This post has been a long time coming! Today I am rounding up the best book podcasts. If you are new here, you might not know this, but I am also one half of the bookish lifestyle podcast (Bad on Paper; which has a monthly book club). I’ve shamelessly included it in the list below and you should absolutely check it out if you haven’t already, but besides that I’ve included seven others, which I think you’ll really enjoy!
I’ve grown to really love book podcasts. Besides bookstagram, podcasts have become one of my absolute favorite ways to find new books… and the podcasts I’ve included below have so many great book recommendations! Also: during quarantine, my podcasts are definitely my “fake friends…” it’s always nice to have some calming, easy chatter on as I do chores, cook, edit photos, etc! Is there anything more relaxing than listening to people discuss books? For me, the answer is definitely not! Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this little list and maybe discover a new podcast or two to add to your lineup.
The Eight Best Book Podcasts!
Sarah’s Bookshelves
I just love Sarah’s podcast. Sarah is so honest (she can be brutal at times which I personally love!) but also has very good taste in books and definitely knows her stuff. I like how brutally honest she is. She always tells us when she DNF’s (does not finish), and her recommendations are always very on point. She’s someone I really trust with book recommendations. This shouldn’t matter but it does… I also find her southern accent incredibly relaxing to listen to! She also has a fantastic blog + bookstagram account! If you are interested, Becca and I guested on her podcast which you can listen to right this way.
And separately, she has a fantastic summer reading guide which I would definitely recommend checking out if you have the chance and/or are looking for a good summer book to read. If you love to read books you will love Sarah!
What Should I Read Next?
You have probably (definitely) already heard of What Should I Read Next?, hosted by Anne Bogel of the wildly popular blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy but I had to include it on the list, just in case! Anne isn’t just a reader; she has written two books and refers to her blog as a “lifestyle blog for nerds,” which I absolutely of course love. Sidebar: similar to me, she also has a weekly “links I love” column which is fantastic. Her podcast is a fantastic extension of her blog.
Every week, the podcast features interviews an avid reader who tells her three books they love, one book they don’t, and what they’re reading now. Then, based off of their favorite books, Anne tells her guest what they should read next! The real purpose of course is to help us, her listeners, figure out what WE should be reading next. This podcast is hugely popular for a reason – it’s very, very good. I loved her recent episode with Jennifer Weiner!
SSR Podcast
Okay so SSR Podcast with Alli Hoff Kosik is a play on “Silent Sustained Reading” (remember that?) but actually stands for “Shit She Read” podcast, which of course made me like it a lot from the name alone since I like a little irreverence from time to time (all the time). The tagline is “literary throwbacks revisited,” and this podcast is a lot of fun because she revisits old favorites to see whether they actually hold up. From The Babysitter’s Club to Harry Potter and beyond, it’s a lot of fun!
Also: Becca and I have been guests on Alli’s podcast. We read Sweet Valley High together (spoiler alert – it does not hold up, nope not even a little bit!!!) and you can listen to the episode here! We had a lot of fun talking to Alli and expressing our thorough outrage at how much we loved those books growing up. (HOW did our parents let us read that stuff!?!)
The Stacks Podcast
The Stacks, hosted by Traci Thomas, is a virtual book club PACKED with recommendations. Seriously, packed. Every week (on Wednesdays, like us), Traci chats with a different guest.. everyone from film + TV stars to community leaders, publishing pros, and of course best-selling authors.
The first part of every episode is a conversation with a guest about their reading habits and favorite books. Part two features a Stacks book club pick, where Traci and the guest get into a conversation about the book. I like that they feature a mix of both new releases and forgotten classics (like The Giver, by Lois Lowry) They also release mini episodes (The Short Stacks), every other Monday which feature shorter conversations with authors about their writing process, etc!
