Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode: National Book Awards Longlists, a Journey Into Literary History, and More
Hosts: Rebecca Schinsky & Vanessa Diaz
Date: September 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively and wide-ranging episode, Rebecca and Vanessa bring listeners up to speed on major book industry news—most notably developments in the Anthropic AI copyright lawsuit and the National Book Award longlists. The episode also features notable new and frontlist reads, plus the debut of a new recurring segment: Vanessa’s deep-dive into literary history. For this inaugural "rabbit hole," Vanessa leads a fascinating exploration of Agatha Christie’s life, her mysterious disappearance, and her enduring impact.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI Copyright Lawsuits – Landmark Author Settlement

Timestamps: [05:56] – [11:34]

• Anthropic’s $1.5 Billion Settlement:

  • Earlier this year, authors filed a class-action lawsuit against AI company Anthropic for training their models on pirated books.
  • "Anthropic agreed to pay a class action settlement of $1.5 billion. Billion with a B.” – Rebecca [07:52]
  • Each book is estimated to be compensated at about $3,000—a significant acknowledgement of author rights.
  • The settlement is described as “landmark” and “historic”; yet while substantial, it may represent a “cost of doing business” to a well-backed AI company.
  • Vanessa: "I did not know what was going to come of that. And that billion definitely took me by surprise." [07:52]

• Judicial Concerns & Delays:

  • The settlement’s approval was delayed after a judge raised issues about fairness and class completeness.
  • “He's concerned that they will get the shaft, which I was not aware of, could be used in a legal filing.” – Rebecca [09:48]
  • Authors now also suing Apple, with other tech giants (Meta, OpenAI) under similar scrutiny.

2. National Book Award Longlists Released

Timestamps: [12:01] – [18:47]

• Longlists Announced:

  • Lists for Young People’s Literature, Translated Lit, Poetry, and Nonfiction were out at recording; Fiction awaited.
  • Vanessa shares the “forever trend” of feeling behind on reading the longlisted titles.

• Highlights from the Lists:

  • Noteworthy nonfiction: One Day Everyone Will Always Have Been Against Us.
  • The young people’s lit longlist features Truth by Hannah V. Sawyer—“about a 17 year old girl getting an abortion in post-Roe America.” [13:12]
  • First Uzbek novel (We, Computers by Hamid Ismailov) on the translated list.
  • Han Kang (“beloved here at the Book Riot podcast, but also a Nobel Prize winner,” [14:28]) appears on the longlist for the first time.
  • Rebecca’s pick in the Fantasy Books League, Hunchback by SAO Ichikawa, made the translated literature list.

• Conversation on Reading Trends & Awards:

  • Both Vanessa and Rebecca discuss the challenge of keeping up with likely award contenders amid broader reading demands.
  • Discussion lands on the gap between genre fiction and major literary awards and hopes for more inclusivity.

3. Adaptations: ‘Audition’ Heads to the Screen

Timestamps: [17:50] – [18:47]

• Audition by Katie Kitamura is set for adaptation by Higher Ground, the Obamas’ production company, starring Charles Melton and Lucy Liu.
• Rebecca: “I am so interested in how this book is going to translate on screen because it’s kind of two books in one. A thing happens in the middle that turns your understanding of the first half of the book...” [18:47]

4. Front List Foyer – What We’re Reading

Timestamps: [22:29] – [32:36]

Vanessa’s Picks:

• Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman

  • “Classic... you’re gonna get a nice mystery out of this. And then my second pick could not be more different...” [23:17]
  • Features a “woman of a certain age being an amateur sleuth,” unintentionally aligning with Vanessa’s “personal algorithm.” [23:19]
  • Explores invisibility of older women: “...a lot of talk about, you know, how women of a certain age tend to be able to get away with stuff like this because society makes them invisible. ... I now want to go back and do some more Tess Monahan.” [24:04]

• The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson

  • “Blew my hair back. ... really cool and creepy.” [25:10]
  • A young Black gay artist in Baltimore is drawn into a haunted art exhibition that leads to time-traveling through cursed paintings.

Rebecca’s Picks:

• Ruth by Kate Reilly

  • “...mesmerizing. It gives us her entire life. We start off when she’s five or six, and we move up through every major developmental point of her life...” [26:33]
  • Quiet yet powerful look at life within a rare Christian commune, offering nuanced exploration of agency and belonging.
  • “It’s so quiet and so lovely and kind of all the more heartbreaking for being those things. I just loved it so much.” [29:53]

• The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy

  • “It’s so good. It’s out this week.” [30:26]
  • Follows a group of Black women, exploring race, class, geography, and friendship.
  • “[Flournoy is] operating on a different level. I am stoked for this one to come out in the world.” [31:45]

5. New Segment: Vanessa’s Literary Rabbit Hole – The Life of Agatha Christie

Timestamps: [34:00] – [77:08]

Segment Introduction:

• Vanessa introduces a new feature diving into literary history, debuting on Agatha Christie’s birthday.
• Rebecca: “This was a wonderful trip down the rabbit hole, Vanessa.” [76:58]

Agatha Christie: The Queen of Crime

• Early Life:

  • Born September 15, 1890; daughter of an American father and Irish-English mother.
  • Raised in privilege—“...anytime your house has a name, you got money.” [47:29]
  • Had a “vivid inner life” and taught herself to read, despite her mother’s reluctance.

• Family Dynamics & Influence:

  • Christie was called a “much-loved afterthought”:
    • “I don’t know that there are any adverbs or adjectives you can put before afterthought that make... there's no way to modify that. That really makes it better.” – Rebecca [43:30]
  • Generational trauma is echoed through her novels.
  • Her father’s financial collapse and sudden death radically changed her teen years.

• Early Writing Career:

  • Published local stories by age 11; writing provided refuge amid family turmoil.
  • Experiences during WWI, particularly volunteering at a pharmacy, led to her mastery of poison plots.

• Marriage & The Legendary Disappearance:

  • Marriage to Archie Christie was tumultuous, exacerbated by his infidelity.

  • December 1926: After her mother's death and Archie's affair, Christie disappeared for 11 days.

  • “She left her daughter in the care of... the maids... she takes off. She doesn’t say where she's going. She gets in her car. The car is found abandoned the next morning....” [64:23]

  • Registered at a spa under “Teresa Neal”—the surname of Archie’s lover.

  • Nationwide search ensued; ambiguity endures about whether it was a fugue state, carefully orchestrated act, or both.

    Rebecca: “The mystery... is not where Agatha Christie was. It’s did she have some kind of fugue state... or was this just all a grand performance by a writer who knew how to do these things?” [61:47]

    Vanessa: “I think she started to think that life was as predictable as the stories that she was crossing around.” [74:19]

• Legacy and Critique:

  • After the scandal, Christie remarried (archaeologist Max Mallowan), lived an expansive life, and wrote 70+ books, many adapted for stage/film, including the ever-running play The Mousetrap.
  • Christie’s work reflects both the innovations and limitations of her era—her travel and the British Empire’s reach shaped her oeuvre, but also involved unexamined colonialist attitudes.
  • Vanessa notes Christie was a “stone cold weirdo” whose “relative privilege and... being... the consummate little weirdo” gave rise to her literary imagination and, indirectly, her momentous disappearance. [74:28]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Billion with a B.” – Rebecca, on the Anthropic settlement [07:52]
• “Before afterthought... there’s no way to modify that. That really makes it better.” – Rebecca, on being called a “much-loved afterthought” [43:30]
• “She was very much a kid who was not around... other things.” – Vanessa, highlighting Agatha’s solitary and imaginative childhood [55:41]
• “If my mama died, we're headed towards Christmas, and now you tell me you want to leave me for some hussy? Like, I too am putting...” – Vanessa, on Christie's state of mind before disappearing [63:16]
• “Nationwide search ends up going down. No one knows where the hell she went off to... She was not the household name she like eventually became.” – Vanessa, on why Christie’s disappearance remained unsolved for days [64:52]
• “I think she started to think that life was as predictable as the stories that she was crossing around.” – Vanessa [74:19]
• “You’ve learned that a, you can just make up stories and that they will be your defense against a really hard world, that when something gets tough, just run away...” – Vanessa, on how Christie's upbringing informed her adult reactions [74:27]
• “Happy birthday to the Dame, the great Queen of Grim.” – Vanessa [77:07]

Important Segment Timestamps

• [05:56] – Anthropic AI copyright suit settlement
• [12:01] – National Book Awards longlists and trends
• [17:50] – Notable adaptations (Audition)
• [22:29] – Front List Foyer: new & recent reads
• [34:00] – Literary Rabbit Hole: Agatha Christie's life & disappearance

Tone & Flow

Light, witty, and conversational, with knowledgeable asides and playful rapport. Vanessa and Rebecca’s dynamic makes even deeper dives in literary history and complex industry news inviting and accessible.

For Further Exploration

• Links to news stories, award lists, and Front List Foyer titles referenced in the episode are provided in the show notes.
• Book Riot’s new flagship newsletter is recommended for staying up-to-date on all things book world (join 400,000+ fellow book nerds).

Closing Note

This episode melds book news, literary culture, and deft literary history—all suffused with Book Riot’s signature warmth and candor. The debut “rabbit hole” segment promises rich new returns for book lovers and curious readers alike.