# Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! book recommendations > Every book mentioned on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, most mentioned first, with the strongest quote for each. Compiled by Podshelf from episode transcripts. - Show page: https://podshelf.io/podcasts/wait-wait-dont-tell-me - Hosted by Peter Sagal - 37 books, 46 mentions and 0 top picks across 54 episodes since 2026-01-10 ## Books - [Work in Progress](https://podshelf.io/books/9780062694485) by James Martin: 3 mentions > “And it's really nice to meet you and talk about your new book. It's called Work in Progress, Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool, and Priest. What haven't you done? … So your book is all about your past summer job starting off when you were a child. Which job made you believe in God the least?” — We go to confessional with Father James Martin (2026-04-25) - [Frog and Toad](https://podshelf.io/books/9780008121877) by Arnold Lobel: 2 mentions > “You know what? You're not going to be able to see it because my camera is blurred, but I have a full tattoo sleeve of my favorite book, so I love Where the Wild Things Are. I'm a big fan of Richard Scarry books, of Streg and Nona, of Frog and Toad, but one of my favorite books is Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. It's because that was the first book where I saw myself look like a character in the books.” — Librarian Mychal Threets talks rebooting Reading Rainbow and our panel eats goo (2026-02-07) - [Where the Wild Things Are](https://podshelf.io/books/9780064431781) by Maurice Sendak: 2 mentions > “You know what? You're not going to be able to see it because my camera is blurred, but I have a full tattoo sleeve of my favorite book, so I love Where the Wild Things Are. I'm a big fan of Richard Scarry books, of Streg and Nona, of Frog and Toad, but one of my favorite books is Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. It's because that was the first book where I saw myself look like a character in the books.” — Librarian Mychal Threets talks rebooting Reading Rainbow and our panel eats goo (2026-02-07) - [Yesteryear](https://podshelf.io/books/9780593804216) by Caro Claire Burke: 2 mentions > “Almost as soon as it was published, Carol Clare Burke's novel Yesteryear was declared the book of the summer. The story of a trad wife influencer who has to survive after being transported mysteriously to the 1850s was an instant bestseller. It's already being developed into a movie starring Anne Hathaway.” — The World Cup, Trad Wives, and the Wedding of the Century (2026-06-20) - [Strega Nona](https://podshelf.io/books/9781442449442) by Tomie dePaola: 2 mentions > “You know what? You're not going to be able to see it because my camera is blurred, but I have a full tattoo sleeve of my favorite book, so I love Where the Wild Things Are. I'm a big fan of Richard Scarry books, of Streg and Nona, of Frog and Toad, but one of my favorite books is Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. It's because that was the first book where I saw myself look like a character in the books.” — Librarian Mychal Threets talks rebooting Reading Rainbow and our panel eats goo (2026-02-07) - [Momo](https://podshelf.io/books/9781545827819) by John Cusack: 2 mentions > “You've written a graphic novel. That's true. I grew up reading this kind of graphic novel, very big in Europe. In your case, this graphic novel is about 300 pages long and it features sex, violence, drugs, aliens, Jackie Gleason, and a plot centered around the very real French avant-garde artist and philosopher Antonin Artaud... It's pretty funny and very bizarre, and I recommend it to everybody.” — Celebrating the 4th with nothing but bangers! (2026-07-04) - [Bud, Not Buddy](https://podshelf.io/books/9781632456397) by Christopher Paul Curtis, Reginald André Jackson, Alberto Jimenez Rioja, aa: 2 mentions > “You know what? You're not going to be able to see it because my camera is blurred, but I have a full tattoo sleeve of my favorite book, so I love Where the Wild Things Are. I'm a big fan of Richard Scarry books, of Streg and Nona, of Frog and Toad, but one of my favorite books is Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. It's because that was the first book where I saw myself look like a character in the books.” — Librarian Mychal Threets talks rebooting Reading Rainbow and our panel eats goo (2026-02-07) - [The Complete Connections Puzzle Book](https://podshelf.io/books/9781668056530) by Ken Jennings: 2 mentions > “Ken