Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode: "The It Books of November 2025"

Hosts: Jeff O’Neal & Rebecca Schinsky
Release Date: October 29, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Jeff and Rebecca dive into the most anticipated "It Books" of November 2025—a monthly tradition where they debate and decide which upcoming releases have the best combination of hype, literary merit, sales potential, and cultural impact. Along the way, they riff on industry programming, recent projects like Zero to Well Read, and deliver lively bookish banter. The episode is helpfully structured as a “knock-out” round, where each title’s prospects as the month’s must-read—or must-gift—are weighed head-to-head.

Episode Highlights & Discussions

1. State of November in New Releases [01:06]

• Jeff and Rebecca note that November 2025 offers a better-than-usual slate of anticipated titles, even if it isn’t “stacked.”
  • "I've got a couple honorable mentions. You know, it wasn't...it's not stack stacked, but there's enough to keep most readers interested..." — Jeff [01:09]
• Discussion of release date strategy—why do some big books cluster on certain days? Neither host knows for sure, but Rebecca mentions publishers are still picking through the schedules for spring 2026.
  • “There just are days where books cluster and I don't know what to make of it. ... Why does nobody like March 3rd. I don't know.” — Rebecca [01:33]

2. Programming Notes, Side Projects, and Listener Feedback [02:30]

• Announcement: On the Patreon feed, Jeff and Rebecca have power-ranked Amazon’s 25 Best Books of the Century.
• Preview: Upcoming episode will feature an interview with leaders from We Need Diverse Books about book banning and censorship ("I wanted to see their take on the state of book bannings and censorship and what they're doing and how they're reacting." — Jeff [02:30])
• Shout-out to the “Zero to Well Read” project, which is gaining popularity. The next book covered will be "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.
  • They discuss feedback: listeners enjoy book background/context, not just plot summaries.
    • “No one has written in saying, you know what, actually, guys, just stick to the stuff between the covers of the book.” — Jeff [06:58]
• Reflection: Hosts enjoy the process of deep reading and conversing about classics.
  • “I always like the book more after the conversation than I did going in, even if it's something that I loved going in.” — Rebecca [08:06]

3. What Makes an "It Book"? [12:46]

• Recap of their selection criteria: a true "It Book" is a four-quadrant hit—buzz, sales, critical reception, and broader cultural reach.
  • "We are trying to pick the book of the month that is best going to capture the IT bookiness which means some combination of buzz which is sales attention. It's got something to it. A little, a little chew, a little al dente." — Jeff [12:46]
• Process: Jeff picks 10 contenders, which are then (playfully) pitted against one another, Hunger Games style.

The "It Books" Showdown (Main Book Segment)

1. Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite [14:26]

• Overview: Second novel from the breakout author of "My Sister the Serial Killer."
  • Premise: A woman gives birth the day her cousin is buried—and they look alike. Themes of reincarnation, family, superstition, and love, told with dark humor.
• Anticipation: High—Braithwaite’s debut was a major success (“sold over a quarter million copies,” Booker longlisted, Women’s Prize shortlisted, etc.).
  • “My Sister the Serial Killer was such a good time and I'm looking for more good time books that also have some substance to them. And I think she does that really well.” — Rebecca [16:27]
• Category Fit: Upmarket commercial—book club potential.

Result: Easily advances to the next round as the book to beat.

2. Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood [20:10]

• Overview: Atwood’s “memoir of sorts,” spanning her career as a literary icon.
  • Noted for its unconventional format—Atwood is “a weirdo, so the format might be interesting.” — Rebecca [20:40]
• Sales Potential: High for gifts (Thanksgiving/holidays), but mainly attracts avid readers or Atwood devotees.
  • Release date: November 25th.
  • Fun Fact: The memoir is over 1,000 pages! ("It’s way up there… rivaling the Streisand" — [21:59])
• Final Judgment: “Just has a barrier to entry… a much lower floor than something like Cursed Daughters.” — Rebecca [20:10]

Result: Cursed Daughters advances.

3. The Look by Michelle Obama [22:00]

• Overview: Coffee table book documenting Michelle Obama’s style evolution—cultural significance, huge gift appeal.
• Buzz: Massive, likely to outsell most literary books but more of a cultural/documentary artifact.
  • “I love it for her, the moment that she's having right now… She had to keep herself really boxed in during her husband's term… now she can lean into her fashion.” — Rebecca [22:27]
• Final Judgment: Cursed Daughters stays; potential impact, but less “al dente” for core reading crowd.

4. The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes [24:23]

• Overview: Pulitzer-winning playwright & "In the Heights" writer’s debut novel; short (176 pages), about a young mother’s short-lived escape.
• Host Take: Recognized for its “debut” underdog status—impressive, but “very tough to be a debut author in any IT books list.”
  • “This does sound really interesting. And 197 pages. I would love for editors to be so strategic with debut authors to be like, let's make it a low risk for readers.” — Rebecca [25:52]

Result: Cursed Daughters advances.

5. The Emergency by George Packer [26:47]

• Overview: Acclaimed journalist’s fiction debut—speculative future novel about empire, decline, and identity. “Station Eleven” is a comp.
• Host Skepticism: “I don't know what the appetite is for something like that… It could be a page turner but also a bummer, dude.” — Rebecca [28:26]
• Critical Buzz: High; keep on the radar.

Result: Cursed Daughters advances.

[Sponsor Break and Side Banter]

• (Ads and witty asides omitted.)

6. Eleventh Hour by Salman Rushdie [33:00]

• Overview: Quintet of stories written post-attack on Rushdie, about “life’s final act.” Relates to themes of aging, legacy, and self-reflection.
• Cultural Context: Discussion of how Rushdie prefers to be known for his work, not the attack.
• Host Admiration: High literary anticipation, but short story collections are a tough sell for mainstream buzz.
  • “The name Salman Rushdie on the cover of a book intimidates a lot of readers. And short stories either intimidate a lot of readers or they just don't have an appetite for them…”— Rebecca [36:16]

Result: “In terms of acclaim, best of the year lists, I expect we'll see Rushdie. ... But for it books ... it's Braithwaite.” — Rebecca [37:33]

7. Palaver by Bryan Washington [38:33]

• Overview: Highly anticipated new novel from the author of “Memorial”—story of a young gay American grappling with family and identity in Japan, and his mother’s surprise arrival.
• Buzz: High; 100,000 copy print run—a strong sign of publisher faith—and early best-of-year nods.
  • "I think that I'm going to swing for it and give this one to Brian Washington. I would love to see him carry the month." — Rebecca [40:20]
• Host Reflection: Title may be a barrier for some (“Why do authors do this?” — Rebecca [40:33]), but book club and awards potential is through the roof.

Result: Palaver knocks out Cursed Daughters; advances as top contender.

8. Pelican Child by Joy Williams [42:18]

• Overview: National Book Award–longlisted story collection; Joy Williams is a respected, slightly under-the-radar literary figure. Features surreal stories (Baba Yaga, Sontag, etc.).
• Host Take: Strong but niche, unlikely to cross into mainstream conversation.
  • “Joy Williams also weirdly also 176 pages just like the White Hot. ... I am glad to see her in the conversation here.” — Jeff [42:48]

Result: Palaver continues.

9. Brimstone by Callie Hart [45:57]

• Overview: Sequel to BookTok sensation "Quicksilver"; highly anticipated in romance/fantasy ("romantasy") circles, especially on Goodreads.
  • “I continue to feel that Booktok is its own snow globe universe. So I think what we have here is that Brian Washington is carrying the month.” — Rebecca [46:41]
• Host Observation: These books are massive in certain circles (million-copy print runs), but largely invisible outside them.

Result: Palaver remains the winner for It Book—hosts note the split between BookTok/romantasy and their more literary crowd.

10. Honorable Mentions & Other Notable Releases [48:50]

• Third in Travis Baldry’s Legends & Lattes series: "Breggins and Bread Knives."
• "American Revolution: An Intimate History" by Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward (to accompany PBS series).
• "Some Bright Nowhere" by Ann Packer (November 11th).
• "Notes on Being a Man" by Scott Galloway (for contemporary masculinity readers).

Conclusion and Notable Quotes

• Winner for "It Book of November 2025":
  • Palaver by Bryan Washington, with strong contention from Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite.
  • “I think that we will get to watch Brian Washington and Oyinkan Braithwaite, like, duke it out over the course of the month. It's going to be interesting.” — Rebecca [47:29]
• On the BookTok divide:
  • “We're over here with our 16% of literary fiction readers or whatever.” — Rebecca [47:22]
  • “We are in the snow globe universe. We're the snow globe and they're the outer world, which is fine. I'm fine with that.” — Jeff [47:21]
• On the enduring appeal of literary projects:
  • “The project itself has been a real standout. I'm happy to be reading this way.” — Rebecca, on Zero to Well Read [08:06]

Notable Fun/Banter Moments

• Fantasy picks for animal legs as a Baba Yaga hut [44:27–45:32].
• Reflection on how to be a man today: “Text him back and just be cool. You could do worse, man.” [49:59]
• Playful moaning about title choices, print runs, and the hurdles of reader engagement.

Next Episode Teasers

• Zadie Smith discussion (exact structure TBD, will likely include each host’s top picks from the new essay collection).

For Listeners New and Old

If you’re looking for keen analysis of the month’s most buzzed-about books—with a side of wry humor, publishing industry insight, and off-the-wall tangents—Book Riot’s It Books round-up delivers. Whether your tastes run to literary fiction, pop culture memoirs, short stories, or BookTok phenoms, this episode serves as a lively guide to what’s coming and what’s hot for November 2025.