Podcast Summary: Book Riot - The Podcast

Episode Title: Talking Audiobooks with Spotify & FLASHLIGHT by Susan Choi
Release Date: June 2, 2025
Hosts: Jeff O’Neill and Rebecca Shinsky
Guests: Katie Del Rosario (Associate Director of Audiobook Editorial, Spotify) and Sharifah Williams

Introduction

In this episode of Book Riot - The Podcast, hosts Jeff O’Neill and Rebecca Shinsky delve into the expanding world of audiobooks with a special focus on Spotify's audiobook offerings. The episode is split into two main segments: an insightful interview with Katie Del Rosario from Spotify and a thoughtful discussion with Sharifah Williams about the highly anticipated novel Flashlight by Susan Choi.

Segment 1: Exploring Spotify's Audiobook Landscape with Katie Del Rosario

Timestamp: [00:56] – [30:28]

Overview:
Jeff and Rebecca welcomed Katie Del Rosario, Spotify's Associate Director of Audiobook Editorial, to discuss Spotify's growing audiobook catalog, editorial strategies, and future prospects in the audiobook industry.

Key Points:

1. Spotify's Audiobook Catalog Expansion
   Katie highlighted Spotify's extensive collection of over 400,000 audiobooks available across multiple English-speaking territories, including recent expansions to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.

   "We have more than 400,000 audiobooks available. It's a mind-boggling number in our catalog..." ([03:06])

2. Listening Benefits for Premium Subscribers
   Spotify offers 15 hours of audiobook listening per month to its premium users in English-speaking regions and 12 hours in other territories.

   "Clients can enjoy 15 hours of audiobook listening with premium every month." ([04:42])

3. Growth and User Engagement
   Katie shared impressive growth statistics, noting a 35% year-over-year increase in listening hours. She emphasized Spotify's aim to attract casual listeners to audiobooks.

   "We've seen over 35% growth in listening hours year over year, which is super exciting." ([04:46])

4. Curating Backlist Titles
   Spotify successfully reintroduced interest in backlist and niche titles, with seven of the top ten audiobooks being backlist entries, five of which are over five years old.

   "We've really been able to breathe new life into the backlist and niche titles." ([06:12])

5. Human and Algorithmic Curation
   The platform employs a blend of human editors and algorithmic recommendations to personalize audiobook suggestions, ensuring a curated and engaging user experience.

   "It's a great blend of human efforts and algorithmic efforts." ([10:24])

6. Original Audiobooks and Innovative Features
   Spotify is venturing into original audiobook content, integrating innovative features like Follow Along, which synchronizes audiobook narration with relevant music tracks.

   "Follow Along is an immersive experience that connects audiobook narration to the music itself." ([13:08])

7. Popular Genres and Trends
   The most popular genres include spicy romance, music memoirs, and book-to-screen adaptations. Notably, spicy romance appeals to a broader audience, including an increase in male listeners.

   "Spicy romance was the third most popular genre, with male listenership growing from 9% to 15% as the content got spicier." ([15:11])

8. Editorial Goals and Future Plans
   Katie expressed hopes for the continued growth of the audiobook industry and outlined Spotify's upcoming initiatives, including the launch of the Editor’s Picks program to highlight top titles each month.

   "We're focused on building out our editorial brand and launching our new Editor's Picks program in July." ([28:55])

Notable Quotes:

• "Our goal is really to introduce audiobook listening to a super casual audience." – Katie Del Rosario ([04:46])

• "We're able to find new audiences for these titles and create new revenue streams for publishers and authors." – Katie Del Rosario ([06:26])

Segment 2: Book Review - Flashlight by Susan Choi with Sharifah Williams

Timestamp: [30:28] – [56:55]

Overview:
Sharifah Williams shares her first impressions of Susan Choi's Flashlight, discussing the book's narrative structure, character development, and thematic elements. Jeff and Sharifah provide a candid review, highlighting both strengths and challenges encountered during their reading experience.

Key Points:

1. Initial Impressions and Narrative Structure
   Flashlight begins with a vignette of a young girl, Louisa, and her father on the coast of Japan in the late 70s, introducing a complex, non-linear narrative that oscillates between different timelines and perspectives.

   "There's a lot of moving back and forth across time and location. It's disorienting." – Jeff O’Neill ([31:02])

2. Character Development and Emotional Depth
   The book delves deep into the internal lives of its characters, particularly focusing on Louisa and her strained relationship with her mother, Anne.

   "Choi writes a beautiful sentence, but the blocks of paragraphs made it feel like I was getting through a lot more of the book than I actually was." – Sharifah Williams ([32:04])

3. Themes of Trauma and Isolation
   Central to the story is the mysterious disappearance of Louisa’s father and the ensuing emotional toll on the family, exploring themes of trauma, identity, and belonging.

   "The family dynamic is really toxic and overused, but it's not that." – Jeff O’Neill ([40:06])

4. Plot Progression and Pacing
   Both reviewers found the early portion of the book challenging due to its dense writing and fragmented storytelling but appreciated the narrative momentum as the story progressed.

   "The back half I found fairly interesting. It comes together pretty quickly at the end." – Jeff O’Neill ([44:46])

5. Cultural and Historical Context
   The novel touches upon historical events, specifically the abductions by North Korea, adding a layer of geopolitical complexity to the personal narrative.

   "We find out that the abductions were part of a historical event where people were held hostage and served as translators." – Jeff O’Neill ([46:20])

6. Emotional Impact and Conclusion
   The book culminates in a poignant and bittersweet reunion between Louisa and her father, leaving readers with a mix of closure and lingering emotional resonance.

   "It's a pretty moving and also terribly sad reunification between Louisa and her father on her deathbed." – Jeff O’Neill ([47:38])

Notable Quotes:

• "Choi has a penchant for really long paragraphs, which made it a little hard to get through." – Jeff O’Neill ([31:02])

• "Louisa's internal monologue and the dense description made the reading experience feel a bit overwhelming at times." – Sharifah Williams ([32:51])

• "It's a heavy book, and the combination of moving around a lot and these characters being isolated emotionally really made it feel like a lonely narrative." – Jeff O’Neill ([41:58])

Conclusion

This episode of Book Riot - The Podcast offers a comprehensive look into Spotify's burgeoning role in the audiobook market through Katie Del Rosario's expert insights. Additionally, the candid review of Susan Choi's Flashlight provides potential readers with a nuanced perspective on tackling dense and emotionally complex literary works. Whether you're an audiobook enthusiast or a literary aficionado, this episode delivers valuable information and thoughtful analysis to enrich your reading and listening experiences.

For More Information:

• Spotify Audiobooks: Explore Spotify’s extensive audiobook catalog and discover personalized recommendations by visiting bookriot.com.

• Upcoming Events: Join Jeff and Rebecca on July 9th at PALS for a discussion on the best books of the year so far. Event Link

Note: This summary excludes all advertisement segments and non-content sections as per the episode guidelines.