SUMMARY: When you hear a story, do you lose interest after like 5 minutes? Then you will LOVE short stories, a new thing we invented. Today’s book is a short story collection by Ray Bradbury, who realized that anything counts as sci-fi if you take a normal story and just put it on Mars. Plus, Kellen has planned out a very unexpected last day on Earth, and Dave uncovers a deceptive photograph.WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237sKE...

SUMMARY: This is a James Bond book without James Bond, a love story without love, and a spy story without spying. The only person who’s unaware of all this is the author, Ian Fleming, AKA the only person feminists beg to please write fewer female characters. KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN CHICAGO THIS WEEK Nov 22-23! Go to KellenErskine.com for tickets-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile-Dave’s book / ...

SUMMARY: Dave and Kellen take another dive into the great Amy Poehler's (SNL, Baby Momma, Parks and Recreation) memoir. Also Dave is terrible at comforting people and Kellen rants about actors' award speeches.KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN PROVO & SALT LAKE CITY THIS WEEK! Nov 7th (Provo) then 8-9 (SLC) go to KellenErskine.com for tickets-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile-If you want to read Yes ...

SUMMARY: Do you ever make a books podcast, and start with your favorite books? But unfortunately, your first episodes are also when you’re the worst at podcasting? So years later you revisit those books to do a better job? That’s what this is! Today we cover a book about cultivating interests in a lot of different fields. It’s great.-If you want to read Range and support the podcast in a fun way, click here to buy the book!https://amzn.to/3Yi0V3i-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live s...

SUMMARY: The events from the date of today's book title are part of a long-running joke on the podcast, so we thought it would be funny to cover this novel for our 200th episode...-If you want to read 11/22/63 and support the podcast in a fun way, click here to buy the book!https://amzn.to/47GoS7j-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile-Dave’s book / game The Starlings is here: https://www.amazon...

SUMMARY: Enjoy this throwback episode from September 2022 when we covered the oldest book on the podcast thus far (though the book with the oldest people is probably still Twilight...). Learn the value of surprise as Kellen startles Dave in real time, and bask in Dave's glory as he recounts winning at board games and also possibly saving someone's life (but he's still a nerd because of the board games...). -If you want to read or listen to The Art of War and support the podcast in a fun way, ...

SUMMARY: An Americana small-town Christmas pageant gets hijacked by kids from the other side of the tracks, but it all works out (or this would be a very different genre). Kellen is joined by Dallas Jenkins who directed and co-wrote the movie (currently IN THEATERS and at 90% on Rottentomatoes!)KELLEN ERSKINE IS PERFORMING IN CARLSBAD (close to San Diego) THIS WEEK! Nov 16th! Go to KellenErskine.com for tickets-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-2025 by joining The Boo...

SUMMARY: Today we cover a Transformers book that is “more than meets the eye." Unless your eye looked at the book and was like, “It seems bad,” in which case, yeah, it’s pretty much what met your eye. Thanks to everyone who joined us for this live episode! And thank you to the Autobots for protecting Earth. Next time please do it in a more interesting way.-If you want to read Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday and support the podcast in a fun way, click here to buy the book! (But we actually d...

Zoltan Kaszas joins the podcast to discuss unshaven music guru Rick Rubin's humble and surprisingly deep book about making art (the "surprisingly" is just based shallowly on Rick Rubin's looks).-Listen to the audio album of Kellen's new 30-minute comedy special "Negative Comments"! Available by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPileSee us LIVE in Los Angeles (adjacent...) on Sep 6th! Tickets here!https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kellen-erskine-stand-up-comedy...

What's better than uncovering the mysteries of history? MAKING UP history so that it fits into a clue-based adventure!-Listen to the audio album of Kellen's new 30-minute comedy special "Negative Comments"! Available by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPileOR WATCH his new special here for free with promo code KELLENERSKINEhttps://www.drybarcomedy.com/kellenerskineSee The Book Pile LIVE in Los Angeles (adjacent...) on Sep 6th! Tickets here! (OR Join the Patreo...

Look. It’s just possibly the worst book we’ve ever read. This is the maddest you’ll ever hear us.-Listen to the audio album of Kellen's new 30-minute comedy special "Negative Comments"! Available by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPileSee us LIVE in Los Angeles (adjacent...) on Sep 6th! Tickets here!https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kellen-erskine-stand-up-comedy-the-book-pile-podcast-tickets-952036465697?aff=Website-Dave’s book / game The Starlings is here: https...

-Listen to the audio album of Kellen's new 30-minute comedy special "Negative Comments"! Available by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPileSee us LIVE in Los Angeles (adjecent...) on Sep 6th! Tickets here!https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kellen-erskine-stand-up-comedy-the-book-pile-podcast-tickets-952036465697?aff=WebsiteSUMMARY: The world is probably a safer place to live in now than it ever has been. Don't believe that? Are you calling Steven Pinker's 700 page b...

