The Book Pile

In Outliers , Malcolm Gladwell asks, what does it take to become the master of your field? His answer: thousands of hours of practice--plus being born in the right place at the right time to the right family. Plus, Dave knows stuff about hockey despite having all his teeth. And Kellen gets insulted by a taxi driver despite being in Canada. * To buy the book, Outliers , or listen to it free on Audi...

In Do You Talk Funny? , Dave Nihill (our special guest!) went undercover, posing as a popular Irish standup comedian in order to get better at public speaking. Listen to his hilarious insights and stories, including truly crazy things he’s done in Colombia. Also, Dave has some retractions and Kellen cheats in a comedy competition. * To buy the book, Do You Talk Funny? , or listen to it free on Aud...

In Upstream , Dan Heath teaches us how to solve problems before they happen. (Think, public health breakthroughs like vaccines, hand-washing, and killing baby Hitler.) Also, Dave has thoughts on nuclear bombs, and Kellen gets some negative feedback after a show. * To buy the book, Upstream, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here! https://amzn.to/3Qp5Onr

Kellen and Dave delve into the production and procrastination that went into creating the most ground-breaking musical of all time, as revealed in the book Hamilton, The Revolution . Plus, Dave tells a story of making unlikely friends at a live performance of Hamilton , and Kellen recalls a piercing heckle he received from the worst group of people to perform in front of: teenagers. * To buy the b...

Comedian Chad Daniels joins Kellen and Dave to discuss his favorite book, The Old Man and the Sea. It's a story of perseverance, purpose, and skill (and fishing). A skilled storyteller himself, Chad brings insights from having read the book every year for the past two decades. Plus he's just hilarious. Check out Chad's podcast Middle of Somewhere , with new episodes every Monday (bu...

In Bossypants , Tina Fey shares hilarious stories and creative lessons from SNL and 30 Rock . Kellen tells his own story of auditioning for SNL in New York. And Dave tells a story about mustard gas, just to bring down the vibe. * To buy the book, Bossypants , or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here! https://amzn.to/3YzhB4Z

What can Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling teach you about life? Turns out, lots of things. How to convince people to try solutions, how to create compelling mysteries, and the right way to free a house-elf. Plus, Kellen talks about breaking into Universal Studios, and Dave still knows too much about Harry Potter. * To buy the book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , o...

Just in time for the New Year, we discuss The Power of Habit , where Charles Duhigg teaches how to develop good habits (exercise, family dinner, saving money) and kick bad ones (podcasting). Plus, Kellen has strong feelings on rats and Dave takes a virtual exercise class. * To buy the book, The Power of Habit , or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here! https://amzn.to/3D...

Steve Jobs changed the world of personal computing as a college dropout who wasn't a programmer, designer, engineer, or nice person. His biography is a fascinating look into the life of man who did acid and then created the most successful tech company in history. There is so much we can learn from someone with laser focus who pushed (pretty aggressively...) to create products at the intersec...

Originals are people who reject the default and explore whether better options exist. In other words, if it weren't for originals, we wouldn't have Shakespeare, Beethoven, or the Lion King (the first one, hands down). So how do you come up with original ideas? We'll answer that question. We'll also answer the question of how many siblings Dave has (hint: it's too many). Pl...

Kellen and Dave share their favorite creative lessons from Joanne Kathleen Rowling’s unbelievably well-crafted debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone . Plus, Kellen tells a story about meeting Robin Williams for the first time. Also, Dave knows way too much about Harry Potter, and Kellen lets him know several times. * To buy the book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , o...

Nine Pints by Rose George is a book about blood, and the role it plays in medicine, the economy, and daily life. Also, if you want to buy some, we can hook you up. Kellen talks about his worst show on a cruise ship, and Dave tells of an encounter with a sick goat. * To buy the book, Nine Pints , or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here! https://amzn.to/3rUJibZ

Want to create messages that no one will ever forget? (But you don’t like sending nudes?) Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath teaches principles for spreading messages in a way people remember. Plus, Dave tells stories from making viral ads, and Kellen talks about his two-episode stint on America's Got Talent. * To buy the book, Made to Stick , or listen to it free on Audible AND suppor...

What if you discarded every belonging that didn’t spark joy? (And then sent it all to us?) In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,  Marie Kondo teaches you how to reduce clutter and enjoy your space. Also, Kellen gets hit with a marble chessboard, and Dave reveals his beef with Ron Weasley. Needless to say, this episode gets unexpectedly dark more than once...  * To buy the book, The Life-Changi...

This week we discuss On Writing , where Stephen King gives writing tips from a career that includes over 60 books. (Now hopefully he’ll do a sequel about his other skillset: making 450 million dollars.) Plus, Kellen tells a story about the worst casino show of his life (so many to choose from!) And Dave talks about when failure isn’t actually failure. (Hint: when it happens to Dave.) * To buy the...

Homo sapiens as a species are hundreds of thousands of years old. So is it overconfident for us to say the Beatles were the greatest band of all time? Like, wow! Crazy that the all-time best band was within the most recent .02% of human history! What are the odds?! (The best band of all time is obviously Hoobastank.) Enjoy Part 2 of our in-depth Beatles discussion! * To buy the book, All The Songs...

Our YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1QXNiZn4c0btMe0K0piUeQ Today we finally cover the Beatles, a band who tragically broke up before they could make a film adaptation of Little Women. Paul is the headstrong protagonist who wants to be a paperback writer. Sickly John plays his pianoforte before tragically succumbing to scarlet bullet. I feel like this would really work. T...

To buy this book (Kindle or hardcover!) and support the podcast, click here! https://amzn.to/43U0dZr * Kellen and Dave were very sad when this book became a best-seller, since we had already published a book of the same title (ours was a cookbook). Join us as we dive into the poignant, heartfelt, hilarious, honest, tragic stories within this book. Also, Dave becomes a better interviewer (his go-to...

JOIN OUR PATREON FOR BoNuS EPISODES and to purchase a CAMEO-STYLE video greeting from Dave and Kellen! (Gift to a friend or family member!) https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile * Dave’s graphic novel escape room: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMBBLGXN?ref=myi_title_dp * Would you like to read the Grinch? Would you read it in a cinch? Listen to our podcastinch! Rhyming is so easyinch! Plus, Dave and K...