25+ Best Book Podcasts — Best Podcasts for Book Lovers
Well-Read Black Girl
In 2015, Glory Edim launched Well-Read Black Girl—a book club turned literary festival turned podcast. The podcast launched on February 1, 2022, and Edim wrote on Instagram that she’d “been dreaming of making this podcast for years.” The first episodes feature conversations with Min Jin Lee, Tarana Burke, Anita Hill, and Jacqueline Woodson. The podcast will also include interviews with WRBG Book Club members, Black booksellers, and more. It’s not to be missed.
Debutiful
Debutiful is a website and podcast where readers can discover new authors through interviews and recommendations. Hosted by Adam Vitcavage, the show only features debut authors—and their fresh voices are key. In each episode, Adam goes in-depth with a writer about their first book and what inspires them. If you’re someone who loves reading the acknowledgements section—there’s nothing better—this podcast truly delivers.
The Maris Review
Maris Kreizman describes herself as a “writer, editor, reader, fan,” and her insights on books are not to be missed. The cultural critic is the author of the bestselling Slaughterhouse 90210: Where Great Books Meet Pop Culture. On her podcast, she talks to authors you should know about their own books and the books they love, the shows and films they’ve watched, the music they’ve listened to, and the links they’ve clicked.
The Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is legendary. Naturally, it makes sense they’d have a podcast to complement their coverage. Each week, authors and critics join host Pamela Paul and editors at Times Book Review to talk about bestselling books, what they’re reading, and what’s going on in the literary world.
Overdue
Overdue is a podcast about the books you’ve been meaning to pick up. Hosts Andrew Cunningham and Craig Getting work through their backlog and share with each other what they’ve been reading. “Sometimes that means complaining, sometimes that means championing,” Craig explains. From classic literature to children’s books, they read it all. Literally they have episodes on everything from Fifty Shades of Grey or Homer’s Odyssey.
Celebrity Memoir Book Club
In Celebrity Memoir Book Club, New York comedians Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton read celebrity memoirs so you don’t have to. Each episode features a different celebrity memoir—from Emily Ratajkowski‘s My Body to Will Smith‘s Will—and Claire & Ashley are simply hilarious.
Storykeepers Podcast
Storykeepers: Let’s Talk Indigenous Books is a monthly podcast hosted by Jennifer David and Waubgeshig Rice. Each episode, they’re joined by a guest host to discuss books by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit authors. Their goal is to “bring conversations about Indigenous books to a wider audience in an audio book-club format.” And though they release only one episode a month, it’s worth the wait.
Hey YA
The Hey YA podcast from Book Riot focuses exclusively on young adult literature. Hosts Erica Ezeifedi and Tirzah Price discuss great new YA books and favorite classics, and cover book news, adaptations, and so much more. For YA fans: this is for you.
The Writer’s Voice
Ever wanted to hear a New Yorker writer read their story to you? Look no further than The Writer’s Voice, where New Yorker fiction writers read their stories from the magazine. A recent favorite was Matrix author Lauren Groff reading her story “Annunciation” from the February 14 & 21, 2022 issue of The New Yorker.
Books & Boba
Books & Boba is a book club dedicated to spotlighting books written by authors of Asian descent. Every month, hosts Marvin Yueh and Reera Yoo pick a book by an Asian or Asian American author to read and discuss on the podcast. They also interview authors and cover publishing news. Notably, they read a wide-range of genres—from fantasy to memoir—so there’s something for everyone.
Novel Pairings
Novel Pairings is a podcast “dedicated to making the classics readable, relevant, and fun.” Each episode, hosts Sara and Chelsey discuss one classic book and share recommendations for more contemporary reads that feature similar themes.
Three Percent
In the United States, about 3% of all books published are works in translation. The Three Percent podcast, presented by the University of Rochester’s translation program, hopes to bring attention to these books—with the goal that “reading literature from other countries is vital to maintaining a vibrant book culture and to increasing the exchange of ideas among cultures.” Chad W. Post of Open Letter Books and Tom Roberge of New Directions and Albertine Bookstore host.
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
This podcast is so much more than a Harry Potter book club. Rather, as the hosts explain, “this podcast creates time in your week to think about life’s big questions. Because reading fiction doesn’t help us escape the world, it helps us live in it.” Hosted by Vanessa Zoltan and Matthew Potts, the show “allows listeners to find meaning through a secular text that they love” by re-reading the Harry Potter books.
On the Road with Penguin Classics
On the Road with Penguin Classics is a literary podcast that takes a stroll around the world’s favorite books. In each episode, author Henry Eliot travels to a different literary location to explore a book in the company of remarkable readers. For example, in a season two episode, Henry travels to Dublin to discuss Irish novelist James Joyce.
Book Friends Forever
Ever wanted to know about children’s book publishing secrets? Look no further, because best friends Grace Lin and Alvina Ling have the podcast for you. Grace is NYT bestselling author and illustrator and Alvina is the VP and Editor-in-Chief at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Friends to Lovers
Each week, hosts Mackenzie Newcomb and Lily Herman use romance novels as a jumping off point to talk about sex, relationships, dating, and love. The podcast is presented by Bad Bitch Book Club, an online book club community.
Borrowed
Brooklyn Public Library launched a podcast because, as they explain, “Brooklyn has so many stories to tell, and a lot of them start at the library.” The library’s flagship podcast, Borrowed, is hosted by librarian Adwoa Adusei and director of marking Krissa Corbett Cavouras. Each episode doesn’t feature a book review or interview, but rather, stories from Brooklyn—stories from the library, Brooklyn history, and more. Even if you’ve never been to Brooklyn, you will like Borrowed. Plus, each episode comes with a reading list. What more could you want?
The LRB Podacst
The LRB Podcast brings you what it sounds like: weekly conversations from The London Review of Books. It’s not specifically all about books, but covers everything from Elizabethan True Crime to anti-vaxxers, so you know you will be tuning in to a fascinating conversation.
The Worst Bestsellers
In The Worst Bestsellers, writer Kait and librarian Renata read bestselling books in an attempt to understand their appeal. As the disclaimer on their website reads: “We want to be clear about something: we’re not snobs, honestly. If somebody only ever reads James Patterson books, or vampire books, or magazines: more power to them, we say. We’re reading these books because we’re curious about what’s popular, and also, reading these books gives us a better idea of what’s popular and how to give good readers advisory. We make jokes about the books we read, but our intent is never to make fun of readers.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
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