All Episodes
Books for Men — 315 episodes
#315 | 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' — Addiction, Self-Sabotage, and the Human Shadow
#314 | What Is Criticism For? — Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Review
#313 | 'Suicide Blonde' — Transgression Demands Great Writing
#312 | F. Scott Fitzgerald on Class, Fools, and the American Dream
#311 | Why Men Should Read Virginia Woolf's 'Mrs. Dalloway'
#310 | Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing
#309 | Two Strangers. One Train. 'Eastbound' by Maylis de Kerangal
#308 | William Styron on Depression, Stigma, and Healing
#307 | 'Five Decembers' — Noir, World War II, and Tragic Love
#306 | Writing in Second Person: A Reading of Short Fiction
#305 | Annie Ernaux's Riskiest Book? — 'A Girl's Story'
#304 | Robert Greene on Empathy, Judgment, and Discipline
#303 | The Story Engine of a 15-Million-Copy Bestseller — 'All the Light We Cannot See'
#302 | The #1 Problem with So Many Novels
#301 | 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' — Great Story, Flawed Writing (and Why It Doesn't Matter)
#300 | Hunter S Thompson on Meaning, Purpose, and Goals
#299 | Blind 'Suspicion' — Why Truth Is More Than a Whodunit
#298 | Reading Books Builds What the Internet Can’t — 9 Super Soft Skills
#297 | Why Facts Don’t Matter — Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ and the Truth About Storytelling
#296 | Charles Bukowski on Truth, Lying, and Fools
#295 | What Can Men Learn from Elena Ferrante’s ‘Brilliant’, Visceral Portrait of a Lifelong Female Friendship?
#294 | 7 Reasons I Hated ‘That’ Book — A Harsh, Honest Critique
#293 | How Savage and Noble is Bab Dionne’s Death in ‘The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne’? — I Don’t Know, But Here’s Why I Liked It
#292 | Larry McMurtry on Courage, Fear, and Confidence
#291 | Can Percival Everett's Literary Thriller Retelling of 'Huck Finn' Alter Your Perspective on American History, Freedom, and Identity?
#290 | Nora Ephron on Gratitude, Humor, and Dying
#289 | Why Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’ Has Stood the Test of Time—Is It a Perfect Metaphor for the Human Condition?
#288 | Special Edition: The Hinge Experiment—What a Year on Hinge Revealed About Modern Dating
#287 | How David Szalay’s ‘Flesh’ Challenges Men to Confront Their Emotional Realities Before They Are Destroyed by Them
#286 | Nami Mun on Grief, Love, and Regret
#285 | Is the Novella ‘Train Dreams’ Better than Its Movie Adaptation?—A Beautiful and Brutal Depiction of How Time Washes Away Everything
#284 | Sh*t I Tell My Friends #3: On the Difference Maker (a.k.a. Follow Your Interest)
#283 | The Lie of ‘Perfection’—Vincenzo Latronico on the Inescapable Feeling of Discontent in a Social Media World
#282 | Sh*t I Tell My Friends #2: On What Matters (a.k.a. Do Something)
#281 | What Is the Cost of Comfort?—Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ on the Dangers of Endless Technological Progress
#280 | Sh*t I Tell My Friends #1: On Advice (a.k.a. Stop Listening to Idiots)
#279 | ‘Motherless Brooklyn’, a Truly Inventive Crime Novel—and Why You Should Never Underestimate Anyone
#278 | Special Edition: “One Plus One Doesn’t Equal Two” (+ Big Updates for 2026)
#277 | Arduous, Repetitive, Digressive, and Insanely Long—But Why Should You Read ‘Infinite Jest’ by David Foster Wallace?
#276 | Should the Life of an Artist Impact What You Think of Their Art?—Woody Allen’s Memoir Shines Light on This
#275 | What Does the Classic Literary Novel ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ Have in Common with Rock and Roll Legend Bruce Springsteen?
#274 | Juilliard Dropout to Jazz Legend: What Miles Davis Teaches Men (and Women) About Tenacity, Creativity, and Life
#273 | Is ‘Get Shorty’ Better as a Novel or Movie?—Elmore Leonard’s Crime Satire on Hollywood, Filmmaking, and (Con) Artistry
#272 | Is It Possible to Have a Meaningful Conversation About a Book You Haven’t Read?
#271 | What Can Raymond Carver Teach Us About Love—and Writing?
#270 | What Makes Phil Mickelson One of Golf's Most Complex Figures?
