Book Riot Podcast: "The It Books of February 2026"

Hosts: Jeff O’Neal & Rebecca Schinsky
Date: February 4, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jeff and Rebecca dive into their monthly tradition of picking the “It Book” of February 2026—a title that strikes the perfect blend of critical acclaim, excitement, sales, artistic innovation, and cultural relevance. Amidst what Jeff describes as a “low water month,” they sort through notable new releases across genres, debate their merits, and ultimately declare one standout as February's must-read.

Main Discussion & Key Insights

What Is the “It Book”?

• Jeff explains the criteria as an “ineffable stew” of factors: “critical acclaim, excitement, sales, artistic innovation, cultural import, and whatever else ingredients we want to throw into that. And we are the arbiters.” (03:00)
• The process encourages debate and listeners’ feedback: “If you disagree, congratulations to you. I hope you have a good time doing that.” (02:35)

The Goodreads Anticipation Gimmick (03:00–07:00)

Top 3 Anticipated Books by Goodreads Users

1. And Now Back to You by BK Borison (Heartstrings Romance Series #2)
   • “Opposites attract, When Harry Met Sally-inspired romance.”
     (03:13)
2. The Astral Library by Kate Quinn
   • “Gorgeously written fantastical adventure… have you ever wished you could live inside a book?”
     (04:48)
   • Rebecca’s take: “I’m so constitutionally allergic to everything in that.” (04:52)
3. It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica
   • “Twisty, unputdownable thriller… two families, a chilling crime, mysterious disappearance.” (05:00)

Rebecca picks The Astral Library as the strongest “it book” competitor from these, highlighting “the juice… for a cozy book about how good it feels to read books, how magic books are.” (07:02) Jeff notes Kate Quinn’s knack for riding trends and the strong rating history of her backlist.

The Knockout Round: Book-by-Book

This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman (08:24–10:22)

• “A kaleidoscopic portrait of a modern American family… steadfast, complicated, begrudging and loving.”
• Rebecca: “A pastel cover with like a bundt cake on it seems like a pitch straight down the middle if you’re trying to reach that [book club] audience. Also, Allegra Goodman has more literary bona fides than Kate Quinn.” (09:20)
• Goodman’s book beats Quinn’s for “it book” competitiveness.

Superfan by Jenny Zhang (10:22–11:15)

• “About fandom and all its magic and terror in the extreme lengths to which we go to rid ourselves of loneliness.”
• Though “the TikTok kiddos might like that,” Rebecca sticks with Allegra Goodman’s title. (11:08)

So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder (11:27–12:18)

• “Genre-defining novel… five parties over the course of 20 years, following six college friends… Big Chill comps.”
• Rebecca: “If this is good, put it in my veins… That’s the best premise so far.” (12:05)

Brawler by Lauren Groff (13:11–14:44)

• “A stunning, fierce collection of short stories from a master… one of the most important writers of our time.”
• Rebecca: “It’s a Lauren Groff short story collection. Literary bona fides, commercial success… just lets her weird be what it is.” (14:00)
• Moves forward as Rebecca’s “top two personal books of February, most anticipated.” (14:18)

On Morrison by Namwali Serpell (16:34–19:48)

• A major critical exploration of Toni Morrison’s legacy.
• Jeff: “This is probably the only case in which a book of literary criticism will make this list ever in the history of the world.” (16:56)
• Rebecca: “I am so looking forward to reading Namwali Serpell… this will be the work of literary criticism that gets any mainstream juice this year.” (19:48)

Young Man in a Hurry by Gavin Newsom (20:08–22:17)

• Political memoir/campaign document.
• Rebecca: “I have been oversaturated with Gavin Newsom in political coverage. This will get some interesting excerpts, but… I don’t care that much.” (20:35)
• The memoir is dismissed as a campaign document, not substantial literary fare.

Kin by Tayari Jones (22:17–24:24)

• “The much-anticipated follow-up to An American Marriage… two women, friendship, daughters, sisterhood, and the complexity of being a woman in the American South.”
• Rebecca: “This is very high on my list for both the season and the month in specific… she can and regularly does ring all of the bells. It is one of the big books of the year.” (23:46)
• Emerges as the front-runner for “It Book of the Month.”

