Playing Books

Welcome to the Playing Books podcast. We thank you for tuning into the mystery episode of the podcast. Do you ever feel like invisible hands manage the world’s stage? Do you suspect that history isn’t a series of accidents, but a carefully scripted play? Humans must never be independent! We must become docile. In this episode of Playing Books, we discuss Jüri Lina’s "Architects of Deception.&...

Thank you for tuning in to the Playing Books podcast. Welcome to the character episode of the podcast. What if the fastest way to real success, truly loving, mutual relationships, and lasting influence isn’t grinding harder or posting louder, but getting smaller on purpose?   In this fresh, no-fluff episode of Playing Books , we crack open Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney, a foundational,...

Thank you for tuning into the Playing Books Podcast. Welcome to the writing episode of the podcast.  Have you felt it, that sinking moment when you reread something you wrote and thought: this isn't it? The idea was there. The feeling was real. But somehow, between the brain and the page, something leaked out, leaving behind a sentence that works but doesn't sing. "Most writers know w...

Thank you for tuning in to the Playing Books Podcast. We welcome you to the biography episode of our podcast. In this episode of the Playing Books Podcast, we discuss Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, a book that strips away the myth, the marketing fog, and the glossy hero stories to reveal the real human behind Apple’s iconic glow. This isn’t just a biography; it’s a brutally honest autopsy of geniu...

Thank you for tuning in to the Playing Books Podcast. We welcome you to our episode about animals. "Ever wondered what truly awakens when the sun dips below the horizon? Most of us live our lives bathed in daylight, oblivious to the vibrant, mysterious world that thrives under the cloak of night. In this captivating new episode of the Playing Books podcast, we plunge into the shadows with Dan...

Thank you for your time and for tuning in to our expository episode of the Playing Books podcast. In this new episode of the Playing Books Podcast, we sit down with Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin’s Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism (An Examination of Antisemitism) , a book that doesn’t tiptoe around the hard questions. Instead, it walks straight into them with clarity, realism, and a k...

Thank you so much for tuning in to the Playing Books podcast. Welcome to yet another episode to honor women in this International Women's Month.  This episode explores the conversation we’ve all been avoiding until now. We discuss Laura Bates' Men Who Hate Women: From Incels to Pickup Artists: The Truth about Extreme Misogyny and How it Affects Us All (Essential Book for Women's Histor...

Thank you for your time and for tuning in to the Playing Books podcast. Welcome to the spycraft episode of the Playing Books podcast.  In this episode of Playing Books, we discuss Operation Ajax: The Story of the CIA Coup that Remade the Middle East by Mike de Seve, illustrated by Daniel Burwen, with a foreword by Stephen Kinzer, and ask a simple question: what really happened in Iran in 1953, and...

Thank you for tuning in to the Playing Books Podcast. We're recording this episode in a month when the world marks International Workers’ Day, making it the perfect time to ask: whose voices are actually being heard in the workplace, in politics, and in public? In this episode, we’re discussing Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard. A book that The Guardian calls one of the 100 Best Boo...

Welcome to a new practical episode of the Playing Books podcast. We discuss the mechanics of human agreement in this episode.  Every day, we negotiate at work, at home, in relationships, even with ourselves. The question is: Are we negotiating well? In this episode of the Playing Books Podcast, we talk about the timeless negotiation classic Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In b...

Thank you for tuning in to the Playing Books Podcast. Welcome to the entrepreneurial episode of the podcast.  We discuss Daniel S. Peña’s Your First 100 Million and ask a simple, uncomfortable question: what if the gap between your current life and your first serious wealth is not talent, luck, or followers, but the price you’re truly willing to pay for it? Did you know happiness comes from massiv...

Thank you for your time and for tuning in to the love episode of the Playing Books podcast. What is the actual cost of following your heart? Is it your reputation? Your peace of mind? Your bank account? In today’s episode of the Playing Books podcast, we are dusting off a masterpiece of realism that has been unfairly forgotten. We’re diving into Arnold Bennett’s 1914 classic, The Price of Love. Wh...

