Quick question: Do you have a list of old books that you’ve always been meaning to get around to? You know — the sort of book that a friend recommended a hundred years ago, or maybe one that a teacher assigned (and you ignored), or a classic that everyone’s - allegedly - already read?

We’re guilty too. We get it. Reading should be fun — but when you’ve missed a title, it’s hard to make room for what’s overdue when there’s so much new culture to consume.

Thankfully, we’ve just launched Books We’ve Loved, a brand-new, limited-edition series from our Book of the Day podcast. It’s where we’ll be wrangling some of the most compelling lit nerds out there to make the case for picking up a book from the past. With hosts Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker, we’re inviting a cast of literary luminaries – authors, critics, and familiar NPR voices – to argue why their book pick is worth your time. From titles by authors like Anthony Bourdain, James Baldwin, and Gillian Flynn, we’re asking our guests questions like — why can’t they get this book out of their head? How did this book shift a paradigm, shake the culture, or change their life? And, most importantly, why should you read it now?

Spoiler alert: This won’t feel like your high school lit class. Books We’ve Loved gets into the nitty-gritty of why a great book from the past always has a sneaky way of feeling relevant to the present — and can give you the momentum to tackle even more classics from the canon. Stories of human nature, love, ambition, betrayal, war, and social justice — we’re making timeless reads timely again at Books We’ve Loved starting this very week. Click below to star tlistening to NPR's Book of the Day, where you'll find new episodes of Books We've Loved on Saturdays this fall.