I love books and book reviews so I’m the perfect audience for a book review podcast. I’m even a longtime NYT and NYRB subscriber. Sadly, the NYT Book Review podcast is not very interesting. The worst part may be the recurring NYT reviewer, MJ Franklin who sounds like a pre-school teacher talking to 4-year olds. Hopefully the NYT will scrap the current podcast format and produce a podcast worthy of its Sunday book review section.

Now that I have to pay to listen, I feel newly empowered to ask the Times to improve the host in this podcast. Mr. Cruz doesn't seem to enjoy books--the most common sentence I hear from him is, "I haven't read this book, but . . ."Please have one of the talented editors take over hosting duties. The New York Times can do much better. Mr. Cruz would be an excellent host for a pop culture podcast.

I just adore this podcast, the host, the discussions, all the new books and authors I’ve discovered listening to it. Thank you!! BUT. it’s frustrating that I literally can’t listen to about half of the episodes because there is no effort made to avoid spoilers. It’s not that hard to find ways of discussing a book without giving away key plot points and I get tired of hearing at the top of the show “if you haven’t read the book yet and don’t want to hear spoilers, stop listening and go read the book”. I don’t know if I even want to read the book yet because I haven’t listened to your show on it yet.

Very disappointed that you have taken out all the old episodes. I have a shared subscription and can only see the latest 3 episodes. Hope you can reconsider this decision.

Updated: can't believe you put all the past episodes behind a pay wall. Such a disappointment that you would go for the money grab. Instead of a subscriber, you have actually lost a listener. Only discovered a few months ago but I'm addicted. Great variety of shows between interviews, lists, spotlights, "what we are reading." The only problem is after every episode my "To-Read" book list grows and grows and I'm going to need to live to 105 to finish it.

I hope the reviews are being taken into consideration since there is a consensus that the editor of the book review is not a good podcast host. This podcast has been beloved for so many years. Please do something to improve it and bring back the quality of talent that we have enjoyed for so long. NYT can do better than this.

I would not pay for a subscription to the NYTimes just to be able to listen to this podcast. It has been completely dumbed down since Pamela Paul left.

This podcast was fully formed and successful when Mr Cruz took over the NYTBR sometime in august/September and John Williams left for the WPost. It should not take three months to reimagine a series such as this podcast even if one thinks the series needed reimagining, which it did not.

This new iteration is just a superficial mentioning of titles. What a waste of time. Bring back the old review! Or since that can’t be done, have a host who actually enjoys reading!

I love the content of this podcast, but the mic for the host must be of poor quality. It’s painful to listen—almost like a dull buzz. So unlike other Times podcasts.

The hosts and NYT guests seem smug — they should know that their inside jokes are not funny, but boring. The old podcast was a weekly favorite, this one not so much.

This used to be my favorite podcast. Found wonderful books through it. Now it seems the hosts disdain their listeners, and don’t bring you along. Twice recently GC has said “I’m sure everyone knows this book/author” but that’s why many of us listen- we don’t have time to read like a book editor so we want to learn. I’m so sad to lose this. For others like me, check out the New Yorker Culture podcast - “critics at large” which has some of the best elements of the old version of this show.

Some of these editors seem to be significantly less knowledgeable about literature than a listener of a book podcast would hope.

Robert Caro recounted Moses’s blocking of any light rail lines in Long Island, a design that led to unbearable human costs as people get stuck in traffic for up to five hours a day five days a week and Cruz finds this funny??? And then Cruz follows up with a question that tries to find humor about this situation?? This is why I had been a listener since the Sam days, but bailed on it a month after Cruz took over. Get rid if Cruz!

MJ, please practice your presentation and lose the unnecessary word “like”! I find myself starting to count the number of “likes” you use and then have to stop listening. I would love to stick with the discussion but the irritation over the adolescent speech pattern chases me away.

Very weird that you’ve never read house of mirth!

My favorite episode for now. I learned but mostly I laughed. Thank you for teaching and tickling me.

I only check in with this podcast from time to time and am always surprised at the degree to which they spoil novels’ plots. Just as they were finishing their review of ‘Master Slave Husband Wife,’ one of them casually spoils the end of the novel! For no reason whatsoever—it was just said in passing. And then two of them gigglingly say “Spoiler alert,” AFTER they drop the spoiler!! Unbelievable. If these people were my friends I would avoid talking to them about books. Can’t believe people can be so knowledgeable about books and still be so dense about what a listener wants from a book reviewer. Tell us what we need to know in order to be enticed and no more.

Just finished listening to the August 9 episode and I relished every minute. Maybe because Gilbert C and I are enjoying the same book at the same time? But no, Anna Dubenko and Joumana Khatib were just as much fun. These are all readers with wide interests and firm opinions (don't try to borrow a book from Anna) and their love of books and reading shines through. I might listen again.

Please put a photo of the book you are talking about

August 9 very rambling!

I can’t seem to connect at all with the new topics and format. 😢

I miss the insights into and updates about the publishing industry, but otherwise enjoy this podcast.

Deeply disappointed that three of three hosts spent minutes talking about visiting with and consulting with their psychics. Really?? I thought you were educated people. I really don’t want to hear this nonsense. Unsubscribing.

I used to be a regular listener but now weeks or months go by where I don’t hit play at all. I miss the old crew and format.

The new format seems to be covering lots of what I call “airport lit”. I miss the old days when more substantive literature was covered, and I actually learned something.

I looked forward to Fridays when the new podcast would drop but there are now weeks when I don’t even listen to it. I miss the discussions on what everyone is reading as well as the reviews of new books. Not sure why they have made it so short as well.

