The Books We Missed in 2025 [Teaser]

Summary

Summary of Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode: The Books We Missed in 2025 [Teaser]
Date: December 19, 2025
Hosts: Jeff O’Neal & Rebecca Schinsky

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Episode Overview

In this teaser for their premium podcast, Jeff and Rebecca candidly discuss the books they missed reading in 2025 and reflect on the realities of maintaining a robust reading life amid various life demands. With characteristic humor and introspection, they explore the guilt, acceptance, and surprises that come with not reading everything—even as professional book people. The episode also touches on how their reading habits have evolved, setting the stage for the larger conversation available to premium subscribers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality (and Liberation) of Missing Books

• Confession as Acceptance
  • The hosts frame their episode as a “confessional” for books they missed or will continue to miss, embracing that this is an inevitable part of life as a reader.
  • Rebecca notes, “I think it's just a moment for reality acceptance.” (00:31)
  • Jeff elaborates on his reading life slowing down, accepting life's finitude: “Time is finite too. ...There’s diminishing returns. Like live a full life is part of being an interesting person.” (00:34, 01:10)

2. Year-to-Year Reading Habits and Quality vs. Quantity

• Both hosts reflect on how the year shaped their reading, including reading fewer books than usual.

  • Jeff: “I missed a lot more than I would in a normal year. On the other hand, we had said that this was a B, B minus year for books for us.” (01:51)
  • Rebecca: “The truth is you always miss almost all of the books. ...Pre-Covid I was reading about a hundred books a year. ...I didn’t feel like my reading life had any lower quality because I had lost that 25% chunk.” (02:02, 02:13)

• Both have shifted focus from numeric reading goals to the quality and substance of what they read.

  • Rebecca: “I am not really invested in the number as so much as in the proportion of them that feel like quality choices that I'm glad I read.” (03:43)

3. How ‘Better’ Reading Changed Other Media Habits

• Rebecca describes how engaging with high-quality books through Book Riot’s “Zero to Well-Read” project made lighter entertainments less appealing:

  • “I have turned off so many like holiday movies and comedy specials and closed so many like lighter kinds of books... I want that substance.” (03:01)

• Jeff reflects on books being the ultimate form of meaningful or transcendent entertainment:

  • “...the words on the page put into a specific combination intersect with my neurons. That's what I'm looking for...just is for me.” (04:45)

4. Confessing the Books They Missed

• The hosts begin to share examples of notable 2025 reads they missed, and why they hope to get to them—or perhaps won’t.

Rebecca’s Missed Book:

• August Lane by Regina Black
  • Noted as “Book Riot’s best books of the year,” also on “the New York Times 100 notables.”
  • “A small town Southern romance about black country singers… I've been intending to read it now for several months and I have not.” (05:08)

Jeff’s Missed Books:

• Guardian of Thief by Megha Majumdar and Heart the Lover by Lily King

  • Acknowledges trusting other Book Riot staff’s feedback as an influence: “There are books...that fall on either side of the meridian of people...I know that loved or didn’t or really didn’t vibe with it.” (05:47)
  • Notes the necessity of a strong recommendation for some titles: “I think I needed to be a Ravi Ravi for me to get into that.” (06:26)

• Rebecca adds that she read both and would pick Lily King’s “Heart the Lover” for Jeff, praising it as “a little more...crackling fresh.” (06:36)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “To a first approximation, I read 0% of the books.” – Jeff (02:09)
• "Live a full life is part of being an interesting person." – Jeff (01:10)
• “I want that substance.” – Rebecca (03:13)
• “…as much as we like...the prestigious of prestige show, task, or mad men or succession, ain’t none of them Never Let Me Go.” – Jeff (03:53)
• "I am not really invested in the number as so much as in the proportion of them that feel like quality choices." – Rebecca (03:43)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:22 – Introduction to the confessional format and themes for the episode
• 01:10–01:51 – Reflection on reading quantity, quality, and year-in-review mood
• 02:02–03:13 – Conversation on shifting habits, reading during and after Covid, and the value of “quality over quantity”
• 03:50–04:54 – On the comparative depth of books versus TV or movies
• 05:02–06:36 – Confessions: specific books missed and differing degrees of intent to catch up

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Tone and Atmosphere

The conversation is warm, confessional, and gently humorous. Both hosts express understanding (and even pride) in the reality that not even full-time book professionals can keep up with it all. There’s honest grappling with the pressures of “having read everything” and an emphasis on intentional, meaningful reading over impressive stats—tempered with the perennial reader’s guilt.

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Closing Note

For listeners, this teaser is both a reflection on the annual “missed books” guilt and a gentle reminder that a rich reading life is about quality and joy, not completeness. The full episode (available via Patreon) promises even more candid confessions and recommendations for your TBR pile.

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To hear more and get the complete list of missed books and deeper discussion, join Book Riot’s Patreon community.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to a teaser for Book Riot Podcast premium content. If you want to hear the rest, join [e-mail] bookriotpodcast for just $10 a month, get access to our full library of premium content in addition to receiving early ad free access to the regular episodes you hear in the show. Here we go.

[B]

Rebecca. It's the time for part confessional. You know the thing about confession, it's both liberating, exculpating and self indicting.

[A]

I think it's just a moment for reality acceptance.

[B]

Time is finite too.

[A]

Yeah. Oliver Berkman would be proud of the work we're going to do here today.

