

Book Riot - The Podcast
Book Riot
News in the world of books and reading, including hot industry releases, adaptations, publishing industry events, and more with Book Riot’s Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky.Book Riot is the largest independent editorial book site in North America and home to a host of media, from podcasts to newsletters to original content, all designed around diverse readers and across all genres.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 27, 2025 • 44min
The Eye of the Best Books of the Year Storm Approaches
Jeff and Rebecca put on their rain gear as the best books of the year storm approaches.
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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
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Oct 22, 2025 • 53min
Deep into that Darkness Peering
Book Riot's managing editor, Vanessa Diaz, returns to re-examine the strange and influential life of Edgar Allan Poe.
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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

Oct 19, 2025 • 54min
National Book Award Announces Host, B&N Discover Prize, and more book news.
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.
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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

Oct 17, 2025 • 23min
The Seventeen Year-Old Who Invented Science Fiction
Explore the stormy summer of 1816 at Lake Geneva that sparked a ghost-story contest among literary giants. Learn how Mary Shelley’s struggle with writer's block led her to envision Frankenstein after discussions on galvanism. Discover the captivating dynamics between Mary, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and others that shaped this creation. Delve into the novel's anonymous beginnings and its profound impact, establishing it as a cornerstone of modern science fiction. A tale of ambition, romance, and literary legacy unfolds!

Oct 15, 2025 • 1h 6min
How Much Does Genre Matter to Readers?
Prof. Laura McGrath joins Jeff and Rebecca to talk about what some studies can tell us about just how much readers care (and don't) about genre.
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The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
Laura's newsletter: TextCrunch
English, James and J.D. Porter, "The Eclectic Reader." JCA: The Journal of Cultural Analytics. August 20, 2025
Peterson, Richard A. “Understanding Audience Segmentation: From Elite and Mass to Omnivore and Univore.” Poetics, vol. 21, no. 4, 1992, pp. 243–58
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 13, 2025 • 1h 24min
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, NBA Finalists, and more award season news. PLUS: Hachette CEO David Shelley
Sharifah Williams joins Jeff to talk about the 2025 Nobel for Literature, National Book Award finalists and more award season news. Then, Hachette CEO David Shelly talks to Jeff about book banning, inclusivity, and other issues facing the publishing world.
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The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature
2025 National Book Award Finalists
Kirkus Prize Announced
Baker & Taylor going away?
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Audition by Katie Kitamura
Near Flesh by Katherine Dunn
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Oct 8, 2025 • 1h 24min
Zero to Well-Read: TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer
A drop-in of the most recent episode of Zero to Well-Read, in which Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinksy are joined by Book Riot editors Vanessa Diaz and Kelly Jensen to talk about Stephanie Meyer's cultural juggernaut: Twilight. This was a lot of fun.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.
Apply to write for Book Riot
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 6, 2025 • 57min
Anthropic Settlement Portal Shows All. Mostly.
Jeff and Rebecca talk about the opening of the portal to submit claims against the $1.5 Billion Anthropic settlement, Reading Rainbow's relaunch, One Battle After Another, and more of the week's book news.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.
Apply to write for Book Riot
Authors can find out if they’re eligible for a settlement from Anthropic
Reading Rainbow is coming back with a new host
Publishing has a gambling problem
Florida district judge rejects first amendment argument in book banning base
Kamala Harris’s 107 Days on track to be best-selling memoir of the year
107 Days by Kamala Harris
Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung
Replaceable You by Mary Roach
Enshittification by Cory Doctorow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 1, 2025 • 43min
The It Books of October 2025
Jeff and Rebecca consider 10 candidates for the title, It Book of October 2025.
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The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.
The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson
The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers
King Sorrow by Joe Hill
The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays by Harper Lee
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
Enshittification by Cory Doctorow
The Unveiling by Quan Barry
Joyride by Susan Orlean
Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon
Dead and Alive: Essays by Zadie Smith
Tom’s Crossing by Mark Danielewski
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Sep 29, 2025 • 48min
The Booker Prize Finalists, Judge Shades Trump's Lawsuit Against PRH, and More Book News
Jeff and Rebecca talk about The Booker Prize finalists, a judicial brow-beating, soft book sales, and more.
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Ready for a cozy, bookish autumn? Let Tailored Book Recommendations help you find your next favorite read with handpicked suggestions from professional book nerds. Get started today from just $18!
The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.
Booker Prize finalists
Judge dismisses Trump’s lawsuit against NYT, PRH
Book sales dropped in first half of 2025, romantasy losing steam
The Fourth Wing adaptation has a showrunner
Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood
107 Days by Kamala Harris
Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


