The Book Up
Hosted by Verdell Walker · Verdell Walker | Writer & Book Reviewer
5.0from 39 ratings
- 37
- Episodes
- 8
- Transcribed
- 39
- Ratings
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2025
- First episode
- 263
- YouTube views
About The Book Up
Welcome to The Book Up, your thoughtful guide to discovering great books that aren’t on the end cap - but should be. I’m your host, Verdell Walker, a Harvard MBA who’s blazed a trail at companies like The Wall Street Journal, Goldman Sachs, Scholastic, and Sesame Street. I’m also a Black Southern belle raised by books, and a published writer who knows how stories work. Books are my passion, and my mission is to help you find the stories you'll love to read — and dodge the ones you won't. Whether you're looking for your next great read or just need a trusted source for book recs that actually deliver, you've found your place. Each week, I review a book, and in just 15 minutes, you’ll know whether it belongs at the top of your TBR pile or is destined for a DNF. Think of me as your personal book matchmaker — here to give you reading recs that will rock your world, and save you from wasting your time, money, and library holds along the way. Stories bring us together, and there’s always room in my reading nook for everybody. Whether you're a lifelong reader, someone crawling out of a reading slump, or a book lover who just needs a trusted voice to help them find a great story — you're exactly who I built this for. New episodes drop weekly on Tuesdays. Come on in, get cozy, and let me give you The Book Up! P.S. Looking for a playful way to tend to your reading life? Join the community newsletter and receive a free The Book Up Bingo Card to add a little more cozy to your bookish goals and TBR pile! Sign up here: https://thebookuppodcast.mystrikingly.com/#bingo (https://thebookuppodcast.mystrikingly.com/#bingo) CONNECT WITH THE BOOK UP Website: https://thebookuppodcast.mystrikingly.com/ (https://thebookuppodcast.mystrikingly.com/) Instagram: @thebookuppod (https://tinyurl.com/46hvyajb) YouTube: @TheBookUpPodcast (https://www.youtube.com/@TheBookUpPodcast) Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thebookuppodcast/ (https://www.pinterest.com/thebookuppodcast/) Substack: https://thebookuppod.substack.com/ (https://thebookuppod.substack.com/) Shop: The Book Up Bookshop (https://bookshop.org/shop/thebookup)* and Amazon (https://a.co/d/0bDhTCWZ) Help me reach more book lovers like you by following the podcast & leaving a rating or review on Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-book-up-with-verdell-walker-book-reviews-book-recs/id1806407128) & Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/4wUjGy4LgfVotVsGc79AUo?si=6b34aeaa5c9c4830)! Thanks for sharing The Book Up's story! *Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and Amazon. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase of any of my fiction and nonfiction book recs, at no extra cost to you!
- Publisher
- Verdell Walker | Writer & Book Reviewer
- Category
- arts · education · leisure
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 8 Apr 2025
- Latest episode
- 27 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
8 of 37 episodes have a transcript.
27 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Book Review: The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula | Historical Fantasy, Academic Fantasy
20 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Book Review: Kin by Tayari Jones | Literary Fiction, Southern Fiction
14 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
ENCORE - Book Review: "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones | Fiction, Historical Horror
Inside a recent episode
Book Review: The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula | Historical Fantasy, Academic Fantasy
Published 27 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And that tension between individual survival and collective progress is central to the book. And anyone who has ever navigated corporate life or academia will recognize it immediately. The other element I really appreciated is how the book explores the historical tension between science and faith, specifically around geology and early ideas of evolution. Throughout the story, Mary and other characters wrestle with how to reconcile Christian theology with new geological discoveries. In 19th century Britain, both in the novel and in real history, rapid advancements in geology were directly challenging established church doctrine on things like extinction and the actual age of the earth. devout scientists of that era had to work to square those pieces together. […]
Read the full transcript with a Pod Engine plan.
See plansWho has been a guest on The Book Up
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Moniquill Blackgoose
- Laila Lalami
- Rachel Howzell Hall
- Isabel Cañas
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- YouTube views
- 263
- Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 5.0 / 5
- 24 ratings
- Spotify
- 5.0 / 5
- 15 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 30 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 34
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 64
- Engagement
- 0
Contact The Book Up
- Guest appearances
- Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Shows with a similar audience
Questions about The Book Up
Who hosts The Book Up?
Verdell Walker host the show. Published by Verdell Walker | Writer & Book Reviewer.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does The Book Up take guests?
The show does not typically feature guests, based on episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
8 of 37 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
Host of The Book Up?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show
Podcast research with Pod Engine