NPR's Book of the Day

In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them – we've got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today's great books in 15 minutes or less. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Book of the Day.

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Every guest on NPR's Book of the Day

1338 guests, ranked by how many people never want them back.

1. —
   Lizzie Pook
   0 votes

   Never again
2. —
   Lori Gold

   In 'Romantic Friction,' 'The Fact Checker' the publishing world is fodder for fiction · May 2025

   0 votes

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3. —
   Louise Hegarty

   The new novel 'Fair Play' is a self-aware take on the golden age of detective fiction · May 2025

   0 votes

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4. —
   Lucy Caldwell

   The novel 'These Days' fictionalizes a lesser-known chapter in the history of Belfast · Jan 2026

   0 votes

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5. —
   Lydia Kang

   The authors of 'Pseudoscience' explore and debunk your favorite conspiracy theories · Feb 2025

   0 votes

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6. —
   Lyndsay Rush

   Lyndsay Rush's new book of poems, 'A Bit Much,' was written for poetry skeptics · Oct 2024

   0 votes

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7. —
   Mac Barnett
   0 votes

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8. —
   Maggy Krell

   Former California prosecutor details how she helped take down sex trafficking site · Jan 2022

   0 votes

   Never again
9. —
   Malaina Kapoor
   0 votes

   Never again
10. —
    Malaka Gharib

    A family grows and changes in graphic memoir 'It Won't Always Be Like This' · Sep 2022

    0 votes

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11. —
    Marc Eliot

    Country star Merle Haggard is larger than life in 'The Hag' · Jan 2022

    0 votes

    Never again
12. —
    Marc Favreau
    0 votes

    Never again
13. —
    Marcela Fuentes

    'Malas' is a novel about womanhood, curses and family history in a Texas border town · Jun 2024

    0 votes

    Never again
14. —
    Marcela Valladolid

    Marcela Valladolid's cookbook 'Familia' celebrates community and her Mexican roots · Dec 2023

    0 votes

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15. —
    Marcus Kwame Anderson
    0 votes

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16. —
    Margaret Verble
    0 votes

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17. —
    Margarita Engle
    0 votes

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18. —
    Margot Canaday

    'Queer Career' chronicles the history of LGBTQ workers in the U.S. · Aug 2023

    0 votes

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19. —
    Margot Kahn

    From cowboy boots to polyamory, 'Wanting' explores what it means for women to desire · Feb 2023

    0 votes

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20. —
    Marie Benedict

    'A Pair of Aces' is about two women who face down the mob in 1930s New York · Jun 2026

    0 votes

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21. —
    Marilyn Hacker
    0 votes

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22. —
    Marisa Kashino

    In ‘Best Offer Wins,’ an ambitious millennial is driven mad by the homebuying process · Dec 2025

    0 votes

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23. —
    Marjorie Ingall

    'Sorry, Sorry, Sorry' believes in the power of a good apology · Jan 2023

    0 votes

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24. —
    Mark Medley

    New books argue that far-off goals and humor can help shift daily routines · Jan 2026

    0 votes

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25. —
    Mark Rozzo
    0 votes

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26. —
    Marta Pérez-Carbonell

    In 'I Made You Up Inside My Head,' the stories of three strangers become intertwined · Aug 2026

    0 votes

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27. —
    Martha Barnette

    ‘Friends with Words’ is a book about language, from word origins to regional dialects · Sep 2025

    0 votes

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28. —
    Martin Dugard

    Two new books approach running from different angles · May 2026

    0 votes

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29. —
    Martin J. Sherwin
    0 votes

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30. —
    Martin Patience

    In 'The Darker the Night,' a murder in Glasgow unravels a political investigation · Mar 2023

    0 votes

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31. —
    Mary Fariba Afsari

    'Labor' is a memoir by a doctor who traveled the country with a mobile OB-GYN clinic · Apr 2026

    0 votes

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32. —
    Matt Greene

    'The Definitions' features dorm room conversation – with a dystopian twist · Jan 2026

    0 votes

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33. —
    Matt Hay

    'Soundtrack of Silence' is a touching memoir about music and hearing loss · Jan 2024

    0 votes

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34. —
    Matthew Davis

    After 100 years of Mount Rushmore, its biographer says the landmark is incomplete · Feb 2026

    0 votes

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35. —
    McKinley Melton

    Two James Baldwin experts break down his early fiction and political writing · Feb 2025

    0 votes

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36. —
    Megan Miranda

    Two thrillers unfold in the shadows of Appalachia · Oct 2022

    0 votes

    Never again
37. —
    Melanie Florence

    New children’s books center intergenerational relationships in life and the afterlife · Apr 2026

    0 votes

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38. —
    Melissa Fu

    'Peach Blossom Spring' interrogates the meaning of home · Mar 2022

    0 votes

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39. —
    Melissa Jacoby

    Two nonfiction books take critical views of bankruptcy and microlending systems · Nov 2024

    0 votes

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40. —
    Michael Boulware Moore

    'Freedom on the Sea' is a biography of Robert Smalls – by his great-great-grandson · Jan 2026

    0 votes

    Never again