Book Riot - The Podcast

Whatever Falls Your Crest

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca run through a bunch of listener feedback, discuss celebrity bookshelves, and talk about the huge sales for The Ballad of Songbirds an...

What's Getting Us Through Right Now

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about non-book things that are helping them get through the day these days. This episode is sponsored by: Recipe for Persuasio...

2020 Moms, Dads, and Grad Recommendation Show

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca field listener recommendation requests. This episode is sponsored by: TBR Libro.fm Book Riot Insiders Devoted by Dean Koontz Se...

Worse Than a Promise

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca and Jeff talk about the passing of Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy, the rumblings of re-openings in the world of books, care very little ab...

Fried Green Tomatoes (at the Whistle Stop Cafe)

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the book and movie, Fried Green Tomatoes (at the Whistle Stop Cafe). This episode is sponsored by: Always Human, Volume ...

We're Coming For You, Columbus

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca rank order literary awards by prestige, talk about Becoming on Netflix, digest BEA and BookCon going online, and much more...

The 2020 Pulitzer Prizes

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca react to the 2020 Pulitzer Prizes. At least the ones they had reactions to. This episode is sponsored by: Summer Darlings by Brooke...

The Other Side of Vocational Awe

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about PW publishing and argument against #booksareessential, a particularly dunder-headed reading list banning, how months turn ...

Influential Sweaters

26 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca follow-up about Sweaters of Consequence, scrutinize #booksareessential, lament the through-line of the most challenged books of 2019,...

Iceland's 2nd Most Famous Sweater

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca mark the official cancellation of BEA for 2020, puzzle over surprisingly good print sales numbers last week, give props to...

Deals, Deals, Deals

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff presents Rebecca with 16 recently announced book deals and then....well that's it. That's the schtick. This episode is sponsored by: Kim Jiyoun...

Oh, The Places You Won't Go

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca follow the escalating pandemic problem for Barnes & Noble, walk through the definition of "upmarket," consider a big 5 publishers lay...

Welcome to the Book Riot Podcast!

11 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Book Riot Podcast is a bi-weekly news and talk show about what's new, cool, and worth talking about in the world of books and reading, brought to ...

Help Us Pick the Next Book Nerd Movie Club Episode

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about five candidates for the next installment of Book Nerd Movie Club and ask readers to vote for a winner. The candidates are...

But What Day Is It

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about Barnes & Noble closing hundreds of stores, James Patterson riding for indies once again (though also being wrong about som...

Traveling Without Moving

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca run-down some of their favorite books about being...not where you are. This episode is sponsored by: The City We Became by N.K. Jem...

The Floppy Market

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca chronicle the continuing effects of COVID-19 on the world of books. This episode is sponsored by: TBR Spalding University The Cit...

Confidence Index: Spring & Summer Movie Adaptations

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca rate their confidence in this spring and summer's slate of movie adaptations. This episode is sponsored by: Book of the Month TBR ...

COVID-19 Flips The Book World (and the Rest of the World) Upside Down

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca try to wrap their heads around how Covid-19 is affecting the world of books and reading. This episode is sponsored by: Sisters in C...

Big Book of 2020 Discussion: WEATHER by Jenny Offill

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca go deep on Jenny Offill’s masterful new novel, Weather. This episode is sponsored by: TBR Spalding University Libro.fm Cross H...

The Right Place From a Weird Place

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about how coronavirus is affecting the works of books, Hachette dropping Woody Allen’s memoir, Macmillan floating new library ...

Discussing Libraries and Publishing with Guy Gonzalez, lead for The Panorama Project

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff talks with Guy LeCharles Gonzalez of The Panorama Project about what we do (and mostly don’t) know about the role of libraries in the wider pub...

The Elephant IS the Room

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca and Jeff talk about Oprah’s forthcoming American Dirt special, Simon & Schuster on the auction block, B&N getting back to basics, and much m...

Novel Gazing

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We offer you a special episode of Book Riot’s new literary fiction podcast Novel Gazing. This episode is all about adaptations and features an inter...

Wheelhouse or Beehive

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jenn Northington joins Jeff today to talk about Bookshop.org launching, the sales success of Barnes & Noble’s 2019 Book of the Year winner, Star War...

Book Nerd Movie Club: JURASSIC PARK

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda, Rebecca, and Jeff discuss the book and movie, Jurassic Park. This episode is sponsored by: Book Marks Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by De...

Vector of the Juice

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a slowish news week, Jeff and Rebecca wonder about books based on podcast, offer a brief fare-thee-well to Charles Portis, name a hero of the week,...

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, 20 Years Later

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca discuss Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of its publication. This episode is sponso...

Different Day, Same Shirt

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the RWA’s accelerating collapse, Colin Kaepernick getting into publishing, Amazon taking a harder look at selling extrem...

Discussing the First "It" Book of 2020: SUCH A FUN AGE by Kiley Reid

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Vanessa, Jeff, and Sharifah talk about why Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid is the first “it” book of the year. This episode is sponsored by: Book...

Constellation of Laziness

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca follow-up about The Witcher, Macmillan making American Dirt amends, B&N and PRH teaming up to do something upsetting, EXTREMELY excit...

Reading Lives with Gabriel Bump

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Jeff dusts off the Reading Lives format to talk with Gabriel Bump, author of Everywhere You Don't Belong (which made our Winter/Sprin...

Libraries Versus Doughnuts

02 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about trends in 2019's bestsellers, Macmillan being banned from an industry conference, the American Dirt apology from Flatiron,...

Talking Through the Publication of AMERICAN DIRT

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Rebecca Schinsky, Vanessa Diaz, and Jeff O'Neal discuss the publication of American Dirt. This episode is sponsored by: Book Riot ...

Watching WATCHMEN

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about HBO's stunning adaptation of WATCHMEN. This episode is sponsored by: Book Riot Insiders. The Novel Gazing Podcast Li...

Winter/Spring 2020 Preview Show

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca preview titles coming out in the first four months of 2020 with a little Buy, Sell, Hold. This episode is sponsored by: Book Riot ...

Addendum to the Scolding

20 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk about the new head of the ABA starting the gig, Crawdads with a triple crown, more talk about returning Audible credi...

The Dr. Seuss Complex

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca discuss the best-selling books of 2019, Obama's 2019 reading recs, the RWA meltdown, and more. This episode is sponsored by: Libro....

The Books of the Decade

06 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

  Jeff and Rebecca are joined by Amanda Nelson to pick the books the defined the 2010s. This episode is sponsored by: Spalding University The Sev...

2019 Year in Review

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca look back that the stories that made 2019 in books and reading. Plus, some of their favorite non-book things of the years. This epis...

Reverse Bermuda Triangle

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the Goodreads Choice Winners, Bill Gates' recommended books for 2019, more wrong-headed prison books news, and more. This...

2019 Holiday Recommendation Show, Part 2

09 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca wrap up their annual Holiday Recommendation show. This episode is sponsored by: The Great Courses Plus The Deep by Rivers Solo...

2019 Holiday Recommendation Show, Part 1

01 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca tackle the first batch of listener recommendation requests for the 2020 holiday season. This episode is sponsored by: Opus X One...

Clutching Intensifies

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the National Book Awards, more about the terrible Nobel year, some adaptation news, and more. This episode is sponsor...

Nerd Nuggets

18 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk BN getting on the award train, Amazon releases its best books of the year list, and a weird amount of action in Virginia. Th...

BONUS: Adaptation Nation

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca discuss three big new TV adaptions: His Dark Materials (HBO), Watchmen (HBO), and Dickinson (Apple TV+). This episode is sponsored b...

A Smaller But Messier Problem

11 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca watch OverDrive jump into the Macmillan embargo fray, pass along a correction about The Little Free Library story, assess ...

BONUS: Baz Luhrmann's ROMEO + JULIET

07 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about Baz Luhrmann's 1996 adaptation of ROMEO + JULIET. This episode is sponsored by: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell W...

Ice Cream Divergent

04 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca assess the updates to the Game of Thrones spin-offverse, close-read the CEO of Macmillan's letter about their ebook embargo, wade bri...

BONUS: THE WATER DANCER by Ta-Nehisi Coates

30 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This episode is sponsored by: The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal The Famil...

Ducks! Geese! Sheep!

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the ALA's report on anti-competitive practices in the digital library market, exciting adaptation casting news, additional...

BONUS: Half-Baked Ideas

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff throws half-baked ideas about things that should exist in the world of books and reading at Rebecca to see which, if any, aren't horrible. T...

Flailing, Floundering, and Sinking

21 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca lament the double Booker prize and, to be honest, are just sort of bummed out by it and other stories this week. This episode is spo...

BONUS: The Double Nobel

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca try to make sense of this year's double Nobel Prize in Literature. This episode is sponsored by: Tidelands by Philippa Gregory Whe...

Agent of Chaos

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca briefly discuss the double Nobel, wonder about a strange The Testaments deployment, consider the National Book Award longlist, and mo...

BONUS: Book Nerd Movie Club: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

09 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca read and watch The Shawshank Redemption. This episode is sponsored by: Where to Begin by Cleo Wade The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jew...

Louder and with a Different Person

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Vanessa consider a list of the 100 Best Books of the 20th Century, do another round of Bookshop.org talk, get another perspective on throttli...

BONUS: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

02 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. What is it about? Is it good? Why is selling faster than fresh-dug swamp mussels? ...

The Morality Tax

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca get to a bunch of listener follow-up, dive back into the Macmillan's new ebook policy for libraries, try to decide if Oprah's Book Cl...

BONUS: The Handmaid's Tale Phenomenon

25 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about how The Handmaid's Tale has become a cultural icon and also give their thoughts on the sequel, The Testaments. This episo...

Camp No Doy

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk a lot about audiobooks, VERY high expectations for The Testaments, a pestering move by the DOJ, and much more. This episode is ...

BONUS: Book Nerd Movie Club: THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER

18 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Amanda dive (!) into the book and let's face it, MOSTLY, the movie: THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. This episode is sponsored by: This Tender Lan...

The Book-Buying Version of the Zombie Apocalypse

16 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Jenn talk for a loonggg time about Bookshop.org, but also manage to squeeze in some consideration of audiobooks becoming more like...

BONUS: INTERPRETER OF MALADIES: 20 Years Later

11 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca have gone back and read a mutual favorite, Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of it's p...

Two Feet of Parchment About Moonstones

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about Amazon breaking the Atwood embargo, listener feedback, their fall preview picks already looking bad, get mad about bad ana...

2019 Fall Book Preview

05 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca go through 14 of the fall's buzziest books and declare whether or not they would buy, hold, or sell them. This episode is sponsored ...

The Uncanny Valley of Human Communication

02 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk audiobooks and copyright, podcasts and reading, a head-scratching Emily Dickinson trailer, and more. Jeff also talks ...

Knocking Out the Crawdads

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk about people buying Toni Morrison books, a publishing #metoo injustice, Amazon choosing interesting neighbors, and mu...

Average Burgle Duration

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca follow up about The Da Vinci Code, consider the latest iteration of Obama's reading list, talk about increased pushback ag...

Post-Botox Barnes & Noble

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca and Sharifah pay tribute to Toni Morrison's life and work, discuss Barnes & Noble's post-acquisition future, speculate about Lisa-Marie Presle...

The Da Vinci Code

05 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca discuss the book, the movie, the phenomenon: The Da Vinci Code. This episode is sponsored by: One Good Dead by David Baldacci T...

Canary of Disruption

29 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk about the Booker Prize long-list, a best-selling author going to Amazon, a shady event cancellation at a library, and...

Everything Is Going to Be OK

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about a fancy Song of Ice and Fire edition, Apple getting into original podcasts, a cool new bookstore in Chicago, and more. The...

Troubling the Dan Brown Meridian

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the best-selling books of the year, follow up about THE STARLESS SEA, go over the ethics of ARCs, and much more. This ...

Value Over Replacement Barfing

08 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week's topics include the faintest rumblings of a Harry Potter television show, Book Riot's favorite books of 2019 so far, a ridiculously though ...

