Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode Title: Books Of The Year Season Peaks
Date: November 24, 2025
Hosts: Jeff O’Neal & Rebecca Schinsky

Episode Overview

Jeff and Rebecca convene amidst the annual “Books of the Year” season to discuss recent awards, reflect on Book Riot’s favorite reads of 2025, break down the National Book Awards, dissect literary trends (including the rise of “romantasy”), and share their thoughts on book deals, industry headlines, and the current audiobook landscape. The conversation taps into nostalgia, bookish community news, and what it means to engage deeply (and sometimes skeptically) with literature in a world overflowing with lists, lists, and more lists.

Key Discussion Points

Award Season: A Wide Open Year

Timing of Major Awards
- Pulitzer remains an outlier, announced in April/May, while most other lists (including National Book Awards and New York Times Notables) drop in the late fall ([01:07]).
- NYT Notables are expected imminently, followed by their Top 10.
Book Riot’s Own Best Books of 2025
- Recently released; a curated, genre-spanning selection with short editorial notes.
- Both hosts contributed: Jeff highlighted Audition by Katie Kitamura ([10:03]); Rebecca mentioned A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar and several others ([10:38]).
Genre Breakdown
- Book Riot separates Science Fiction and Fantasy, partly due to the “romantasy” explosion—a genre now big enough to merit its own Publishers Lunch listing ([11:10]).
- Romantasy is firmly established as its “own thing” ([12:15]).

National Book Awards Recap

Surprise Winner
- The True Story of Raja the Gullible and his Mother by Rabih Alameddine snatched the Fiction award—unselected in fantasy picks, against consensus guesses ([13:17]).
- “This was a year without a big book of the year. So it was kind of a wide open field for anybody to win.” – Rebecca ([15:01])
- Male literary novelists swept major awards this year, prompting some (unwanted) gender discourse ([16:21]).
- “Men have been reading novels. When more men are interested in engaging with literature, it’ll be right here for them.” – Rebecca ([57:14])
Other Noteworthy Winners
- Nonfiction: One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This by Omar El Akkad ([19:10]).
- Young People's Literature: Teacher of Nomadland, a WWII Story by Daniel Nayeri ([19:36]).
- Poetry: The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith ([20:12]).
- Translation: We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriel Cabezón Cámara, tr. Robin Myers ([20:12]).
BookTok Phenomenon
- On the Calculation of Volume—Internet and BookTok cult-favorite, now appearing on prize lists; hosts express interest in “serious” BookTok picks ([21:00]).

Book Riot and Podcast Community Updates

Zero to Well Read:
- New show has thrived with triple the audience size, thanks in large part to loyal Book Riot listeners. Currently ranked #2 in Apple's Books category ([03:24]).
- New season launching in January with more mainstream selections, but still oriented toward deeper critical engagement ([24:45]).
Book Riot Newsletter
- Growing resource for mainstream and casual readers—quick industry overviews, critical roundups, and occasional author features ([06:46]).

Industry News & Trends

Shein and Alibris Partnership
- Fast fashion giant Shein has teamed up with used book retailer Alibris, offering affordable used books and textbooks—a surprise, and potentially beneficial, approach to getting physical books to a young, cost-conscious, Gen Z audience ([29:30]).
- “This is not a fast fashion approach to books… used book selling is kind of antithetical to fast fashion and quickly produced and disposable items.” – Rebecca ([31:49])
- Noted that a third of survey respondents (n=11,000 US adults, skewing Gen Z) claimed to read daily or weekly ([30:49]).

Literary Internet Nostalgia

Lit Hub’s Literary Twitter Bracket
- Explores “greatest moments” in bookish Twitter history; hosts reflect on its insularity and transience ([34:09]).
- “I have no interest in revisiting it. Just none… The good old days of literary Twitter aren’t as good as I thought. Like these tweets. They’re fine.” – Jeff ([37:26])
- “Most of these were moments only as they were happening. They were funny only to the people who… had the full backstory or context.” – Rebecca ([38:13])
- Host takeaway: Bookish online community ebbs and flows, but depth and quality engagement remain elusive on most platforms, then or now ([39:34]).

