Book Riot - The Podcast

This is used to be my favorite podcast. I think, however, my tolerance for their air of superiority, pretentiousness, and condescension is wearing thin.

The publishing news is great. But they rate books they haven’t read. The deep dives pale in comparison to their competitors. And the fixation on author and character skin color is too toxic for me.

I look forward to every episode of this engaging, well-rounded podcast. It combines literary news, thoughtful book discussions, and interesting conversations about adaptations. Each episode adds something new to my reading life. Zero to Well-Read also provides helpful context that makes both classic and contemporary books easier and more rewarding to understand. If you want to discover worthwhile books, get more out of what you read, and stay connected to the wider literary conversation, Book Riot is definitely worth following. Finally, this must be said: I don’t put too much weight on the lower ratings, since they often seem to reflect a listener’s reaction to a particular book, episode, or passing comment rather than the podcast as a whole. Judged across its full range, the show is thoughtful, and genuinely valuable. For me, its engaging discussions and broader literary context make it well worth listening to.

Jeff and Rebecca are not only extremely well read and erudite, but have real chemistry together. A highly informative podcast with a fun, funny, light touch that makes this feel like anything but intellectual kale, which it easily could have been.