What is Magical Realism?
Book Riot - The Podcast
11/19/25
•58m
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Vanessa Diaz is back to talk with Jeff and Rebecca about what magical realism is, where it comes from, and how to talk about it.
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The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriela Garcia Marquez
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Labyrinths or Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges
Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar
The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal
The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez
Magical/Realism by Angelica Villareal
The Week of Colors by Elena Garro, Megan McDowell (trans.)
The Queen of Swords by Jazmina Barrera, Christina MacSweeney (trans.)
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Previous Episode
On Putting Together a Best Books of the Year List
November 17, 2025
•57m
Vanessa Diaz sits in for Rebecca this week and talks to Jeff about the challenges of making a best books of the year list before getting into the news of the week.
Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.
The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
Amazon’s best books of the year
David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh
B&N’s best book of the Year is Mona’s Eyes
The 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards.
I’m bookmarking this deep dive into the fashion industry’s recurrent interest in literature for knife-and-fork reading this weekend
Reader’s Digest asked three professional designers to pick the best book covers of the year
Somebody is Walking On Your Grave by Mariana Enriquez
Stolen Crown by Tracy Borman
Devouring Time by Tod Goddard
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
Flashlight by Susan Choi
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Next Episode
Books Of The Year Season Peaks
November 24, 2025
•61m
Jeff and Rebecca inhale a slew of best books of the year lists.
Follow the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Subscribe to The Book Riot Newsletter for regular updates to get the most out of your reading life.
The Book Riot Podcast is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.
Discussed in this episode:
Check out Zero to Well-Read!
Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025
Shein partners with Alibris to sell books
Lit Hub’s Book Twitter bracket
Libro.fm's top 10 audiobooks of the year
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