Mean Book Club

Waddup, book nerds! This week our special guest Josh Gondelman (Desus & Mero, Last Week Tonight, Billy On The Street) made us read Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. “Book One” of Scientology spent 28 weeks as a NYT bestseller after it was released in 1950. That’s pre-becoming-a-religion!! But why? Mean Book Club breaks it down. Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jo...

Waddup, book nerds! This week our special guest Joanna Borns (BuzzFeed, The Onion) made us read I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max. This piece of fratire was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and made the Best Seller List each year from 2006 to 2012.  It has sold over one million copies and was turned into a movie (that bombed) in 2009. But why? Mean Book Club breaks it down. Mean Book Club...

Waddup, book nerds! This is the SECOND week we tortured ourselves reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand thanks to our special guest, Savage Media’s Jesse Cramer. This libertarian wet dream debuted on The New York Times Bestseller List at No. 13 three days after its publication in 1957, staying on the list for 22 consecutive weeks. By 1984, its sales had exceeded five million copies and the Objectivis...

Waddup, book nerds! This week we tortured ourselves reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand thank to our special guest, Savage Media’s Jesse Cramer. This libertarian wet dream debuted on The New York Times Bestseller List at No. 13 three days after its publication in 1957, staying on the list for 22 consecutive weeks. By 1984, its sales had exceeded five million copies and the Objectivism movement. But...

Waddup, book nerds! Welcome back for Season 5. This week we read Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray. Published in 1992, this book was a worldwide phenomenon with 121 weeks on the NYT bestseller list and over 15 million copies sold. Translated in over 40 languages, this book earned Gray almost $18 million. It’s also lead to themed vacations, a one-man Broadway show, and a TV sitco...

Waddup, book nerds! This week we read How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Published in 1936 during the depression, this book has since sold over 15 million copies worldwide. It started a self-help book movement! Like, but why? Mean Book Club breaks it down. Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine abo...

Waddup, book nerds! Welcome back for Season 5. This week we read Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding. Already a success in the UK, this book sat high on The New York Times Bestseller List when it was released in 2008. The Guardian newspaper named Bridget Jones’s Diary one of the ten novels that best defined the 20th century. It spawned a book series and three motion pictures starring Renée Zell...

PROMO EPISODE! This week we’re giving you all the deets on our 5th season, premiering August 20, so you can get reading. Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! We...

Waddup, book nerds! Our special guest for this episode is Nate Dern (Tonight Show, Comedy Central, UCB). He held our eyes open and forced us to stare at After by Anna Todd, which spent several weeks on the NYT bestseller list from April to May 2019. That success followed the release of the movie adaptation starring  Josephine Langford as Tessa Young and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as Hardin “Harry Styles”...

Waddup, book nerds! Our special guest for this episode is Kristen Bartlett (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, SNL). She made us read The Mister by E.L. James, which spent 7 weeks on the NYT bestseller list after its release in April 2019. The Mister is James’ first new work of original fiction since she became an international phenomenon with Fifty Shades. But WHY? We break it down. Mean Book Club i...

Waddup, book nerds! Our special guest for this episode is Jason Gore (The Best Show, UCB’s Characters Welcome). He forced us to read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. On its first day the book sold one million copies in the U.S., the UK and Canada, making it the fastest selling adult novel in history. It was number one on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction for the first six week...

Waddup, book nerds! Our special guest for this episode is LGBT icon ALEX SONG (The Tonight Show, HBO’s Night of Too Many Stars, Comedy Knockout)! So naturally this week we read The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss. This book chilled on The New York Times Bestseller List for two months after its release in September 2005. It boomed in popularity again in 2007 w...

Waddup, book nerds! Our special guest for this ep is “Dar” from Mission To Zyxx - Allie Kokesh! So naturally this week we read the sci-fi bestseller Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Released in 2011, this video game dystopian novel made it on the NYT bestseller list and was immediately optioned by Steven Spielberg for a movie, which was released in Spring 2018. But WHY? Mean Book Club is four lad...

Waddup, book nerds! Buy tickets for the June 12 live show here: https://www.caveat.nyc/event/mean-book-club-live-6-12-2019 This week we read: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo’s 2014 New York Times bestseller that has been published in more than 30 countries. It spawned a revolution in cleaning with the Konmari method and a Netflix show in 2018. But WHY? Mean Book Club is four lad...

Waddup, book nerds! Our special guest for this ep is SNL writer Anna Drezen! This week we read: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey’s 1989 New York Times bestseller. The audio version became the first non-fiction audio-book in U.S. publishing history to sell more than one million copies. But WHY? Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, College Humor, Impractical...

We’re back, book freaks! This week we read: A Game Of Thrones, the first of George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy series now turned into hit HBO TV Show. The book was released in 1996, but did not reach #1 on the New York Times bestseller list until July 2011, following the release of HBO’s adaptation. It is currently #11 on the list. But WHY? Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, Col...

PROMO EPISODE! This week we’re giving you all the deets on our fourth season so you can get reading. Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday! We’re currently betwee...

BONUS EPISODE! This week we’re not taking on a NYT bestseller - instead, we’re reading a dumb book by Sean Penn! In this bonus crossover episode, Johnna and Clara delve into Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff with Caleb and Leo, hosts of Turn That Off! Podcast. What possessed Sean Penn to write this book? We had to find out. Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, College Humor, Impractical...

t’s our season 3 finale! This week's NYT bestseller: The Art of the Deal. Released in 1987, this book was “written” by our president Donald Trump (but really written by Tony Schwartz). Some say is made Donald Trump who he is today! WOAH! It reached number 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, stayed there for 13 weeks, and altogether held a position on the list for 48 weeks. Why? We had to fin...

This week's NYT bestseller: A Discovery of Witches. Historian Deborah Harkness’s first foray into fiction debuted at number two on the NYT Best Seller hardcover fiction list and has been sold in at least 34 countries. A TV version of the series was released fall 2018 on Sky One. Why? We had to find out. Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who re...

This week's NYT bestseller: The President Is Missing. Bill Clinton’s debut novel spent over a month at the top of the New York Times bestseller list when it was released in the summer of 2018. Showtime has already optioned the book to turn into a series. Why? We had to find out. Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine abo...

This week's NYT bestseller: The Whole30. This cookbook, how-to guide, definitely not a “diet book” spent over 115 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It was made into a major motion picture starring Matt Damon in 2002. Why? We had to find out. Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books th...

This week's NYT bestseller: The Bourne Identity. This 1980 novel spent 95 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It was made into a major motion picture starring Matt Damon in 2002. Why? We had to find out. Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, HuffPost, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It'...

This week's NYT bestseller: Bird Box. This 2014 novel by Josh Malerman landed for the first time on the New York Times best-seller list in 2019 thanks to the overwhelming success of the Sandra Bullock-starring horror movie from Netflix. Why? We had to find out. Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling...

This week's NYT bestseller: Elixir. Published by Duff when she was just 23, this book made it to the NYT bestseller in 2010. Why? Let’s find out. IMPORTANT: Monday, February 25, it’s Mean Book Club Live in NYC, where we’ll be reading The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump. Get your tickets here: https://thepit-nyc.com/events/mean-book-club/ Mean Book Club is four ladies (from UCB-NY, BuzzFeed, Colleg...