

First Edition
Book Riot
BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O'Neal explores the wide bookish world. Interviews, lists, rankings, retrospectives, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 27, 2025 • 44min
Writing the Big One with Emma Pattee, Author of TILT
Jeff talks to Emma Pattee about her debut novel, Tilt. They talk earthquakes, IKEA, the consequences of writing place precisely, and much more. This book is a winner, folks.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack.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

Mar 21, 2025 • 48min
Making Phosphorus Interesting: WHITE LIGHT and How to Make a Microhistory
Jeff is joined by Jack Lohmann, author of the new book White Light: The Elemental Role of Phosphorus-in Our Cells, in Our Food, and in Our World. Plus, his editor at Pantheon, Todd Portnowitz joins the conversation to talk about positioning, crafting, and otherwise publishing non-fiction like this.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack.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

Mar 20, 2025 • 54min
The Reading Life of Stephen Graham Jones
Jeff talks to Stephen Graham Jones about his reading life. Stephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author of thirty-five or so novels and collections, and there are some novellas and comic books in there as well. Most recent are Earthdivers and I Was a Teenage Slasher.His new book, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, is out now.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack.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

Mar 14, 2025 • 38min
How Hollywood Shaped Joan Didion with Alissa Wilkinson
Alissa Wilkinson joins Jeff to talk about her new book, We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack.This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.Discussed in this episode:We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine by Alissa Wilkinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 6, 2025 • 51min
A Gift from the Internet, Murder Ballads, and Liking Your Writing with Amal El-Mohtar
Jeff talks to Amal El-Mohtar about This is How You Lose the Time War getting one of greatest bookish gifts ever bestowed by the internet before talking about her new book, The River Has Roots.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack.This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.Discussed in this episode:The Book Riot Podcast Live at Powell's on March 13thThis is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max GladstoneThe River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 4, 2025 • 31min
10 Notecards with Scaachi Koul
Scaachi Koul joins Jeff to talk about her new book, Sucker Punch with a new little format for First Edition called "10 Notecards With..." Jeff has picked out 10 things from the new book — words, ideas, stories, etc. — written them on notecards, and then has Saachi pick them at random (at least at the start order). Turned out to be a lot of fun, so expect to hear more of these.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.Discussed in This Episode:The Book Riot Podcast Live at Powell's on March 13th Sucker Punch by Scaachi KoulOne Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 27, 2025 • 56min
How to Talk About New Books for 500 Episodes
Liberty Hardy joins Jeff to talk about hosting 500 episodes of All The Books! and a host of other reading-related topics.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack.Discussed in this episode:All The Books!Liberty Hardy on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 21, 2025 • 41min
Book Collecting, Bibliomemoir, and JANE AUSTEN’S BOOKSHELF with Rebecca Romney
Rebecca Romney joins Jeff to talk about her new book, Jane Austen's Bookshelf. They talk about personal book collecting, rediscovering literary history for yourself, a few of the writers Austen admired, and more. Jane Austen's Bookshelf is out now.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack.This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.Discussed in this episode:Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca RomneyRebecca Romney on InstagramThe Honey & Wax Book Collecting ContestType Punch Matrix (Romney's Rare Book Company) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 13, 2025 • 40min
BIBLIOPHOBIA with Sarah Chihaya
Sarah Chihaya joins Jeff to talk about her new memoir, Bibliophobia. They talk life-ruining books, the enormous weight of all the books that are out there and how we cannot read them all, and other less-talked about parts of the reading life.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack.This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.Discussed in this episode:Bibliophobia by Sarah Chihaya Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 6, 2025 • 34min
Life, Literature, and Psychological Richness with Professor Shigehiro Oishi
Jeff talks to Professor Shigehiro Oishi about his new book, Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life.Books and reading play a central role in the book, both as examples but also as avenues towards living a psychologically rich life. I really enjoyed this book and this conversation.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack.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