#269 | Is ‘The 25th Hour’ Better as a Novel or Movie? A Truly Great New York City Story and One-Two Combo of Book and Film—David Benioff & Spike Lee
#268 | ‘Ghosts of Hiroshima’ Brings History to Life via First-Hand Accounts of the Atomic Bomb—A Call for Empathy and Understanding for All Men (and Women)
#267 | Sylvia Plath’s Classic Novel 'The Bell Jar' Does What ONLY Literature Can Do—Yes, Shots Fired!
#266 | Hands Down, the Cheesiest Self-Help Book I’ve Ever Shared on the Podcast—So Why Am I Sharing It?
#265 | Is ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ Better on the Stage or Screen?—David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning Masterpiece on Greed, Morality, and What We Do to Each Other to Get Ahead
#264 | On Why ‘Lonesome Dove’ Is the Definitive Novel for Every Man—Timeless Themes of Adventure, Loss, Love, Loyalty, Sacrifice, Shame, Guilt, and Friendship
#263 | How Can a Book on Acting Help You Live a More Fulfilling Life?—Stanislavski’s ‘An Actor Prepares’ Will Show You
#262 | What Makes Stephen King’s Horror Classic 'Carrie' Instantly Relatable for All of Us?
#261 | Why Did Benjamin Franklin Sit Naked Outside? The Surprising 'Daily Rituals' and Habits of History’s Most Famous Artists, Scientists, and Thinkers
#260 | Special Edition: What Is a Birthday, Anyway?—And the Societal Pressure to Feel 'Not Enough"
#259 | Why Every Man Should Experience the Beauty of Haruki Murakami’s 1987 Coming of Age Novel ‘Norwegian Wood’ At Least Once
#258 | Fear and Loathing in 2025: Why Does Hunter S Thompson’s Scathing Account of American Politics Still Matter Today?
#257 | What Is the Timeless Lesson in Hemingway’s Pulitzer and Nobel Prize Winning Novella, ‘The Old Man and the Sea’?
#256 | Special Edition: Happy 3rd Anniversary, Books for Men—Some Fun Stats and Favorites From the Past 3 Years!
#255 | Another Celebrity Memoir? I Know, But It’s Al Pacino—The Godfather, Scarface, Scent of a Woman, Heat—Al Pacino!
#254 | Dorian Gray: The Original Influencer Who Sold His Soul for Likes—Is Oscar Wilde’s Classic Novel a Cautionary Tale for the Social Media Age?
#253 | In Honor of Brian Wilson: 5 Quotes on the Power of Songs, Sharing, and Intuition from the Musical Genius Behind the Beach Boys
#252 | From the Vault: Morning After #7 – A Letter to Love—Personal Growth, Change, and the Impact of Literature on Love
#251 | Why Hattie Williams Debut Novel ‘Bitter Sweet’ Is Proof Men Should Read More Women’s Fiction
#250 | Phil Stutz’s Three Absolutes of Human Life: Unlocking Personal Growth with ‘True and False Magic'
#249 | How All Men Can Relate to the Journey of Identity and Growth in ‘We the Animals’
#248 | We’re All a Bit Irrational—12 Reasons Why from Daniel Kahneman’s Groundbreaking Book ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow'
#247 | Special Edition: How I Curate 'Books for Men' and What I Read More Broadly
#246 | What Is the Core Tension in Leo Tolstoy’s Classic Russian Novel ‘Anna Karenina’?—and Why It Matters Today for Modern Men
#245 | Are You a ‘True Believer’? Eric Hoffer’s Provocative Take on the Nature of Mass Movements—Extremism, Fanaticism, and Collective Unity
#244 | Coming-of-Age Mixed with Gritty Crime Fiction—Yes, Please—And Why Foreign Novels Can Be a Breath of Fresh Air
#243 | Special Edition: 10 Random Quotes That Will Inspire You to Create Boldly
#242 | ‘Letters of Note’—This Blog Turned Book Will Be One of the Coolest Additions to Your Bookshelf or Library
#241 | What Makes 'The God of the Woods' a Must-Read Literary Mystery?
#240 | Pleasure to Pain: The Dark Side of Dopamine and How to Improve Your Mental Health—Break Free from Bad Habits with This 8-Step Process
#239 | Is ‘American Psycho’ a Better Novel or Movie? Don’t Miss the Point of This Edgy Bret Easton Ellis Satire, or Christian Bale’s Brilliant Patrick Bateman!
#238 | Go Behind the Scenes with Picasso, Hemingway, and Early 20th Century Paris in Gertrude Stein’s Unusual Autobiography from Her Partner's Eyes
#237 | Why ‘Last Exit to Brooklyn’ Might Be the Most Unflinching Portrait (Ever) of Lower-Class Life in Literature
#236 | ‘Poor Charlie’s Almanack’: Life Advice Actually Worth Listening To—7 Charlie Munger Quotes and More!
