Books Written by Beloved Podcast Hosts

We asked our librarians about their favorite podcasts, and more specifically about books written by their favorite podcast hosts. It’s nice to get a whole book from them, rather than just an episode. And as a bonus, because they’re accustomed to sound as a medium, many of the hosts record their own audiobooks, so that might be a good introduction for folks who don’t typically listen to books. The books below are all also available through the Library as e-books.

Are you one of the millions of listeners who absolutely devoured the first season of Serial, and then after that, the Undisclosed podcast? Rabia Chaudry is one of the main reasons that any of us know about Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee, and Adnan's Story provides an even deeper dive into Adnan's experience.

—Emily Pullen, Reader Services

If you like My Favorite Murder, you'll love Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark.

—Alexandria Abenshon, School-Age Children's Programming

Another great podcast is Akimbo by Seth Godin. He has written 19 bestsellers and I believe we have them all at the Library (or almost all). And since he is such an admired and respected figure in the marketing world he's got a great following and people love his books.

—Helena Escalante, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Business Center

I love the podcasts Rants and Randomness and Jesus and Jollof hosted by Luvvie Ayayi Jones author of I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual. I love the The Daily Show With Trevor Noah: Ears Edition hosted by Trevor Noah author of Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. I also like the Small Doses with Amanda Seales podcast. She also wrote a book by the same name Small Doses. 

—Lilian Calix, Hunts Point Library

Judge John Hodgman is a comedic court show podcast where real people bring their very serious disputes (can a sneeze be overdone?) for formal rulings. Hodgman has written numerous books, his most recent one being Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret Rooms. 

Ask a Clean Person is great for all your dirty questions.  I would pair it with Tidy Home or any titles in the 648.5 Dewey range. Kerr has also written her own book aptly titled My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag ... and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha.

—Susen Shi, Mid-Manhattan Library at 42nd Street

 The podcast Welcome to Nightvale is a radio news show about a fictional town where very strange things occur daily. I particularly enjoy when they talk about the Nightvale Library. In 2015 they started publishing books based on the series and now there are 6 volumes. The podcast Throwing Shade with Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi brings you current issues in feminist and queer news with a huge dose of comedy. Erin Gibson has an eponymous book that came out in 2018, Feminasty: The Complicated Woman's Guide to Surviving the Patriarchy Without Drinking Herself to Death. 

—Laura Stein, Grand Central

I listen to a lot of current event/pop culture podcasts and one of my favorites is Hysteria. Hosted by journalist and commentator Erin Ryan and former Obama staffer Alyssa Mastromonaco, it puts a wry, humorous feminist lens on current events, pop culture and politics. Alyssa Mastromonaco has two books: Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? and So..Here's the Thing that showcase her take on navigating gender and politics in the 21st century. Other great essay books by comedic feminist voices: The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West and Thick: and Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom.

—Anne Rouyer, Mulberry Street Library

I'm a big fan of all of Slate's talk show podcasts. Their longest running show, the Slate Political Gabfest, features Emily Bazelon, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and author of Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration. The podcast is good, but the book is even better (and is a Bernstein Award Finalist!). I also dip my toes into former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's Stay Tuned With Preet podcast, in which he interviews other political figures about current events. He just published Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Justice, and the Rule of Law which I hope to read soon (after I'm done listening to all these great podcasts).

—Benjamin Sapadin, Morris Park Library

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!