

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 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.
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The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
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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.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
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

Sep 24, 2025 • 29min
The Books That Matter: THE SNOWY DAY
Today we have for you an episode from the Brooklyn Public Library’s Borrowed & Returned podcast series, looking back on Ezra Jack Keats' trailblazing picture book and how it continues to resonate with readers.
You can find Borrowed & Returned wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 22, 2025 • 54min
Trump Sues PRH, The National Book Award Fiction Longlist, and More Book News
Jeff and Rebecca talk about the week's book news, from Trump flimsy lawsuit against PRH and The New York Times (and why it matters, flimsy as it is), break down a couple of award lists, do some Jefftionary entries, and more.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
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.
The National Book Awards fiction longlist is here
Finalists for the 2025 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize
Trump sues NYT and PRH
How “actual malice” works in defamation
Scholastic launches streaming service
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arudhati Roy
Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs
The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 17, 2025 • 58min
Book Club: THE SECRET OF SECRETS by Dan Brown
Jeff, Rebecca, and Vanessa gather in a secret chamber to discuss the wonderfully absurd mysteries of Dan Brown's latest, The Secret of Secrets.
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
Subscribe to 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.
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!
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

Sep 15, 2025 • 1h 16min
National Book Awards Longlists, a Journey Into Literary History, and More
Book Riot's managing editor Vanessa Diaz joins Rebecca for a discussion about the National Book Awards longlists, authors' big settlement from Anthropic, and exciting adaptation news. Then, Vanessa takes Rebecca on a journey down the literary rabbit hole.
Subscribe to 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.
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!
Discussed in this Episode:
Anthropic agrees to pay $1.5 billion to settle book piracy lawsuit, but the judge has delayed it, citing concerns
2025 National Book Awards longlists are rolling out
Audition is being adapted
Annotated episode: The Original Gone Girl
Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson
Ruth by Kate Riley
The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson
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

Sep 10, 2025 • 1h 20min
Introducing Zero to Well-Read, a New Podcast from Book Riot
Jeff and Rebecca introduce their new podcast, Zero to Well-Read, with its inaugural episode about The Great Gatsby. We dig into what makes Gatsby a classic, why it’s all over high school reading lists, and the ways it still echoes in our culture.
This season of Zero to Well-Read is presented by Thriftbooks.
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to help you get the most out of your reading life.
Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com
The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 8, 2025 • 51min
Obama's Summer Reading List, B&N Buys Another Indie & More
Jeff and Rebecca announce a couple of new projects before talking about authors settling with Anthropic, Obama's summer reading list, the Kirkus Prize nominees, B&N buying Books Inc, and more of the week's book stories.
Subscribe to 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 and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky.
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!
Discussed in this Episode:
The Book Riot Podcast Patreon
Subscribe to Zero to Well-Read
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter
Barnes & Noble to acquire Books, Inc
Anthropic settles in AI copyright infringement case over book piracy
Jonathan Karp steps down as Simon & Schuster CEO to run new imprint
2025 Kirkus Prize finalists (note the Nov 1-October 31 eligibility window, can we please stop)
Obama’s summer reading picks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 3, 2025 • 44min
The It Books of September 2025
Jeff and Rebecca crown the It Book of September 2025.
Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Sign up for the Book Riot Podcast Newsletter and follow the show on Instagram and Bluesky.
Get more industry news with our Today in Books daily newsletter.
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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices