Free Daily Podcast Summary
The Book Review: Daily Summaries Delivered
by The New York Times
The world's top authors and critics join host Gilbert Cruz and editors at The New York Times Book Review to talk about the week's top books, what we're reading and what's going on in the literary world.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Today43 min
A Summer Book Recommendation Bonanza
June is here and the long summer days are stretching out ahead, which means it’s time to settle in front of the air-conditioner with a pile of books. (Just us?) But which ones should you read this summer? The “Book Review” podcast’s Gilbert Cruz talks with the Book Review editors Joumana Khatib and MJ Franklin about the titles they’re most excited about. Books discussed in this episode: “Red Sheet,” by James Ellroy “Villa Coco,” by Andrew Sean Greer “They All Fall in Love at the End,” by Haili Blassingame “Whistler,” by Ann Patchett “As If,” by Isabel Waidner “The Housewives Underground,” by Kaitlyn Tiffany “Nebraska,” by Monica Datta “Cool Machine,” by Colson Whitehead “The Mortons,” by Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld “Country People,” by Daniel Mason “Fixer Chao,” by Han Ong “Biological War,” by Annie Jacobsen “We Were Forbidden,” by Jacqueline Harpman “The Amateur,” by Chris Bohjalian “A Tender Age,” by Chang-rae Lee “The Jackal,” by Joby Warrick “A Moment in the Sun,” by Shane White “A Sudden Flicker of Light,” by David Thomson “Rabbit, Fox, Tar” by P.C. Verrone “The Au Pair,” by Teddy Wayne “Land,” by Maggie O’Farrell “Sublimation,” by Isabel J. Kim “Cloudthief,” by Nathaniel Rich “Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep,” by Paul Tremblay “You Won’t Get Free of It,” by Rachel Aviv “Awake Awake,” by Fiona Mozley “Triage,” by Claudia Rankine “Catch the Devil,” by Pamela Colloff “Helpless,” by Jessica Knoll “Life of M,” by Rachel Cusk Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 6 days ago47 min
Book Club: Let's Talk About 'Transcription,' by Ben Lerner
Ben Lerner’s slender new novel, “Transcription,” is just 130 pages long, yet it cracks open some of our most colossal and enduring philosophical questions. The novel is told in three parts. We open with an unnamed narrator going to interview his mentor, Thomas — an acclaimed artist in his 90s who also happens to be the father of one of the narrator’s friends, Max — for a magazine. Before the interview, however, the narrator’s phone breaks and he has no way to record their conversation. Rather than reschedule, he proceeds with the interview and only pretends to record Thomas as they talk. The second section flashes to the future. Thomas has died, and the article that our narrator wrote has become enshrined as the final interview with the iconic artist. At a symposium in Madrid, the narrator confesses that his interview was reconstructed rather than transcribed — a revelation that dismays the other guests and infuriates Max. Then we flash again. In the final section, the narrator talks to Max, who discusses his own complicated relationship with Thomas and technology, including how the internet and other digital tools impacted his family during several crises. Through these scenes, “Transcription” asks a series of questions: How does technology mediate our lives? How does it bring us together or pull us apart? Is there a difference between what’s real and what’s true? It also becomes a potent and poignant study of fatherhood and what it means. On this episode, MJ Franklin discusses “Transcription” with fellow Book Review editors Gregory Cowles and Alexandra Jacobs. Other books mentioned in this episode: “Leaving the Atocha Station,” “10:04” and “The Topeka School,” by Ben Lerner “The Dance of Anger,” by Harriet Lerner “Reporting,” by Lillian Ross “Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art,” by Virginia Heffernan “In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss,” by Amy Bloom “No One Here Is Talking About This,” by Patricia Lockwood “The Shallows” by Nicholas Carr “Universality,” by Natasha Brown “White Noise” and “The Body Artist,” by Don DeLillo “A Hunger Artist,” by Franz Kafka “A Visit From the Goon Squad,” by Jennifer Egan “Asymmetry,” by Lisa Halliday “Trust,” by Hernan Diaz “The Mezzanine” and “Vox,” by Nicholson Baker “Outline,” by Rachel Cusk The books of Virginia Woolf Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 2 weeks ago1h 28m
The Ezra Klein Show: Michael Pollan’s Journey to the Borderlands of Consciousness
Today we are delighted to share an episode from our colleagues on “The Ezra Klein Show,” originally published on March 31. Ezra interviewed author Michael Pollan, whose best-selling books include “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” “In Defense of Food,” and “How to Change Your Mind.” Pollan’s latest book, “A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness,” came out earlier this year. It’s an exploration of what consciousness is, and the book is — as our review put it — “highly pleasurable to read.” Mentioned in the episode: “The Descriptive Experience Sampling method” by Russell T. Hurlburt and Sarah A. Akhter “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” by Thomas Nagel The Hidden Spring by Mark Solms Descartes’ Error by Antonio Damasio “The Oxford Handbook of Spontaneous Thought” by Kalina Christoff and Kieran C. R. Fox Book Recommendations: The Blind Spot by Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser and Evan Thompson Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann Being You by Anil Seth You can find transcripts and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Kristin Lin. Fact-checking by Kim Freda. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota and Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Michelle Harris, Rollin Hu, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Listen to and Follow the “Book Review” Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio We Want to Hear From You We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to thebookreview@nytimes.com. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The Ne
- 3 weeks ago42 min
Matt Haig on ‘The Midnight Library,’ Mental Illness and Winnie-the-Pooh
Matt Haig was already several books into his career as a writer by the time he published “The Midnight Library” in 2020. One of those books, the 2015 memoir “Reasons to Stay Alive,” had even been a best seller in England, his home nation. Yet, “The Midnight Library” was a true breakout phenomenon. The novel, about a depressed woman who, after deciding to end her own life, ends up in a magical library in which every book presents her with an alternative life, eventually sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. The author’s new book, “The Midnight Train,” takes place on a parallel track. In it, an older man dies and finds himself on a train, able to revisit key moments in his life on his way to the hereafter. Like its blockbuster sibling, the book is concerned with questions of gratitude, regret and perspective. Haig joined the “Book Review” podcast and spoke to the host, Gilbert Cruz, about his new book and why he returned to the world of “The Midnight Library.” If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources. Listen to and Follow the ‘Book Review’ Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We Want to Hear From You We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to thebookreview@nytimes.com. Credits The “Book Review” podcast is hosted by Gilbert Cruz and produced by Sarah Diamond, Amy Pearl, and Patricia Sulbarán. The show is edited by Larissa Anderson and mixed by Pedro Rosado. Special thanks to MJ Franklin, Dahlia Haddad, and Brooke Minters. Illustration by The New York Times; Photo: Andrew Testa for The New York Times Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 4 weeks ago59 min
Patricia Cornwell on Her Dark Childhood and Best-Selling Novels
“Angel Down,” a grisly novel about World War I told in a single, almost 300-page-long sentence, was awarded this year’s Pulitzer Prize for fiction. In a review for The New York Times, Ben H. Winters described it as a “thunderous gallop” that captures the “cruel and self-perpetuating logic of war.” (It was also one of the Book Review’s Top 10 books of 2025.) The day after the Pulitzers were awarded, the book’s author, Daniel Kraus — who has written horror, fantasy and young adult novels — spoke to the Book Review’s editor, Gilbert Cruz, about putting together his semi-experimental story. Cruz also spoke with Patricia Cornwell, a best-selling author who rose to prominence in the 1990s with novels about the character Kay Scarpetta, a chief medical examiner. A Scarpetta series starring Nicole Kidman debuted this year on Amazon. Cornwell has released a new memoir, “True Crime,” in which she tells the surprising story of her childhood and the events that led her to become a novelist. Listen to and Follow ‘The Book Review’ Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We Want to Hear From You We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to thebookreview@nytimes.com. Credits The “Book Review” podcast is hosted by Gilbert Cruz and produced by Amy Pearl, Sarah Diamond and Patricia Sulbarán. The show is edited by Larissa Anderson and mixed by Pedro Rosado. Special thanks to Dahlia Haddad and Brooke Minters. Illustration by The New York Times; Inset covers: via Simon and Schuster ("Angel Down"); via Grand Central ("True Crime".) Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- May 1, 20261h 5m
‘The Book Review’ Podcast Turns 20
Since its first episode in April 2006, the “Book Review” podcast has played host to hundreds of authors talking about their new works and possibly as many conversations about the best (and sometimes worst) that books have to offer. In this anniversary episode, the Book Review editor Gilbert Cruz is joined by the deputy editor Tina Jordan and the critic Dwight Garner to look back at some of the titles, trends and turning points that have helped define the last two decades in publishing. They revisit blockbuster hits, literary movements and industry-shifting moments, starting with an unforgettable Oprah-related controversy and moving through several hit genres and literary trends. To close out this two-decade retrospective, Cruz puts his colleagues’ literary memories to the test with an only slightly grueling quiz. Books discussed on this episode: “A Million Little Pieces,” by James Frey “Eat, Pray, Love,” by Elizabeth Gilbert “The Hunger Games,” by Suzanne Collins “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” by J.K. Rowling “The Road,” by Cormac McCarthy “Twilight,” by Stephenie Meyer “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson “My Struggle,” Book 1, by Karl Ove Knausgaard “How Should a Person Be?,” by Sheila Heti “My Brilliant Friend,” by Elena Ferrante “The Story of the Lost Child,” by Elena Ferrante “Wolf Hall,” by Hilary Mantel “Bring Up the Bodies,” by Hilary Mantel “The Mirror and the Light,” by Hilary Mantel “Life,” by Keith Richards with James Fox “Just Kids,” by Patti Smith “Born to Run,” by Bruce Springsteen “Chronicles: Volume 1,” by Bob Dylan “Fifty Shades of Grey,” by E.L. James “Gone Girl,” by Gillian Flynn “The Sellout,” by Paul Beatty “Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens “American Dirt,” by Jeanine Cummins “Crying in H Mart,” by Michelle Zauner “Blood, Bones & Butter,” by Gabrielle Hamilton “Heat,” by Bill Buford “Dirt,” by Bill Buford “The Song of Achilles,” by Madeline Miller “We Were Liars,” by E. Lockhart “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” by Sarah J. Maas “Fourth Wing,” by Rebecca Yarros Listen to and Follow ‘The Book Review’ Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We Want to Hear From You We would love to hear your thoughts about this episode, and about the Book Review’s podcast in general. You can send them to thebookreview@nytimes.com. Credits The “Book Review” podcast is hosted by Gilbert Cruz and produced by Sarah Diamond and Amy Pearl with help this week from Alex Barron. The show is edited by Larissa Anderson and mixed by Pedro Rosado. Special thanks to MJ Franklin, Dahlia Haddad and Brooke Minters. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Apr 24, 202642 min