[B]

These are the books that we missed are going to missed going to missed. That's not going to have going to have missed will have missed by the time. Well really we shuffle off this mortal coil because I think we're not planning on getting to these into the future the books we thought we might want to get to that were in the news or otherwise more candidates at one point or another for us to consider. Rebecca. Yeah, the wheels of my reading life have fallen off the last few weeks in this year. So I'm going to come under my normal 150ish book. That's okay. We're going to get to this is a little look ahead of how to read more and better in 2026 for zero to well read. But one of my notes that I have not yet put in the document is you don't there's diminishing returns. Like live a full life is part of being an interesting person. And I think it's okay. I've done some years where I've read 200, 250 books. But I was like I didn't do enough of the other stuff. I really wouldn't have a best of the rest list in those kinds of years. So I'm okay with it. I wish I had a bunch of other things to show for it like a really like a woodworking hobby or you know, maybe a bespoke cinnamon roll sticker. That's an inside joke for something we were just talking about. So anyway there's. I missed a lot more than I would in a normal year. On the other hand, we had said that this was a B, B minus year for books for us.

[A]

Yeah. You know, like it's interesting. I think we. The truth is you always miss almost all of the books.

[B]

Yeah, that's right. To a first approximation, I read 0% of the books.

[A]

Right. So do I. Pre Covid I was reading about a hundred books a year through Covid and up until last year it had dipped to like 75, which I was fine with because it did feel it was just balance. There was other stuff going on in life. I didn't feel like my reading life had any lower quality because I had lost that 25% chunk. I'm going to end this year closer to 100 and that is a surprise to me. I thought that adding in the zero to well read reading those would just replace other things that I was reading. But I think what happened instead was that I enjoyed that quality of reading so much that I. I found myself less entertained by and patient with yeah.

[B]

Less good books, lower quality things and.

[A]

Lower quality forms of entertainment. I have turned off so many like holiday movies and comedy specials and closed so many like lighter kinds of books that I would normally read this kind of year in the wind down for not. It's not like I'm reading Dostoevsky for funsies right now, but I just find myself like I want that substance.

[B]

It's a really interesting point.

[A]

Yeah, it's been surprising but like I noticed around June, which is when we started the zero to well read reading. I was like, man, I think I'm tracking to be closer to that hundred again this year. Who knows what will happen next year. Like we have a couple big things potentially on the docket with work and so it could be lower. I. I am not really invested in the number as so much as in the proportion of them that feel like quality choices that I'm glad I read. But that's. That's kind of where I've landed.

[B]

I. I think both of us has re realized I We knew this but as much as we like. I don't know what's the prestigious of prestige show task or madman or succession. Ain't none of them Never Let Me Go. They're just not Rebecca. They're not. I mean not even the movie Never Let Me Go is Never Let Me Go though it's closer to it but like the prestige thing still doesn't do with. There is no we do not part tv. I think in movies you get some places. I think one battle after another. I started. I watched the first half the other night because I can't stay up past my bedtime because I could rent it or I bought it. That is closer but it's not Vineland. It's just. It's just not the same. And I find myself and I guess this is one of the reasons I was a book person from an earlier age. However, the words on the page put into a specific combination intersect with my neurons. That's what I'm looking for at my highest and best sort of expression of being engaged with an artistic and cultural product just is for me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So anyway, there's that a good. But having said that, you want to go back and forth?

[A]

Sure.

[B]

What are you. What did you miss? What. What will you have missed by the strike?

[A]

I. Well, this is the first one I am hoping to correct because it does sound like right up the middle for me, but. August Lane by Regina Black. It was Book Riot's best books of the year list. It was in the New York Times 100 notables. I've seen it all over the place. It's a small town Southern romance about black country singers. And like I'm. I. I pay attention to this. I love country in Americana. I was on the train before Beyonce put out Cowboy Carter. And I've heard great things about the book but I have been intending to read it now for several months and I have not. So maybe there's a. The chances are low, but I hope to correct that. August Lane by Regina Black.

[B]

Let's. Good. I think I've got maybe a couple that I hope to correct. Guardian of Thief by Megan Majumdar. And that in Heart the Lover by Lily King. I know like, there's. It's interesting. There are books that I'm going to talk about today that fall on either side of the meridian of people, you or other people at BR that I know that loved or didn't or really didn't vibe with it. It's like, yeah. You know, so for example, both of those fell on the side of. I've heard from you and others that those are both good. Whereas something like, oh, I just had one. The one I couldn't think. Oh, and I think you guys liked Bury My Bones in the Midnight Soil. But it wasn't like Ravi Ravy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Is my memory. I think I needed to be a Ravi Ravi for me to get into that.

[A]

I think you're fine.

[B]

It's interesting how like the water just on one side of the roof, it'll roll away or roll towards me.

[A]

Yeah. And you know, I read Think A Guardian and a Thief and Heart the Lover almost back to back. And I. I would pick Heart the Lover for you. I think given the choice, I would like if I could only take one on the desert island or whatever, I would take Heart the Lover. Mega Majumdar's book is really wonderful, but there was something that did feel a little more like crackling fresh to me about Lily King. Thanks so much for listening. Join [e-mail] bookriotpodcast to hear the rest of this episode and get access to our full back catalog of premium content. That's patreon.com bookriotpodcast.