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Audio Book Club

by Slate Podcasts

Join Slate’s critics for monthly discussions of new and important books. Read the book club selections and then listen in as our critics hold lively—and sometimes heated—debates about the works.

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Jul 25, 2025 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. "The Sparsholt Affair" by Alan Hollinghurst

    Laura Miller, Alex Barasch, and Gabriel Roth discuss the new novel by Alan Hollinghurst, The Sparsholt Affair, a multigenerational saga about gay life. Following this episode, the Audio Book Club will be going on hiatus. From the hosts and producers of the show, thanks for listening. Join Slate...

  2. "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

    Laura Miller, Jacob Brogan, and Charlie Jane Anders discuss Ursula K. Le Guin's classic science fiction novel "The Left Hand of Darkness". Please fill out the Slate podcast survey at slate.com/podcastsurvey Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate...

  3. "Her Body and Other Parties" by Carmen Maria Machado

    Katy Waldman, Parul Sehgal, and Laura Bennett discuss Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. This episode is Katy's last episode as host of the Audio Book Club, but watch this space for more about the future of the show. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and...

  4. "The Odyssey" by Homer; Translated By Emily Wilson

    Katy Waldman, Parul Seghal, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey by Homer. Next month's book will be Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can...

  5. "Manhattan Beach" by Jennifer Egan

    Katy Waldman, Laura Miller, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss the novel Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan. Our selection for next month will be Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe...

  6. "What Happened" by Hillary Clinton

    Katy Waldman, Meghan O'Roark, and Emily Bazelon discuss Hilary Clinton's memoir, What Happened. Next month's book will be Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Audio...

  7. "Conversations with Friends" by Sally Rooney

    Laura Bennett, Katy Waldman, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Sally Rooney's debut novel Conversations with Friends, and idea-driven novel about a group of four young people in Dublin struggling with ideology and identity. Next month's book with be What Happened, by Hillary Clinton. Join Slate Plus…

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  8. "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness" by Arundhati Roy

    Katy Waldman, Isaac Chotiner, and Laura Miller discuss The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, the sprawling novel by Arundhati Roy about sectarian violence in India. Next month's book will be Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and…

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  9. "Do Not Become Alarmed" by Maile Meloy

    Katy Waldman, Jacob Brogan, and Dan Kois discuss Maile Meloy's novel Do Not Become Alarmed. Next month's book will be The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly...

  10. "Too Much and Not the Mood: Essays" by Durga Chew-Bose

    Katy Waldman, Jacob Brogan, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Durga Chew-Bose's collection of essays Too Much and Not the Mood. Next month's book is Do Not Become Alarmed, by Maile Meloy. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can…

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  11. "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

    Katy Waldman, Meghan O'Rourke, and Emily Bazelon discuss Margaret Atwood's dystopic novel The Handmaid's Tale and the Hulu television adaptation. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Audio Book Club...

  12. "Lincoln In the Bardo" by George Saunders

    This month Katy Waldman, Meghan O'Rourke, and Nora Caplan-Bricker discuss George Saunders' Lincoln In the Bardo. Next month is Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from...

  13. "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu

    In this bonus episode, Katy Waldman, Jeremy Stahl, and Ava Lubell discuss The Art of War by Sun Tzu as self-help and potential guide to understanding the world of 2017. April's Audio Book Club will be on Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio…

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  14. "Swing Time" by Zadie Smith

    Slate's Katy Waldman and Laura Miller discuss Zadie Smith's new novel, Swing Time with The New York Time's Parul Sehgal. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Audio Book Club show page on Apple...

  15. "The Lyrics: 1961-2012" by Bob Dylan

    Slate's Katy Waldman, John Dickerson of Face the Nation, and writer and poet Meghan O'Rourke discuss Bob Dylan's The Lyrics: 1961-2012. They discuss whether his work should be considered poetry, how his work functions on the page, and what makes a great Dylan song. Join Slate Plus for full…

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  16. "Postcards from the Edge" by Carrie Fisher

    Slate's Katy Waldman, Aisha Harris, and Laura Bennett discuss Carrie Fisher's Postcards from the Edge, a novel inspired in part by the author's own struggles with drug abuse and experiences as an actor in Hollywood. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other…

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  17. "Moonglow" by Michael Chabon

    Katy Waldman is joined by Slate's Gabriel Roth and Jacob Brogan to Michael Chabon's new novel Moonglow. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Audio Book Club show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify....

  18. "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead and "Underground Airlines" by Ben Winters

    Katy Waldman is joined by Slate's Laura Miller and Jamelle Bouie to compare and contrast Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad and the new book by Ben Winters Underground Airlines. Join us in December for a conversation about Bob Dylan's The Lyrics 1961-2012. Join Slate Plus for full…

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  19. "Shrill" by Lindy West

    Katy Waldman is joined by Slate's Meg Wiegand and Nora Caplan-Bricker to talk about Lindy West's confident book Shrill. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Audio Book Club show page on Apple…

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  20. "The Girls" by Emma Cline

    Katy Waldman is joined by NPR's Hanna Rosin and Slate's Laura Bennett to sort through their respective feelings on Emma Cline's novel, The Girls. Join us in October for a conversation about two books: Underground Airlines by Ben Winters and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Join Slate...