Jennings is the host of Jeopardy. He's also the author of the Complete Connections Puzzle Book, which has eaten up a lot of my week. It's available now. Ken Jennings, thank you so much for joining us again on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.” — We make Ken Jennings relive the worst moment of his life (2026-05-16) - [The Iliad](https://podshelf.io/books/9780140275360) by Homer: 1 mention > “Yes, a remarkable discovery. A page from the Iliad was found in the abdomen of an Egyptian mummy, meaning that either it was stuffed inside this mummy during the mummification process, or this man died from eating the Iliad. Now, papyrus has been found inside mummies before, but it's always like religious texts. This is like the first time it's been a page just taken from a book. But of all the books to be buried with, the Iliad is pretty cool, right? Sophisticated guy, whoever this guy was.” — We're live in San Diego with Ron Burgundy! (2026-05-02) - [Pride and Prejudice](https://podshelf.io/books/9780141439518) by Jane Austen: 1 mention > “Feeling insecure? Want to drop impressive literary references on sales calls and when you meet your in-laws? The Bookworm Buddy is for you... If you're a guy on a first date, your Bookworm Buddy might tell you to casually drop this Jane Austin banger. I'm almost done paying off my grad school loans and it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife. You better believe your date will respond with, check please.” — A tick-filled odyssey (2026-07-25) - [Barbie Dreamscape](https://podshelf.io/books/9780241851937) by Barbie, Alex Aster: 1 mention > “Barbie Dreamscape is an instant number one New York Times bestseller. It's the first Barbie book aimed at young adults. But it has found an audience with lots of regular, lame, old adults. The book tells what happens when Barbie graduates from Barbie school and is not assigned a job.” — Our panel goes on shore leave with Maggie Smith (2026-09-05) - [Life](https://podshelf.io/books/9780297854395) by Keith Richards: 1 mention > “Another famous sleepwalker is Keith Richards, who says he was sleepwalking when he did what? Was it A, wrote and recorded the main guitar riff for satisfaction? Was it B, bought two kilograms of cocaine? Or was it C, called his manager and agreed to do a solo album? I'm going to say B. I read life by, yeah.” — We celebrate a bomb and dig deep with Margo Price (2026-10-10) - [Twilight](https://podshelf.io/books/9780316015844) by Stephenie Meyer: 1 mention > “I just have to ask before we get started. I think you're in the right demographic for it. Were you a fan of the Twilight Saga at any time? I loved Twilight as a kid. Rob Patson also goes in that. I knew it. I loved Twilight as a kid. I cannot tell you the last time I watched Twilight, though.” — The Wait Wait 2026 summer spectacular, part 1! (2026-08-15) - [infinite jest](https://podshelf.io/books/9780316306058) by David Foster Wallace: 1 mention > “what do you even say? Here you go, kid. Take this copy of Infinite Jest. It's fun-sized.” — We celebrate a bomb and dig deep with Margo Price (2026-10-10) - [The Pout-Pout Fish](https://podshelf.io/books/9780374310547) by Deborah Diesen: 1 mention > “Can I ask, since we've been on the topic this week, what are their favorite books? Right now, my son is super into the Camp Cretaceous books and my daughter really big into Pow Pow Fish right now. Pow Pow Fish. Oh yeah, we have that book. We've read it many times and the sequel was disappointing because it goes on antidepressants. Which sequel? I feel like there are like six of them.” — Librarian Mychal Threets talks rebooting Reading Rainbow and our panel eats goo (2026-02-07) - [Stiff](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393050936) by Mary Roach: 1 mention > “Mary Roach is either the funniest science writer in the world or the most scientific comedian. Her books include Stiff, that's about our bodies after we die, Bonk on the Science of Sex, Gulp on the Digestive Process, and her newest, Replaceable You, is about the efforts to make spare parts for human beings. Mary Roach, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.” — Betting on a graveyard of Cybertrucks with Mary Roach (2026-08-01) - [Bonk](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393069211) by Mary Roach: 1 mention > “Mary Roach is either the funniest science writer in the world or the most scientific comedian. Her books include Stiff, that's about our bodies after we die, Bonk on the Science of Sex, Gulp on the Digestive Process, and her newest, Replaceable You, is about the efforts to make spare parts for human beings. Mary Roach, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.” — Betting on a graveyard of Cybertrucks with Mary Roach (2026-08-01) - [Gulp](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393081572) by Mary Roach: 1 mention > “Mary Roach is either the funniest science writer in the world or the most scientific comedian. Her books include Stiff, that's about our bodies after we die, Bonk on the Science of Sex, Gulp on the Digestive Process, and her newest, Replaceable You, is about the efforts to make spare parts for human beings. Mary Roach, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.” — Betting on a graveyard of Cybertrucks with Mary Roach (2026-08-01) - [Grunt](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393245448) by Mary Roach: 1 mention > “Well, Mary Roach, it is a pleasure to talk to you. We've invited you here though, to play a game. We're calling bonk, gulp, grunt, meet zoom, bang, bam. So you've written the books, bonk, gulp, and grunt. So we thought we'd ask you about some other crazy sounds. Get two out of three right, and you will win our prize for one of our listeners.” — Betting on a graveyard of Cybertrucks with Mary Roach (2026-08-01) - [Winnie-the-Pooh](https://podshelf.io/books/9780525430346) by A. A. Milne: 1 mention > “According to the library, the bear broke in just before they opened, wandered into the break room, stole a jar of honey, and then left. It's such a sweet way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh, especially because the real bear also was not wearing any pants. Was there a sad donkey there, too? I hope so.” — We’ve got our eyes on Jon Husted with Daniel Vosovic (2026-10-24) - [Camp Cretaceous](https://podshelf.io/books/9780593303351) by Steve Behling, Patrick Spaziante: 1 mention > “Can I ask, since we've been on the topic this week, what are their favorite books? Right now, my son is super into the Camp Cretaceous books and my daughter really big into Pow Pow Fish right now. Pow Pow Fish. Oh yeah, we have that book. We've read it many times and the sequel was disappointing because it goes on antidepressants. Which sequel? I feel like there are like six of them.” — Librarian Mychal Threets talks rebooting Reading Rainbow and our panel eats goo (2026-02-07) - [The Choi of Cooking](https://podshelf.io/books/9780593579251) by Roy Choi, Tien Nguyen, Natasha Phan: 1 mention > “Also, how did Chef Roy do on our quiz? He cooked up a win. He did. There you go. Chef Roy Choi's newest book is The Choi of Cooking. Roy Choi, thank you so much for joining us.” — We hold our own Olympic Games with our favorite guests (2026-02-21) - [Ply](https://podshelf.io/books/9780593719541) by Hernán Díaz: 1 mention > “Hernan Diaz is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Trust, his new book, Ply. It's available for pre-order now. It will blow your mind. Hernan Diaz, thank you so much for joining us on Wet Wait Don't Tell Me.” — A fond farewell to brunch and also humankind (2026-09-19) - [Outsider Animals: How the Creatures at the Margins of Our Lives Have the Most to Teach Us](https://podshelf.io/books/9780691264240) by Marlene Zuk: 1 mention > “Marlene Zook's new book actually came out yesterday is Outsider Animals, How the Creatures at the Margins of Our Lives Have the Most to Teach Us. You know what we should do? We should play with this idea.” — HTDE: Crickets and Clowns (2026-03-18) - [Everybody Poops](https://podshelf.io/books/9780711220461) by Taro Gomi: 1 mention > “Can I ask a health question of you, Michael? How many times can a parent safely read Everybody Poops to their child before they get actual brain damage? The child or the adult? I was thinking of the adult.” — The Wait Wait 2026 summer spectacular, part 1! (2026-08-15) - [Chronicles: Volume One](https://podshelf.io/books/9780743244589) by Bob Dylan: 1 mention > “And this is true. Dylan came to the Vatican, and he presented the Pope with a copy of his, Dylan's memoir. What? It takes a lot of self-confidence to tell the Pope of Rome, yeah, but wait till you read about my life in a compliment.” — We learn The Lowdown Hoedown with Sterlin Harjo (2026-11-07) - [Dog Man](https://podshelf.io/books/9781407199870) by Dav Pilkey: 1 mention > “So I think the magic of books is just saying, you know what? You can read. You can read graphic novels. You can read Dog Man 1,000 times. Read away. Reading is reading. You're a worthy reader.” — The Wait Wait 2026 summer spectacular, part 