The Critics’ Picks: A Year in Reading

In 2024, The New York Times Book Review gathered more than 500 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets and literary enthusiasts to help pick the best books of the 21st century so far. One of those books was Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Road,” which came in at ... Show More

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 ... Show More

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 arti ... Show More

Charlie Lovett joins Anne to discuss the enduring power of not only stories but the books themselves, how books connect people of all ages, and of all times, how we can preserve literature for future generations, the joy of a book as a physical object, the art of literary forgery ... Show More

A caller asks for books that feel like The Wonder Years. Vox book critic Constance Grady recommends three books that are perfect for summer nostalgia. Plus, Constance discusses the “free narrative” of The Princess Bride in a clip from the Vox Book Club Zoom event. Constance recom ... Show More

This week’s episode is with one of my biggest writing inspirations: Dame Jacqueline Wilson. Her 111th novel Love Frankie is out now. We talk about her journey into being one of the nation's most loved writers, her writing process, why she's always wanted to discuss deeper issues ... Show More

Today's guest is the amazing Julia Cameron - a return Ctrl Alt Delete guest! Her brand new book The Listening Path is out now. If you are a fan of The Artist's Way, you will LOVE it. It was so great getting to chat to Julia all about the power of listening. Over six weeks, reader ... Show More

<p>One of Marcelle's favorite books is The Night Circus, so she decided to be brave and do an entire episode about the best-selling fantasy novel by Erin Morgenstern. Why brave? Well because sometimes it's hard to think critically about something you love! We all know that. ;) Th ... Show More

Today on the podcast is the New York Bestselling writer and essayist Christie Tate. She has written for the New York Times (Modern Love), The Rumpus, The Washington Post, among others. Now she has an incredible memoir out called Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers ... Show More

CORRECTION: In the intro I said Kiley Reid has written 'a number of novels and stories'. Such A Fun Age is actually her DEBUT novel. Apologies for this error.Kiley Reid is a New York Times Bestselling writer, earning her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she won a fellow ... Show More

This is a replay of a previous episode with Dawn O’Porter. Dawn has actually come on this podcast 3 times, but this is a replay of the latest conversation we had in 2019, about her brilliant novel So Lucky. She is the author of 6 books including the award-winning YA books Paper A ... Show More