Bad on Paper Podcast
What’s life without a little shameless self-promotion!? Ha ha. But in case you are new here… besides my blog and instagram, I am also one half of the Bad on Paper Podcast, a weekly podcast which I co-host with one of my best friends, Becca Freeman. We’ve been doing it for a little over two years now. We started out reading only YA books but have since branched out. Every month, we have a monthly podcast book club (this month we are reading The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires which is SO FUN), and in between we have more lifestyle-y episodes where the two of chat, we interview great guests including Cindy Crawford and Graham Norton and sometimes interview authors too. And of course, at the end of every episode we talk about the things we are obsessed with and the books we are reading!
Book Riot
Okay so this is cheating a little bit as Book Riot actually has several different podcasts! You can find them all here. They are an empire – Book Riot is the largest largest independent editorial book site in North America!!!! Besides the podcast(s), their website is incredible, too. The main podcast is a weekly show with their editors, where they talk about book news and what’s new, cool, and worth talking about in the world of books and reading. All the Books is also very good, this is their weekly show of recommendations and discussions about the most interesting and exciting new book releases. Book Riot is the ultimate resource for book lovers as they cover an incredibly wide range of books across a variety of genres… everything from Young Adult to Sci-Fi, Romance, and even children’s books!
So Many Damn Books
Well I loved the name of this one, too! Books + curse words is clearly my genre!? So Many Damn Books is hosted by two men: Christopher Hermelin (a literary agent + founder of The Roving Typist) and Drew Broussard (a writer/producer). Both men are very well read and great interviewers and every other week they talk about reading, literature, publishing, and (of course) their quest to make it through their endless stack of so many damn books! I like that they come off as a little bit nerdy, and I also like that they blend high and low and don’t take themselves too seriously.
And of course I LOVE that they always have a themed drink in hand, too. And for some fun cocktail inspiration, their website features a “damn bar” tab, where they highlight all sorts of incredible sounding cocktails. If you’re looking to up your reading game AND your cocktail game, check these guys out – love them!
Smart Podcast, Trashy Books!
This one is for my romance book lovers! Hosted by Sarah Wendell, Smart Podcast, Trashy Books is a weekly podcast where she interviews everyone in the book space (authors, readers, reviewers, bloggers, publishing professionals, librarians, editors, ETC!) about romance novels! Frequent topics include romance novels, the way the genre is changing, and the brilliant and interesting people who read, write, and produce it, and issues common among romance readers. It’s packed with book recommendations. Sarah also has a website, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, with even more great book reviews and recommendations. She’s an OG in the book space (the community was launched back in 2005, which is wild to me – she’s a pioneer!) I love that she’s sassy and snarky and not afraid to be a little bit silly.
Banging Book Club
Banging Book Club is sadly now defunct but it was great, so I wanted to include it here! It was hosted by three reading women and friends (Hannah Witton, Lucy Moon and Leena Norms); who decided to read a book about sex and gender every month. I loved this podcast as it just feels like hanging out with three girlfriends (with adorable British accents). They chose fun books like Men are from Mars, Women from Venus and Fifty Shades of Grey. In each episode they “bang out” the blunders and best bits of the book they are reading… and share a bit about their own experiences.
So it’s a little bit sex and relationships, and of course, a book club. I’m sad that they’re gone as it was a very fun podcast! It seems that all three girls got a bit busy with their own individual projects. But the book club was great while it lasted.
What are your favorite book podcasts!? It was hard to narrow this list down to a manageable 8!
PS – for more podcast recs, check out the best true crime podcasts and my favorite uplifting podcasts! And on the reading front for more book recs and people to follow on Instagram, definitely check out my list of the best bookstagram accounts!
Anne and I live in the same city; we run into each other on occasion, and meet up for coffee once in a while. I can assure you that she’s every bit as delightful in person as she comes across on Modern Mrs. Darcy and What Should I Read Next. She’s brilliant, completely unassuming, and so very kind and thoughtful! She never brags that “oh, I got to interview Liane Moriarty at our local bookstore’s event”, and she’s the picture of Smart Mom Chic in her signature bangs and Tieks. Glad to hear that her bookish message resonates with others as much as it does with me!!
Ah that makes me so happy to hear; she seems like. a real gem!!!