1! (2026-08-15) - [The Jungle](https://podshelf.io/books/9781497672109) by Upton Sinclair: 1 mention > “And this was only a few years after Upton Sinclair's book, The Jungle, had come out. Nobody wanted to eat ground beef. They were afraid of what was in it. So, the white walls and the stainless steel of the White Castles were supposed to assure you of its cleanliness.” — The Alzo Era begins in Austin! (2026-06-06) - [Trust](https://podshelf.io/books/9781529074529) by Hernán Díaz: 1 mention > “So obviously we're gonna start with this. It is true, in fact, that Dua Lipa first bonded with her now husband over your book, Trust, right? It is. It is true. It is true. I think it's actually one of the first pictures they exchanged was the cover of the book.” — A fond farewell to brunch and also humankind (2026-09-19) - [In the Distance](https://podshelf.io/books/9781566894883) by Hernán Díaz: 1 mention > “And on 4th of July weekend, I heard back from the publisher and they wanted to publish the book, which was in the distance, which is not my first novel. I have drawers full of manuscripts, but that was the one that got published first.” — A fond farewell to brunch and also humankind (2026-09-19) - [Good Time Girl](https://podshelf.io/books/9781668049815) by Heather Gay: 1 mention > “You have a new book called Good Time Girl. Yes. And this book is sort of a recounting of your various exploits, presumably once you left the LDS church. Can you give everybody sort of a taste, a sample of the stories you tell in your new book, Good Time Girl?” — WWDTM: Pedro Pascal, Chris Perfetti, Heather Gay, and more! (2026-01-12) - [In Gad We Trust](https://podshelf.io/books/9781668050545) by Josh Gad: 1 mention > “Now, if you've never seen The Book of Mormon, it is incredibly obscene in the best possible way. And I heard a story. It was actually in Josh Gad's memoir. Josh Gad from the original cast. He says he was at an initial workshop. You were working out the show. And he read or performed one of the songs, and he actually said to Trey Parker, one of the authors, he said, you can't do this. This is too offensive. People will kill you.” — The Wait Wait 2026 summer spectacular, part 2! (2026-08-22) - [Regime Change](https://podshelf.io/books/9781668067246) by Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman: 1 mention > “All right, Luke, your next quote about a very prominent couple sleeping in separate bedrooms. He's determined to have the better bedroom. That's from the new book, Regime Change, about what couple fighting over who has the better room? ... Yes, Trump and Melania. The president and Melania have separate bedrooms. We all figured this. The only surprising fact is that they're in the same building.” — We skip the salad bar and have a banana instead (2026-07-18) - [You Could Make This Place Beautiful](https://podshelf.io/books/9781797151991) by Maggie Smith: 1 mention > “About a decade ago, perhaps for the first time ever, a poem became a viral sensation. Good Bones by Maggie Smith was everywhere. That led to her best-selling memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful. Since then, she's written another New York Times bestseller, Dear Writer, Advice for the Creative Life, and she still lives in her hometown in Ohio, near Columbus.” — Our panel goes on shore leave with Maggie Smith (2026-09-05) - [Replaceable You](https://podshelf.io/books/9781836431565) by Mary Roach: 1 mention > “Mary Roach is either the funniest science writer in the world or the most scientific comedian. Her books include Stiff, that's about our bodies after we die, Bonk on the Science of Sex, Gulp on the Digestive Process, and her newest, Replaceable You, is about the efforts to make spare parts for human beings. Mary Roach, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.” — Betting on a graveyard of Cybertrucks with Mary Roach (2026-08-01) - [The Power Broker](https://podshelf.io/books/9781847923653) by Robert Caro: 1 mention, 1 critical > “Behave, or I'm giving you the power broker for Halloween.” — We celebrate a bomb and dig deep with Margo Price (2026-10-10) - [Dear Writer](https://podshelf.io/books/9781982170905) by Maggie Smith: 1 mention > “So your latest book is called Dear Writer, encouragement for, wisdom, encouragement, exercises for writing. You've taught writing for a long time. And I want to know, as a teacher of writing, I've been one, I've met a lot, what is your philosophy of feedback? Are you brutally honest?” — Our panel goes on shore leave with Maggie Smith (2026-09-05)