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.

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Karl Ove Knausgaard
Karl Ove Knausgaard didn't mean to write a 666-page book · Oct 2021

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Kate Kennedy
Kate Kennedy's 'Cello' is part memoir, part musical detective story · 2 episodes

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Kathleen Rooney
In 'Man Overboard!,' Kathleen Rooney approaches a life-or-death story with humor · Aug 2026

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Kathy Iandoli
Kathy Iandoli on Gucci Mane’s memoir and becoming the go-to writer for rappers · Nov 2025

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Katie Kitamura
Katie Kitamura's 'Audition' is a puzzle, but she says it's not meant to be solved · Apr 2025

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Kenneth Turan
Books by critic Kenneth Turan and actor Rupert Everett show two sides of Hollywood · Mar 2025

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Ketanji Brown Jackson
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson talks Supreme Court ethics, family in 'Lovely One' · Sep 2024

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Lauren Groff
Lauren Groff talks captivity narratives, climate change and 'The Vaster Wilds' · Sep 2023

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Lindy West

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Louise Erdrich
Louise Erdrich and Kevin Brockmeier are not writing campfire ghost stories · Dec 2021

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Lydia Millet
In 'We Loved It All,' Lydia Millet dives into nonfiction · Apr 2024

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Maggie Nelson
What Maggie Nelson Means When She Talks About Freedom · Oct 2021

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Maria Semple
In Maria Semple’s 'Go Gentle,' a surprise love interest upends a Stoic life · Apr 2026

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Maud Newton
Maud Newton and Jhumpa Lahiri interrogate one's place in the world · Apr 2022

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Melissa Febos
In 'The Dry Season,' Melissa Febos chronicles a transformative year of celibacy · Jun 2025

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Morgan Talty
Morgan Talty examines Native identity in 'Night of the Living Rez' and 'Fire Exit' · 2 episodes

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Nathan Hill
Nathan Hill's 'Wellness' examines marriage, parenthood and polyamory · Oct 2023

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Pádraig Ó Tuama
Irish poet Pádraig Ó Tuama writes and reads poetry that speaks to the human condition · Feb 2025

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R.O. Kwon
R.O. Kwon's novel 'Exhibit' grapples with sexual desire and Asian identity · Jun 2024

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Russell Moore
In 'Losing Our Religion,' Russell Moore tackles a crisis in evangelical Christianity · Aug 2023

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S. A. Cosby
Musician Questlove and crime writer S.A. Cosby on their new children's book · May 2023

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Sarah Manguso
In 'Liars,' Sarah Manguso explores a marriage falling apart · Jul 2024

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Sophie Elmhirst
In Sophie Elmhirst's 'A Marriage at Sea,' a couple tries to keep themselves afloat · Jul 2025

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Susan Choi
Susan Choi’s 'Flashlight' is about an alternate-universe version of her own family · 2 episodes

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Tana French
Author Tana French on the best summer reading set in Ireland · Jul 2026

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Tessa Hadley
Author Tessa Hadley writes a juicy tale of the bourgeois in 'Free Love' · Mar 2022

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Tom Perrotta
Tom Perrotta’s novel 'Ghost Town' revisits a New Jersey childhood from a bygone era · 2 episodes

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Tommy Orange
Tommy Orange follows 'There, There' with 'Wandering Stars' · 2 episodes

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Toni Morrison
What Toni Morrison learned from revisiting five of her most-read novels · 2 episodes

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Viet Thanh Nguyen
Viet Thanh Nguyen follows Pulitzer winning 'The Sympathizer' with 'The Committed' · Apr 2022

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Zahid Rafiq
In Zahid Rafiq's debut short story collection, the future of Kashmir is uncertain · Dec 2024

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Aisling Rawle
Aisling Rawle's 'The Compound' follows characters on a semi-dystopian reality TV show · Jul 2025

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Alice Carrière
Alice Carrière's memoir tackles the dissonance between memory and mental health · Sep 2023

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Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh’s 'Wild Fictions' gathers essays on empire and the environment · 2 episodes

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Anthony Doerr
Two authors on writing unlikable characters and the power of storytelling · 2 episodes

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Candice Millard
Candice Millard explores the complicated legacy of exploration in 'River of Gods' · Aug 2022

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Carys Davies
Carys Davies tackles communication, isolation and the Scottish Clearances in 'Clear' · 2 episodes

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Catherine Newman

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Chang-rae Lee
Chang-Rae Lee on whether his new novel 'A Tender Age' is autobiographical · Aug 2026

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Charmaine Wilkerson
Two novels from Charmaine Wilkerson explore cultural inheritance in Black families · 3 episodes

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