-Listen to the audio album of Kellen's new 30-minute comedy special "Negative Comments"! Available by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPileSUMMARY: Look, we know. The internet has made an ABUNDANCE of Cthulhu content. You have Cthulhus out the wazoo. How could a podcast about Cthulhus possibly satisfy you, or add something new to the Cthulhu conversation? Look, please just listen to this Cthulhu episode. We worked really hard on it. Plus Kellen had a nightmare...

With a new intro where we announce a live episode recording in Los Angeles (on 9/6/24)!With a new, smoother overall edit to our conversation, today we revisit an episode from 2022 where we break down Goodnight Moon with Chad Daniels who just released his first Netflix stand-up special Empty Nester.They boys talk about how it's hard to have a "good night" when your child is kicking you in your own bed; Kellen has a pitch for a fun demonic toy; Dave brings up the weird, dark backstory behind th...

Math is boring unless it ends in a disaster, right? Maybe? Well it doesn't matter how YOU feel about it, bad things happen and math is always to blame.This book proves it (even if it's not what the author intended).*JOIN OUR PATREON for bonus episodes and full audio of KELLEN'S NEW HALF-HOUR COMEDY SPECIAL!!! Listen to "Negative Comments" now!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*If you want to read/listen to Humble Pi and support the podcast in a fun way, click here to buy the book! Free on Au...

Have you considered letting the pressure off yourself to be someone you're not in order to feel truer belonging and inner peace? Brown encourages authenticity (*unless you're a big dumb jerk, then you should pretend to be a smart nice person) in a world that pushes unattainable expectations.*Kellen added this part-JOIN OUR PATREON for bonus episodes and exclusive clips of Kellen's stand up!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile-If you want to read/listen to The Gifts of Imperfection and support ...

Want to be more productive? Want to eliminate wasteful distractions from your day? Want to read the word "Indistractable" dozens and dozens and dozens of times? Then you're going to indistractably love this indistractable book called, Indistractable!*JOIN OUR PATREON for bonus episodes and exclusive clips of Kellen's stand up!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*If you want to read/listen to Indistractable and support the podcast in a fun way, click here to buy the book! Free on Audible to fir...

Wrong way: read books about making good movies.Right way: read books about making a bad movie, and then don’t do that.This book tells the story of a historic box office flop, Bonfire of the Vanities. (It is historic in the sense that someone wrote a book about it.) Hear us make fun of the people who made it! Even though they seem very talented!*JOIN OUR PATREON for bonus episodes and exclusive clips of Kellen's stand up!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*If you want to read/listen to The Dev...

A magic girl (barely), a sociopath boy who thinks he's a knight, a strong guy who got fired from wrestling, and a bad guy with a mouth where his ear should be but only sometimes, I know this sounds made up . . . and it is, it's all made up in this book. Also there's an apocalypse, but that was probably obvious.*JOIN OUR PATREON for bonus episodes and exclusive clips of Kellen's stand up!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*If you want to read/listen to Swan Song and support the podcast in a fu...

Okay, we know there are many political controversies surrounding Elon Musk. But if you can, just try to clear your mind and approach this episode without prejudice. Wait, don’t clear your mind that much! That was all your memories! Quick, sweetie, tell me what year it is! Do you know who the president is?! Try to remember, please! PLEASE!!*JOIN OUR PATREON for bonus episodes and exclusive clips of Kellen's stand up!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*If you want to read/listen to Elon Musk an...

Interestingly, this is also the title of the world’s saddest and shortest autobiography.Also on this episode, Kellen and Dave pitch a much better sequel to Jurassic Park.*JOIN OUR PATREON FOR BoNuS EPISODES!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*If you want to read/listen to Catching Fire and support the podcast in a fun way, click here to buy the book! Free on Audible to first-time subscribers! Free on Kindle to Amazon Prime members!https://amzn.to/3VjtZGc*Dave’s book / game The Starlings is he...

JOIN OUR PATREON FOR BoNuS EPISODES!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*Rediscover this gem of a Book Pile episode (originally episode #92) that we dug up and polished from July of 2022! Dave brings up Sauron's oversight on Mt. Doom; Kellen thinks Frodo fell short; Dave first asks the question "What would you do if there were no consequences?" then promptly makes fun of Kellen's answer and never answers it himself (so clearly he would have failed the Fellowship).*If you want to read/lis...

JOIN OUR PATREON FOR BoNuS EPISODES!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*Picture a bird. Pretty cool, right? Now open your eyes. There’s another bird by that bird. I bet you feel so racist.Anyway, Bird by Bird is a beautifully written, witty, unpretentious book about writing. *If you want to read/listen to this Bird by Bird and support the podcast in a fun way, click here to buy the book! Free on Audible to first-time subscribers!https://amzn.to/4akxRei*Dave’s book / game The Starlings is he...

JOIN OUR PATREON FOR BoNuS EPISODES!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*Rediscover this gem of a Book Pile episode (originally episode #84) that we dug up and polished from May of 2022!The Big Short is a little nostalgic jaunt back into the greatest financial collapse of our lifetimes. Also on this episode, the duo discuss air fryers, hot tubs, and nuclear-bomb insurance (in that order of priority). *If you want to read/listen to this book and support the podcast at the same time, click...