‘The Book Review’ Podcast Turns 20

Since its first episode in April 2006, the “Book Review” podcast has played host to hundreds of authors talking about their new works and possibly as many conversations about the best (and sometimes worst) that books have to offer. In this anniversary episode, the Book Review editor Gilbert Cruz is joined by the deputy editor Tina Jordan and the critic Dwight Garner to look back at some of the titles, trends and turning points that have helped define the last two decades in publishing. They revisit blockbuster hits, literary movements and industry-shifting moments, starting with an unforgettable Oprah-related controversy and moving through several hit genres and literary trends. To close out this two-decade retrospective, Cruz puts his colleagues’ literary memories to the test with an only slightly grueling quiz. Books discussed on this episode: “A Million Little Pieces,” by James Frey “Eat, Pray, Love,” by Elizabeth Gilbert “The Hunger Games,” by Suzanne Collins “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” by J.K. Rowling “The Road,” by Cormac McCarthy “Twilight,” by Stephenie Meyer “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson “My Struggle,” Book 1, by Karl Ove Knausgaard “How Should a Person Be?,” by Sheila Heti “My Brilliant Friend,” by Elena Ferrante “The Story of the Lost Child,” by Elena Ferrante “Wolf Hall,” by Hilary Mantel “Bring Up the Bodies,” by Hilary Mantel “The Mirror and the Light,” by Hilary Mantel “Life,” by Keith Richards with James Fox “Just Kids,” by Patti Smith “Born to Run,” by Bruce Springsteen “Chronicles: Volume 1,” by Bob Dylan “Fifty Shades of Grey,” by E.L. James “Gone Girl,” by Gillian Flynn “The Sellout,” by Paul Beatty “Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens “American Dirt,” by Jeanine Cummins “Crying in H Mart,” by Michelle Zauner “Blood, Bones & Butter,” by Gabrielle Hamilton “Heat,” by Bill Buford “Dirt,” by Bill Buford “The Song of Achilles,” by Madeline Miller “We Were Liars,” by E. Lockhart “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” by Sarah J. Maas “Fourth Wing,” by Rebecca Yarros Listen to and Follow ‘The Book Review’ Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadio Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture.

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‘The Book Review’ Podcast Turns 20 is an episode from The Book Review by The New York Times.

This episode is 01:05:19 long.

This episode was published on May 1, 2026.

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