Audiobooks: Rankings & Ruminations

Libro.fm's Top 10 Bestselling Audiobooks of 2025
- An engaging, mixed genre list reflecting mainstream tastes ([41:39]):
  - Onyx Storm
  - Sunrise on the Repayment
  - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  - Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
  - Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
  - And others.
- John Green’s popularity prompts this: “Only John Green could have made a book about tuberculosis popular.” – Rebecca ([46:37])
- Hosts discuss the challenge (and separate skillset) of listening to long audiobooks ([47:13]).
Audiobook Consumption Language
- A spirited conversation about how to refer to book engagement—since “read” is not quite accurate for audiobooks, but alternatives like “consumed” feel off. A call for listener suggestions ([43:26]).
- “We need a third umbrella term for having experienced the words of a book.” – Jeff ([42:26])
Desire for Audio-Specific Curation
- Jeff asks for more granular recognition of narrators and books that are exceptional specifically in audio, not just bestsellers ([48:39]):
  - “Translators are the narrators of audiobooks. They should get more shine.” – Jeff ([49:43])
  - Examples: Heartbreak by Florence Williams, Daisy Jones & The Six.
Audible “Best of 2025” Skepticism
- Audible’s list is similar but includes Originals and “Let Them Theory” (a 2024 book); Jeff and Rebecca call for stricter separation ([50:28]).

Reader Engagement & Book Selection

"A Thousand Books" Question
- Discussion of how many books are worthy of in-depth analysis: both hosts believe Book Riot (or “Zero to Well Read”) could run for hundreds, if not thousands, of episodes with worthy selections ([24:45]).
- “There’s at least a thousand, I think so over time.” – Rebecca ([24:02])
Frontlist Foyer: Recent Reads & Recommendations
- Rebecca: Flesh by David Szalay, 2025 Booker winner – praised for its risky narration and exploration of modern masculinity and agency ([53:11]):
  - “I found it to be kind of challenging and interesting and expansive in a, ‘Why is this person feeling this way? How and why has his life shaken out the way that it shaped out?’” – Rebecca ([57:54])
- Jeff: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – (“an artifact of human prose”) unexpectedly difficult to find in stores, reminded him why Christie remains the queen of mystery ([58:30]):
  - “In terms of plot and atmosphere and pacing, you can do no better.” – Jeff ([61:17])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On this year's unpredictability:
“This was a year without a big book of the year. So it was kind of a wide open field for anybody to win.” – Rebecca ([15:01])
On book awards and gender discourse:
“Now men are back in the center of the literary fiction conversation… It’s mostly reflective of a wide-open year where it was hard to guess who would win.” – Rebecca ([16:21])
On Shein’s unexpected used books play:
“Used book selling is kind of antithetical to fast fashion and quickly produced and disposable items.” – Rebecca ([31:49])
On BookTok trends bringing difficult/dense translated fiction into pop culture:
“I’m here for this kind of book being bubbled up to me because I’m more interested in this than a lot that I’ve seen before.” – Jeff ([22:41])
On nostalgia for literary Twitter:
“The good old days of literary Twitter aren’t as good as I thought. Like these tweets. They’re fine.” – Jeff ([37:26])
On audiobook terminology:
“We need a third umbrella term for having experienced the words of a book.” – Jeff ([42:26])
On special audiobook experiences:
“Where the medium itself becomes part of the experience, those deserve special recognition.” – Rebecca ([50:28])
On classic mystery craftsmanship:
“It is a seamless artifact of human prose.” – Jeff on Murder on the Orient Express ([61:17])

Timeline of Important Segments

[01:07] – Timeline of award announcements & anticipation of NYT Notables
[09:31] – Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025: List construction & genre breakdown
[13:17] – National Book Award (Fiction) surprise winner & discussion
[16:21] – Gender discourse and “wide open” awards season
[19:10] – Nonfiction & Translation award winners
[21:00] – BookTok, translated fiction, seven-book series fatigue
[29:30] – Shein & Alibris: Books on a fast-fashion platform
[34:09] – Literary Twitter Bracket: Bookish internet nostalgia
[41:39] – Libro.fm Top Audiobooks of 2025
[46:37] – John Green’s unlikely audio hit, audiobook listening cultures
[48:39] – Call for audio-centric curation and narrator recognition
[53:11] – Frontlist Foyer: Flesh by David Szalay, Murder on the Orient Express
[61:17] – Praise for Agatha Christie

Tone & Takeaways

This episode is cerebral, candid, and playful. The hosts blend industry insight, personal bookish quirks, and gentle snark to illuminate both the nature of contemporary reading and the quirks of the literary world. Whether pondering the relentless churn of awards season, relishing the unkillable allure of Agatha Christie, cheering for the rise of an unexpected genre, or pining (with some skepticism) for the good old days of literary Twitter, Jeff and Rebecca remain determined that the real value is in deep, critical, and joyful engagement with books—no algorithm or bracket can fully capture that.

