First Edition

Latest Episodes:

The Reading Life of James McBride Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

On the occasion of the publication of his new novel, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride comes on to talk about his life as a reader, what books can do, and what writing means to him.

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Discussed in this episode:

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Beverly Cleary

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Power Broker by Robert Caro

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"It" Book Knockout For August 2023 Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

Rebecca Schinsky is back to help Jeff pick the "it" book for August 2023.

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Discussed in this episode:

Anansi's Gold by Yepoka Yeebo

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

Half-Life of a Stolen Sister by Rachel Cantor

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue

Pulling the Chariot of the Sun by Shane McCrae

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

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15 Ways of Talking to an Author Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

Liberty Hardy helps Jeff workshop some ideas for talking to authors because interviewing authors is hard. Or at least Jeff thinks so.

Discussed in this episode:

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The All The Books! Podcast

The New Books! Newsletter

What's My Page Again? (Liberty's Patreon)

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July It-Book Knockout Jul 01, 2023

Show notes

Rebecca and Jeff consider ten finalists for the "It Book" of July and pick a winner.

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Discussed in this episode:

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Somebody's Fool by Richard Russo

Prom Mom by Laura Lippman

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Strip Tees by Kate Flannery

Star Bringer by Craft and Wolf

Goodbye, Earl by Leesa Cross-Smith

The Librarianist by Patrick DeWitt

Vanishing Maps by Cristina Garcia

The Light Room by Kate Zambreno

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15 Years of the Audiobook Boom & Science Fiction & Fantasy "Insta-Buys" Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

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.

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Discussed in this episode:

Better Than Nothing? Exploring the Limitations of AI-Narrated Audiobooks from a Disabled Person’s Perspective

10 Audiobook Narrators You Need to Follow on TikTok

The Untold History of the Talking Book by Matthew Rubery

Check out Kendra's podcast, Read Appalachia. You can also follow her on Substack, Winchester Ave, and posting photos of her Corgis on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester.

Sharifah Williams co-hosts our SFF Yeah! podcast

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June "It" Book Knockout & Reading Stories with S.A. Cosby May 31, 2023

Show notes

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.

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Discussed in this episode:

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I Am Homeless If This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore

The 272 by Rachel Swarns

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

Be Mine by Richard Ford

The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

Pageboy by Eliot Page

Watch Us Dance by Leila Slimani

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

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Khaled Hosseini on the 20th Anniversary of THE KITE RUNNER May 17, 2023

Show notes

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.

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May It Book Knockout Round & the Premiere of “Reading Stories” May 03, 2023

Show notes

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.

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Discussed in this Episode:

The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks

Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Ajdei-Brenyah

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Traffic by Ben Smith

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

Hey, Hun by Emily Lynn Paulson

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Sing Her Down by Ivy Pachoda

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On ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET, Mathematics & Literature, and Why You Should Care about Nella Larsen Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Book Riot editors Vanessa Diaz and Kelly Jensen come on to talk about the long legacy of Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret in anticipation of the big new adaptation. Then Jeff talks to Professor Sarah Hart, author of the new book Once Upon a Prime, about the confluence of mathematics and literature. And finally, Professor Erica Williams on Nella Larsen, on the occasion of the new collection of her work: The Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen.

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Relevant links!

Are Your There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Bloom

Once Upon a Prime by Sarah Hart

The Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen

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And please do email me with feedback here: firstedition@bookriot.com

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Choosing the “It” Book of April, Talking Publishing with Yahdon Israel, and Sarah Bakewell on Humanism Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

In this kick-off episode, Jeff O’Neal plays a game to determine the “it” book of April with Rebecca Schinksy, 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.

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