What To Read

Talking about a book you’ve read with another reader can be a magically bonding experience. Even when you wildly disagree, you can share observations of having traveled to the same remote corners of your imagination. The next best thing? Book podcasts let you turn on the tap of book talk—on a run, in traffic, during a bath or just about any place—at any time. Yet, there are too many literary podcasts to choose from. Here are 13 of the best book podcasts that Tertulia’s pod-fanatic curatorial team thinks are worthy of your attention. Enjoy!

New & Promising

#1. The Booker Prize Podcast

Launching on July 6, this weekly literature podcast will feature interviews and commentary about classic novels and hidden gems that have been honored as Booker finalists. The show is co-hosted by author and scholar Jo Hamya (Three Rooms) and critic James Walton, who was the host of the legendary BBC lit quiz The Write Stuff. Add this one to your queue so you don’t miss episode #1 on Thursday! 

Apple  Spotify

The Book Podcast You Wish Was Seated Next to You at Dinner

#2. The LARB Radio Hour

This weekly interview podcast hosted by a few LA Review of Books editors is reliably smart and thoughtful without being pretentious — and it offers great book recommendations.  Just recently, Hernan Diaz dropped by to recommend some works by a few Norwegian writers. Other guests have included Andrew Sean Greer, Hilton Als, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Maggie Nelson. One fave episode was Patti Smith talking about her extended Substack writing project inspired by her experience of the pandemic. 

Apple Spotify

The Literature Podcast that Makes Fun of the Bestselling Books That Make You Roll Your Eyes

#3 If Books Could Kill

Let’s face it. Sharing disdain for books is almost as fun as sharing fondness for them. If Books Could Kill is the product of the smart and snarky banter of hosts Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri about what they call “the airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds.” In a recent episode, they pull no punches in a withering takedown of James Clear’s Atomic Habits, which they describe as “a string of blog posts” that is “gratingly repetitive”— even though it has sold a phenomenal 15 million copies! 

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The Guilty Pleasure That Spares You From Reading Celebrity Memoirs

#4 The Celebrity Memoir Book Club

Get ready to laugh (a lot) and cry (crocodile tears) and get your celebrity gossip fix on the weekly Celebrity Memoir Book Club. Hosts Claire and Ashley are best friends and stand-up comedians who started the podcast in 2020 and have now taken their show on the road in live performances. The weekly podcast takes a deep dive into the tell-all memoirs of stars from Paris Hilton to Jane Fonda to Cicely Tyson. Vogue described the pod as deftly balancing “a tongue-in-cheek, humorous look at its celebrity specimens with generous doses of empathy."

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If You Fantasize About Being a Literary Critic 

#5 The Maris Review 

The familiar voice of author and critic Maris Kreizman calms us down when it seems like the world is crashing down. Among the best literature podcasts, her podcast is like a magical elixir on tap of great author interviews that reveal insights into literary craft, book recommendations and intimate anecdotes about the writing life. Recent guests on her interview roster, which reads like a literary fiction hall-of-fame, include Tania James (Loot), Keziah Weir (The Mythmakers) and S.A. Cosby (All the Sinners Bleed).

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If You’re Too Anti-Social To Be in a Book Club

#6 Books & Boba

If you want podcasts about books without having to join in the weekly in-person social tradition, this is the pod for you. In this podcast, which focuses on a wide range of books by Asian and Asian American authors, the hosts actually dig into the plot and craft of the novels, just as you might in a class or book club. Hosts Marvin Yueh and Reera You invite some great authors on to the show and give you a dose of literary news in between these sincere discussions of the books featured. 

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If You Fancy a Fireside Chat with Oprah and Abraham Verghese 

#7 The Covenant of Water: The Podcast

This brand-new series produced by Oprah’s Super Soul media operation is a deep dive on the runaway bestseller and critics’ darling The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. If you experienced a major comedown after finishing the novel, you can sink into 6 episodes of intimate conversation between the author and one of his biggest fans (Oprah!) about the inspiration behind the book.

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For When You Just Want Someone to Read to You

#8 LeVar Burton Reads

Not everybody loves audio books, which can be a big commitment when they consume so many hours of headphone time; plus, the narrators can be unreliable. But there are a few reading podcasts that give you a quick fix of reading in each single episode. Our faves include LeVar Burton Reads, in which the actor and literacy superhero brings his Reading Rainbow concept to adults by reading short fiction.

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If You Love Discovering Forgotten and Classic Backlist Gems 

#9 Backlisted

We think that the folks at Backlisted are doing God’s work. So much media attention goes to new releases that readers are bombarded with coverage, while it becomes harder and harder for readers to serendipitously discover older books that they love. Hosts John Mitchinson and Andy Miller (and their guests) show their amazing passion and knowledge of books in this pod dedicated to one single backlist book per episode from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening to Dashiell Hammet’s The Maltese Falcon. 

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If You Put as Much Stock in Ordinary Readers' Reviews as Literary Critics

#10 What Should I Read Next? With Anne Bogel

Anne Bogel, author of the blog the Modern Mrs. Darcy, is on a mission to help her listeners explore the books and genres that they are going to love by hosting lively conversations with readers themselves. It’s one of our favorite literature podcasts because she’s warm, authentic and talented at drawing out thoughtful recommendations from regular well-read people that don’t necessarily bring a literary “insider” angle. That said, we also loved her recent episode with a screen development executive about how books become TV and film adaptations.  

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If You Want to Be Inspired by Some of the Great Female Authors of Our Time

#11 Bookshelfie

Bookshelfie, a weekly pod from the Women’s Prize for Fiction is an inspiring celebration of female authors featuring such guests as Madeline Miller, Maggie O’Farrell and Bonnie Greer. Check out the recent episode with Women’s Prize winner Barbara Kingsolver talking about Demon Copperhead.

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If You Want Deep Insight Into the Minutiae of Your Favorite Reads

#12 Between the Covers

You know that feeling when it’s clear in a book podcast that the host hasn’t actually read the book? Well, that never happens with David Naimon on his podcast produced with publisher Tin House. His encyclopedic knowledge of literature, along with his thoughtful and intense interviewing approach, makes you feel like you’re getting smarter just by listening. Episodes we love have included interviews with Junot Diaz, George Saunders and most recently Katie Holten on her book The Language of Trees. 

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To Get Some Inspiration for Your Next Read from a Beloved Book Influencer

#13 Moms Don’t Have Time to Read 

Book influencer, author and now publisher Zibby Owens invites an awe-inspiring roster of contemporary authors to come talk to her about their most recent books. We loved the recent episode with Julia Whelan about her very meta rom-com about a former actress turned audio book narrator.

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Honorable Mention

If you’re a fan of the best book podcasts and you haven't checked out the Hark Audio app, you are in for a treat. The editors at Hark Audio curate the most interesting literature podcast moments into playlists personalized for you. In the sphere of books, they've put together their signature "mix tapes" for authors reading from their own books, genre round-ups, and even interview clips for beloved authors like Sally Rooney.