Further Resources

Questions, recommendations, and requests welcome—email the hosts or submit holiday requests before the next episode ([62:01]).

Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode Title: Books Of The Year Season Peaks
Date: November 24, 2025
Hosts: Jeff O’Neal & Rebecca Schinsky

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points

Award Season: A Wide Open Year

Timing of Major Awards
- Pulitzer remains an outlier, announced in April/May, while most other lists (including National Book Awards and New York Times Notables) drop in the late fall ([01:07]).
- NYT Notables are expected imminently, followed by their Top 10.
Book Riot’s Own Best Books of 2025
- Recently released; a curated, genre-spanning selection with short editorial notes.
- Both hosts contributed: Jeff highlighted Audition by Katie Kitamura ([10:03]); Rebecca mentioned A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar and several others ([10:38]).
Genre Breakdown
- Book Riot separates Science Fiction and Fantasy, partly due to the “romantasy” explosion—a genre now big enough to merit its own Publishers Lunch listing ([11:10]).
- Romantasy is firmly established as its “own thing” ([12:15]).

National Book Awards Recap

Surprise Winner
- The True Story of Raja the Gullible and his Mother by Rabih Alameddine snatched the Fiction award—unselected in fantasy picks, against consensus guesses ([13:17]).
- “This was a year without a big book of the year. So it was kind of a wide open field for anybody to win.” – Rebecca ([15:01])
- Male literary novelists swept major awards this year, prompting some (unwanted) gender discourse ([16:21]).
- “Men have been reading novels. When more men are interested in engaging with literature, it’ll be right here for them.” – Rebecca ([57:14])
Other Noteworthy Winners
- Nonfiction: One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This by Omar El Akkad ([19:10]).
- Young People's Literature: Teacher of Nomadland, a WWII Story by Daniel Nayeri ([19:36]).
- Poetry: The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith ([20:12]).
- Translation: We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriel Cabezón Cámara, tr. Robin Myers ([20:12]).
BookTok Phenomenon
- On the Calculation of Volume—Internet and BookTok cult-favorite, now appearing on prize lists; hosts express interest in “serious” BookTok picks ([21:00]).

Book Riot and Podcast Community Updates

Zero to Well Read:
- New show has thrived with triple the audience size, thanks in large part to loyal Book Riot listeners. Currently ranked #2 in Apple's Books category ([03:24]).
- New season launching in January with more mainstream selections, but still oriented toward deeper critical engagement ([24:45]).
Book Riot Newsletter
- Growing resource for mainstream and casual readers—quick industry overviews, critical roundups, and occasional author features ([06:46]).

Industry News & Trends

Shein and Alibris Partnership
- Fast fashion giant Shein has teamed up with used book retailer Alibris, offering affordable used books and textbooks—a surprise, and potentially beneficial, approach to getting physical books to a young, cost-conscious, Gen Z audience ([29:30]).
- “This is not a fast fashion approach to books… used book selling is kind of antithetical to fast fashion and quickly produced and disposable items.” – Rebecca ([31:49])
- Noted that a third of survey respondents (n=11,000 US adults, skewing Gen Z) claimed to read daily or weekly ([30:49]).

Literary Internet Nostalgia

Lit Hub’s Literary Twitter Bracket
- Explores “greatest moments” in bookish Twitter history; hosts reflect on its insularity and transience ([34:09]).
- “I have no interest in revisiting it. Just none… The good old days of literary Twitter aren’t as good as I thought. Like these tweets. They’re fine.” – Jeff ([37:26])
- “Most of these were moments only as they were happening. They were funny only to the people who… had the full backstory or context.” – Rebecca ([38:13])
- Host takeaway: Bookish online community ebbs and flows, but depth and quality engagement remain elusive on most platforms, then or now ([39:34]).

Audiobooks: Rankings & Ruminations

Libro.fm's Top 10 Bestselling Audiobooks of 2025
- An engaging, mixed genre list reflecting mainstream tastes ([41:39]):
  - Onyx Storm
  - Sunrise on the Repayment
  - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  - Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
  - Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
  - And others.
- John Green’s popularity prompts this: “Only John Green could have made a book about tuberculosis popular.” – Rebecca ([46:37])
- Hosts discuss the challenge (and separate skillset) of listening to long audiobooks ([47:13]).
Audiobook Consumption Language
- A spirited conversation about how to refer to book engagement—since “read” is not quite accurate for audiobooks, but alternatives like “consumed” feel off. A call for listener suggestions ([43:26]).
- “We need a third umbrella term for having experienced the words of a book.” – Jeff ([42:26])
Desire for Audio-Specific Curation
- Jeff asks for more granular recognition of narrators and books that are exceptional specifically in audio, not just bestsellers ([48:39]):
  - “Translators are the narrators of audiobooks. They should get more shine.” – Jeff ([49:43])
  - Examples: Heartbreak by Florence Williams, Daisy Jones & The Six.
Audible “Best of 2025” Skepticism
- Audible’s list is similar but includes Originals and “Let Them Theory” (a 2024 book); Jeff and Rebecca call for stricter separation ([50:28]).