The Jills by Karen Parkman (24:27–26:27)

• “A propulsive debut… Buffalo Bills cheerleader who will stop at nothing to solve the disappearance of her best friend… grime and glamour of professional cheerleading, tangled family history.”
• Rebecca: “Sounds like it could be a little over-engineered… Megan Abbott sort of exists in this zone but is not trying to tell you about the healing power of sisters.” (26:10)

Result:
Kin by Tayari Jones is declared the “It Book of February 2026.”
Rebecca: “Tyre [sic] Jones is definitely going to stay as our IT book of the month then.” (26:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Book Selection Criteria:
  • “It book being a special ineffable stew of critical acclaim, excitement, sales, artistic innovation, cultural import and whatever else ingredients we want to throw into that.”
    —Jeff (03:00)
• On Comparing Romance to Nora Ephron:
  • “You got to be really careful if you’re comparing your romance to When Harry Met Sally or anything in the Nora Ephron universe.”
    —Rebecca (05:59)
• On Lauren Groff:
  • “I don’t care what the descriptions of these short stories are. It’s a Lauren Groff short story collection. Literary bona fides, commercial success… just lets her weird be what it is.”
    —Rebecca (14:00)
• On Tayari Jones’ Crossover Appeal:
  • “Crossover as in like people who read all kinds of things will read commercial, upmarket, literary, book club. Yes, absolutely… It is one of the big books of the year.”
    —Rebecca (23:44, 23:46)
• On Gavin Newsom Memoir:
  • “You’re not talking about a political memoir. You’re talking about a campaign document.”
    —Rebecca (20:29)
  • “When Barack Obama wrote his big books, he was not yet, you know, an aspirational candidate for president… So he was writing as a writer, but by the time you’re writing as a real political figure, you’re writing a campaign document.” —Rebecca (21:46)

Additional Industry & Adaptation Chatter

• Discussion of adaptation buzz (Kate Quinn, Tayari Jones) and year-end list potential.
• Brief asides on the changing unpredictability of release calendars (30:02–32:23).
• Musings on adaptations—Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,” the future of fantasy epics, and longing for grown-up cinematic fare (32:23–34:22).
• Movie & documentary recommendations cap off the content, reflecting the hosts’ overlapping interests in literary and cinematic storytelling (34:22–36:38).

Timestamp Guide to Key Segments

| Time | Segment Description | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------| | 01:04 | Episode intro and show setup | | 03:00 | The “Goodreads Anticipation” gimmick | | 08:24 | Allegra Goodman vs. Kate Quinn showdown | | 10:22 | “Superfan” by Jenny Zhang discussion | | 11:27 | “So Old, So Young” by Grant Ginder (Big Chill comp) | | 13:11 | “Brawler” by Lauren Groff | | 16:34 | “On Morrison” by Namwali Serpell | | 20:08 | Gavin Newsom memoir segment | | 22:17 | “Kin” by Tayari Jones takes the lead | | 24:27 | “The Jills” by Karen Parkman | | 26:27 | “Kin” declared It Book of the Month | | 29:33 | Discussion on book release calendars & adaptations | | 34:22 | Movie/documentary recommendations, closing thoughts |

Episode Winner

It Book of February 2026:

"Kin" by Tayari Jones

Rebecca: “It is one of the big books of the year. I’ve been really looking forward to this as well. Can’t wait. This is my front runner for it book of the month.” (23:46)

Final Thoughts

The episode delivers a sharp, dynamic, and at times humorous evaluation of February’s most compelling releases. While acknowledging genre trends and publishing quirks, Jeff and Rebecca focus on depth, potential cultural resonance, and what makes each book feel “of the moment.” Ultimately, Tayari Jones’ “Kin” takes the crown, forecasted to sweep book clubs, end-of-year lists, and literary circuits alike.

Listeners come away with a curated, critique-filled road map to February’s key titles—and plenty of classic Book Riot banter along the way.