Part 1 of our Spring 2026 Moms, Dads, and Grads recommendations extravaganza.

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Discussed in this episode:

Emma Straub

Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

Go Gentle by Maria Semple

Marie Helene Bertino

God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Abby Jimenez

Sarah McLean

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

Claire Lombardo

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

Percival Everett. Maybe also

Matrix by Lauren Groff.

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Small World by Jonathan Evison,

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Behind the Bedroom Wall by Larry Woiwode

Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol

Alone Time by Stephanie Rosenbloom

This Land is Your Land by Beverly Gage

The Women I Think About at Night by Mia Kankimaki

James by Percival Everett

Han Kang

Katie Kitamura

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

 Palaver by Bryan Washington

Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

I Heard Her Call My Name by Lucy Sante

Light Years by James Salter

Splinters by Leslie Jamison

Literary Theory by Terry Eagleton

Professing Literature by Gerald Graff

Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison

No One Tells You This by Glynnis MacNicol

Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed edited by Megan Daum

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Prof. Laura McGrath joins Jeff to talk about her new book, Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction. Literary agents try to stay out of the spotlight, but they shape what you read. We talk about why agents came into being, how they have developed over time, and how American fiction wouldn't be the same without them.

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Vanessa Diaz sits in for Rebecca to talk with Jeff about The Women's Prize shortlist, Practical Magic 2, the most banned books of 2025, how human it is for people to know that reading is good for them and still not do it, recent reading, and more.

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Discussed in this episode:

Women’s Prize Shortlist

World Book Day Study aka nothing means anything

2026 Hugo Awards finalists

top 11 banned books of 2025 (ALA)

The Crystal Light collab, because sure, why not (wider trend of ‘interesting’ collabs - Hellmans’ Mayo, Yankee Candle, Prego - see block in flagship )

Practical Magic 2 trailer (vanessa hyperventilating)

The Pitt’s Dr Abbott (Shawn Hatosy) voicing audio erotica on Quinn app

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Jeff and Rebecca look at the Pulitzer-prize winning books of the century so far and rank them. Some surprises at the top.

Discussed in this episode:

Klara and the Sun release date

Latest Pew research on Americans’ reading habits

Spotify launches option to purchase physical books

Tayari Jones, Freida McFadden, and Yiyun Li named to TIME 100

Character.ai

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Jeff and Rebecca mull over Pew's most recent data about American reading habits, Spotify launches physical book buying, authors on the TIME100 list, listener feedback, and more.

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The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Discussed in this episode:

Klara and the Sun release date

Latest Pew research on Americans’ reading habits

Spotify launches option to purchase physical books

Tayari Jones, Freida McFadden, and Yiyun Li named to TIME 100

Character.ai

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth.

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Jeff and Rebecca talk about the books that have the heat this month.

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Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth.

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Jeff and Rebecca note the closing of MCD, talk about The Correspondent's rise, Paramount gets back into books, scratch their heads over Audible's Story House, recent reading, and more.

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Discussed in this episode:

Shout-out to The Millions spring preview

Pour one out for MCD

The Correspondent wins inaugural James Patterson/Bookshop debut novel prize

Indies Choice Book Awards winners

Audible launches Story House listening lounge

Paramount is getting back into the books business

Warner Brothers developing House in the Cerulean Sea animated series

Parable of the Sower adaptation is coming

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Vanessa Diaz is back to walk Jeff and Rebecca through the turbulent, wild, and saucy times of one George Gordon, Lord Byron. They don't make them like this anymore.

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Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth.

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Jeff and Rebecca talk about a transitional moment in book sales, National Book Critics Circle Winners, National Black Bookstore Day, recent reading, and much more.

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The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Discussed in this episode:

NBCC winners

April 7 is the first National Black Bookstore Day

PRH profits dropped 4.7% in 2025

Print sales fell 3.1% in first quarter of 2026

First Pynchon, now it turns out we’ve been saying Thoreau wrong

Harlequin to co-produce AI-generated microdramas

A24 picks up London Falling for adaptation

The Corrections series starring Meryl Streep lands at Netflix

Peacock picks up Dungeon Crawler Carl

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Jeff and Rebecca really get themselves tied up trying to pick the It Book of April.

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Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.

The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns.

Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth

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Managing Editor Vanessa Diaz is joined by Associate Editor Erica Ezeifedi to discuss the Lambda Literary Award finalists, the latest A.I. publishing freakout, messy internet discourse, and more.

Moms, Dads, Grads season is coming up! Send your recommendation requests for gifts–or reads for yourself!—to [email protected]
Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Join The Book Riot Podcast Patreon for bonus content and ad-free listening.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.

The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Discussed in this episode:

Don DeLillo’s hockey romance Amazons will return to stores

Lambda Literary finalists

Librarian Luanne James Fights Censorship Demands of Rutherford County Library System’s Board

Lindy West’s How-Not-To Guide to Polyamory

ICYMI Podcast: Why the Internet Is Arguing About Its Favorite Feminist

Bridgerton Season 5 announcement trailer dropped

AI is Writing Fiction. Publishers are Unprepared

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