Life On Books Podcast
Episodes
Your Favorite Writer's Favorite Writer: Jorge Luis Borges
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!lifeonbooks.com/bookclubBooks mentioned in this episode:The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algrenhttps://amzn.to/3PEng9thttps://...
Do our favorite books actually suck?
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!lifeonbooks.com/bookclubBooks mentioned in this episode:The Return by Roberto Bolanohttps://amzn.to/4c1EHcPhttps://bookshop.org/a/1...
The Forgotten Genius of Richard Brautigan
03 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!lifeonbooks.com/bookclubGet the Freedom App to remove distractions and read more books:https://freedom.sjv.io/N9074OJoin the Life o...
Are these the best books since 1945?
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!www.lifeonbooks.com/clubCheck out the James Wood list here:https://www.listchallenges.com/the-elegant-variation-james-woods-best-bo...
Our favorite books from one of our favorite publishers!
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!https://www.patreon.com/LifeonBooksBooks mentioned in this episode:Bomarzo by Manuel Mujica Lainezhttps://amzn.to/4kx448Nhttps://bo...
What's the deal with celebrity book clubs?
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!https://www.patreon.com/LifeonBooksBooks mentioned in this episode:The Murderbot Diaries Volume 1 by Martha Wellshttps://amzn.to/4c...
How to break out of a READING SLUMP!
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!https://www.patreon.com/LifeonBooksBooks mentioned in this episode:Boswell by Stanley Elkinhttps://amzn.to/3OacZ44https://bookshop....
The best books of the last 30 years
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!https://www.patreon.com/LifeonBooksYou Bright and Risen Angels by William Vollmannhttps://amzn.to/4a9mr0yhttps://bookshop.org/a/103...
You need to read more of these books
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Get the Freedom App to remove distractions and read more books:https://freedom.sjv.io/N9074OJoin the Life on ...
Our Top 5 Favorite Works in Translation
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Books mentioned in this episode (purchasing through these links helps to support the channel)One Hundred Year...
Reading might be the only thing that saves us w/J. Spahr of Science Visuals
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Follow J. on Instagram! / science_visuals See more of her work here:https://www.scivisuals.com/Books m...
The best books to read this year
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!https://www.patreon.com/LifeonBooksBooks mentioned in this episode:The Armies by Evelio Roserohttps://amzn.to/493q8E3https://booksh...
The Best Books of 2025...that we read
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks for a full list of the books mentioned in this episode go here:https://linktw.in/uVALYzGet the Freedom App to...
Life on Books takes on the Hot Ones Challenge!
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Get the Freedom App to remove distractions and read more books:https://freedom.sjv.io/N9074OJoin the Life on ...
The greatest historical fiction of all time?
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
William Vollmann is often spoken about due to his prolific writing, but he may also be one of the most important American writers alive today. From cl...
How we became the best book podcast in the world
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Get the Freedom App to remove distractions and read more books:https://freedom.sjv.io/N9074OJoin the Life on ...
Does our Book Club Have Good Taste?
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky https://amzn.to/3WFCHOUhttps://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780316...Shadow ...
Our Personal Canon of GREAT BOOKS
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Books Mentioned in this Episode:Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchonhttps://amzn.to/3W9sPNahttps://bookshop.org/a/...
Are Nobel Prize Winners Worth Reading?
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Get a full list of all of the books mentioned in today's episode here:Get the Freedom App to remove distr...
How to read books
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Get the Freedom App to remove distractions and read more books:https://freedom.sjv.io/N9074OJoin the Life on ...
Every Reader Needs to Watch One Battle After Another
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Get the Freedom App to remove distractions and read more books:https://freedom.sjv.io/N9074OJoin the Life on ...
Today We Celebrate our 75th Episode!
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Get the Freedom App to remove distractions and read more books:https://freedom.sjv.io/N9074OJoin the Life on ...
Rating David Bowie's Reading Taste
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Join the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, projects, and mor...
The Books Everyone FORGETS About
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our community of readers: / lifeonbooks Join the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, projec...
Is Reading Diversely Bull****?
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our community of readers! / lifeonbooks Join the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, projec...
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About BOOKS
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!https://www.patreon.com/LifeonBooksJoin the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, proj...
Our Favorite Books by Women in Translation!
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Join the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, projects, and mor...
Reading Poetry Could Change Your Life
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club! / lifeonbooks Follow Dave on Instagram / thebookishmanc Follow Seth on Instagram / wastemailinglist Join the ...
