As readers, we’re always in search of new book recommendations. But for some reason, getting random recommendations from just about anyone doesn’t really appeal to us either. That is when podcasts on books can be of some help. You can listen to avid readers talk about their favorite books and find out what they are currently reading. Just the enthusiasm with which they talk about these books is enough to get you interested in the books they recommend. Here are our favorite book podcasts that we recommend you listen to the next time you find yourself wondering what to read next or in need of a conversation about books.
With prose and paint
Reading Women
Reading Women is a podcast that strictly only discusses books that are either penned by females, for females or on females. Longtime friends Kendra Winchester and Autumn Privett launched the podcast in June 2016 to discuss the female voices and perspective in literature. The podcast gets updated every fortnight and currently has around 65 aired episodes. All of the episodes are approximately 35 minutes long and they cover a variety of topics under their main theme like book reviews, interviews with authors, their own reading lists, book awards recaps, and reviews among other things. They also have a specific theme for most months and release episodes that match with the theme throughout the month. And, every now and then, they also reward their listeners by dropping bonus episodes.
Literary Disco
To be honest, Literary Disco can’t really be categorized as a book podcast since talking about books and novels is only a small part of this bi-weekly podcast. The three hosts –Julia Pistell, who is an essayist and radio personality; Tod Goldberg, who is a novelist and a literary critic; and Rider Strong, who is an actor and a filmmaker – talk about everything related to reading during their recording session. And they cover a wide range of reading materials, from essays and articles to graphic novels and children’s stories. The podcast has been running since 2012 and is currently nearing its 150th episode upload mark. All their episodes are about an hour long and anyone who is interested in reading (anything) can benefit from the content they put out. Most of their episodes can be divided into two segments – the first one being a fun reading related game and the second covering the last book, article, essay or story that they read.
Banging Book Club
Unlike the other podcast series mentioned in this list, Banging Book Club is actually a podcast that isn’t currently being recorded. The podcast started in January 2016 and its last episode was aired in February this year. In total, it has 47 episodes that are anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour long. But, you can still listen to this podcast on any podcasting app or website that’s available to you. The three hosts Hannah Witton, Lucy Moon, and Leena Norms focus heavily on the representation of sex and gender in the books they discuss. They make it a point to read out loud their favorite sections from the books they discuss and every now and then they also delve into their personal experience and incidents related to the topic they’re conversing about. All in all, this is a highly entertaining and informative podcast that you can listen to when you’re commuting or doing mindless domestic tasks.
Book Riot
Book Riot is an independent editorial book site that puts out excellent audio, visual, and written content targeting readers of all demographics and interests. Their eponymous podcast series is no different. It’s a weekly podcast that started in May 2015 and has over 300 episodes till date. It has a variety of hosts and the host lineup changes every episode or so. In their hour long episodes, the Book Riot team covers book reviews, news related to books and authors, book related awards and their winners, reading list of some famous individuals (like Barack Obama), laws and rules related to books and publishing and literally anything hot and happening in the literary world. Although it’s a long running series, you can listen to any random episode of the Book Riot podcast and still be able to understand all their references and jokes.
Overdue
All of us have that list of books that we have been meaning to read but haven’t gotten around to for some reason. If you’re overwhelmed by the number of books you’ve categorized as ‘to-be read’, Overdue is the perfect podcast for you. Its hosts, Andrew Cunningham and Craig Getting, pick books they like and ease their listeners into these books. They single out popular and critically acclaimed books from all genres like classics, non-fiction to the current bestsellers and review them on air. Their reviews include the plot summary, writing background of its author, readers’ perception of these books and their personal opinions of the book as well. This weekly podcast started in February 2013 and has over 300 episodes till date.
