

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

Jan 4, 2021 • 1h 12min
Best of the Rest: Our Favorite Non-Book Things of 2020
Jeff and Rebecca share their favorite things from 2020 that were not books.
Discussed in this episode:
Summer Camp Island
Making of Frozen 2
The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The Vast of Night
Over the Moon
Soft Baked Pretzel recipe from Tasty
Carto
Overcooked 2
Legend of Zelda, The Breath of the Wild
Work at Home with Blossom Dearie Playlist
Christmas tree stand
The Velvelettes
Printfresh robe
Makers of Wax Goods candles
Gaslighter by The Chicks
Hearts Town by The War & Treaty
The Book on Pie by Erin Jeanne McDowell
Left Right Center podcast
Michelle Obama podcast
You and Me Both (Hillary Clinton) podcast
60 Songs That Explain the 90s
Insecure
Babysitters Club
The Politician
Pen15
Soulmates
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Dec 21, 2020 • 50min
Our Favorite Reads of 2020
Jeff and Rebecca recount their favorite reads of 2020.
Discussed in this episode:
Intimations by Zadie Smith
Eat a Peach by David Chang
The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper
The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
Group by Christie Tate
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
The Wisdom of Finance by Mihir Desai
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Crosby
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Weather by Jenny Offill
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Dec 14, 2020 • 56min
Serrated Crescendo
Jeff and Rebecca talk about PRH buying Simon & Schuster, survey best books of the year lists, and much more.
Discussed in this episode:
The 2021 Read Harder Challenge is here!
PRH buys Simon & Schuster
Opposition to the PRH purchase
Reed retires BEA and BookCon
Amazon Best Books of 2020
NYT top 10
Book biz supply chain doing OK so far
Bob Woodward writing the book about Trump’s last days in the white house
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Dec 7, 2020 • 1h 13min
2020 Holiday Recommendations, Part 2
Jeff and Rebecca their 2020 Holiday book recommendations.
Discussed in this episode:
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Idaho by Emily Ruskovich
A Separation by Katie Kitamura
The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
Radical Dharma
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Intimations by Zadie Smith
Station Eleven by Emily Mandel
Find Me by Laura van den Berg
Blindness by Jose Saramago
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Sweet Magnolias series by Sherryl Woods
Spice by Seressia Glass
100 Must-Read Books: Food in Fiction
Little French Bistro by Nina George
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
The Alchemy of Us by Anissa Ramirez
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
The 99% Invisible City
Saga by Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples
Atlas Obscura
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Stalking God by Anjali Kumar
A Beginner’s Guide to Japan by Pico Iyer
From Scratch by Tembi Locke
Cleoptra VII: Daughter of the Nile by Kristiana Gregory (part of The Royal Diaries series)
The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemisin
The Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
Octavia Butler
The Baker’s Secret by Stephen Kiernan
52 Loaves by William Alexander
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Nov 30, 2020 • 48min
2020 Holiday Recommendations, Part 1
Jeff and Rebecca give book recommendations in response to reader requests.
Discussed in this episode:
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
Kings Queens & In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju
This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow
Paper Girls by Brian Vaughn and Cliff Chiang
Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Heart Berries by Therese Marie Mailhot
House Made of Dawn by M Scott Momaday
The Surrounded by D’Arcy McNickle
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Wake Siren by Nina McLaughlin
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Circe by Madeline Miller
World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman
Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
2 AM at the Cat’s Pajamas by Marie Helen-Bertino
Debbie Macomber’s Blossom Street series
How to Knit a Love Song by Rachel Herron
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Nov 23, 2020 • 56min
Null Hypothesis Feedback
Discover the surprising sales records of Barack Obama's memoir and how political events shape reading interest. Dive into uplifting YA book recommendations for non-binary teens, featuring titles like 'Felix Ever After' and 'Dreadnought.' Reflect on the recent National Book Awards, celebrating standout works like 'Interior Chinatown.' Explore the ongoing changes in the publishing industry, including potential mergers and the impact on authors. Plus, hear about the Chicago Public Library’s success in eliminating late fees. Tune in for lively discussions and literary insights!

Nov 18, 2020 • 59min
THE WEST WING, Reconsidered
Jeff, Amanda, and Rebecca return to The West Wing. At least for the pilot.
This episode is sponsored by:
This episode is sponsored by Yen Press, One Night Two Souls Went Walking by Ellen Cooney , TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service, and The Magic Ingredient by Lindy Miller.
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Nov 16, 2020 • 57min
Spiritual Cheese
Jeff and Rebecca talk about the lead up to A Promised Land, authors you know by just their first names, a very real literary puzzle, and much more.
This episode is sponsored by:
This episode is sponsored by Just the Two of Us by Ryu Hyang, Bombas, TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service, and Emporia State University’s School of Library & Information Manageme
Discussed in this episode:
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Oprah & Brad Pitt’s companies adapting The Water Dancer
UK children’s books 8 times more likely to feature animals than characters of color
Literary mystery has 32 million possible solutions, has only been solved 3 times
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Nov 11, 2020 • 1h 10min
Buy, Sell, Hold: 2020's Notable Books
Jeff and Rebecca play a round of Buy/Sell/Hold with some of 2020’s most notable books.
This episode is sponsored by:
This episode is sponsored by Henry Holt & Co., Spalding University, TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service, and Miami Book Fair
Books discussed in this episode:
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Weather by Jenny Offill
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Topics of Conversation by Miranda Popkey
Jack by Marilynne Robinson
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
Real Life by Brandon Taylor
Eat a Peach by David Chang
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Nov 9, 2020 • 57min
One Hour of Podcasting
Jeff and Rebecca try to remain focused while doing a bunch of listener follow-up, wonder about HMH’s trade business being for sale, admire PW’s Best Books of 2020 list (mostly), and preview upcoming topics.
This episode is sponsored bY
This episode is sponsored by Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer, Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg, TBR, Book Riot’s subscription service, and Emporia State University’s School of Library & Information Management
Discussed in this episode:
92Y podcast
PW best books 2020
HMH exploring sale of trade group
Parents sue NC charter school calling novel POET X “an assault on Christianity”
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