Book Riot - The Podcast

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the 2026 Pulitzer prizes, best books of the year so far, summer book previews, and more of the week's 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: Pulitzer winners NYT best books of the year so far 5 publishers and Scott Turow sue Meta & Mark Zuckerberg over AI copyright infringement TikTok releases first BookTok bestseller list (note, UK only) PW’s big summer preview Greta Gerwig’s Narnia moves to 2027 This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks to our sponsor, Merit Beauty. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Head to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca try to pick the It Book of May 2026. 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. Thanks to our sponsor, Merit Beauty. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Head to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 1 of our Spring 2026 Moms, Dads, and Grads recommendations extravaganza. 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: Emma Straub Taylor Jenkins Reid The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory Go Gentle by Maria Semple Marie Helene Bertino God of the Woods by Liz Moore Abby Jimenez Sarah McLean The Hacienda by Isabel Canas Claire Lombardo The Fraud by Zadie Smith A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead Percival Everett. Maybe also Matrix by Lauren Groff. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller I, Claudius by Robert Graves The Road by Cormac McCarthy Small World by Jonathan Evison, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese Behind the Bedroom Wall by Larry Woiwode Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol Alone Time by Stephanie Rosenbloom This Land is Your Land by Beverly Gage The Women I Think About at Night by Mia Kankimaki James by Percival Everett Han Kang Katie Kitamura The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood  Palaver by Bryan Washington Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood I Heard Her Call My Name by Lucy Sante Light Years by James Salter Splinters by Leslie Jamison Literary Theory by Terry Eagleton Professing Literature by Gerald Graff Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison No One Tells You This by Glynnis MacNicol Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed edited by Megan Daum This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks to our sponsor, Merit Beauty. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Head to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prof. Laura McGrath joins Jeff to talk about her new book, Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction. Literary agents try to stay out of the spotlight, but they shape what you read. We talk about why agents came into being, how they have developed over time, and how American fiction wouldn't be the same without them. 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. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa Diaz sits in for Rebecca to talk with Jeff about The Women's Prize shortlist, Practical Magic 2, the most banned books of 2025, how human it is for people to know that reading is good for them and still not do it, recent reading, and more. 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: Women’s Prize Shortlist World Book Day Study aka nothing means anything 2026 Hugo Awards finalists top 11 banned books of 2025 (ALA) The Crystal Light collab, because sure, why not (wider trend of ‘interesting’ collabs - Hellmans’ Mayo, Yankee Candle, Prego - see block in flagship ) Practical Magic 2 trailer (vanessa hyperventilating) The Pitt’s Dr Abbott (Shawn Hatosy) voicing audio erotica on Quinn app This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca look at the Pulitzer-prize winning books of the century so far and rank them. Some surprises at the top. Discussed in this episode: Klara and the Sun release date Latest Pew research on Americans’ reading habits Spotify launches option to purchase physical books Tayari Jones, Freida McFadden, and Yiyun Li named to TIME 100 Character.ai Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. 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 mull over Pew's most recent data about American reading habits, Spotify launches physical book buying, authors on the TIME100 list, listener feedback, and more. 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: Klara and the Sun release date Latest Pew research on Americans’ reading habits Spotify launches option to purchase physical books Tayari Jones, Freida McFadden, and Yiyun Li named to TIME 100 Character.ai This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the books that have the heat this month. 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. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca note the closing of MCD, talk about The Correspondent's rise, Paramount gets back into books, scratch their heads over Audible's Story House, recent reading, and more. 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: Shout-out to The Millions spring preview Pour one out for MCD The Correspondent wins inaugural James Patterson/Bookshop debut novel prize Indies Choice Book Awards winners Audible launches Story House listening lounge Paramount is getting back into the books business Warner Brothers developing House in the Cerulean Sea animated series Parable of the Sower adaptation is coming Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. 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 is back to walk Jeff and Rebecca through the turbulent, wild, and saucy times of one George Gordon, Lord Byron. They don't make them like this anymore. 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. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. 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 a transitional moment in book sales, National Book Critics Circle Winners, National Black Bookstore Day, recent reading, and much more. 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: NBCC winners April 7 is the first National Black Bookstore Day PRH profits dropped 4.7% in 2025 Print sales fell 3.1% in first quarter of 2026 First Pynchon, now it turns out we’ve been saying Thoreau wrong Harlequin to co-produce AI-generated microdramas A24 picks up London Falling for adaptation The Corrections series starring Meryl Streep lands at Netflix Peacock picks up Dungeon Crawler Carl Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. 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 really get themselves tied up trying to pick the It Book of April. 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. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth 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

