Book Riot - The Podcast

Rebecca and Vanessa discuss recent research that reveals surprising commonalities between 20,000 AI-generated stories, the winners of the Lambda Literary Awards and the Women's Prize for Fiction, and the most exciting 2027 book announcement so far.

Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at ⁠meritbeauty.com⁠.

Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go to ⁠Quince.com/bookriot ⁠for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Discussed in this episode:

Kazuo Ishiguro wrote a WWII spy novel!

What 20,000 LLM-generated stories have in common

Google Play launches in-book AI chatbot

The Correspondent wins The Women’s Prize for Fiction

2026 Lambda Literary Award winners

Maggie Gyllenhaal to adapt Rachel Kushner’s Creation Lake

The Love Hypothesis adaptation to hit Prime Video on Sept 23

Netflix is getting in on the horny hockey fun

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Rebecca and Vanessa break down the books topping the best-of and bestseller lists as we near the halfway point of the year.

Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.

The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com.

Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go to Quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about the growth of the number of books (and authors) vying for reader dollars, continue to lament the long 2025 award season, wonder about the expansion of PRH's audio initiatives, talk about recent reading, and more.

Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.

The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Discussed in this episode:

Amazon’s best  of the year so far

US audiobooks sales increased 9% in 2025

j/k we weren’t done with 2025 book awards - Stoker Award winners and Nebula Award winners

And we’re also starting this year’s: The 2026 Barnes & Noble Discover Award finalists

Authors Guild survey looks at why author income is declining

Reese’s Book Club launches Fan Fest event series

The Marriage Plot is getting an adaptation

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com.

Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go to Quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vanessa Diaz returns to regale Rebecca with the messy tale of the marriage between a well-known Harlem Renaissance poet and the daughter of a famous public thinker.

Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.

The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com.

Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go to Quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca talk about some new best books of the year so far lists, adaptation news, recent reading, and more before talking with the new President of the American Library Association, Dr. Maria McCauley.

Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.

Discussed in this episode:

Barnes & Noble’s best books of the year so far

Amazon’s picks for best book of the year so far from the last 10 years

Goodreads users’ hit new books of the year so far

Open Road to publish Choose Your Own Adventure ebooks

New Franzen short story is an excerpt from his novel in progress

Anna Kendrick to direct Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo adaptation for Netflix

Netflix announces new book-to-screen hub

God of the Woods casting news

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their Signature Makeup Bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com.

Thanks to our sponsor, Quince! Go to Quince.com/bookriot for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices