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The Book Pile

Latest episodes

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Oct 18, 2021 • 25min

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits shares tips on developing habits so that you can reach any goal, be it neurosurgeon, nuclear physicist, unpaid comedic podcaster in his 30s, or President. Plus, Dave turns his family members into hostages and Kellen takes a cheat day, on his diet and taxes.*To buy the book, Atomic Habits, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/45aC7L0*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 50 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.
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Oct 11, 2021 • 24min

Hit Makers by Derek Thompson

How do things become popular? In Hit Makers, Derek Thompson examines the qualities of massively successful products and people, including iPhones, ESPN, Adele, The Lion King, The Book Pile, and Star Wars. Plus, Kellen tries to trick you by rhyming, and Dave wants to sell you cigarettes.*To buy the book, Hit Makers, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/3Ydfmnz*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 50 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.
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Oct 4, 2021 • 32min

Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku

As Niels Bohr once said, the best way to learn complex physics is by listening to two comedians who are VERY confident they understand it. Physics of the Impossible discusses technologies like teleportation, phasers, and invisibility that may be possible in the future, and boy is it exciting and terrifying! Plus, Dave is one of those dumb UFO crazies and Kellen is one of those lame UFO skeptics.*To buy the book, Physics of the Impossible, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/3DVN9bL*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 50 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.
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Sep 27, 2021 • 24min

The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Two Towers is the book where Viggo Mortenson breaks his toe. It is also the second book in Tolkien’s sprawling Lord of the Rings saga, and unlike Return of the King, it doesn’t have the biggest spoiler right in the title. Plus, Kellen has more critiques of Tolkien’s songwriting, and Dave says Gollum can teach you how to be popular.*To buy the book, The Two Towers, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/3rUj75m*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 50 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.
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Sep 20, 2021 • 29min

Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo

In Talk Like TED, Carmine Gallo gives tips for giving a TED Talk. But we did some research and, uh… he hasn’t given a TED Talk. So is this allowed now? We can just write How-To books for things we haven’t done? Check out Dave’s new book, How to Date Florence Pugh. Needless to say this book has some helpful advice, some wild guesses, and we're here to help you navigate through all of it, The-Book-Pile style.*To buy the book, Talk Like Ted, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/47eRfsU*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 50 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.
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Sep 13, 2021 • 28min

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is Rowling’s sixth… okay look, this episode description isn’t going to make any difference, right? Either you’re a Harry Potter fan and you’re going to listen to this episode, or you’re not. Do you think any cute book description here will get you to take the bait? Forget it. Let’s not kid ourselves. This was predestined long before today. Plus, Kellen has more thoughts about how Ron sucks.And as always with our Harry Potter episodes, SPOILERS AHEAD.*To buy the book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/3Yet3CO*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 50 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.
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Sep 6, 2021 • 26min

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Jane Austen began writing Sense and Sensibility as a 20-year-old first-time author, in a time when women had incredible difficulty being published at all and, uh... boy do we have notes! Plus, Dave wants the Dashwood sisters to be exactly the same (in a feminist way!), and Kellen finally shows us his Snape/Colonel Brandon impression.*To buy the book, Sense and Sensibility, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/3QeGqRs*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 50 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.
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Aug 30, 2021 • 30min

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

If you ever feel depressed that your job isn’t inherently meaningful, read this book so the author can tell you that NOTHING is meaningful! Really puts things in perspective. But seriously, Sapiens is a short and interesting history of humankind. Plus, Kellen believes money can make you happy and Dave has a new idea for what to put on Bitcoin.P.S. We apologize for Kellen's subpar audio quality on this episode, he was in a hotel room in St. Louis (by choice) during this recording session because his stand-up career is finally picking back up.*To buy the book, Sapiens, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/3DDuukG*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 50 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.
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Aug 23, 2021 • 25min

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Ever notice how every single Count is obsessed with killing people? Olaf, Dracula, Dooku, Monte Cristo....Today’s book is A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. Listen to it while eating some Count Chocula, which will also kill you. Plus, Dave wants you to write a will and Kellen hates the Berenstain Bears. (Yeah, it’s spelled Berenstain, isn’t that embarrassing?)*To buy the book, A Series of Unfortunate Event, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/44PICDd*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 100 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.
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Aug 16, 2021 • 27min

Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo

Sometimes after slogging through some technical, academic books like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, we like to kick back with a real thriller like Good Economics for Hard Times. We both really liked it, except Kellen. Plus, Dave has a great idea for a factory and Kellen isn’t scared of robots, so you know they’re gonna kill him first.*To buy the book, Good Economics for Hard Times, or listen to it free on Audible AND support the podcast, click here!https://amzn.to/47cavaa*TheBookPilePodcast@gmail.com*Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 50 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Kellen was named one of TBS's Top Ten Comics to Watch in 2017. He currently tours the country.*David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.

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