So You Want to Be Well-Read
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I love me some good, juicy media conversation. And I’m not talking about a hot takeover of the Clock app. I mean an hour-plus long conversation about books, TV and/or film that really digs deep: the premise, the reception, the lore, the interesting stuff. This will all probably sound like a setup that I’m going to suggest to you, like I have to say this because I’m plugging a podcast that Book Riot produces. But having got my hands on my first edition Agatha Christie, I swear to you all: I am a huge fan of Book Riot. Zero to Well-Read Podcast.
If you’re not into it yet, it’s a discussion about books that feels somewhat like English class, somewhat like book club, somewhat like a group chat with your bookish friends. It takes a deep dive into all types of texts: classics (cultural, modern, and more). virgins classics), engaging contemporary books, books you love feel Like you should have studied (and maybe even lied about studying in college or high school), and much more. It’s so fun to hear what I asked to do More Work and join the show. Here I plug that I am the author of the affiliate newsletter, which you can access for free patreon.
Today I’m recommending a whole bunch of classics – some established entries in the “canon”, and some modern additions. And I could tell you what each of them is about, but 1) you probably already know, because Classics, and 2) if you don’t, the accompanying podcast episode is exactly what you need. And would you notice this: All of these books accomplish task #8 Read the 2026 challenge:Zero to a classic read from the well-read podcast.
Enjoyed reading and listening!
the great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
their eyes were looking at god by Zora Neale Hurston
small village by william shakespeare
Our dynamic duo explores the greatest tragedy and arguably the most famous work of the man, the myth, the legend: William Shakespeare. I listened to this episode while grocery shopping and bought more than I intended; I was having a great time listening, and no one asked me to say that!
Hamnett By Maggie O’Farrell
Did I choose this book so I could relate to it? small village? sure did. Jeff and Rebecca join forces in Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling, critically acclaimed and now feature film, Hamnett. How does a book based on the life of William Shakespeare not use the name even once? This is a clever, poignant, and complex novel—and makes for fantastic discussion.
bluest eye by Toni Morrison
parable of the sower By Octavia E. Butler
secret history by Donna Tartt
go tell it to the mountain by james baldwin
Revisit James Baldwin’s poignant novel about faith, family, shame, and generational legacy. Rebecca and Jeff discuss Baldwin’s complicated relationship with the church, what it means to be “saved” in a world structured to deny freedom, and why the book’s questions about power, masculinity, and faith still feel urgent today.
little Women by louisa may alcott
Gather around the hearth to discuss this beloved novel about boyhood, family, ambition, and what it means to live a good life. Jeff and Rebecca talk about why Alcott was reluctant to write a “girls’ book,” Little Women’s unique combination of moral education and domestic realism, and how the March sisters embrace a different way of being a woman in a world with narrow options.
View all parts of Zero to Well-Read Apple Or spotifyIncluding recent episodes Wuthering Heights, Project Hail MaryAnd much Ado About Nothing. For more guides to reading the classics, check out this guide Classics That Are Really Worth Reading, exaggerated classics (and what to read instead), and these collections classics by women And writers of color.