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.

Website

Every guest on NPR's Book of the Day

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

1. —
   Claire Lombardo

   Novels by Claire Lombardo and Catherine Newman explore different stages of motherhood · Aug 2024

   0 votes

   Never again
2. —
   Curtis Chin

   Curtis Chin's memoir pays homage to his family's Chinese restaurant · Nov 2023

   0 votes

   Never again
3. —
   Daniel Mason
   0 votes

   Never again
4. —
   Danielle Evans

   Danielle Evans and Brit Bennett on the lies we tell ourselves · 2 episodes

   0 votes

   Never again
5. —
   Dennard Dayle
   0 votes

   Never again
6. —
   Dennis Lehane

   Dennis Lehane and Jake Tapper pen new novels set in the 1970s · Jul 2023

   0 votes

   Never again
7. —
   Edmund White
   0 votes

   Never again
8. —
   Grady Hendrix

   'Final Girl Support Group' and 'Witchcraft for Wayward Girls' center women in horror · 3 episodes

   0 votes

   Never again
9. —
   Héctor Tobar

   Héctor Tobar examines Latino identity in 'Our Migrant Souls' · Sep 2023

   0 votes

   Never again
10. —
    Isabel Cañas

    In 'The Hacienda,' the protagonist is trapped in a haunted house – and her marriage · 3 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
11. —
    Jason Mott

    Jason Mott’s new novel ‘People Like Us’ is metafiction that was almost memoir · Aug 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
12. —
    Jennifer Finney Boylan

    Jennifer Finney Boylan's latest memoir 'Cleavage' is a reflection on transgender life · Mar 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
13. —
    Jennifer Haigh

    With 'Rabbit Moon,' Jennifer Haigh chooses Shanghai as the backdrop to family tragedy · May 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
14. —
    Jennifer Weiner

    In 'The Breakaway,' Jennifer Weiner touches on love, mothers and body-shaming · Sep 2023

    0 votes

    Never again
15. —
    Joe Sacco

    Comic journalist Joe Sacco on his portrait of deadly riots in Uttar Pradesh, India · Nov 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
16. —
    John Sayles

    John Sayles on Henry Ford, Detroit and his new historical novel 'Crucible' · Apr 2026

    0 votes

    Never again
17. —
    Karen Russell

    A new novel from Karen Russell is a sprawling story set during the Dust Bowl · 2 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
18. —
    Katie Yee

    Katie Yee's 'Maggie' approaches a tough diagnosis - and a marriage's end - with humor · Aug 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
19. —
    Kevin Kwan

    Kevin Kwan explores race and identity in 'Sex and Vanity' and 'Lies and Weddings' · 2 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
20. —
    Kevin Wilson

    'Now Is Not the Time to Panic' captures a summer of teenage friendship and creativity · Nov 2022

    0 votes

    Never again
21. —
    Madeleine Thien

    Madeleine Thien's new novel 'The Book of Records' is a story that traverses centuries · Jun 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
22. —
    Mariana Enriquez

    Mariana Enriquez’s new book connects her interest in cemeteries with Argentina’s past · Oct 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
23. —
    Myriam J. A. Chancy

    Myriam J.A. Chancy's historical novel about a Haitian earthquake hits on human truths · Oct 2021

    0 votes

    Never again
24. —
    Nicole Chung

    In 'A Living Remedy,' Nicole Chung reflects on anger, grief and failed systems · Apr 2023

    0 votes

    Never again
25. —
    NoViolet Bulawayo

    Author NoViolet Bulawayo's novel 'Glory' draws inspiration from the Orwellian · 2 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
26. —
    Rabih Alameddine

    In Rabih Alameddine’s new novel, a mother and son share a tiny Beirut apartment · 2 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
27. —
    Riley Sager

    Riley Sager and Johanna Copeland set thrillers in suburbia · Jul 2024

    0 votes

    Never again
28. —
    Sara Nović

    In 'Mother Tongue,' author Sara Nović examines deaf history, and writes her own · Jun 2026

    0 votes

    Never again
29. —
    Sarah Perry

    Sarah Perry's 'Enlightenment' ponders faith, astronomy and friendship · Aug 2024

    0 votes

    Never again
30. —
    Scaachi Koul

    To confront radical change, 'Slate' writer Scaachi Koul wrote a new book of essays · Apr 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
31. —
    Sigrid Nunez

    'The Friend' author Sigrid Nunez is out with a new collection of short stories · 2 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
32. —
    Weike Wang

    There is such a thing as too much quality time in Weike Wang's 'Rental House' · Dec 2024

    0 votes

    Never again
33. —
    Xochitl Gonzalez

    In 'Anita de Monte Laughs Last,' Xochitl Gonzalez explores marriage, art and success · Mar 2024

    0 votes

    Never again
34. —
    Yangsze Choo

    Yangsze Choo's 'The Fox Wife' explores gender, murder and folklore in the 1900s · 2 episodes

    0 votes

    Never again
35. —
    Álvaro Enrigue

    Álvaro Enrigue's new novel reimagines Hernán Cortés' and Moctezuma's empires · Jan 2024

    0 votes

    Never again
36. —
    Ben Wikler

    Political strategist Ben Wikler on how Democrats can regain ground · Aug 2026

    0 votes

    Never again
37. —
    Chris Hadfield

    Murder! Space! James Bond! Chris Hadfield and Anthony Horowitz talk thrillers · Nov 2021

    0 votes

    Never again
38. —
    Jordan Chiles

    'I'm That Girl' follows gymnast Jordan Chiles' road to the Olympics · Mar 2025

    0 votes

    Never again
39. —
    Ken Salazar

    Former U.S. Mexico ambassador Ken Salazar on new memoir and "crisis" at the border · Aug 2026

    0 votes

    Never again
40. —
    Mark Esper

    Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on the ethical dilemmas of working for Trump · May 2022

    0 votes

    Never again