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Zero to Well-Read

Book Riot

Part book club, part English class, Zero to Well-Read is a fun and informative guide to the books people talk about like everyone has read them. Each week, hosts Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky take on a new title—from classics you should have read in high school to prize winners, cult favorites to modern hits—and tell you everything you need to know: the plot, what it feels like to read, why it matters, and the key takeaways.

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  • 27 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 23 min
  • English

Episodes 27

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  • May 19 · 1 hr 20 min

    Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

    No one is more surprised than Robin Wall Kimmerer that the book of essays she sent unsolicited to a small nonprofit publisher became one of the biggest word-of-mouth sensations of the 21st century so far.

  • May 12 · 1 hr 17 min

    A Classic Summer Read

    This week, we’re popping the champagne and revisiting F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ⁠The Great Gatsby⁠.

  • May 7 · 2 min

    Start Here: Welcome to Zero to Well-Read!

    Part book club, part English class, Zero to Well-Read is a podcast about everything you need to know about the books you wish you’d read. Each week, hosts Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky take on a new title, from classics you should have read in high school to major prize winners and cult favorites to modern hits. We believe being well-read is about more than just the classics, so we've dissected The Great Gatsby and One Hundred Years of Solitude, sure, but we've also explored The Secret History and Hamnet. Our syllabus has included Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, Judy Blume, Salman Rushdie, James Baldwin, and, of course, some Shakespeare. And did you know the hit film One Battle After Another was based on a book? We did, and we made an episode about it, too (that's Vineland by Thomas Pynchon). In each episode, we'll give you everything you need to know about a must-read book, including: What it's about: The basics of the plot and characters. Vibe-check: What it feels like to read this book and whether it’s for you. The Discourse: Diving into the commentary and controversies surrounding the book. Hot takes: Our honest, unfiltered opinions. Cocktail Party Crib Sheet: Three key takeaways to make you sound well-read at your next dinner party. Follow the show to receive a new episode every Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • April 28 · 1 hr 53 min

    Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

    How did a debut short story collection by an unknown writer become one of the most significant publishing successes of the twentieth century?

  • April 21 · 1 hr 41 min

    James by Percival Everett

    Percival Everett won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his novel James, a modern masterpiece that retells The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man who accompanies Huck on his journey down the Mississippi River.

  • April 14 · 1 hr 43 min

    Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

    It's a very special week on Zero to Well-Read as Jeff and Rebecca pick up one of their shared favorite novels, Marilynne Robinson's magisterial meditation on life, death, family, and faith.

Showing 21–27 of 27 episodes