Book Riot - The Podcast

Jeff and Rebecca go over what books are selling, being talked about, and otherwise generating a little 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. Go to quince.com/wellread for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. It's now available for our friends in Canada too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca note the fever-pitch buzz for Nolan's The Odyssey, before talking about the state of book sales, mention some new book announcements, discuss 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: Book sales flat in H1 New Leslie Jamison novel next year! The Millions Summer Book Preview The Most Read Kindle Books of 2026 So Far Booker Prize award money doubles with new funder Brandon Sanderson’s theory of the 20-year dragon nostalgia cycle Hachette employees unionize This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Go to quince.com/wellread for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. It's now available for our friends in Canada too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nolan's The Odyssey looms. Today we are sharing the episode we did on The Odyssey for Zero to Well-Read. Be careful out there on the wine-dark sea. 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. Go to quince.com/wellread for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. It's now available for our friends in Canada too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca rejoice over new Ishiguro and Everett announcements, have our concerns partially confirmed by the Klara & the Sun trailer, note PW's fall preview, and acknowledge the AI muck we are all going to have to deal with for the foreseeable future. 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 & the Sun trailer Vincent Yu wins  Discover Prize Writer accused of AI use wins Commonwealth Prize Libby to filter AI content from app PW’s fall preview This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Go to quince.com/wellread for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. It's now available for our friends in Canada too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca run through the candidates for the It Book of July 2026. Then, they take a quick look back at their other monthly picks from the first half of the year to see how they did. 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. Go to quince.com/wellread for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. It's now available for our friends in Canada too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa and Sharifah discuss the latest in American reading habits, another exciting 2027 book release, a batch of buzzy trailers and adaptation news, and an update to an AI scandal linked to a literary prize. 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: We're getting a new Percival Everett! Barnes & Noble's Biggest Books of Fall 2026: Fiction and Nonfiction Editions Trailers for Klara and the Sun and Sense and Sensibility Netflix will adapt The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow Booksmaxxing: How Reading Became Sexy A third of Americans say they're reading fewer books Join the Thriftbooks 500 Billion Page Challenge Commonwealth Foundation clears writers accused of writing with AI This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go to Quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca do a mid-year check-in about their favorite books of 2026 so far. 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, Quince! Go to Quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca and Vanessa discuss recent research that reveals surprising commonalities between 20,000 AI-generated stories, the winners of the Lambda Literary Awards and the Women's Prize for Fiction, and the most exciting 2027 book announcement so far. 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. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at ⁠meritbeauty.com⁠. Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go to ⁠Quince.com/bookriot ⁠for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Kazuo Ishiguro wrote a WWII spy novel! What 20,000 LLM-generated stories have in common Google Play launches in-book AI chatbot The Correspondent wins The Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026 Lambda Literary Award winners Maggie Gyllenhaal to adapt Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lake The Love Hypothesis adaptation to hit Prime Video on Sept 23 Netflix is getting in on the horny hockey fun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca and Vanessa break down the books topping the best-of and bestseller lists as we near the halfway point of the year. 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. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go 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 talk about the growth of the number of books (and authors) vying for reader dollars, continue to lament the long 2025 award season, wonder about the expansion of PRH's audio initiatives, talk about 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: Amazon’s best  of the year so far US audiobooks sales increased 9% in 2025 j/k we weren’t done with 2025 book awards - Stoker Award winners and Nebula Award winners And we’re also starting this year’s: The 2026 Barnes & Noble Discover Award finalists Authors Guild survey looks at why author income is declining Reese’s Book Club launches Fan Fest event series The Marriage Plot is getting an adaptation This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go 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