The Books You HAVE TO READ Before the End of the Year
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
And when I say "you" I really mean "we" and when I say "have to" I really mean might do.Join our book club!https://patre...
The Best Literature for Beginners
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!Life on Books | Building a Community of Readers, One Book at a Time | PatreonJoin the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date...
The Man Who Learned 6 Languages Just to Read MORE BOOKS
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!https://www.patreon.com/LifeonBooksLearn more about Max Lawton:https://maxdaniellawton.com/Join the Life on Books mailing list to s...
These guys have the WORST TAKES when it comes to books...
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!https://www.patreon.com/LifeonBooksJoin the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, proj...
The Best Books to Read When You Have a Brain Tumor
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!https://www.patreon.com/LifeonBooksJoin the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, proj...
Does Literature Still Have a Place in the World?
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club and connect with a community of readers:https://www.patreon.com/c/LifeonBooksJoin the Life on Books mailing listhttps://linktw.in/B...
Inside the Art of Literary Translation with KE Semmel
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the LOB Book Club!https://www.patreon.com/c/LifeonBooksFind more about KE Semmel:https://kesemmel.com/Follow Mike on Instagram: / awellreadbe...
What's Happening to the Life on Books Podcast?
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You can support Andy directly by donating here https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-andys-brain-tumor-recoveryWe are donating money for every person who...
The Best Books You've Never Heard of: A look at NYRB Publishing
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!patreon.com/LifeonBooksJoin the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest book giveaways, projects, and mo...
Proof that We are the Best Book Podcast
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!patreon.com/LifeonBooksBooks mentioned in this episode:The USA Trilogy by Juan Dos Passoshttps://amzn.to/3XX8r34https://bookshop.or...
The Best Books of the Last 30 Years...In Our Opinion
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The LA Times recently released their "best 30 books of the last 30 years" list, and of course...we have something to say about itJoin our bo...
Confessions of a Literature Snob: Our Guilty Pleasure Reads
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join our book club!patreon.com/LifeonBooksFollow me on Instagram: / alifeonbooks Follow Andy on Instagram / metafictional.meathead Books...
In Defense of "Brodernist" Literature
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Want to connect with other amazing readers? Join our community!patreon.com/LifeonBooksLARB Article:https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/against-high-br...
The BEST European Literature!
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you like our podcast, consider joining our book club!patreon.com/LifeonBooksJoin the Life on Books mailing list to stay up to date on all of our la...
Why Men Don't Read Books Anymore
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are men reading less than they used to? And if they are reading, are they reading less and less fiction?This has been a hotly debated topic in the boo...
The Best Book Adaptation of All Time?
15 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are many books that have been adapted into films or television shows, some good, some not so good. But it's been often said that Gabriel Gar...
Is Invisible Man the Great American Novel?
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Recently for our book club we read Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. Originally published in the 1950s, it's considered a classic of American lit...
Talking about books...for 50 episodes!
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thank you to all of you for watching and being a part of this community!Join our book club!patreon.com/LifeonBooksJoin the Life on Books mailing list ...
Is Helen DeWitt's The Last Samurai Really THAT Original?
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Helen DeWitt's debut novel "The Last Samurai" almost didn't get published, but since then has become a cult classic, and it also mad...
Read These Books If You Need a Laugh
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The world is in a crazy place right now, so to give you a bit of comedic relief, we've put together a list of our 10 favorite funny books. We hop...
The Publishers Fighting to Keep Literature Alive
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Life on Books Podcast, we're talking about our favorite independent publishers! Use Code LIFE at Checkout at Open Letter Books to g...
The Savage Detectives...Is the Hype Real?
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Roberto Bolano is one of Latin America's most heralded authors, and the Savage Detectives is possibly his most famous work. We recently finished re...
Booktubers: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Devil’s Chessboard by David Talbot https://bookshop.org/a/103053/9780062... Or https://amzn.to/3PnAiVn At Night He Lifts Weights by Kang Youn...
The Books We're Looking Forward to in 2025
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Make sure to drop your 2025 goals in the comments, and if you want to join a great community of readers, check us out on Patreon! patreon.com/Lifeon...
The BEST BOOKS of 2024...That We Read.
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's everyone's favorite time of year! In this episode, Andy and I will be breaking down our top 10 favorite books that we read all year. We both had ...
Should You Read Infinite Jest?