  21. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling

    Katy Waldman is joined by Slate's Dan Kois and L.V. Anderson to discuss the play by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from...

  22. "All the Single Ladies" by Rebecca Traister

    Slate critic, Katy Waldman, is joined by Parul Sehgal of the New York Times Book Review and culture critic, Meghan O'Rourke, to discuss Rebecca Traister's All the Single Ladies. Next month, Slate's Audio Book Club will discuss The Girls by Emma Cline. Read the book and join us for a conversation…

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  23. "Eligible" by Curtis Sittenfeld

    Katy Waldman, Emily Bazelon, and Jessica Winter discuss Curtis Sittenfeld's modern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Eligible. Next month, the Audio Book Club will dig into All The Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister. Read the book and stay tuned for our discussion in July! Join Slate...

  24. "Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren

    Katy Waldman, Laura Miller, and Susan Matthews discuss Hope Jahren's budding debut memoir, Lab Girl. Join us next month to discuss Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the...

  25. "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi

    Critics Katy Waldman, Parul Sehgal, and Meghan O'Rourke discuss Paul Kalanithi's bestselling memoir, When Breath Becomes Air. Join us next month to discuss A Hologram for the King by Dave Egger's. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts....

  26. "Better Living Through Criticism" by A.O. Scott

    Critics Katy Waldman, Laura Miller, and Laura Bennett discuss A.O. Scott’s insightful new book, Better Living Through Criticism. Next month, Slate's Audio Book Club will be chatting about When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Read the book and join us for our conversation in April! Join…

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  27. "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama

    Slate's Audio Book Club. Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and John Dickerson discuss The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other...

  28. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

    Slate's Audio Book Club. Meghan O'Rourke, Katie Roiphe, and John Burnham Schwartz discuss the novel The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your…

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  29. "The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton

    Slate's Audio Book Club. Stephen Metcalf, Meghan O'Rourke, and Katie Roiphe discuss the novel The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, along with a new biography of Wharton by Hermione Lee. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read The House of Mirth before listening to this audio program. Join...

  30. "Independence Day" by Richard Ford

    Slate's Audio Book Club. Stephen Metcalf, Katie Roiphe, and John Burnham Schwartz discuss the novel Independence Day by Richard Ford. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your...

  31. "The Emperor's Children" by Claire Messud

    Slate's Audio Book Club. Critics Stephen Metcalf, Meghan O'Rourke, and Katie Roiphe discuss the novel The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club...

  32. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

    Slate's Audio Book Club. Critics Stephen Metcalf, Meghan O'Rourke, and Katie Roiphe discuss the nonfiction book The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by journalist Michael Pollan. We recommend, but don't insist, that you read the book before listening to this audio program. Join...

  33. "Beloved" by Toni Morrison

    Slate's Audio Book Club. Critics Stephen Metcalf, Meghan O'Rourke, and Katie Roiphe discuss the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Audio Book Club show page on…

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  34. "Everyman" by Philip Roth

    Slate's Audio Book Club. Critics Stephen Metcalf, Meghan O'Rourke, and Katie Roiphe discuss the novel Everyman by Philip Roth. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book Club and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Audio Book Club show page on Apple...

  35. "Saturday" by Ian McEwan

    Slate's Audio Book Club. Critics Stephen Metcalf, Meghan O'Rourke, and Katie Roiphe discuss the novel Saturday by Ian McEwan. Thanks to the Housing Works Book Store Cafe in New York City for providing the venue for this month's club meeting. Join Slate Plus for full, ad-free access to Audio Book...

  36. "The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion

    Slate critics Stephen Metcalf, Meghan O'Rourke, and Katie Roiphe sit down at the Housing Works Used Book Cafe in New York's Soho neighborhood to discuss The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion's memoir of the year following the death of her husband John Gregory Dunne, during which her daughter...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Join Slate’s critics for monthly discussions of new and important books. Read the book club selections and then listen in as our critics hold lively—and sometimes heated—debates about the works.

HOSTED BY

Slate Podcasts

CATEGORIES

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Audio Book Club have?

Audio Book Club currently has 84 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Audio Book Club about?

Join Slate’s critics for monthly discussions of new and important books. Read the book club selections and then listen in as our critics hold lively—and sometimes heated—debates about the works.

How often does Audio Book Club release new episodes?

Audio Book Club has 84 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Audio Book Club?

You can listen to Audio Book Club on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Audio Book Club?

Audio Book Club is created and hosted by Slate Podcasts.
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