The 12 Best Book Podcasts

The Best Book Podcasts in 2025

For a solo pastime, reading can also be a highly social activity. Many of us love talking about books as much as reading them, which helps explain why podcasts about books are so plentiful. But for all the choice, book podcasts spent many years starved for innovation. Author interviews, although inspiring, quickly became repetitive. Many shows featured the same guests promoting the same books.

To remedy this, some podcasts begin with an enticing conceit. Book fight! Desert Island novels. But these ideas are often revealed as gimmicks. Others, merely dull. Just as reading shouldn’t be a chore, neither should listening to a book podcast.

Rather than dwell on tired formats, I tune into the shows that excite me about reading. The rise of #BookTok has led to an explosion of book podcasts targeted at Gen Z readers, with a real emphasis on fantasy and young adult romances. We’ve done our best to present a range of shows on this list, from casual reading to academic literary analyses.

Book podcasts allow us glimpses of other people’s shelves, creating a sense of community with readers we’d never otherwise meet. What better way to find your next great read? With all this in mind, here are the best book podcasts to get you excited about reading.

Borrowed

Borrowed, despite its name, feels original. Plenty of public libraries have their own podcasts these days. Many of them are excellent, like those from the NYPL. Borrowed, by the Brooklyn Public Library, does things a bit differently. The show has moved away from interviews and book reviews to deliver stories sourced from its local community, such as the history of Black women’s suffrage, why Brooklyn produces so many great writers, and tales from the library itself, asking that question we’ve all been dying to have answered: “What do librarians do all day?

Borrowed‘s latest episodes focus on banned books. Gone are the days when banning literature was a historical phenomenon, and Borrowed takes the time to bring the act of reading back to its political origins. You don’t have to live in Brooklyn to enjoy Borrowed, as each episode comes with its own curated book list, making the show a great resource that reminds us why we must fight to keep public libraries open.

Totally Booked

It’s not just moms that don’t have time to read. I struggle to keep up with the latest releases with a full time job, never mind with kids running around. Reading isn’t just about finding the time to become absorbed in a new world. A lot of research goes into choosing your next title, and being dissapointed is an inevitablility. Enter Totally Booked, formerly known as Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, to solve the discoverability problem. Zibby Owens is a pubisher, author and bookstore owner who interviews buzzy or underrated authors to help busy people figure out what to read next. Her interview style is relaxed and informal, bringing out the personalities of her guests while delivering all the information her listeners need to dive into a new book.

Debutiful

Hosted by writer Adam Vitcavage, the book podcast Debutiful is a show celebrating the strange, thrilling, and often terrifying experience of being a debut novelist. Listening to an interview with an author still wet around the ears is a gratifying experience. Sure, missing will be those pearls of wisdom that only come from writers who have been working for decades, but these newbies add an essential perspective on contemporary fiction. Fresh voices like Brandon Taylor, Mike Fu, and Maya Kessler remind us that great new talent is emerging daily. Vitcavage is a host who believes in his show, making Debutiful a slick and rewarding passion project.

The LRB Podcast

The London Review of Books is a literary institution. In circulation since 1979, the publication has also launched a bookshop in the trendy neighborhood of Bloomsbury that plays host to many high-profile literary readings. If you consider yourself to be “well-read,” whatever that means, you’ve likely picked up an LRB at least once. Their podcast could have been pretentious. It could have been dry. But through careful curation and the right hosts, the show has become almost canonical in the book podcast genre. Hosts Thomas Jones and Malin Hay discuss all manner of subjects, from current affairs to Agatha Christie. One of the reasons that The LRB Podcast is compelling is that it examines the world from a literary perspective, rather than analyzing books from an outsider’s vantage. It will appeal to those who still distinguish between the “private” and “public” spheres — or if you have an opinion on George Orwell that has very little to do with whether you enjoyed 1984.

Overdue

Whether you’re a defender of the canon or hungry for new literature, everyone has a list of books they’ve been meaning to read but haven’t quite got around to. Steinbeck, Austen — heck, have you read The Satanic Verses? Overdue is a podcast that rescues these sorts of books from your backlog, throwing contemporary literature and children’s books in with the classics, even covering high fantasy and cult favorites in the process. But if you’re feeling guilty for never finishing Middlemarch, worry not. Hosts Andrew Cunningham and Craig Getting have no interest in making you feel bad about your literary limitations. Overdue is a celebration, not a critique. And, most importantly, it’s a show packed with humor and insight. You can hear the joy the hosts take from reading radiate through the airwaves — after all, serious literature doesn’t need to be a drag. Just watch out for spoilers.