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace is one of the most controversial books of the last 50 years...but why? Some people call Infinite Jest a master...
Is Toni Morrison One of the Great American Writers?
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Toni Morrison is often considered one of the great American writers, and recently the Life on Books book club read one of her most popular works: Song...
Cormac McCarthy and Separating Art from Artist
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A recent Vanity Fair article pulled the curtain back on a long time relationship Cormac McCarthy had with a woman named Augusta Britt. Often heralde...
Our Biggest GREEN FLAGS in Books!
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A few we episodes ago, we discussed the things in books (and the book community) that give us pause, and make us shy away from certain books. Today,...
The Books that Radicalized Us
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Books and politics go hand in hand, while there may be some apolitical reads out there, they are probably not the majority. So today we're talking ab...
Is Lonesome Dove Overrated?
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's one of the most famous novels of all time, beloved by all different kinds of readers. Some describe it as "The Great American Novel" while other...
The Biggest RED FLAGS in Books & The Book Community
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all have our preferences when it comes to books, so today Andy and I are going over our biggest red flags in books, and what is usually a big turn...
Are These the Best Books from Latin America?
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two years ago I decided that I hadn't read enough books from countries outside of the US, so I embarked on a journey of reading one book from every co...
Our Favorite LONG Books
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've talked about our favorite short books...we've talked about our favorite medium length books...now it's time to talk about our favorite LONG boo...
Books To Read Before We Die
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are in Q4 of 2024, and today we're talking about our "10 before the end", which are the 10 books (5 each), that we'd like to read before the end o...
What is Postmodern Literature and Should You Read It?
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Few philosophical or artistic movements have been debated quite like postmodernism, yet despite the ongoing debate about what postmodernism really is...
The BEST Books to Read This FALL
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Summer has fallen asleep and fall weather has already begun to creep in, so it's time to pull those hoodies out of the closet, and cozy up with s...
These BOOKS Would Make TERRIBLE Movies
31 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today on the Life On Books Podcast we are answering all of YOUR bookish questions, from how to navigate a bookstore as a beginner, to how to build a ...
Our Favorite Books Written by Women in Translation
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
August is women in translation month and all month long we have been celebrating, and why not do another listicle episode, this time talking about 5 ...
William H. Gass and the Genius of Omensetter's Luck
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Omensetter's Luck by William H. Gass is considered a pioneering work in postmodern American literature, but did you know that the novel almost nev...
Saving the World of Literature w/Chad Post of Open Letter Books
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why read literature? Why read works in translation? Why read books written by women? Why continue to participate in a medium that might not have a fu...
How to Read The Best Books...For You
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Millions of books are published each year, and with a back catalogue of nearly 130 million books since the printing press was invented in 1440, you h...
The BEST (500 Page) Books
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
THE BEST Books of the 21st Century...in our opinion!
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The BEST Short Books EVER Written!
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 1,00...
The BEST Opening Lines in Books
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ess...
What Does "Well Read" Really Mean?
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 inte...
Hard Rain Falling is Genius
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Answering ALL of your Bookish Questions
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 abou...
You Should Definitely Join Our Book Club
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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!...
Dr. Christof Koch: Consciousness, Free Will & The Grand Theory of Everything
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Christof Koch: Consciousness, Free Will & The Grand Theory of Everything In this episode we interview Dr. Christof Koch, a trained physicist...
Shogun Review: Are Books Replacing Show Writers?
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
What Happened to the LOB Podcast?
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 20...
The BEST BOOKS of 2023...That We Read
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Redefining Historical Fiction with Ed Park
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
A Guide to Survival with Eskor David Johnson | Pay as you Go Author
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 bee...
What is Literature, Anyway?
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is literature? Dictionary.com defines it as: writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest...
Answering Your Bookish Questions!
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 he...
A Deep Dive on Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Is the Sympathizer Worthy of a Pulitzer?
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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. O...
These Quotes Changed Our Lives
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Can You Be Smart without Reading?
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Most Underrated Books of all Time
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Our Top 5 Favorite Books of all Time!
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Is the Internet Ruining Reading?
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
James Patterson is TRASH: The Realities of Being a Modern Day Writer with Dan Lawton
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 "...
Is it Worth Reading Hard Books like Gravity's Rainbow?
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 re...
Should You Study Philosophy in College w/Tom from UNH
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we sit down to talk with Tom, a recent UNH grad who studied Philosophy. We talk about whether or not studying Philosophy is a good ide...