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. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to...
View ArticleWhat’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. Discussed in this episode:Book...
View ArticleBookshop.org’s Ebook Launch & Reading 25 Minutes a Day in 2025 with Gretchen...
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...
View ArticleHuman Writing, LLMs, and the Challenges and Opportunities of Living in the...
John Warner joins Jeff to talk about his new book, More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI. We talk about the teaching of writing, what we might want to save for humans, what kinds...
View ArticleLife, Literature, and Psychological Richness with Professor Shigehiro Oishi
Jeff talks to Professor Shigehiro Oishi about his new book, Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life.Books and reading play a central role in the...
View ArticleBIBLIOPHOBIA with Sarah Chihaya
Sarah Chihaya joins Jeff to talk about her new memoir, Bibliophobia. They talk life-ruining books, the enormous weight of all the books that are out there and how we cannot read them all, and other...
View ArticleBook Collecting, Bibliomemoir, and JANE AUSTEN’S BOOKSHELF with Rebecca Romney
Rebecca Romney joins Jeff to talk about her new book, Jane Austen’s Bookshelf. They talk about personal book collecting, rediscovering literary history for yourself, a few of the writers Austen...
View ArticleHow to Talk About New Books for 500 Episodes
Liberty Hardy joins Jeff to talk about hosting 500 episodes of All The Books! and a host of other reading-related topics. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode...
View ArticleHow Hollywood Shaped Joan Didion with Alissa Wilkinson
Alissa Wilkinson joins Jeff to talk about her new book, We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For...
View ArticleThe Reading Life of Stephen Graham Jones
Jeff talks to Stephen Graham Jones about his reading life. Stephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author of thirty-five or so novels and collections, and there are some novellas and comic books...
View ArticleMaking Phosphorus Interesting: WHITE LIGHT and How to Make a Microhistory
Jeff is joined by Jack Lohmann, author of the new book White Light: The Elemental Role of Phosphorus-in Our Cells, in Our Food, and in Our World. Plus, his editor at Pantheon, Todd Portnowitz joins...
View ArticleWriting the Big One with Emma Pattee, Author of TILT
Jeff talks to Emma Pattee about her debut novel, Tilt. They talk earthquakes, IKEA, the consequences of writing place precisely, and much more. This book is a winner, folks. Subscribe to First Edition...
View Article21 Books I’ve Got My Eye on This Month (April 2025)
Jeff talks about 21 books coming out this month that caught his eye. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack....
View ArticleKatie Kitamura & AUDITION
Jeff talks to the great Katie Kitamura about her new novel, Audition (it is very, very good). Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First...
View ArticleJon Hickey & BIG CHIEF
Jeff talks to Jon Hickey about his debut novel, Big Chief. Jon Hickey earned his MFA at Cornell University and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. He has received scholarships from the Bread...
View ArticleTrying to Make English Spelling EZ: Gabe Henry & ENOUGH IS ENUF
Jeff talks to Gabe Henry about his new book, Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell. For centuries, a series of thinkers, writers, politicians, and bankers have been...
View ArticleThe Books of Marie-Helene Bertino…with Marie-Helene Bertino
Jeff is joined by one of his favorite writers, Marie-Helene Bertino, and the talk about all five of her books in order, including her new short story collection, Exit Zero. Marie-Helene Bertino’s...
View ArticleThe Business of Being a Writer with Jane Friedman
Jeff talks to Jane Friedman about the new edition of her book, The Business of Being a Writer. She has been writing about the publishing industry for years (and Jeff has been reading her work for...
View ArticleThe “Hey I Just Might” Books of May PLUS: Books on the Blockchain
Jeff goes over a couple dozen May new releases that he definitely might consider thinking about reading. Then, Book.io co-founder and CEO Joshua Stone comes on to talk about what the blockchain could...
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