I experienced great distress when the Books on the Nightstand podcast ended. Seriously. That was my go-to source for book recommendations. I know you probably think I should get my ideas from working in a library but nope. That podcast was pretty much it for me.
This is all just a long way of saying that when it ended I started looking for other podcasts about books. I found 3 that I wanted to try and now that I’ve been listening to them for a couple of months I’m ready to tell you what I think.
All the Books This one is from Book Riot and it’s my favorite of all the new ones I’ve tried. The pace is lively, the discussion intelligent and they (mostly) discuss new books coming out – perfect for adding things to my to-read list on GoodReads. Most episodes are 30-40 minutes and that’s just right for me.
Get Booked Also from Book Riot, each week this podcast answers questions sent in asking for book recommendations. I like it because they discuss books that have been around for a while as well as newer books. I don’t like that it’s long-ish (usually close to 60 minutes) and they seem to recommend a lot of dystopian fiction and science fiction. But I’m still listening each week because it’s Mary’s favorite and I have gotten some good titles, too.
What Should I Read Next? I am uncertain about this podcast right now. I love the concept – each week Ann Bogel has a different guest. She asks them to tell her 3 books they love, 1 book they hate and what they are currently reading. She then makes recommendations for them based on what they have told her. The premise is great and actually an excellent reader’s advisory tool. But the podcast is long. Honestly, too long for the amount of content, in my opinion. I may or may not keep listening to this one.
And there you have it. If you’re looking for a good book podcast I would recommend any one of these three. While I don’t love them all equally I have gotten great ideas for reading from each of them and, as always, your mileage may vary.
Let me know if you check them out. And, if you listen to something you think I’d love, I want to know that, too!
I don’t do podcasts, but I DO have a recommendation for a great book coming out in mid-November. It’s “Twenty-Six Seconds” by Alexandra Zapruder, Abraham’s granddaughter. Very thoroughly researched and compellingly written; I could not put the ARC down.
I’m (almost) afraid to click on your links; I rarely listen to book podcasts and my tbr list is still long and growing. I think I get most of my ideas from friends, Kirkus Reviews, and The Guardian, but adding a few more good books won’t hurt!
Oh my–I have so many books in my queue. However…
These are great links, I will definitely try them out and I will let you know what I think! I look to friends for book recommendations, although I do like “This Week on Overdrive” that the library emails out – there are lots of great ideas in there!
I don’t listen to podcasts either and my TBR list is overwhelming…I get most of my recommendations from friends, reviews on blogs, etc. Right now I have about 8 books on hold for my Kindle from two libraries…and I’m afraid they will all come in at once. Though there could be worse problems….
I listen to tons of podcasts, but not many about books. I like The Readers and a couple that you mentioned. I read a bunch of book blogs and read several periodicals, plus friend recommendations, too. It is true…too many books, SO little time!
I want to think up a topic for Get Booked to recommend something to me! what would you ask? This isn’t a podcast, but I also subscribe to BookRiot’s newsletter (it’s a list of links to a handful of their most popular posts each week) and the Book Reporter newsletter. I made a concerted effort at the beginning of the year to cull my TBR – deleted nearly everything that wasn’t a book I already owned or an upcoming title from a favorite author (or a bookclub must-read). I’ve noticed the list is starting to get out of hand again… oh well. #firstworldproblems!
I’m still listening to the last few episodes of Books On The Nightstand, dragging it out as I am going to miss it. I like What Should I Read Next, it’s perfect for me to listen to at work and I enjoy it when a guess lists a book I didn’t like either, makes me think I’m not crazy for disliking a book that others love. I listen to Get Booked but I don’t think I have tried the other one so I will download that one this week when I sync all my podcasts.
I enjoy Literary Disco, but sometimes what they pick is a little too “out there” for me. Will have to check these out. I admit I haven’t listened to any BOTNS podcasts even though I have them downloaded. I hope to do that this fall.