Backlisted - Podcast Rankings and reviews

I just started listening to this, and I’m so happy to have access to an archive of passionate conversations between genuine book lovers. The hosts and guests read widely and are deeply curious about the authors they are reading. They are sharp and knowledgeable, but not pretentious. Thank you!

One of the few podcasts that has intelligent conversation on books! Thoughtful observations on theme and style, with specific references to actual text to demonstrate great writing. A joy to listen to, this is engaging and inspires my reading.

What a joy. These are the conversations I don’t get to have in my day to day life. It’s not often you find another person who’s read Gaudy Night. These conversations have filled a hole for me, made my reading richer, and bring me pure delight.

I am smitten with this podcast. The hosts are wildly entertaining and the guest authors are the best kind, the ones who live and breathe their subject matter. What more could a devoted bibliophile want? I just became a subscriber and you should too.

I love this podcast and I've listened for so long, but they really miss on some points that can be super hurtful. As a neurodivergent person myself, it can take me well out of the experience. On the recent summer episode, Nicky states that the passage she's about to read is proof of why she believes the main character is neurodivergent. The passage describes a cruel and violent interaction wherein the character harms a baby. After the passage, Andy responds "there it is!" As if further proof is not needed. Nicky then goes on to say that because the character behaves in a way that is "objectionable and horrid," she believes the character must be neurodivergent. I cannot overstate how painful it was to hear this and poorly this represents neurodivergent people. Being ASD or neurodivergent does not mean you are cruel, uncaring, or careless towards other people. To say that ASD people do not understand physical harm is so reductive and really brought me so much sadness. I love this podcast but I really hope the hosts can do a better job of humanizing and showing empathy towards people who are not like them, and take some time to learn and understand neurodivergence instead of piling on to a long list of harmful stereotypes. I'm so sad about this.