If Books Could Kill

Following the success of You’re Wrong About and Maintenance Phase, podcaster Michael Hobbes launched his newest show last year to immediate acclaim. If Books Could Kill is a podcast that debunks popular self-help and “smart thinking” books commonly purchased at airports and quickly discarded at your nearest thrift store. Think Atomic Habits or Rich Dad Poor Dad. With the addition of his pleasantly droll co-host Peter Shamshiri of 5-4 fame, Hobbes has perfected a popular format that could reinvent itself endlessly. As far as independent podcasts go, this is how to launch one. As we’ve mentioned before, the quest to “debunk” something because it’s harmful is a fair pursuit. Debunking things just because they happen to be popular, however, risks becoming self-indulgent. Nevertheless, If Books Could Kill is one of our favorite launches in recent memory.

The New Yorker: Fiction

The New Yorker: Fiction podcast features a monthly reading and conversation with some of the most renowned, exciting, and accomplished writers working today. Interviewed by the magazine’s fiction editor herself, Deborah Treisman, each guest reads a piece of prose — most often a short story — by another author previously published in The New Yorker. This podcast perfectly blends discussion with an exploration of the magazine’s vast archive, providing a pleasurable insight into how writers inspire each other with their work.

NPR’s Book of the Day

NPR’s Book of the Day is a daily show focused on the latest novels, poetry collections, and children’s books, delivering inspiring conversations in the time it takes to drink your morning coffee. The podcast doesn’t discriminate against genres, either.

Non-fiction, sci-fi, and fantasy books are all considered, allowing the listener (read: me) to expand their literary horizons. As is typical from NPR, the production is smooth. Smoother, even, than your medium roast. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pace of our world, Book of the Day is a welcome addition to a slower morning routine.

Backlisted

Backlisted has been around for almost a decade. In that time, it has grown to become one of the most popular book podcasts in the genre. Rather than focusing on the latest releases, the show turns attention to older novels, particularly 19th and 20th-century works. The show’s appeal can be attributed to a few things. Consistency. Knowledgeable guests. Steadily improving cover art. But the thing that keeps listeners coming back is the genuine fondness for literature that is palpable from everyone involved. You can fall in love or rekindle your interest in a novel after finishing an episode — a rare feat, even in a genre abounding with praise for reading.

Book podcasts tend to have two main problems: on the one hand, they can be rambly and unfocused; on the other, they can be so specific that their discussions become dry. Backlisted avoids both of these traps; its hosts, John Mitchinson and Andy Miller, know their James from their Wharton.

Books Unbound

Join Ariel Bissett and Raeleen Lemay as they devour as many books as they can fit into a weekly podcast. Books Unbound isn’t about analyzing texts or even a book club. This podcast is a celebration of reading, buying, and geeking out on books, reflecting how being a #reader has become an important identity marker for so many young people. Both Bissett and Lemay have made names on social media. Their mutual appreciation of books is not merely textual, it’s visual, too. Bissett is a prominent YouTuber, and there are elements of those videos in her podcasting. They both enjoy novels in numerous forms, from audiobooks and film adaptations to traditional paperbacks, which makes the show feel fresh and engaging for modern audiences. Few of us stick to one medium these days, so why not discuss books in a way that’s authentic to how we consume them? After all, who didn’t love Pride & Prejudice (2005)? With Books Unbound, you don’t just get a buoyant conversation about bookish things. You also get companionship.

Reading the Room

Every year, at literary festivals around the world, writers and readers gather for talks about books. It’s a simple format. A moderator offers a vaguely sycophantic line of questioning to a tired contemporary writer who will inevitably dodge the subject to return, once again, to their reading of Freud. Or Marx. Or — well, you get the picture. Nevertheless, the literary scene can’t get enough. Some people love talking about reading more than actually reading. If your feed is full of book podcasts, you might be one of them. We don’t judge. And the host of Reading the Room won’t either. Jaylen Lopez, of YouTube fame, invites literary writers to discuss their latest work in conversations that could be plucked from a sell-out talk at The Strand or Books Are Magic. These episodes have wide appeal, making them a great bet for intergenerational listening. Oh, and we recommend Lopez’s social media accounts, too. It’s always interesting to see what he’s reading at any given moment. If you are between literary festivals or just want to hear what’s new in contemporary literature, Reading the Room will tide you over.

Shedunnit

 

From cozy crime to Nordic Noir, crime fiction has a dedicated fanbase that can’t resist a plot twist. Crime-heads and Whodunnutters, as we’re calling them, also tend to be a highly social reading community. Book clubs for crime readers are flourishing from New York to Nigeria, thanks to the enduring appeal of a locked-door mystery or “secret twin” reveal. For better or worse, we still imagine most crime novels as being set in sleepy English villages, and Shedunnit leans into this image. If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie, cups of tea, and in-depth plot analysis, then this podcast is an immediate winner. Shedunnit is a very British podcast that relishes crime novels of all periods, but holds special reverence for classic books. Agatha Christie is a particular favorite, as are Penguin Classics. Much like the genre itself, this is real escapist podcasting. From Caroline Crampton’s posh delivery to the cozy episode topics, Shedunnit will appeal to BBC Radio 4 listeners everywhere.

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Alice Florence Orr is a staff writer and managing editor for Podcast Review. She is a writer and freelance media strategist.