I loved the podcast and I’m looking forward to its return. I loved the interviews, the publishing news and especially enjoyed hearing about what everyone is reading. The reruns are ok but I’ve basically stopped listening and I just check in to see if it’s something I haven’t heard or don’t remember.🥲 So the new content is ok as far as it goes but we are only getting 25%. So sad 😞 5/26/24 Upped my stars because I love MJ’s book club! Appreciate the head’s up on upcoming titles. However the rest of the podcast has become more popular culture than literary. I used to look forward to each episode and now I have to remind myself to check on it.

This podcast certainly has gone downhill fast. Would like to see everyone replaced on this.

I prefer the old format. I’ve just about stopped listening to the new one. Seems like a hodgepodge no coherence.

Gorgeous interview with Colm Toibin! I wish I could just hop off this train I’m on and buy his book. Alas I just outside of Philadelphia. Hey though, plenty of bookstores in NYC.

Great addition. Reminiscent of the excellent staff discussions at the end of the old format. Please keep the Book Club going. Gilbert makes it sound experimental. It worked well in the past and has really improved the podcast’s overall quality.

I like the new book club feature (tho MJs speaking voice for radio needs oomph) but they would need to be more frequent to up the chance of even occasionally having read the book in question. And please at least 2x a month bring back the classic episodes with several books covered, author interview, etc.

The old format wasn’t broken, why fix it? I enjoy Cruz, just bring back the old segments on publishing world, what critics are reading, etc.

I’ve listened to this podcast for years and I really miss the old format and length. It was great hearing from authors or reviewers about new books coming out and hearing about old books I forgot about or hadn’t heard of before in the what are we reading section. This new format feels like it forgot about the listeners and is just catered to the editor and his likes. It’s also way too short! Go back to the old format and make MJ Franklin the host!

I love this podcast and rely on it for suggestions on books to read and especially audiobooks. I agree with you that many more people are using audiobooks as we can do so much more with those pods in our ears. Thank you so much.

After 15 years of listening religiously, especially after Pamela Paul took over, i can't even bother some weeks. Women buy the books and women do most of the reading, and yet it's a male-centric podcast now. And boring, by the way.

I still find smart and interesting discussions here but I miss news from the publishing world and especially miss hearing what people at the Books desk are reading,

I agree with the many recent reviews about the downhill slide of this podcast. I keep waiting for the NYT to respond to their long term followers and make some changes. They could start by replacing Cruz.

This is really annoying. I am interested in what you have to say, but interjecting “like” in almost every sentence makes it almost unlistenable. You are smarter than that.

New format seems to get a lot of flack but I like it well enough 🤷‍♂️

Hello I like your point of view and enjoy listening but have to turn it off when the reviewers can’t speak without every other word being “like”.

I’m sure the old format was difficult to produce, but I’m not sure that this new format has much to offer. The old format offered reviews of fiction, non-fiction, publishing news, discussion of reading, etc. Each episode was worthwhile because I never knew what I would learn. The new format means it’s only worth it to listen to the episodes already of particular interest to me. I’m left not knowing what I don’t know. Please consider returning to the old format. It was a joy.

This cast just gets less and less useful for readers.

This podcast used to be the highlight of my week when Pamela Paul was the host. Her interviews with authors and colleagues were thoughtful, entertaining, and joyful. It was a podcast for us book nerds and a gift during COVID to fight feelings of isolation. The quality of the podcast crashed when Pamela left. I stopped following it because it is too depressing to experience what's become of it. I hope one day the NY Times returns to caring about books and the subscribers who love them.

Been listening for many years. Enjoyed listening to Sam Tanenhaus’ and Pamela Paul’s thoughtful approaches. The new format is a cop out, doing the minimum and simply leaves me waiting for the missing segments. Very disappointing. April 18: In a recent podcast for example, Cruz discussed Judy Blume’s book “Are You there God? it’s me, Margaret.” Cruz hadn’t bothered to read the book. I don’t understand his inertia. Sad end coming, I’m afraid, to this once terrific podcast. Stopped listening gone to other more interesting book podcasts. A year later still disappointing. Feb 2024. Many of us have moved on. Cruz is undoubtedly a nice guy but doesn’t compare with previous hosts. And the NYT is obviously disinterested.

Enjoyed this wonderful, normal, honest conversation about author’s open marriage.

I really miss the old format of the Book Review Podcast, which typically involved an in-depth author interview, news from the publishing world, and an informal chat with a few of the editors about what they were reading (for work and for pleasure). In the days of the old podcast, I felt well-informed. I knew what books to look forward to and in any given year, which books won which awards. My list of holds at the Brooklyn Public Library was always at its max. Since the podcast changed hands, I have absolutely no sense of what’s being published when. I struggle to find new books. I walk through the book store and none of the titles or authors are familiar. Please bring the old format back!

This podcast used to be amazing, but it’s just gone downhill. I used to love PP’s author interviews.

I have been an avid listener of this podcast for years, and loved it when Pamela Paul was the host. Her interviews were very in-depth and engaging, and I enjoyed the updates from the publishing world as well. Ever since Ms. Paul moved on, the podcast has been very lackluster. The episode lengths are drastically shorter and inconsistent, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason on topics and shows. It feels very amateurish now. Gilbert Cruz doesn’t ask many insightful questions or offer any sort intellectual depth with his commentary, and generally comes across as disinterested in the entire enterprise. I hope that the NYT will restore this show back to its former caliber.