Book Club: Let's Talk About 'The Renovation,' by Kenan Orhan
Dilara, the heroine of Kenan Orhan’s debut novel, is a Turkish exile living in Italy and undergoing a routine bathroom renovation that turns out to be not so routine: When the contractors leave, she steps into the refurbished space and finds herself somehow transported to an actual cell in Istanbul’s infamous Silivri Prison. Initially dismayed, she soon grows resigned and even magnetically attracted to the cell, which offers a connection in its way to the lost homeland where her father — now dying of Alzheimer’s disease — was labeled a dissident by the ruling government. Is this strange portal a retreat or a trap, a bridge to the country she misses or a gateway for the danger she fled? And what will she sacrifice for a taste of home? On this episode of the Book Review Book Club, host MJ Franklin discusses “The Renovation” with fellow editors Joumana Khatib and Dave Kim. Other books mentioned in this episode: “Man of My Time,” by Dalia Sofer “The Spare Room,” by Helen Garner “The Trial,” by Franz Kafka “The Disconnected” and “Waiting for the Fear,” by Oguz Atay “The Anthropologists,” by Aysegul Savaş “What We Can Know,” by Ian McEwan “Exit West,” by Mohsin Hamid “The Memory Police,” by Yoko Ogawa “We Do Not Part,” by Han Kang Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Apr 17, 202635 min
The Time Loop Book Series You Should Be Reading
How is it that a seven-book series written in Danish about a single day repeating over and over has become something of a sensation among the literary set? Since the English translations of Solvej Balle’s “On the Calculation of Volume” series were first published in the United States in 2024, they have been nominated for the International Booker Prize and the National Book Award. With the latest volume to be translated into English, Book IV, out this week, Gilbert Cruz sat down with A.O. Scott, a critic at large, and Joumana Khatib, a Book Review editor, to talk boredom, stuckness and time loops. Plus, the books in translation you should read next. Books discussed on this episode: “On the Calculation of Volume,” by Solvej Balle “The Director,” by Daniel Kehlmann “Tyll,” by Daniel Kehlmann “Breasts and Eggs,” by Mieko Kawakami “Heaven,” by Mieko Kawakami “Sisters in Yellow,” by Mieko Kawakami “King Kong Theory,” by Virginie Despentes The “Vernon Subutex” trilogy, by Virginie Despentes “Time Shelter,” by Georgi Gospodinov “Territory of Light,” by Yuko Tsushima “The Betrothed,” by Alessandro Manzoni “Kairos,” by Jenny Erpenbeck “Go, Went, Gone,” by Jenny Erpenbeck “In Search of Lost Time,” by Marcel Proust “Ulysses,” by James Joyce “Anna Karenina,” by Leo Tolstoy Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Get The Book Review summaries in your inbox
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
You Might Also Like
Listeners also like.
Cannonball with Wesley Morris
A critic explores shifting cultural moments through intimate, unpredictable conversations with writers and artists.
NPR's Book of the Day
Highlights new books across genres with 15-minute episodes featuring authors and key themes.
The Daily
A daily news podcast covering major global stories with in-depth reporting from New York Times journalists.
Popcast
A pop music critic for The New York Times discusses the latest in popular music, including criticism, trends, and news.
The Ezra Klein Show
Conversations on pressing political, social, and cultural issues with experts and thinkers.
Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
Analyzes global trends and geopolitical shifts through in-depth interviews and discussions.
The Headlines
A daily news podcast delivering global headlines with analysis from New York Times reporters.
The Currently Reading Podcast
Two friends discuss recent reads and lifelong favorites with honesty and spoiler-free book recommendations.
Book Riot - The Podcast
Discusses book news, industry releases, adaptations, and publishing events with insights from editorial perspectives.
The Wirecutter Show
Expert advice on tested products to improve everyday life, from kitchen gear to smart home tech.
Critics at Large | The New Yorker
Three New Yorker critics explore books, TV, film, and pop culture with sharp analysis and fresh perspectives.
Hard Fork
A weekly exploration of the rapidly evolving tech world by journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton.
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from The Book Review in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's The Book Review daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of The Book Review as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the The Book Review podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official The Book Review product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does The Book Review release new episodes?
The Book Review publishes weekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does The Book Review cover?
The Book Review covers topics including Arts, Books. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting The Book Review summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.