Zero to Well-Read

Latest Episodes:

Voting is Open for Our First Listeners' Choice Episode Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Thanks to you all, we have hit 1000 ratings on Apple Podcast. And as promised, that means voting is open for our first Listeners' Choice episode. You can vote right here.

Also, Zero to Well-Read just won a couple of Signal Awards, so that is cool as well.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Break a Reading Slump, with Anne Bogel Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

Rebecca and Jeff put their heads together with Anne Bogel of What Should I Read Next? to offer tools, tips, and book recommendations to help you break a reading slump and get your groove back.

Find Anne's work at Modern Mrs. Darcy, and search for What Should I Read Next? wherever you listen to podcasts.

Join us on Patreon for access to guided read-alongs, bonus content, and ad-free listening.

Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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

Thanks to our sponsor Boll & Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/wellread with code wellread. Exclusions apply.

Thanks to our sponsor Quince. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Jeff and Rebecca get existential as they ponder Franz Kafka's legendary surreal short story about a man who wakes up one day to discover that he has been transformed into a giant insect. They discuss the way Kafka blended realism, fantasy, and horror to explore family, identity, and the drive to self-expression, and they stop along the way to wonder: is this the best short story of all time?

Vote for Zero to Well-Read in The Signal Awards, in both Best New Podcast and best Arts & Culture Podcast!

Join us on Patreon for access to read-alongs, ad-free listening, and bonus content.

Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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

Thanks to our sponsor Warby Parker. Right now, buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at WarbyParker.com/BOOKRIOT.

Thanks to our sponsor Boll & Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/wellread with code wellread. Exclusions apply.

Thanks to our sponsor Quince. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

Rebecca and Jeff pit reason against romance as they consider Jane Austen's beloved tale of sisters trying to find love and preserve their family's legacy.

Join us on Patreon for access to read-alongs, ad-free listening, and bonus content.

Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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

Thanks to our sponsor Warby Parker. Right now, buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at WarbyParker.com/BOOKRIOT.

Thanks to our sponsor Boll & Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/wellread with code wellread. Exclusions apply.

Thanks to our sponsor Quince. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to Quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vote for Zero to Well-Read: Signal Awards 2026 Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Vote for Zero to Well-Read in the Signal Awards for Best Arts & Culture Podcast and Best New Podcast!

Thanks to ThriftBooks for sponsoring this season of Zero to Well-Read.

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

East of Eden by John Steinbeck Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Jeff and Rebecca dive into John Steinbeck's epic, magisterial novel about fathers and sons, family legacies, and the question of free will. They discuss the story's biblical roots, Steinbeck's wide-ranging philosophy, the controversy that surrounded his Nobel win, and much more.

Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content.

Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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

This episode is sponsored by Boll & Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/wellread with code WELLREAD. Exclusions Apply.

Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to quince.com/wellread. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.

Thanks to our sponsor Warby Parker. Right now, buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at WarbyParker.com/BOOKRIOT.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Road by Cormac McCarthy Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Twenty years after it was published, Cormac McCarthy's The Road remains a landmark work of post-apocalyptic fiction. This week, Jeff and Rebecca explore what the bleak and beautiful story has to say about hope, humanity, masculinity, and the power of storytelling.

Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content.

Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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

Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to quince.com/wellread. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.

This episode is sponsored by Boll & Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/wellread with code WELLREAD. Exclusions Apply.

Thanks to our sponsor Warby Parker. Right now, buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at WarbyParker.com/BOOKRIOT.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17 Books to Better Understand America, with Sharon McMahon Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Rebecca and Jeff sit down with history and civics educator Sharon McMahon to recommend books—both fiction and nonfiction—to help you better understand American history and politics.

Sharon's book, The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement, is available in paperback now. You can find more of her work at The Preamble and on the socials @sharonsaysso.

Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content.

Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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

Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to quince.com/wellread. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.

Today's episode is sponsored by Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees, so you keep everything you earn.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask Us Anything: Anniversary Mailbag Edition Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Jeff and Rebecca celebrate Zero to Well-Read's first anniversary with a brief look at some of the show's most popular episodes. Then, they dip into the mailbag to answer listener questions about Book Riot's origin story, tips for staying focused while reading, how they manage their reading lives, spoiler etiquette, and more.

Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content.

Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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

Today's episode is sponsored by Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees, so you keep everything you earn.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, with Rob Harvilla Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Jeff and Rebecca are joined by Rob Harvilla, host of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s: The 2000s, for a conversation about Jonathan Franzen's award-winning breakout novel. They discuss Franzen's singular blend of Midwestern sensibility and postmodern satire, the Oprah controversy that made him a household name, why he continues to be a lightning rod in literary circles, and how The Corrections became one of the most underrated Great American Novels of the 21st Century.

Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content.

Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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

Go to quince.com/wellread for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too.

Today's episode is sponsored by Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees, so you keep everything you earn.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices