The Moth
The Moth
Arts
Zero to Well-Read
by Book Riot
Today: #49 in Arts on our combined chart.
Chart positions today
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Ranking history
History builds daily. We started tracking this show on the Arts chart recently, so the trend line appears after a second day of data.
View as table
| Date | Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 | #37 | #33 |
About the show
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.
Latest episodes
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Vote for Zero to Well-Read: Signal Awards 2026
September 30, 2026 · 1 minVote for Zero to Well-Read in the Signal Awards for Best Arts & Culture Podcast and Best New Podcast! Thanks to ThriftBooks for sponsoring this season of Zero to Well-Read. Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast…
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East of Eden by John Steinbeck
September 29, 2026 · 1 hr 53 minJeff and Rebecca dive into John Steinbeck's epic, magisterial novel about fathers and sons, family legacies, and the question of free will. They discuss the story's biblical roots, Steinbeck's wide-ranging philosophy, the controversy that…
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The Road by Cormac McCarthy
September 22, 2026 · 1 hr 41 minTwenty years after it was published, Cormac McCarthy's The Road remains a landmark work of post-apocalyptic fiction. This week, Jeff and Rebecca explore what the bleak and beautiful story has to say about hope, humanity, masculinity, and…
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17 Books to Better Understand America, with Sharon McMahon
September 15, 2026 · 59 minRebecca and Jeff sit down with history and civics educator Sharon McMahon to recommend books—both fiction and nonfiction—to help you better understand American history and politics. Sharon's book, The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung…
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Ask Us Anything: Anniversary Mailbag Edition
September 8, 2026 · 59 minJeff and Rebecca celebrate Zero to Well-Read's first anniversary with a brief look at some of the show's most popular episodes. Then, they dip into the mailbag to answer listener questions about Book Riot's origin story, tips for staying…
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The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, with Rob Harvilla
September 1, 2026 · 2 hr 22 minJeff and Rebecca are joined by Rob Harvilla, host of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s: The 2000s, for a conversation about Jonathan Franzen's award-winning breakout novel. They discuss Franzen's singular blend of Midwestern sensibility and…
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Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
August 25, 2026 · 1 hr 17 minMinor characters get main character syndrome in Tom Stoppard's Hamlet send-up filled with wordplay, philosophical puzzles, silliness, and existential questions. On the occasion of its 60th anniversary, Rebecca and Jeff discuss what made…
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The Vegetarian by Han Kang
August 18, 2026 · 1 hr 16 minJeff and Rebecca take on one of the most transgressive and unsettling novels of the 21st century so far, Nobel Prize winner Han Kang's The Vegetarian. They discuss the use of art to explore questions about freedom, self-determination, sex…