#235 | What Can John Fante’s ‘Ask the Dust’ Teach Us About Love, Loss, and Life’s Purpose?
#234 | Is ’One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ a Better Novel or Movie? Ken Kesey vs. Milos Forman, Randle McMurphy vs. Nurse Ratched, and More!
#233 | Morning, Boys. How’s the Water?—The Life-Changing Importance of David Foster Wallace’s 2005 Commencement Speech ‘This Is Water’
#232 | From the Vault: A Chat with Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, on the Power of Transcendental Meditation
#231 | In Honor of David Lynch: 9 Quotes from ‘Catching the Big Fish’ on Creativity, Consciousness, and Meditation
#230 | Is ’No Country for Old Men’ a Better Novel or Movie? Cormac McCarthy’s Masterpiece vs. The Coen Brothers Oscar-Winning Adaptation
#229 | When I Think of a ‘Thriller’ Novel This Is What I Think Of
#228 | Meth and Mayhem: How Rampant Drug Usage Influenced Hitler, Nazi Germany, and World War II
#227 | This Short Novel Will Change the Way You Look At the 'World'
#226 | 12 Great Quotes from 2024 + What to Expect in 2025
#225 | Tragedy or Comedy? The Life and Legacy of the Beloved Comedian Chris Farley
#224 | ‘Reasons to Live’—Why What Isn’t There Is Just as Important as What Is
#223 | What’s Your Origin Story? In This Book, Successful Writers, Novelists, and Musicians Share Theirs!
#222 | Does ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ Still Speak to Modern Youth? Maybe More than Ever.
#221 | Aristotle for Novelists (Part 4 of 4)—Principles #13, #14, and the 15th Principle
#220 | Aristotle for Novelists (Part 3 of 4)—Principles #9, #10, #11, and #12
#219 | Aristotle for Novelists (Part 2 of 4)—Principles #5, #6, #7, and #8
#218 | Aristotle for Novelists (Part 1 of 4)—Principles #1, #2, #3, and #4
#217 | October 2024 Recap: A Literary Classic, How to ‘Act’, and Japanese Noir
#216 | Fuminori Nakamura: Subtle, Dark, Complex—Maybe the Most Underrated Author in America
#215 | We’re All Actors, No?—17 David Mamet Quotes That Will Make You Question Your ‘Role’ in Life
#214 | What Makes 'The Great Gatsby' the Great American Novel?
#213 | September 2024 Recap: Novel to Film Adaptations, Ancient Japanese Literature, and a Memoir on the Meaning of Life
#212 | The Limits of Science in Grasping the Human Condition—a Young Doctor on Facing His Own Mortality
#211 | From Page to Screen: How ‘Fight Club’ Pushed the Boundaries of Storytelling and Why It Endures
#210 | Life Lessons from a Japanese Samurai Who Never Lost a Duel in over 60 Battles
#209 | Mystic River: Why This Dennis Lehane Classic Deserves a Spot on Your Reading List
#208 | August 2024 Recap: Stoicism, Buddhism, and a Literary Novel for the Ages
#207 | From Suffering to Serenity: What Is Buddhism, Really? Philosophy or Religion?
#206 | Time’s a Goon, Right?—Jennifer Egan Explores Impermanence and the Passing of Time in Her 2011 Masterpiece
#205 | Exploring Stoicism: The 3 Pillars of Stoic Philosophy That Underpin Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations”
#204 | July 2024 Recap: Autofiction, Literary Fiction, a Bestselling Memoir, and the Case for Reading Books
#203 | The Secret History: Donna Tartt’s Gripping Debut Novel of Beauty, Deceit, and Tragedy
#202 | Special Edition: Audiobooks vs Books (Or, 7 Reasons Why Listening is Not Reading)
#201 | What Can a 'Year of Magical Thinking' Do for You?—Joan Didion on Overcoming Adversity, Grief, and Loss
#200 | Autofiction: A Novel (Slash Memoir) on Being a Writer in a Social Media World—Parenting, Podcasting, and More
#199 | June 2024 Recap: Big Month—a Pulitzer Prize Winner, Lessons From Da Vinci, and a Negotiation Expert Shares His Best Tips
#198 | From the Vault: ‘The World’s Best Negotiator’ Herb Cohen Reveals the Secrets to Negotiating Anything
#197 | 20 Life Lessons From Leonardo da Vinci: A Complete Biography on the Iconic Renaissance Artist and Polymath
#196 | What Lies Behind the Golden Gates of the Super-Rich?—an Exploration of the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel 'Trust'
#195 | May 2024 Recap: Short Books, Big Impact—Identity, Mental Health, and Reading Like a Writer
#194 | Special Edition: The Art of Reading Like a Writer
#193 | From Despair to Hope: One Man's Journey to Mental Health, and Reducing Stigma of Depression in Men
#192 | Escaping Identity: Is It Even Possible in Today's Society?
