NPR's Book of the Day

This is the podcast for people who want to keep up with new books but don't have an hour to spare. NPR's Book of the Day drops daily episodes that typically clock in under 15 minutes -- some are as short as six. Each one features an NPR journalist sitting down with an author to talk about their latest work, and the interviewers rotate between familiar voices like Scott Simon, Juana Summers, and Ayesha Rascoe. The brevity is the whole point. You get enough of the author's perspective to know whether a book is worth your time, without the deep-dive commitment of a longer literary podcast. Andrew Limbong frequently hosts, and the conversations feel less like formal interviews and more like the kind of book chat you'd have with a knowledgeable friend over coffee. They cover everything -- fiction, memoir, history, science writing -- so the genre variety keeps things unpredictable. With over 1,200 episodes since 2021, the back catalog is massive. The show has a 4.2-star rating from about 620 reviews. NPR also offers a premium tier called Book of the Day+ for ad-free listening. The daily cadence means you can treat it like a literary morning briefing: pop in your earbuds during a commute and come out the other side knowing what just hit shelves and why it matters. It's not trying to replace longer book podcasts -- it's the appetizer that helps you decide what deserves the full meal.