Secret Life of Books
Hosted by Jonty and Sophie · Sophie Gee and Jonty Claypole
4.9from 226 ratings
- 164
- Episodes
- 160
- Transcribed
- 226
- Ratings
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2024
- First episode
- 91K
- YouTube views
About Secret Life of Books
Every book has two stories: the one it tells, and the one it hides. The Secret Life of Books is a fascinating, addictive, often shocking, occasionally hilarious weekly podcast starring Sophie Gee, an English professor at Princeton University, and Jonty Claypole, formerly director of arts at the BBC. Every week these virtuoso critics and close friends take an iconic book and reveal the hidden story behind the story: who made it, their clandestine motives, the undeclared stakes, the scandalous backstory and above all the secret, mysterious meanings of books we thought we knew. -- To join the Secret Life of Books Club visit: www.secretlifeofbooks.org -- Please support us on Patreon to keep the lights on in the SLoB studio: https://patreon.com/SecretLifeofBooks528?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink insta: https://www.instagram.com/secretlifeofbookspodcast/ youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@secretlifeofbookspodcast/shorts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
- Publisher
- Sophie Gee and Jonty Claypole
- Category
- arts · education · history
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 21 May 2024
- Latest episode
- 3 Nov 2026
Latest episodes
160 of 164 episodes have a transcript.
3 Nov 2026TRANSCRIPT
Classic Australia 3: The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard
27 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Classic Australia 2: The Harp in the South by Ruth Park
23 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
From Pemberly With Love. SLOB picks the next James Bond.
Inside a recent episode
Classic Australia 3: The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard
Published 3 Nov 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Purple silence petrified the limbs of trees and stood crops upright in the fields like hair on end. Whatever there was of fresh white paint sprang out from downs or dunes or lacerated a roadside with a streak of fencing. This occurred shortly after midday on a summer Monday in the south of England. […]
Read the full transcript with a Pod Engine plan.
See plansWho has been a guest on Secret Life of Books
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Diana Reid
- Alma Katsu
- Maggie O'Farrell
- Ben Alderson-Day
- Charlotte Higgins
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- YouTube views
- 90,807
- Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.9 / 5
- 111 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.8 / 5
- 115 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 78 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 91
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 76
- Engagement
- 85
Contact Secret Life of Books
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about Secret Life of Books
Who hosts Secret Life of Books ?
Jonty and Sophie host the show. Published by Sophie Gee and Jonty Claypole.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Secret Life of Books take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
160 of 164 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
Host of Secret Life of Books ?
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