#191 | April 2024 Recap: Machiavelli, Writing Secrets, Crime Fiction, and How to Read More
#190 | My Favorite Writing Book of All-time: Learn How to Write Truly and Overcome Perfectionism
#189 | Special Edition: How to Read More Using 3 Key Strategies
#188 | Duplicity, Betrayal, and MDMA: Classic Noir and Crime Fiction Fans Will Love This Mystery Thriller
#187 | Unraveling Machiavelli: How to Be a Good Leader or How to Be Conniving, Cunning, and Ferocious?
March '24 Recap
Owning Up | George Pelecanos
Special Edition | Part 2: 10 Reasons to Read (Fiction)
Special Edition | Part 1: Do Women Really Read More Than Men?
February '24 Recap
Outlive | Peter Attia, MD
Big Swiss | Jen Beagin
The Order of Time | Carlo Rovelli
January '24 Recap
Dead Girl Blues | Lawrence Block
Free Speech and Why It Matters | Andrew Doyle
American Tabloid | James Ellroy
December '23 Recap
The Power of Now | Eckhart Tolle
Obvious in Hindsight | Bradley Tusk
A Million Little Pieces | James Frey
November '23 Recap
City of Thieves | David Benioff
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying | Bronnie Ware
Tom Collins | Douglas Vigliotti
October '23 Recap
Lolita | Vladimir Nabokov
I Remember Nothing | Nora Ephron
Ham on Rye | Charles Bukowski
Chronicles | Bob Dylan
September '23 Recap
The Killing Hills | Chris Offutt
Born to Run | Bruce Springsteen
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Quentin Tarantino
August '23 Recap
Shoe Dog | Phil Knight
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow | Gabrielle Zevin
The Paradox of Choice | Barry Schwartz
July '23 Recap (and Happy 1-Year Anniversary!)
Bright Lights, Big City | Jay McInerney
From the Vault | A Chat With Annie Duke (Part 2)
From the Vault | A Chat With Annie Duke (Part 1)
The Poet | Michael Connelly
June '23 Recap
The Plot | Jean Hanff Korelitz
From the Vault | Last Time, Don't F*ck It Up
Page Fright | Harry Bruce
May '23 Recap
The Godfather | Mario Puzo
From the Vault | A Chat With Tyler Cowen
How to Tell a Story | Aristotle
April '23 Recap
From the Vault | An Urge Worth Fighting
The Son | Philipp Meyer
Bad Advice | Work on Your Weakness
Is This Anything? | Jerry Seinfeld
March '23 Recap
From the Vault | A Chat With Greg McKeown
Heat 2 | Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner
Bad Advice | Shortcuts
Essentialism | Greg McKeown
February '23 Recap
Sputnik Sweetheart | Haruki Murakami
Bad Advice | College
The Laws of Human Nature | Robert Greene
January '23 Recap
The Thief | Fuminori Nakamura
Scenes from My Life | Michael K. Williams
Bad Advice | "All you have to do..."
December '22 Recap
LaBrava | Elmore Leonard
Conversations with Tom Petty | Paul Zollo
The Sun Also Rises | Ernest Hemingway
Hell's Angels | Hunter S. Thompson
November '22 Recap
The Postman Always Rings Twice | James M. Cain
Man's Search for Meaning | Viktor Frankl
Queenpin | Megan Abbott
The Dip | Seth Godin
October '22 Recap
The Stranger | Albert Camus
Life | Keith Richards
The Road | Cormac McCarthy
Love Me Do! | Michael Braun
September '22 Recap
Freedom's Child | Jax Miller
Why We Sleep | Matthew Walker, PhD
Blacktop Wasteland | S.A. Cosby
The Sopranos Sessions | Alan Sepinwall & Matt Zoller Seitz
August '22 Recap
Night Prayers | Santiago Gamboa
Skin in the Game | Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Lush Life | Richard Price
The Tiger | John Vaillant
Miles from Nowhere | Nami Mun
Welcome to Books for Men
Entry #50: When One Door Closes...
Entry #49: 4 Things I Just Watched
Entry #48: How to Learn (Anything)
Entry #47: Transition is okay, right?
