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If you’re a reader, you know your life is better and brighter for it. As much as books allow us to engage with a person through their work, it can feel isolating sometimes. It opens up a new world for you, but when you put the book down, you’re back in the real one. Something that really helps add more books to your life is a reading community. My sincere hope for all book lovers is that you find one of your own — or possibly many! I hope you’re a part of a vibrant book community, in person and online. But if and when that’s not the case, book podcasts can help pour into that void. They’re an easy, entertaining, and accessible way of engaging with the bookish world. Even if you’re not surrounded by readers, just know that we’re all out here and we see you. A great reminder of that is to listen to other readers. Enter the best book podcasts.
This list contains book podcasts to meet all your needs. Some will help you find new books, read more diversely, and navigate reading challenges. Some will help you recognise and challenge your biases. Some will give you insights into the lives of your favourite authors, and others will get you excited about new ones. Some will make you feel endlessly heard and seen. All of them will make you think and wonder. Scroll on to find your portable reading companions.
Book Riot’s Family of Podcasts
The wide array of Book Riot podcasts is your one-stop fix for all your book-ish needs. You can curl up with any one of them and expect to be delighted, soothed, and informed about the book world. All the Books is a weekly show of recommendations for exciting new book releases. The Book Riot Podcast, hosted by the editors of Book Riot, is a weekly talk show about what’s new and worth talking about in the world of reading. Hey YA has got you covered on everything in YA literature. There are also genre podcasts that meet your mystery (Read or Dead) and romance (When In Romance) needs! You can find them all by searching “Book Riot” on your podcast player of choice.
Backlisted
John Mitchinson and Andy Miller have come up with a brilliant podcast idea and given it wings. They invite a guest in each episode who picks a book they love and argues why it should have a wider audience. They talk about the books that have stood the test of time and what makes them so. It’s a celebration of one of my favourite parts of being a reader: fangirling with sound logic. You can find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Black Chick Lit
Giving itself away with its name, this podcast airs twice a month and talks about books written by and for Black women. Dani and Mollie discuss classics and new releases alike while sipping wine and being endlessly entertained by their own thoughts. It’s sharp witted and full of ideas that will make the gears in your head turn. You can find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Reading Glasses
Reading Glasses is hosted by Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara every week. Here’s a podcast that helps enrich your reading life by trying to hold your hand and show you around the book world. It’ll tell you everything from what books you can start in different genres, how to navigate content warnings, how to come up with your holiday gifting book list, why to browse a library, and so much more! You can find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Debutiful
This unique podcast is hosted by Adam Vitcavage and features debut authors. They talk at length about their very first stints in publishing and what drives them. It’s so interesting to understand an author’s journey of what inspired them to write, as well as what kept them on the journey of finishing their manuscript. You can find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Books & Boba
Marvin Yueh and Reera Yoo pick a book every month written by an author of Asian descent and analyse them in a way that helps you make sense of them. They help give context and nuance to the Asian experiences represented in these stories, without complicating or oversimplifying it. Their episodes also include insightful author interviews and relevant news coverages. You can find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