Reader Engagement & Book Selection

"A Thousand Books" Question
- Discussion of how many books are worthy of in-depth analysis: both hosts believe Book Riot (or “Zero to Well Read”) could run for hundreds, if not thousands, of episodes with worthy selections ([24:45]).
- “There’s at least a thousand, I think so over time.” – Rebecca ([24:02])
Frontlist Foyer: Recent Reads & Recommendations
- Rebecca: Flesh by David Szalay, 2025 Booker winner – praised for its risky narration and exploration of modern masculinity and agency ([53:11]):
  - “I found it to be kind of challenging and interesting and expansive in a, ‘Why is this person feeling this way? How and why has his life shaken out the way that it shaped out?’” – Rebecca ([57:54])
- Jeff: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – (“an artifact of human prose”) unexpectedly difficult to find in stores, reminded him why Christie remains the queen of mystery ([58:30]):
  - “In terms of plot and atmosphere and pacing, you can do no better.” – Jeff ([61:17])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On this year's unpredictability:
“This was a year without a big book of the year. So it was kind of a wide open field for anybody to win.” – Rebecca ([15:01])
On book awards and gender discourse:
“Now men are back in the center of the literary fiction conversation… It’s mostly reflective of a wide-open year where it was hard to guess who would win.” – Rebecca ([16:21])
On Shein’s unexpected used books play:
“Used book selling is kind of antithetical to fast fashion and quickly produced and disposable items.” – Rebecca ([31:49])
On BookTok trends bringing difficult/dense translated fiction into pop culture:
“I’m here for this kind of book being bubbled up to me because I’m more interested in this than a lot that I’ve seen before.” – Jeff ([22:41])
On nostalgia for literary Twitter:
“The good old days of literary Twitter aren’t as good as I thought. Like these tweets. They’re fine.” – Jeff ([37:26])
On audiobook terminology:
“We need a third umbrella term for having experienced the words of a book.” – Jeff ([42:26])
On special audiobook experiences:
“Where the medium itself becomes part of the experience, those deserve special recognition.” – Rebecca ([50:28])
On classic mystery craftsmanship:
“It is a seamless artifact of human prose.” – Jeff on Murder on the Orient Express ([61:17])

Timeline of Important Segments

[01:07] – Timeline of award announcements & anticipation of NYT Notables
[09:31] – Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025: List construction & genre breakdown
[13:17] – National Book Award (Fiction) surprise winner & discussion
[16:21] – Gender discourse and “wide open” awards season
[19:10] – Nonfiction & Translation award winners
[21:00] – BookTok, translated fiction, seven-book series fatigue
[29:30] – Shein & Alibris: Books on a fast-fashion platform
[34:09] – Literary Twitter Bracket: Bookish internet nostalgia
[41:39] – Libro.fm Top Audiobooks of 2025
[46:37] – John Green’s unlikely audio hit, audiobook listening cultures
[48:39] – Call for audio-centric curation and narrator recognition
[53:11] – Frontlist Foyer: Flesh by David Szalay, Murder on the Orient Express
[61:17] – Praise for Agatha Christie

Tone & Takeaways

Further Resources

Questions, recommendations, and requests welcome—email the hosts or submit holiday requests before the next episode ([62:01]).

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Books Of The Year Season Peaks

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Summary

Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points

Award Season: A Wide Open Year

National Book Awards Recap

Book Riot and Podcast Community Updates

Industry News & Trends

Literary Internet Nostalgia

Audiobooks: Rankings & Ruminations

Reader Engagement & Book Selection

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timeline of Important Segments

Tone & Takeaways

Further Resources

Summary

Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points

Award Season: A Wide Open Year

National Book Awards Recap

Book Riot and Podcast Community Updates

Industry News & Trends

Literary Internet Nostalgia

Audiobooks: Rankings & Ruminations

Reader Engagement & Book Selection

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timeline of Important Segments

Tone & Takeaways

Further Resources