Entry #46: Things I've Tested (Since 2016)
Entry #45: Do you do this today? (You should.)
Entry #44: Quit, Pivot, Switch It Up
Entry #43: What I'd Tell Your Kids
Entry #42: Why You're Stuck
Entry #41: What about supplements?
Entry #40: Learning from Kanye West
Entry #39: Are setbacks really a bad thing?
Entry #38: Strength or weakness?
Entry #37: Should you make these changes, too?
Entry #36: Is it worth it?
Entry #35: Where's the payoff?!
Entry #34: Three Books I Just Read
Entry #33: Why are some people so magnetic?
Entry #32: It's All About the Angle
Entry #31: Don't Think Like This
Entry #30: Most Important Entry Yet
Entry #29: Reflection No. 7
Entry #28: Reflection No. 8
Entry #27: Reflection No. 9
Entry #26: Reflection No. 10
Entry #25: Jale!
Entry #24: Nothing Beats It
Entry #23: Like a Movie
Entry #22: The Escape-Reality Spectrum
Entry #21: What is self-editing?
Entry #20: What about grammer? (Wink, wink)
Entry #19: Things I'm Bad At
Entry #18: Like a Chef
Entry #17: Writing vs. Storytelling
Entry #16: What is voice?
Entry #15: A Writer's Dilemma
Entry #14: Hearts Out to Ukraine
Entry #13: What about the kids?
Entry #12: Dispelling a Myth
Entry #11: On That Note
Entry #10: Tip for Writers
Entry #9: Impressive? (Maybe)
Entry #8: Something I Do
Entry #7: Should I quit drinking?
Entry #6: Intention is Everything
Entry #5: Less is More
Entry #4: Similar or different?
Entry #3: What are reviews?
Entry #2: Why
Entry #1: Welcome Back
#44 - All Things Come to an End
#43 - David JP Fisher: How to Not Suck at Networking
#42 - Book of the Month: Range (July '19)
#41 - Loretta Breuning: On Taming Your Anxiety
#40 - Book of the Month: Stumbling on Happiness (Jun '19)
#39 - John Crowley: A Conversation About Selling
#38 - Douglas Vigliotti: Interview on The Gap (Part II)
#37 - Book of the Month: Just Kids (May '19)
#36 - Daniel Pink: On Why Timing Is Everything
#35 - Why I Do What I Do
#34 - Book of the Month: The Case Against Education (April '19)
#33 - don Jose Ruiz: On Living Better Through Storytelling
#32 - The Problem With Star Wars
#31 - Book of the Month: Barking Up the Wrong Tree (Mar '19)
#30 - Douglas Vigliotti: Interview on The Gap (Part I)
#29 - One Bad Habit You Can't Run From
#28 - Bob Roth: The Power of Transcendental Meditation
#27 - Book of the Month: Factfulness (Feb '19)
#26 - An Urge Worth Fighting
#25 - Chip Conley: The Case for Rewiring Not Retiring
#24 - Book of the Month: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (Jan ‘19)
#23 - Jay Acunzo: Why Context Matters More Than Anything
#22 - Walt Disney, Apple, and Nintendo Are All Liars
#21 - Rapid Fire Recap of 2018
#20 - Seth Godin: This Isn’t Marketing, It’s So Much More
#19 - Joe Sweeney: On Improving Education and Making Better Decisions
#18 - Martin Gurri: How New Media Has Changed Public Opinion
#17 - The Hope Model
#16 - Jay Baer: A Better Way to Get People Talking About You
#15 - Tyler Cowen: On How to Improve Society and Change the World
#14 - Bradley Tusk: The Truth About Politics and Politicians
#13 - 5 Ways to Embrace the Unknown
#12 - don Miguel Ruiz Jr: An Ancient Philosophy for Modern Times
#11 - Annie Duke: On Making Decisions Under Pressure & Battling Stereotypes
#10 - Greg Mckeown: How to Discover Who You're Meant to Be
#9 - 12 Breadcrumbs That Might Help You Find Your Way
#8 - Ryan Serhant: Sales Secrets of a Real Estate Mogul
#7 - Herb Cohen: The World's Best Negotiator
#6 - Mark Goulston: Dealing with the Impossible People in Your Life
#5 - The Most Important Question You're NOT Asking
#4 - Annie Duke: Life Lessons, Poker Stories, & Decision Strategies
#3 - Loretta Breuning: Rewiring Your Brain for Happiness
#2 - Steve Sims: The Modern Day Wizard of Oz
#1 - The Outcome Fallacy
Trailer: What is It's Not What It Seems?