All Of It – Wrapping Up the 2025 Summer Reading Challenge!

Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Episode Date: September 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode celebrates the finale of WNYC’s 2025 Summer Reading Challenge. Host Alison Stewart is joined by producer Jordan Loft ("Get Lit" and Summer Reading Challenge), listeners, and book lovers to recap standout reading moments, explore trends in reading selections, and share recommendations. The conversation highlights memorable participant feedback, the most popular books and categories, and thoughtful commentary on the value and connections found through the summer’s literary journeys.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Challenge Milestones & Listener Accomplishments

• Bigger and Better:

  • Participation numbers soared: 1,338 signed up, 353 completed the challenge (5 books in 5 categories, June 1st – Labor Day).

  • Alison expresses pride and gratitude for an “incredible year” with “[numbers] blown out of the water” compared to 2024.

  • Listener feedback underscores the challenge’s role in stretching reading habits and exposing people to new genres.

    “This was my first time taking part… and it was very enjoyable. I feel proud of myself for finishing and I got to read some great books I’d been meaning to get to.”
    — Shane from Los Angeles [01:24]

Patterns, Trends, and Challenges

• New Category Impact:

  • Most participants chose memoirs (not biographies) in the “biography or memoir” category, likely due to memoirs’ brevity and accessibility as summer reads.

    “Biographies are long. It’s not necessarily something you want to lug with you to the beach.”
    — Jordan Loft [02:56]

• More Personal Choices:

  • This year, readers weren’t guided by a major published list (like last year’s New York Times Top 100); choices felt less consensus-driven and more individual.

• Librarian Heroes:

  • Multiple listeners praised librarians, both for their own participation and for helping readers discover suitable books, especially debut novels.

    “Shout out to the Neptune library librarian who pulled four or five debut novels for me…”
    — Carol in Neptune, NJ [04:30]

• Category Confusion:

  • The “debut novel” category confused some; people sometimes picked later works or misunderstood the timeframe.

    “Some people said, you know, in this category, I read Wally Lamb’s fifth novel, which technically doesn’t count. …We’ll send you your prize anyway.”
    — Jordan Loft [05:03]

Hosts’ and Producer’s Summer Reads

Jordan Loft’s List:

• Classic: East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
• NYC: Severance (Ling Ma)
• Debut: Maggie or A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar (Katie Yeezy)
• Memoir: The Color of Water (James McBride)
• 2025 Release: Daughters of the Bamboo Grove (Barbara Demick) [05:34]

Alison Stewart’s List:

• Classic: Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov) — “Language rich, completely strange… well crafted.” [06:33]
• NYC: We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade (Elise Aaron)
• Debut: The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery (Clarence Hine) — “Spooky story… glamorous NY publicists, ghosts, a queer Latinx psychic… it was great.” [06:33]
• Memoirs: Charles Sumner (Zakir Tammies); Wild Thing (Sue Prudho)
• 2025 Release: Vera or Faith (Gary Shteyngart) [08:45]

Listener & Community Highlights

Caller & Text Standouts

• Lincoln's Lady Spymaster
  • Rita from Manhattan recommended Lincoln’s Lady Spymaster by Jerry Willis [09:05].
• Agatha of Little Neon
  • Lucia from Michigan praised Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Lucette:
    “It’s just this beautiful little book. I think the language is pretty simple, but it feels like every word is very intentional and conveys a lot of humor.” [09:32]
• Themes of Connection Across Diverse Books
  • Listeners shared how their five challenge books, though disparate, shared unexpected connections (e.g., overlapping themes or similar character arcs).

    “Unintentionally, I found overlaps… two books about Nigerian immigrants, three books with deep connections to New York City, four books about the experience of being an outsider…”
    — Sophie in Brooklyn [11:52]

Popular Books and Genres in Each Category

Classics

• Most Read:
  • The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)—at its 100th anniversary, accessible length, and for many, a first-time read.

    “The challenge finally got me to read The Great Gatsby after 40 plus years of starts and stops.”
    — Bill from Norwalk, CT [13:01]

  • James Baldwin’s works; Edith Wharton resurgences (possibly due to HBO’s The Gilded Age).
  • East of Eden book club “mini-trend” especially influenced by Jordan’s advocacy on the show.

