Life On Books Podcast

Of course, medium length is being used subjectively here, and perhaps it's because this length of book makes up most of the published books in the world, but still, it seems that people don't often discuss their favorites that are specifically between 300-500 pages. So on today's episode, that's exactly what we do! Here are all of the books in today's episode, but first, be sur...

The "Best Books of The 21st Century" list...left something to be desired. In this episode, Andy and I discuss which books would be in our top 10, as well as books from the 21st century we're most looking forward to reading. Which books would you put in your top 10 and why? Also, be sure to join our mailing list! https://linktw.in/BRYAnVh Books mentioned in this episode: Also, be sure...

These are, without a doubt, the best short books ever written! In our opinion. We all love the feeling of accomplishment when you finish a huge 1,000 tome, but honestly, sometimes you just want to rip through a book without feeling like it's dragging on forever! That's why there's short books and novellas! In this episode Andy and I break down our favorite short books and what we love...

There's probably few things more difficult for a writer than figuring out exactly how to start a book. Afterall, the first line of a novel is essentially a "hook." If you don't reel people in, they'll likely put it down and pick up something else instead. Think about some of the most famous opening lines, like Charles Dickens in a Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of...

In this podcast we take a trip to Andy's new apartment, where we sit down to discuss what it means to be "well read", if you should intentionally try to "read diversely" and of course, we talk a lot about books. What does it mean to you to be "well read"? Are you there yet, or do you think it's a lifelong pursuit? Books discussed in this episode: Vulture Capit...

Today on the Life on Books Podcast we are doing a deep dive on the hidden literary gem of Hard Rain Falling by Don Carpenter. Hard Rain Falling was Carpenter's debut novel, and despite it being the work of a master of his craft, Carpenter's career never seemed to materialize in the same way as his contemporaries. In Hard Rain Falling you won't be wowed by pyrotechnic prose, or need to...

In this episode, we travel to the 5 college's booksale in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and on the way we take your book related questions. We talk about our favorite places to read, what it means to have success in the literary space, whether we prefer waffles or pancakes, and so much more. As always, here are the books mentioned in this episode Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon https://amzn.to/3...

In Today's episode we do a reading recap as well as announce the new Life on Books Book Club! Here are all of the books discussed in this episode! Hard Rain Falling by Don Carpenter https://amzn.to/3WynGQ3 Tell them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants by Matthias Enard https://amzn.to/3ye4WeD The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector https://amzn.to/3WEspQa Oblivion by David Foster Walla...

Dr. Christof Koch: Consciousness, Free Will & The Grand Theory of Everything In this episode we interview Dr. Christof Koch, a trained physicist turned neuroscientist who's primary area of research focuses on consciousness. We sit down with Dr. Koch to discuss his latest book "Then I am Myself the World" out in May of 2024 on Basic Books where he recounts his experience with cons...

In case you haven't noticed, there has been an explosion in books being adapted to television and movies lately. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact, it's a great way for writers to have financial success and stability in their writing careers. This practice has become so common, Reese Witherspoon has an entire business model based on not just publishing books, but gobbling up...

In this episode we talk about what happened to the Life on Books Podcast, why we haven't posted a single new episode in 2024, despite finishing 2023 so strongly and with some very big goals. In this episode, Andy and Tony pull back the curtain on their private lives and talk about some of the monumental shifts in both of their lives, and how that has kept them from releasing a new episode. In...

In this episode we discuss all of the amazing books we read in 2023, from literature to nonfiction and audiobooks. We also discuss some of the things we experienced as "social media influencers" and "Bookstagrammers," what our goals are for 2024 and so, so much more. Thank you to everyone who has watched or listened to our book podcast this year. We couldn't have done it wi...

In this episode we sit down with author Ed Park to discuss his newest novel Same Bed Different Dreams. Same Bed Different Dreams is Park's second novel, his first, Personal Days was published in 2008. His recent release is a masterpiece of post modern fiction, taking over 9 years to complete, yet despite it's unique narrative structure, his sophomore novel remains entertaining and perhaps...

In this episode we sit down with Eskor David Johnson, the Trinidad and Tobago author, to discuss his debut novel, Pay As You Go. Pay As You Go has been labeled as "magical realism" by fans, a "Mock epic" by author and Penguin press editor Ed Park, and is one of our favorite books of the year. Whether you see it as a coming of age story, a hero's journey, or something else e...

What is literature? Dictionary.com defines it as: writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. That definition feels somewhat satisfactory, but is there more to it than than? In today's episode, Tony and Andy dive into what defines literature, whe...

We've been getting lots of questions about books. In our DMs, on our comments, so we asked you all to give us your bookish questions and we are here to answer them! In this episode Tony and Andy break down everything from how they met, to how you can read faster and remember more of what you read. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions, and if we didn't get to your question this tim...

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park has been gaining a lot of hype lately, with some calling the book the next "Gravity's Rainbow" and Park the "new Thomas Pynchon." But are those statements true, and does the book live up to the hype? In this podcast episode, Tony and Andy break down what they thought of Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park, what they liked and didn't...

Each year 6 different authors win the Pulitzer prize. In 2016, Viet Thanh Nguyen won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction with his book The Sympathizer. On its surface the Sympathizer is about a North Vietnamese spy, but in reality it's a story about searching for one's identity. In this episode, Andy and Tony break down the Sympathizer and talk about its themes: communism, capitalism, socialism...

In this episode, Andy and Tony discuss their favorite quotes and passages from some of their favorite books, and talk about the impact these words had on them as individuals. This discussion really highlights how impactful books can be, how books can change as as people, and demonstrates how reading books can lead to interesting conversations about the world. The books mentioned in the episode are...

In this episode we address many of the comments we received on a recent Tiktok video about General Jim Mattis who is quoted as saying "If you don't read, you are functionally illiterate." Many people pointed out that there are other ways to learn, and we don't disagree, but we do feel that books pose a unique advantage to learning that other mediums like listening or watching don...

Ever wonder what avid readers think are the most overrated books or underrrated books of all time? Well we've got you covered because in today's episode, Tony and Andy are sharing their top 5 most underrated books and their top 5 most overrated books. Picking the most underrated books was difficult since there are so many amazing books out there that don't get much attention, not to me...

In this episode we talk about our top 5 favorite books of all time, and make our case for why each one of them deserves to be on the list. It's clear right away that Andy's literature bro tendencies are taking over with name drops like David Foster Wallace and Infinite Jest, while Tony sings the same old song and dance about Joseph Heller and Catch-22 What are your favorite books of all ti...

In this episode of the ON Life Podcast we talk about the pros and cons of the internet on readers around the world. While most of us probably think of the internet as a net positive for life in general, and in particular for readers, there are definitely some drawbacks as well. Whether it's fear of missing out on certain books, encouraging a consumerist mindset, over saturating the book market...

In this epsisode of The ON Life Podcast, we sit down with New Hampshire Suspense Author Dan Lawton. Dan is the author of 8 books, including the "That Was Before" series. During our discussion we dive into the impact social media has on the career of writers, the relationship between writing and reading, as well as the future of writing with the proliferation of AI technology like ChatGPT...

Apparently today is Thomas Pynchon's birthday, so what better time to ask the question: Are hard to read books like Gravity's Rainbow worth reading? What is the appeal? What do you get out of harder books? We've all heard of these highly lauded but often daunting works: Moby Dick, Ulysses, Gravity's Rainbow etc...Not only are they mentioned for being challenging to read, but also a...