Bookish podcasts

I’ve done a couple posts on bookish podcasts in the last couple years, the most recent one from April 2012, which you can find here. I’m always looking for new podcasts, though, and changing the ones I listen to regularly, so an update is in order. Here are the ones I’m enjoying currently:

• Literary Disco. This is my favorite one of them all. I used to listen to a lot of author interviews, and I still listen to some, but the kind of podcast where the hosts discuss books they’ve read and liked or discuss bookish topics generally are the kind I now prefer, and Literary Disco is one of the latter. It has three hosts, and the chemistry among them is what makes it fun. They discuss a new book each episode — or in some cases short stories or essays, and they include poetry, YA books, and genre fiction — and also play games and discuss books from their shelves. It’s fun.
• The Bookrageous Podcast. This is a discussion of books the three hosts are reading as well as of current topics in the book world. It’s a good source of information on new and forthcoming books, guaranteed to add to your TBR list. The chemistry among the hosts here is fun too.
• Late Night Library. This one has interviews, most often with publishers, editors, agents, and other people in the book world. They also do a monthly podcast that is a discussion of a debut book. They focus on debut books and indie presses, and are a great source of information on publishing generally.
• Books on the Nightstand. Another book discussion podcast. They have a bookish topic to discuss each episode, and they end with a segment called “Two books we can’t wait for you to read,” which is generally about new or forthcoming books, also guaranteed to add to your TBR pile.
• Slate’s Audio Book Club. This podcast gets released monthly, and is an in-depth discussion of one book, hosted by various people from Slate. It’s the most intellectual, in-depth book discussion of the various podcasts I listen to, not in any overwhelming way, just very smart.
• The Readers. This one’s from the UK, and is another book discussion podcast. It’s in a transition period right now, as one of the two hosts is taking an extended break and the new host hasn’t yet been announced, but it’s always been a good source of news about new books.
• Book Fight. This one alternates between discussions of a book and answers to questions from listeners about writing and publishing. The two hosts are writers and teachers, and they run a literary magazine, so they have a lot of insight into the writing world. Their episodes are very rambly and have a very, um, aggressive tone to them, which should be no surprise given the title of the podcast. But the book discussions can be interesting and the episodes on writing are a good source of information.
• The Longform Podcast. This is an author interview podcast, usually with writers or editors of long form journalism. I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to be a journalist and the craft of nonfiction writing from this podcast.
• Other People Podcast. This consists of author interviews, or occasionally interviews with people who work in publishing. The interviews generally don’t get deeply into the books, though, but instead are about the authors’ lives and experiences with writing.
• The Bat Segundo Show. This podcast consists of author interviews, conducted by Ed Champion. The interviews here are very much about the book, in-depth discussions of themes, style, etc., and a good source of information on new books.
• The Book Riot Podcast. This podcast focuses on book news — the stories that stand out in the book world each week and information on new releases.
• KCRW’s Bookworm. Michael Silverblatt hosts this podcast, which interviews authors of recent books. It’s similar to the Bat Segundo Show in its focus on the book itself.
• BBC Radio 4’s A Good Read. This is hosted by Harriet Gilbert and features two guests each episode, all of whom choose a book to discuss. The discussions are brief but interesting.

And then there are a few that I have on my radar but haven’t listened to much yet, including:

• The Three Percent podcast, which is associated with Open Letter Press, a small press devoted to literature in translation.
• The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast, which is a discussion of NYRB Classics.
• Why I Really Like This Book, a short podcast, the subject of which is self-explanatory.

Lots to listen to here, yes? If you want even more, check out this discussion thread in the Books on the Nightstand discussion group on Goodreads.