Welcome to a new episode of the Playing Books Podcast, where we open the pages of ideas that shape leaders, movers, and world‑builders. Today, we’re stepping into the timeless wisdom of Bill Newman’s 10 Laws of Leadership , a compact but powerful guide that has shaped executives, pastors, entrepreneurs, and everyday people who simply want to lead their lives with clarity and conviction. Leadership...

Thank you for your time and for tuning in to the Playing Books podcast. Welcome to a health episode of the podcast. We are not giving medical advice in this episode, please. Please consult your doctor for your health matters. In this episode, we open a book that has quietly shaped communities, empowered families, and saved lives for nearly half a century: Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health...

Thank you for your interest and for tuning in to the Playing Books podcast. Welcome to a practical, relatable episode of the podcast.  We discuss rent in this Playing Book podcast. You pay it. You dread it. You argue about it. Let's go beyond the surface of this complex subject. Rent is one of those words so woven into daily life that we've stopped questioning what it really means, whom it...

Thank you for tuning in to the Playing Books podcast. This episode is a revelation. On the Playing Books podcast, we discuss David Brooks’s The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, a masterful blend of psychology, sociology, and storytelling that uncovers the invisible forces shaping our lives. David Brooks dismantles the myth that success is built solely on logic...

Welcome to the Playing Books podcast. Thank you for tuning in to the tax episode of the podcast. Every April, the government takes a massive cut of your paycheck. And most people just accept it.  Do you also shrug, sign the forms, and watch thousands of dollars vanish and tell yourself,  "That's just how it works?" But here's what nobody tells you: the wealthy aren't playing...

Hello, history admirers.  Welcome to a thrilling new episode of the Playing Books podcast, where we take you on a sky-high journey through the captivating world of aviation history with R.G. Grant’s Flight: The Complete History of Aviation (DK Definitive Visual Histories). This visually stunning, richly detailed book chronicles humanity’s timeless dream to conquer the skies, from the earliest flyi...

Welcome to a memoir episode of the Playing Books Podcast. What lens have you used to divide people into, and accordingly, how do you treat others based on this division? In this episode of the podcast, we discuss Mary Robinson’s memoir, Everybody Matters. We want to believe everyone is important and relevant, but in reality, we base who gets attention, opportunity, respect, and love on metrics tha...

Hello, bookish, literature advocates. Thank you for tuning in to the Playing Books Podcast. Have you been applying for jobs, but never get interviews? Highly likely, it is your resume. Your resume isn’t knocking out the Applicant Tracking Systems, let alone getting into the hands of recruiters. Your resume gets one shot, and usually less than 10 seconds. In this episode of Playing Books, we break...

What is your idea of America? Could you share in the comments, please?  Is the American Dream a promise, a myth, or a work-in-progress? In a moment of deep polarization, it’s easy to think we share nothing in common. But what if the key to our future lies in reckoning with our shared past and our shared values? Remember, it is the United States of America. There are many values that knit us togeth...

Hello, principled people. Thank you for tuning in to this practical episode of the Playing Books podcast. In this episode, we conclude our discussion of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, a timeless guide to principle-centered living and lasting effectiveness. Covey’s message is simple but powerful: real success comes from character, values, and intentional action. While...

Welcome to the Playing Books Podcast. Today, we’re diving into the timeless wisdom of this book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. This episode is designed for listeners who want to transform their lives through practical, actionable habits. Stephen R. Covey’s work is a cornerstone in personal development and leadership. Unlike quick-fix advice, this book focuses on buil...

Hello, history enthusiasts. We welcome you to the Playing Books Podcast. Thank you for tuning in to this special episode. This episode is not about increasing the divide between Black and White and other races. Do you remember that high school girl who wrote Dr. King thus: "Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School." She said, "While it should not mat...

Hi, history enthusiasts.  Welcome to a history episode of the Playing Books Podcast. This episode is one you cannot skip.   It might be the most powerful discussion we’ve ever brought to the Playing Books community. If you’ve ever questioned your own bravery, felt pressured to conform, or wondered how to stand firm when everything around you pushes back, this conversation is your turning point. Th...