No Nuance Whatsoever

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about divergent solutions to the same indie bookstore problem, Scribd's new digest feature, joining libraries to other social se...

#318: The Will to Prequel

24 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the announced HUNGER GAMES prequel, Amazon's best books of the year so far list, and much more. This episode is spons...

#317: Chaotic Neutral

16 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Rebecca and Amanda discuss Barnes & Noble's buyout options, Goodreads's list of the hit books of 2019 so far, damning allegations against N...

#316: NCIS: Vatican

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Barnes & Noble gets sold! The Obamas join the podcasting revolution! Robert Langdon is coming to TV! This episode is sponsored by: All the Books!...

#315: Hold the Needle

03 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about Book Expo America, Mindy Kaling doing an Amazon exclusive, breaking the Scripps Spelling Bee, and more. This episode i...

#314: Business Class Elite Diamond Platinum Plus

27 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca follow-up about podcast platforms, worry about George RR Martin's new deadline, admire and critique Bill Gates' new book r...

#313: The Hierarchy of Socks is Real

20 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk music streaming services, the wider podcast landscape, and even some talk about books. This episode is sponsored ...

#312: 2019 Moms, Dads, and Grads Recommendation Show, Part 2

13 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The second part of our 2019 Moms, Dads, and Grads recommendation show. This episode is sponsored by: BookCon Again, but Better by Christine Ric...

#310: Filigreed Elvish

05 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Jenn talk about Baker & Taylor getting out of the retail distribution business (and why you might care), Audible's Alexa experiment, the Tolk...

#309: 2019 Moms, Dads, and Grads Recommendations, Part 1

29 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our annual Moms, Dads, and Grads recommendation show! This episode is sponsored by: Libro.fm William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Mean Girls by ...

#308: The Cargo Pants Pocket For Your Life

22 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk about millennial audiobook habits, the 2019 Pulitzer Prizes, Penguin Random House's loyalty program, and much more. ...

#307: Justice for Bob

15 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca relay listener feedback about Scribd's original content move, the most banned books of 2018, a major audiobook publisher m...

#306: A Squirt of Something

08 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk about more book bans in prisons, Scribd getting into original content, listener feedback, and more. This episode ...

#305: Selective Tree Hugging

01 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Rebecca and Jenn discuss the latest in Jay Asher's defamation suit, a Michigan bill that would make it easier to ban books, Harper Lee's g...

Quick Note: Shenanigans and Snafus

26 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Due to a series of scheduling shenanigans and technical snafus, there is no new episode this week. Have no fear, we'll be back next Monday, April 1, w...

#304: Narrative Fissure

18 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk a major change to Amazon's pricing policy, an obvious but nonetheless interesting comment from George RR Martin, a li...

#303: Durable Dirigibles

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca follow-up about AI and copyright, Barnes & Noble's #bookhaul, Amazon goings-on, a genuinely interesting adaptation news st...

#302: Scrolling is Fundamental

05 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#301: Bibliographic Rigor

25 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the incredible legacy of Betty Ballantine, a few book-collecting related stories, listener feedback about listening to puc...

#300: Notional Confetti Cannon

18 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 300, we talk a couple of knotty Amazon stories, a UK university decolonizing the canon, good news from Kansas, and much more. This epis...

#299: Vamp a Euphemism

11 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca follow-up on defamation, try to wrap their heads around the Dan Mallory/A.J. Finn story, eulogize the Ancient Lore Village...

#298: The Ideal Turkey-to-Hero Ratio

04 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Jeff and Rebecca talk about Jay Asher suing for defamation, the un-Manning of the Booker Prize, a couple of heroes of the week, and much mo...

#297: The Most Whimsical Whatever

28 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca talk about another case of harassment against LGBTQ titles in libraries, the rising sales of mental health books, a new E.L. James bo...

#296: Orcs, Leprechauns, and All That Stuff

20 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca offer their appreciation for Mary Oliver, wonder at the continued strength of BECOMING, hope for the failure of another attempt to ma...

#295: A Basket of Fraught

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Rebecca take much longer than they supposed talking about Publisher's Weekly acquiring The Millions and the state of book blogging. This...