Managing Editor Vanessa Diaz is joined by Associate Editor Erica Ezeifedi to discuss the Lambda Literary Award finalists, the latest A.I. publishing freakout, messy internet discourse, and more. Moms, Dads, Grads season is coming up! Send your recommendation requests for gifts–or reads for yourself!—to [email protected] 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: Don DeLillo’s hockey romance Amazons will return to stores Lambda Literary finalists Librarian Luanne James Fights Censorship Demands of Rutherford County Library System’s Board Lindy West’s How-Not-To Guide to Polyamory ICYMI Podcast: Why the Internet Is Arguing About Its Favorite Feminist Bridgerton Season 5 announcement trailer dropped AI is Writing Fiction. Publishers are Unprepared Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. 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 joins Rebecca for a conversation about the new adaptation of Project Hail Mary. They talk about what the filmmakers kept from the book and what they cut, how the science translated from page to screen, and the magic of an interstellar, interspecies bromance. 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. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. 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 book-adjacent Oscar news, the staggering number of books published in 2025, adaptation news, and more. Then, they are joined by Louise Erdrich to talk about her new short story collection, Python's Kiss. 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:  Here are books to read if you loved SINNERS Jane Fonda to star in adaptation of The Correspondent Lord of the Flies series coming to Netflix May 4 Judge in YA romantasy plagiarism case: “hot, sexy, dangerous boys…cannot be copyrighted” Book output topped four million 2025 This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We bring the Hot List out to the main feed to talk about what books are trending, selling, being talked about, being awarded, and in other ways have some heat. 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 try to read the tea-leaves from Judy Blume's biography silence, ACOTAR rights reversion, and more of the week's 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: Judy Blume is declining to comment on Mark Oppenheimer’s new biography of her That ACOTAR series is really never going to happen Sarah Polley is directing an adaptation of The Bell Jar starring Billie Eilish New CEO of S & S announced 10,000 authors publish empty book to protest AI 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 Senior Editor Kelly Jensen talks to author Markus Zusak on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of The Book Thief. 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 big ACOTAR update, Audible dropping the price on its standard product, market trends, recent reading, and much more. 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: ⁠Shout-out to this Aeon piece about how we’re thinking about the decline of literacy wrong⁠ ⁠Sarah J. Maas announces next 2 ACOTAR books⁠ ⁠Market trends from Circana’s report to booksellers⁠ ⁠Audible has launched a Standard Membership Plan for $8.99/month⁠ ⁠2026 Audie Award winners⁠ ⁠Utah has banned 4 more books from public schools⁠ ⁠Lee & Low pauses diversity baseline survey to focus on fighting book bans⁠ ⁠First comprehensive report on the state of America’s Black-owned bookstores⁠ 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 dive in to uncover the It Book of March 2026. 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 Sharifah talk about a new sweeping federal book ban law that was introduced in Congress, The New York Public Library's 10 Most Checked-Out Books of All-Time, bookstores buying their buildings, recent reading, and more. 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: The New York Public Library's Most Checked Out Books of All-Time A Nationwide Book Ban Bill Has Been Introduced in the House of Representatives Netflix’s PRIDE & PREJUDICE Has A Trailer and Get Ready for Another JANE EYRE Spotify Launches Audiobooks Charts The Booker Prize released its longlist for the 2026 fiction prize today. UK Launches National Year of Reading Should indie bookstores all try to buy their buildings? 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

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