Memoir/Biography

• Most Popular:
  • How to Lose Your Mother (Molly Jong Fast)—exploring her relationship with her mother, Erika Jong.

    “I loved Molly’s perspectives and her conflicted feelings about the relationship she had with her mother. A brilliant and difficult woman.”
    — Jean from Chatham, NJ [17:52]

  • All the Beauty in the World (Patrick Bringley)—memoir by a Met Museum guard, highlighted for offering a unique lens on the museum experience.

Book About or Set in New York City

• Most Read:
  • The Doorman (Chris Pavone)—abundant praise for its authentic NYC feel.

    “We see all kinds of goings on from other characters. …It really resonated authentically with each area.”
    — Eileen from Weehawken [21:13]

  • Play Worlds (Adam Ross)
  • Rules of Civility (Amor Towles)

    “I read this novel with Billie Holiday playing softly in the background while sipping a French 75. …That sounds like a great day to me.” — Judy in Yorktown Heights (read by Jordan) [24:10]

  • Four Squares (Bobby Finger) — praised for LGBTQ+ perspectives on love and aging.

Debut Novels

• Most Chosen:
  • Martyr (Kaveh Akbar)
  • The Names (Florence Knapp)
  • Blob (Maggie Stuart)—“about a woman who finds this sort of amorphous blob and shapes him into her dream man.” [26:16]
  • Lonely Crowds (Stephanie Wambugu)

    “The author told an unexpected, deeply felt story. And I love a story with no easy answers.”
    — Laura in Pleasantville [26:42]

2025 Releases

• Most Popular:
  • Emperor of Gladness (Ocean Vuong)—novel about addiction, depression, and an intergenerational friendship.
  • King of Ashes (S.A. Cosby)—a violent thriller about family, gangs, and crime in Virginia/Atlanta.

    “Violent, gory, will keep you turning pages… A lot of our listeners seemed to really love that book.”
    — Jordan Loft [27:43]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Diverse Reading:

  “The Summer Reading Challenge always leads me to read a wide array of books that I may not have selected otherwise.”
  — Christine in Yorktown Heights [00:54]

• On the Value of Librarians:

  “Librarians, both as participants and as helpers… were some of the heroes of this challenge.”
  — Jordan Loft [03:55]

• On Thematic Serendipity:

  “In the end, there are themes that resonate between all five of them. I think that’s great.”
  — Jordan Loft [12:37]

• On Classic Literature Surprises:

  “I was surprised at how much Edith Wharton there was…”
  — Jordan Loft [13:45]

• On Memoirs Gaining New Respect:

  “You know how I feel about memoirs, but I think it’s taking a turn personally.”
  — Alison Stewart [17:15]

• On the Community Experience:

  “I love seeing what you’re reading and reading along with you. So thanks again so much for making this such a blast.”
  — Jordan Loft [29:39]

Timestamps – Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |-------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:07 | Alison welcomes listeners; reflects on challenge success & reads participant feedback | | 02:56 | Jordan Loft explains observed patterns/trends, librarian involvement, debut plot confusion | | 05:34 | Jordan & Alison share their personal challenge picks | | 09:05–16:10 | Listener calls & texts: recommendations and reading experiences | | 12:45 | On classics: popular choices, trends, notable first-time reads | | 17:15 | Memoir/Biography segment: shifting attitudes, standout picks | | 21:13 | More listener calls; NYC book highlights | | 25:09 | Reviewing debut novel confusion and most-read debuts | | 27:43 | Discussion of most popular 2025 releases | | 29:01 | Challenge prize details; closing congratulations |

Conclusion & Next Steps

• Prize Info: For the first time, a unique, challenge-exclusive prize was crafted for finishers.
• Community: The Summer Reading Challenge fostered connections, broadened reading horizons, and inspired new preferences.
• Get Lit: Listeners are invited to get ready for the upcoming “Get Lit” series.

Overall Tone & Takeaway:
The episode exudes warmth, support, and curiosity. The hosts and guests celebrate not only literary accomplishments, but also the deep engagement of the WNYC community, diversity in selections, and the serendipitous connections that reading brings. This wrap-up stands as both a celebration and an invitation—to keep reading, sharing, and connecting.