Vanessa Diaz returns to regale Rebecca with the messy tale of the marriage between a well-known Harlem Renaissance poet and the daughter of a famous public thinker. 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. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go 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 talk about some new best books of the year so far lists, adaptation news, recent reading, and more before talking with the new President of the American Library Association, Dr. Maria McCauley. 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. Discussed in this episode: Barnes & Noble’s best books of the year so far Amazon’s picks for best book of the year so far from the last 10 years Goodreads users’ hit new books of the year so far Open Road to publish Choose Your Own Adventure ebooks New Franzen short story is an excerpt from his novel in progress Anna Kendrick to direct Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo adaptation for Netflix Netflix announces new book-to-screen hub God of the Woods casting news This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go 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 select the It Book of June 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. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com. Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go 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 talk about a relatively sleepy week in book news, but James Daunt bails us out by not shutting up about AI books that don't exist. To show our appreciation for your time, everyone who completes the survey will be entered for a chance to win a $50 USD ThriftBooks Gift Card. 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. Discussed in this episode: James Daunt clarifies B & N’s position on AI GoFundMe for Gladys Books & Wine Spotify’s audiobooks play is working Audiobooks on YouTube are publishing’s latest piracy problem People are not happy about publishers updating YA books w/ timely references 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 preview summer adaptations to check out this year. As we move through 2026, we want to make sure Book Riot remains your go-to destination for all things bookish. Whether you’re here for the curated recommendations, the latest industry news, or our deep dives into reading culture, your feedback informs our media kit and how we represent this community. It will also shape our content and make Book Riot a place you want to be. To show our appreciation for your time, everyone who completes the survey will be entered for a chance to win a $50 USD ThriftBooks Gift Card. 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. 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 talk about the full Guardian Best Novels of All-Time List, The International Book Prize Winner, a whole rat's nest of AI-related stories, recent reading, and more. To show our appreciation for your time, everyone who completes the survey will be entered for a chance to win a $50 USD ThriftBooks Gift Card. 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. Discussed in this episode: Kobo is integrating StoryGraph Judge delays payout of $1.5 billion settlement in Anthropic AI case James Daunt open to selling AI-written books in Barnes & Noble stores Commonwealth Prize honors short story collections  that appears to have been written with AI Book on truth in the age of AI contains quotes written by AI Audio in Color nonprofit grants funding to independent romance authors to self-pub their audiobooks Amazon ending support for Kindles from 2012 and prior (thanks to listener Carl for the tip)  And here’s how some Kindle users are working around it 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 talk about what books are making waves as summer gets rolling. As we move through 2026, we want to make sure Book Riot remains your go-to destination for all things bookish. Whether you’re here for the curated recommendations, the latest industry news, or our deep dives into reading culture, your feedback informs our media kit and how we represent this community. It will also shape our content and make Book Riot a place you want to be. To show our appreciation for your time, everyone who completes the survey will be entered for a chance to win a $50 USD ThriftBooks Gift Card. 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. 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 note The Guardian's new collaborative list of the 100 greatest novels of all time, ponder PRH's delivery of "a strong business performance, updated our Fourth Wing Ever Gets Adapted odds, 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. Discussed in this episode: The Guardian running down the 100 best novels of all time PRH reports strong first quarter Amazon has ordered the Fourth Wing adaptation to series, no casting news yet Florence Pugh to star in Midnight Library adaptation Margo’s Got Money Troubles picked up for season 2 Good Omens is back to wrap things up without Neil Gaiman 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 wrap up recommendation season. Discussed in this episode: The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Julie Otsuka Susan Choi How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu The Hike by Drew Magary The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy Kin by Tayari Jones, go back to Fates & Furies by Groff Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson Siracusa by Delia Ephron Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman From Scratch by Tembi Locke Beautiful Runs by Jess Walter A Room with a View by E.M. Forster Go Like Hell The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Hemingway The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Unbound by Steph Jagger Riverman by Ben McGrath In the Shadow of the Mountain So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham Life in the Three Dimensions by Shegihiro Oishi So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport Congratulations, By the Way by George Saunders Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke The List of Things That Will Not Change The Vanderbeerkers of 141st Street By Karina Yan Glaser Dragon Pearl The Eyes of the Impossible Daughter of the Deep The Story That Cannot Be Told Who is Government by Michael Lewis Two Women Living Together by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reily The Sparrow, Wild Dark Shore Whidbey The Dream Hotel The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon Interpreter of Maladies, Tenth of December Almost Famous Women Lost in the City by Edward P Jones The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler Eat a Peach by David Chang Life is Meals by James & Kay Salter Chocolat by Joanne Harris Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal Go Gentle by Maria Semple Less by Andrew Sean Greer Pincher Martin by William Golding Black No More by George Schuyler Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino The English Understand Wool by helen dewitt Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel Still Life with Woodpecker by Tim Robbins Transcription by Ben Lerner Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy Butcher's Crossing by John Williams 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 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