First Edition

BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O'Neal explores the wide bookish world. Interviews, lists, rankings, retrospectives, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books.

15 Years of the Audiobook Boom & Science Fiction & Fantasy “Insta-Buys”

Kendra Winchester comes on to commemorate the 15th anniversary of two events that heralded the modern audiobook boom: Amazon buying Audible and Apple allowing third-party apps on the iPhone. Then, Sharifah Williams, Book Riot's Director of Content and co-host of our SFF Yeah! podcast, joins me to debut a new segment: The Insta-Buys.

June “It” Book Knockout & Reading Stories with S.A. Cosby

Rebecca Schinsky is back to help Jeff pick the "it" book of June, and S.A. Cosby, author of the forthcoming All the Sinners Bleed, tells a reading story.

Khaled Hosseini on the 20th Anniversary of THE KITE RUNNER

On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of The Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini joins Book Riot CEO Jeff O'Neal to talk about the creation, publication, and long-life of the literary phenomenon.

May It Book Knockout Round & the Premiere of “Reading Stories”

Rebecca Schinsky is back to help Jeff figure out what the It book of May will be. And Book Riot editor Erica Ezeifedi comes on to debut a new First Edition segment, Reading Stories.

On ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET, Mathematics & Literature, and Why You Should Care about Nella Larsen

On ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET, math and literature, and why to care about the writer Nella Larsen

Choosing the “It” Book of April, Talking Publishing with Yahdon Israel, and Sarah Bakewell on Humanism

In this kick-off episode, Jeff O’Neal plays a game to determine the “it” book of April with Rebecca Schinsky, talks about what it means to put a book into the world with Simon & Schuster Senior Editor Yahdon Israel, and considers humanism with Sarah Bakewell, on the occasion of the publication of her new book, Humanly Possible.