Zero to Well-Read

Jeff and Rebecca tackle a titan of modern fiction, discussing the breakout book that made a literary icon, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. They talk about what made Rushdie famous and what keeps him relevant, how to approach this challenging read, and why it's worth the effort.

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This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

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Jeff and Rebecca explore Octavia Butler's eerily prescient 1993 novel, The Parable of the Sower, and discuss Butler's legacy and enduring impact on science fiction.

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This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

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Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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Jeff and Rebecca revisit Donna Tartt's cult classic, the OG of dark academia, The Secret History.

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This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

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Jeff and Rebecca throw it way back to the GOAT of ancient Greek tragedies, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and are delighted to report that, 2500 years later, it still hits. They discuss the invention of drama, the ways that ancient philosophy continue to influence art, and why some really old stories never lose their staying power.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to help you get the most out of your reading life.

This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

Email us: [email protected]

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Jeff and Rebecca revisit To Kill a Mockingbird and attempt to separate the book from the discourse in order to understand what one of America's most beloved—and most banned—novels means today.

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This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

Email us: [email protected]

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Jeff and Rebecca explore the greatest tragedy and arguably the best-known work by the man, the myth, the legend: William Shakespeare.

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This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

Email us: [email protected]

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

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Jeff and Rebecca go back to the future to discuss Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 literary dystopian novel, Never Let Me Go.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to help you get the most out of your reading life.

This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

Email us: [email protected]

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Jeff and Rebecca reflect on the impact of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, with help from Book Riot's managing editor Vanessa Diaz and resident young adult fiction expert Kelly Jensen.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to help you get the most out of your reading life.

This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

Email us: [email protected]

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca tackle the debut novel of the all-everything novelist Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye.

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This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

Email us: [email protected]

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Jeff and Rebecca go full "brain on" to tackle Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, in the news again as Paul Thomas Anderson adapts it in his new movie, One Battle After Another.

Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to help you get the most out of your reading life.

This season of Zero to Well-Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.

Email us: [email protected]

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices