Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode: The It Books of January 2026

Date: January 7, 2026
Hosts: Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky

Overview

In this lively start-of-the-year episode, Jeff and Rebecca break down January’s “It Books”—the buzziest, most promising, and potentially zeitgeist-defining releases for January 2026. Their signature “knockout” format pits ten finalists head-to-head, weighing critical, commercial, and book club potential. Along the way, they discuss what makes a book an “It Book,” genre trends, and what to expect from George Saunders’ much-anticipated new novel.
Spoiler alert: It’s a great spring for fiction, with notable debuts and heavy-hitters.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Technology & Recording Woes

• The hosts open with humor about AV issues and remote work (00:44–01:55), joking:

  "Our computers are trying to kill us... Color me skeptical of Skynet when my Bluetooth connectivity can thwart me." — Jeff (01:21)

Programming Notes

• Vanessa Diaz will guest-host the next news feed episode—first time the regular show goes solo without Jeff or Rebecca (01:55–02:58).
• Winter New Release Draft and more special Patron content teased (01:55–02:58).

Main Topic: The “It Books” Knockout Bracket

What is an It Book?

• A book with "je ne sais quoi"—combining excitement, acclaim, sales potential, buzz, and quality (06:58–08:38).
• Process: Jeff picks 10 finalists, and he and Rebecca pitch them head-to-head, advancing the winner each round (07:55–08:44).

1. How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McGonagli

• Pub: Pantheon, Jan 20
• South Asian American sisters in ‘80s Wyoming; metafictional, possibly satirical, blurb from Celeste Ng.
• “It’s in the vein of My Sister the Serial Killer... If this is anywhere in that constellation, I will be very happy.” — Rebecca (11:21)
• Advances past first round for originality, length, and strong blurbs (10:32–11:44).

2. Burn Down Master’s House by Clay Cane

• Pub: Dafina, Jan 27
• Civil War–era debut; blurb says, “Inglorious Basterds but on a plantation,” comps to Whitehead and Ward.
• “Those are bold claims.” — Rebecca (12:34)
• Ultimately, “How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder” moves forward, partially on book club potential (14:03–15:14).

3. Graceless Heart by Isabella Banyaz

• Pub: Saturday Books, Jan 13

• Adult debut, historical romantasy set in Florence. A nod to the booming romantasy genre (17:02–17:38).

• Hosts discuss genre’s critical reception vs. popularity, with Rebecca emphasizing:

  “…Most romanticies… have not been written in the way that I prefer books to be written. The craft of the writing is not the thing that is the draw…” (18:55)

• “We missed the point is almost the right analogy… We just don’t care about that point as much.” — Jeff (20:33)

• “How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder” still outpaces for freshness/originality.

4. Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven

• Pub: Flatiron, Jan 6
• Family TV cast in 1964 after show ends; murder and a meta last-episode plot. Comps: Lessons in Chemistry, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (24:32–24:33).
• “Flatiron knows how to do this... Also smart to drop this early in the year.” — Rebecca (24:52)
• Advances as more mainstream, book club–friendly, less politically divisive (25:17–25:52).

5. Two Women Living Together by Kim Hana & Hwang Soon Woo (trans. Jean Ping)

• Pub: Ecco, Jan 20
• South Korean memoir of two friends choosing non-nuclear family life in their 40s.
• “There's a lot of interest in alternative choices for partnership… outside the conventional structures of a romantic nuclear family.” — Rebecca (27:39)
• Interesting and relevant, but lack of translation/book club synergy keeps “Meet the Newmans” in front.

6. Missing Sam by Thrity Umrigar

• Pub: Algonquin, Jan 27
• Domestic thriller: Woman disappears, her wife both searches & tries to clear herself.
• “Umrigar’s a great example of an author who works within the constraints of genre and elevates the form...” — Rebecca (31:09)
• Advances due to name recognition and probable book club pick.

7. Just Watch Me by Liora Torenberg

• Pub: Debut
• “Fleabag meets Big Swiss”: Woman streams her life for a week to save her comatose sister—which Jeff calls “a tragicomedy about Internet economy and the terror of being seen” (33:40).
• “Margot’s Got Money Troubles is a great comp, but also a really high bar to set.” — Rebecca (34:52)
• Umrigar’s book (“Missing Sam”) has the edge for quality and clubbing potential.

8. Football by Chuck Klosterman

• Pub: —
• Klosterman's wide-ranging meditation on American football and its meaning. Will be a commercial hit, “the Bill Bryson for Gen X” (35:41).
• “A lot of IT bookiness is driven by women readers... this is not that.” — Rebecca (37:00)
• Admired but doesn’t advance; sits outside “It Book” demographics.

9. Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy

• Pub: —
• McCurdy’s fiction debut after “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” Student-teacher affair premise (which both hosts strongly dislike as a trope).
• “There are three writers I would entertain this story from, and Jeanette McCurdy is not one of them.” — Rebecca (41:20)
• Despite anticipated buzz, rejected for subject matter and personal taste.

10. Vigil by George Saunders

• Pub: —
• Saunders’ new novel: A “grim reaper” figure tasked with escorting an oil CEO into the afterlife, described as a “companion but not a sequel” to Lincoln in the Bardo.
• “He can do anything and he has done many things. He just hits on a different level.” — Rebecca (42:21)
• “One of the few writers where it doesn’t matter what the topic is... It’s going to be some other experience.” — Jeff (43:41)
• “There’s nothing ever proclamationy or preachy about Saunders. Just a master... I don’t know if he’s peaked yet.” — Rebecca (45:40)
• Unanimously declared the It Book of January 2026.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Romantasy’s Critical Reception:

  “Our assumption is any one you pull out of the stack has not been written with [craft as] its highest goal. And again, I don’t care what your highest goal as a reader is; it’s just not my highest goal.” — Rebecca (18:55)

• On Book Club Dynamics:

  “Book clubs anymore don’t really make books... but they can move it up the staircase and get it closer to opening the door that escapes the dark basement that most books find themselves in.” — Jeff (21:59)

• On George Saunders:

  “Why is George Saunders not a household name? I really need to know... There will also be many other things that happen, many other things that [Vigil] is about.” — Rebecca (43:12)
  “It’s so much stranger than most people want to deal with, Rebecca.” — Jeff (48:21)

• On Their Own Tastes:

  “We missed the point is almost the right analogy... We just don’t care about that point as much.” — Jeff, addressing fans of BookTok romantasy (20:33)

Final Ranking: “It Book” of January 2026

1. Vigil by George Saunders — unanimous pick; the rare event that eclipses even mega-celebrity memoirs and buzzy debuts.
2. Runners-up and Notables discussed:
   • Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy (for likely publisher/book club focus)
   • Football by Chuck Klosterman (commercial/gift book)
   • Missing Sam by Thrity Umrigar (book club suspense)
   • Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven (mainstream book club contender)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:55 – Show intro/programming notes
• 06:58 – What makes an “It Book,” method explained
• 09:08 – Knockout bracket begins
• 11:44 – Satirical murder debut advances
• 17:02 – Romantasy genre debate
• 24:32 – “Meet the Newmans” overview
• 31:09 – “Missing Sam” and book club suspense
• 35:40 – Chuck Klosterman and “Dad books”
• 39:14 – Jennette McCurdy’s fiction debut assessed
• 42:21 – George Saunders deep dive, crowned “It Book”

Overall Tone

Clever, candid, and eclectic; the hosts balance literary expertise with humor and critical transparency, never shying from personal reading tastes. Their “knockout” process offers a satisfying mix of objective criteria and subjective excitement, giving listeners dozens of titles for their TBRs and unique insights into how books seize cultural attention.

For the full list of titles and ongoing It Book picks, subscribe to Book Riot’s Patreon.
Have thoughts or suggestions? Email: podcast@bookriot.com

“Happy New year!” — Jeff & Rebecca (50:40)