Book Riot - The Podcast

Vanessa Diaz sits in for Rebecca this week and talks to Jeff about the challenges of making a best books of the year list before getting into the news of the week. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Amazon’s best books of the year David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh B&N’s best book of the Year is Mona’s Eyes The 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards.  I’m bookmarking this deep dive into the fashion industry’s recurrent interest in literature for knife-and-fork reading this weekend Reader’s Digest asked three professional designers to pick the best book covers of the year Kindle translate Somebody is Walking On Your Grave by Mariana Enriquez Stolen Crown by Tracy Borman Devouring Time by Tod Goddard One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Flashlight by Susan Choi This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a bonus preview of our ⁠Patreon-only⁠ episode in which Jeff and Rebecca talk about what they've been doing with their lives recently, outside of the world of books. To listen to the full episode and all previous bonus content, ⁠become a Patreon member here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the books they still want to get to before 2026 gets here. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this Episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Flesh by David Szalay Maggie by Katie Yee Kaplan's Plot by Jason Diamond Who is Government? by Michael Lewis Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer The Uncool by Cameron Crowe Joyride by Susan Orlean A Truce That is Not Peace by Miriam Toews Trying by Chloe Caldwell Next of Kin by Gabrielle Hamilton Girl Warrior by Joy Harjo The Season by Helen Garner Does This Make Me Funny? by Zosia Mamet Palaver by Bryan Washington The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Black-Owned by Char Adams This is for Everyone by Tim Berners-Lee Every Screen on the Planet by Emily Baker-White Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad Heart the Lover by Lily King The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar The Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie Squirrel by Nancy Castaldo Isola by Allegra Goodman We The People by Jill Lepore The History of Money by David McWilliams Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane The Emergency by George Packer What We Can Know by Ian McEwan El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree The Librarians by Sherry Thomas The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett The Persian by David McCloskey Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're in a lull of current publishing industry news, so Jeff and Rebecca speculate about upcoming book awards, year-end announcements, and the book of the year, as well as touch on the impact of AI on writing. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this Episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon New Report Examines Writers’ Attitudes toward AI [Publishers Weekly] My Students Use AI. So What? [The Atlantic] The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers Erin Somers interview on First Edition The Running Ground by Nicholas Thompson Craftland by James Fox Make your Holiday Book Recommendation requests to podcast [at] bookriot.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Jeff and Rebecca as they dive into Zadie Smith's engaging essay collection, exploring what we truly seek from literary essays. They discuss how Smith showcases her thought process rather than pushing an agenda, contrasting her embrace of uncertainty with the online world's demand for certainty. Conversations spring up around the importance of nuance and specificity in her work, along with how fiction acts as a form of resistance to algorithms. Finally, they celebrate Smith's invitation for readers to explore and engage with diverse perspectives.

Join Dhonielle Clayton, Chair of We Need Diverse Books, and Caroline Richmond, Executive Editor at the same organization, as they tackle the pressing issues of censorship and book bans affecting literature today. Dhonielle discusses the chilling effects on the publishing industry, while Caroline shares insights on supporting educators facing challenges. They explore the importance of diverse representation in books, highlight success stories like Amina Luqman-Dawson's mentorship journey, and urge listeners to take action in fostering inclusive reading.

This discussion dives into the contenders for the month's most buzzworthy reads. Highlights include assessments of Margaret Atwood's unique memoir and Michelle Obama's stylish coffee-table book. Fresh narratives like Quiara Alegría Hudes’ debut novel and Salman Rushdie's introspective short stories are also on the list. Notably, Bryan Washington's 'Palaver' is crowned the top pick, while charming honorable mentions make their mark. Tune in for a celebration of diverse and compelling voices in literature!

Jeff and Rebecca put on their rain gear as the best books of the year storm approaches. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Discussed in this episode: Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Barnes & Noble kicks off Best Books of the Year season Amazon revisits 25 years of #1 Book picks We might have called it wrong about Frankenstein: the reviews are good Federal judge finds Texas READER Act unconstitutional A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George RR Martin Replaceable You by Mary Roach The Unveiling by Quan Barry This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Book Riot's managing editor, Vanessa Diaz, returns to re-examine the strange and influential life of Edgar Allan Poe. Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Check out Zero to Well-Read! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca applaud the news that Jeff Hiller will be hosting the National Book Awards in November before talking about more book news from the week. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Check out Zero to Well-Read! Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Discussed in this episode: The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Maggie by Katie Yee wins the Barnes & Noble Discover Award Jeff Hiller will host the National Book Awards First book acquired from The Black List Texas school district bars students from school libraries The Millions fall book preview i Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices