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.
Life, Literature, and Psychological Richness wi...
Jeff talks to Professor Shigehiro Oishi about his new book, Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life.
30 min
27
Human Writing, LLMs, and the Challenges and Opp...
John Warner joins Jeff to talk about his new book, More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.
Bookshop.org Founder Andy Hunter joins Jeff to talk about Bookshop now offering ebooks. Then, Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, comes on to talk about her bookish reading challenge: read for 25 in '25.
59 min
29
What's In Store in 2025 for The World of Books?
Jeff uses Susie Dumond's piece for Book Riot about 2025 predictions as a framework for taking stock of where we are and what the year may hold for publishing and reading.
26 min
30
The Reading Life of Nnedi Okorafor
Jeff talks to Nnedi Okorafor about her life as a reader. Her new book, Death of the Author, is out now.
39 min
31
Dedicated to Debuts: Adam Vitcavage of Debutiful
Jeff is joined by Adam Vitcavage of Debutiful to talk about covering debuts, new authors, and all that entails.
36 min
32
[Rerun] The Reading Life of Ada Limón
This was my favorite 2024 episode of First Edition, so I thought I'd repost it for you this holiday week. Join me to explore the reading life of U.S. National Poet Laureate Ada Limón.
51 min
33
The Books Won't Save Us
Book Riot's Sharifah Williams joins Jeff to talk about her piece, "The Books Won't Save Us."
29 min
34
What It Is Like To Break Into Agenting & The Bl...
First, Brooke Nagler tells us what it's like to break into the world of literary agenting. Then, Franklin Leonard and Randy Winston talk about their project, The Black List.
69 min
35
Tracking Bestsellers, What You See (or Don't) W...
Book Riot editor Danika Ellis joins Jeff to talk about how she tracks bestsellers for Book Riot, how growing up online was sort of great, and what we see (or don't) when we read.
53 min
36
10 Burning Questions for the World of Books and...
An audio version of a post I wrote for Book Riot recently, The 10 Most Interesting Questions in the World of Books and Reading.
12 min
37
Democracy...the Book
17 min
38
My Reading Life
53 min
39
What is Going On With Book Sales?
46 min
40
The Reading Life of Ada Limón
In this episode of First Edition, the reading life of U.S. National Poet Laureate Ada Limón.
50 min
41
Ayana Mathis and THE UNSETTLED
Jeff O'Neal talks with Ayana Mathis about her latest book, The Unsettled.
43 min
42
Claire Messud and THIS STRANGE, EVENTFUL HISTORY
In this episode, Jeff talks with Claire Messud about her new novel, This Strange, Eventful History
31 min
43
Connection, The Alchemy of Happiness, and Offic...
In this episode, Jeff talks with Rachel Khong about her new novel, Real Americans.
44 min
44
THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET at 40
40 years ago, Sandra Cisneros published what would become a contemporary classic: The House on Mango Street. To mark the occasion, Everyman's Library has released a new edition.
26 min
45
Anatomy of a Scene and Hardest/Easiest with Xoc...
Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Anita de Monte Laughs Last, joins Jeff to debut two new First Edition segments
41 min
46
The State of Ereaders
Jason Snell of sixcolors.com, and ereader connoisseur, joins Jeff to talk about the state of ereaders, what makes a good ereader, a couple of interesting, oddball new devices, and more.
40 min
47
How to Bring Back a Book
Joshua Bodwell talks to Jeff about The Orchard by Adele Crockett Robertson and the process of reissuing it as part of Godine's Nonpareil series.
34 min
48
The It Books of the Year
Jeff and Rebecca sit down to determine the It Books of the Year.
62 min
49
THE SISTERHOOD with Prof. Courtney Thorsson
In this episode, I talk to Prof. Courtney Thorsson about her new book, The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture.
40 min
50
The It Books of November
It's the last big month for new releases, so Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky saddle up for one more It Book Knockout Round for 2023.