5 podcasts for bookworms

Reading rates are declining - a recent study showed that the number of Americans who read for pleasure had almost halved in the last two decades, while average reading scores for students are plummeting, thanks in large part to the number of digital distractions competing for our limited attention.

- EMMA DIBDIN

These five podcasts will help you indulge, develop or rekindle a love of reading, offering critical analysis and recommendations alongside tips and tricks on how to break through reader's block.

Decision fatigue from an overwhelming array of choices can make it hard to settle on a book, but this "literary matchmaking podcast" is here to help. Anne Bogel, the host, is best known for creating Modern Mrs Darcy, a long-running lifestyle blog for bookworms. She speaks to guests about their reading tastes, habits and pet peeves, and then makes recommendations for what they should read next. The show has been running for close to a decade, so there's an episode covering just about any genre, taste profile or reading quandary you can imagine. The interviewees are not celebrities - although some are in the literary business as booksellers, librarians or authors - and a common theme is how to prioritise what you love to read, rather than what you feel you should be reading based on literary prestige or BookTok.

Starter episode: What Cozy Mysteries Are Right For Me?