books someone might read first on their path to becoming well-read. This was originally a Patreon-only members post. To get more like this, subscribe to the Book Riot podcast Patreon. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2025

Jeff and Rebecca are joined by Book Riot's Managing Editor Vanessa Diaz and Powell's Book Buyer Keith Mosman to talk about their favorite books of the year so far. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 July 2025

Jeff and Rebecca answer listener questions. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! The Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 July 2025

Jeff and Rebecca talk about several notable adaptations news items, legal rulings in AI and LBGTQ titles, recent reading, and more. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! 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. Discussed in this episode: The Book Riot Podcast Live at Powell’s on July 9th! Judge rejects authors’ claims that Meta violated copyright law by using their books to train AI SCOTUS says parents can opt students out of positive-affirming lessons about LGBTQ+ issues Project Hail Mary trailer! Trailer for Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey leaks online Jennifer Aston to star in Apple+ adaptation of I’m Glad My Mom Died The Möbius Book by Catherine Lacey Six Frigates by Ian W. Toll The Doorman by Chris Pavone The Summer of 1787 by David O. Stewart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 July 2025

Jeff and Rebecca try to figure out what the It Books of July will be. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. The Book Riot Podcast Live at Powell's on July 9th! Discussed in this episode: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

Danika Ellis joins Rebecca to talk about NetGalley's new consumer marketing platform, the latest decision in an AI copyright lawsuit, BookTok's obsession with marginalia, and more. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! Check out Strong Sense of Place wherever you get your podcasts, or visit strongsenseofplace.com 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. Discussed in this Episode: Netgalley launches consumer marketing platform Booktrovert Sarah J. Maas signs major licensing deal Judge rules use of copyrighted materials to train AI without authors’ permission is fair use, but using pirated copies violates copyright law Let’s talk about marginalia and the latest BookTok trend Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong So Many Stars by Caro de Robertis Sympathy for Wild Girls by Demree McGhee Awakened by A.E. Osworth Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Patel Among Friends by Hal Ebbott The Original by Nell Stevens Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2025

Jeff and Rebecca compare their lists of the biggest, buzziest, most newsworthy books of 2025 so far. Looking for the best books of the year so far? Join us Powell's on July 9th. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! Check out Strong Sense of Place wherever you get your podcasts, or visit strongsenseofplace.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2025

Jeff and Rebecca talk about their shared love for Richard Linklater's Before Trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight). This is a bonus preview of a Patreon-only episode of the Book Riot Podcast. To get the whole episode and every single other Patreon-exclusive thing ever posted by the BR Pod, go here to sign up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2025

Vanessa Diaz joins Rebecca to discuss the demise of 8th Note Press, the resurrection of BookCon, a recent win in the fight against book bans, and more. Get your tickets to join us at Powell's on July 9th for a conversation about the best books of the year so far. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky. Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter. Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations delivers reading recommendations hand-picked just for you by real human book nerds. Plans start at just $18! Check out Strong Sense of Place wherever you get your podcasts, or visit strongsenseofplace.com This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Discussed in this Episode: BookCon is coming back ByteDance is closing 8th Note Press Voters reject book bans in MAGA-heavy California county Right-wing “See You at the Library” event returns in 2025, partnered with US Dept of Education Reese’s Book Club launching companion podcast Ali Hazelwood run off Instagram for having an opinion about Peeta and Gale from the Hunger Games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2025