Haha, I was going to say, don’t you have your own book podcast? Thanks for sharing this list! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
You’re welcome! xo
I have been waiting for this post. I needed to find some new podcasts and books for that matter. I can’t wait to check them all out!
Stephanie | SPV Living
Oh good, I hope you like them! Happy listening / reading!
Hi Grace, this is such a great post, I love to read! I am really getting into my podcasts these days too. I can’t wait to check these out. I know you would love red handed , two British women doing true crime stories. They are great. I’m also loving some cooking podcasts like; Radio Cherry Bomb and Home Cooking ( from Samin Nosrat of Salt, Fat, acid, heat , great cookbook and Netflix series!)
Ooooh thank you so much for the recs!!!!
The NYTimes Book Review podcast is amazing too. Pamela Paul does a great job hosting and the author interviews are always very insightful. The roundups at the end of what books the team is reading are always really interesting as well.
YES! I totally forgot to include them on this list!
I am beyond excited about this blog post! I’ve been desperately needing new podcasts to listen to on my walks during quarantine- this is perfect! I’m really excited to dive into these- thanks so much for taking the time to share!! 🙂
Oh good, I am so glad!!!
I love this list! I have such a thing for book podcasts- love Sarah´s Bookshelves and What Should I Read Next (obviously Bad on Paper is my fav) A really great one is From the Front Porch. It´s hosted by an independent book store owner in Georgia, Annie Jones and she is wonderful. It has made me want to go to Georgia just to visit her store!
Thank you so much for the recommendation! I will check it out. I feel like I’ve heard of that!
Thank you so much for including me! I’m honored and always try to be honest!
You do an amazing job!!!!!
I love Novel Pairings! It’s a great way to combine my occasional love for classics and also my love for more contemporary books!
ooh thank you for the rec – I am going to check that out!
I love Anne Bogel’s one great book podcast. It’s not always active but when she does seasons the podcasts are only five minutes and recommend only her absolute faves! Of course love BOP as well ❤️
Excited to check that one out too!!!!
I second From the Front Porch. Annie makes me want to pack up and move to Georgia. As a booklover, I’m fascinated by the ins and outs of actually owning an independent bookstore. Seems like a dream job, but Annie is honest about what comes with the territory.
I loved Books on the Nightstand, although they stopped releasing new episodes back in July 2016. I still miss them! They were early adopters into the podcasting world and started in 2008. The hosts were sales reps for Penguin and hosted the podcast on the side.
So excited to check this one out (I’ve also fascinated by the idea of owning a book shop!)
Can you please try to have Anne Bogel on the podcast?? That would be great! Thank you!!
Any chance you could do a feature in the future on your favourite blogs with the best ‘Links I Love’? Always looking for inspiration! Thank you.
Give Cup of Jo and Jess Ann Kirby a Try!
I’ve been listening to Book Riot’s All The Books the longest. It’s great for general round-ups. And even if you *think* you don’t like romance novels….give a Smart Bitches a try! The main interviewer Sarah is awesome. She’s done a great job of having Big Conversations (on racism, sexism, and the publishing industry) but also being fun and silly. I wasn’t a big reader of romance until I found contemporary romances, which are basically just like rom-coms! Now I’m a fan. And of course I listen to BOP. I tore through The Book Club’s Guide. Looking forward to your discussion.
Love a good contemporary romance! x
I love “currently reading” the hosts all have differing reading interests and they keeps it only on book talk and move along quickly enough that by the end of the podcast I have a ton of books to add to my TBR list!
Thank you so much for the rec!
The Losers’ Club is great for Stephen King junkies; it’s the best Stephen King podcast out there. I also love By the Book, which is about two women who live by different self help books (I think they might have been guests on your podcast? I can’t remember). For writers, First Draft is brilliant.
What Should I Read Next? is the only book podcast I listen to! Anne is amazing. 🙂 Cannot wait to check out your other recommendations!
You should definitely add “Getting Lit’ to this list. It’s a podcast that focuses on helping people diversify their booklist by highlighting new diverse reads coming out each month.
Thank you so much for the rec!