The Book Pile

Kellen Erskine and David Vance
  • 4.9 (597)
  • BOOKS

A podcast where comedians tell you about books so you never have to read! (Now including fiction!) Kellen does standup; Dave writes ads; together they highlight lessons from the world’s best books--and some of the worst. New episode every Monday!

  1. 06/04/2025

    Kellen's Favorite Books of 2025 So Far! (And three dumb ones)

    SUMMARY: I pretty much summarized it with the title. I've read/listened to 50+ books since January 1 and I'M DONE. No, but I am done with two authors for sure, listen to find out who! 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 200 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. He currently tours the country www.KellenErskine.com BOOKS LISTED IN THIS EPISODE: I actually hope you listen to this episode before reading this list, I hate spoilers and giving them, but I also wanted to provide convenient links to all the books I mention. So listen first, I promise it's more fun than finding out this way. Are you done? Great, here you go: Self Compassion: https://amzn.to/3SC5dyW 100 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think: https://amzn.to/3Zi5niG What I'd Say to the Martians, by Jack Handey: https://amzn.to/4jxikw0 Means of Ascent (LBJ book #2): https://amzn.to/4kp295g Sinbad by Kurt Vonnegut: https://amzn.to/43XuLwG Big Magic: https://amzn.to/4dMCVLP All About Me, by Mel Brooks: https://amzn.to/3Hlysn1

    20 min

  2. 04/25/2025

    Permission to Feel, by Marc Brackett

    SUMMARY: If you like James Bond, Hunger Games, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings, you will LOVE this spy thriller! We know the cover looks like a therapy book, but it’s not! It has action and comedy and romance, not therapy that is good for you. Come listen to this gripping caper, which is not a therapy book. You don’t have to worry about your feelings in this fun popcorn book. It’s not a therapy book. Hit play. WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN ON TOUR! APR 25-26 Indiana MAY 9-10 Dallas MAY 17 St Charles, IL For tickets go to KellenErskine.com -Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:  https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile -Dave’s book / game The Starlings is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMBBLGXN?ref=myi_title_dp THE HOSTS! -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 200 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. He currently tours the country www.KellenErskine.com -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.

    34 min

  3. 04/18/2025

    Chesterton's Gateway, by Ethan Nicolle WITH GUEST Ethan Nicolle!

    Have you heard of GK Chesterton? (No he's not that cheese-puff cat). WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN ON TOUR! APR 25-26 Indiana MAY 9-10 Dallas MAY 17 St Charles, IL For tickets go to KellenErskine.com -Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:  https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile

    34 min

  4. 03/27/2025

    A SECOND LOOK AT: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

    SUMMARY: This episode has everything you could hope for. Conspiracy theories. Hermione exoneration. And a rat who turns out to be a murderer. (Who knew Harry Potter was a sequel to 1300s Europe?) (It’s funny because the most devastating event imaginable happened many years ago.) (Your subconscious sense of humor deems the past to be intrinsically less worthy of empathy.) We hope you enjoy! WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN ON TOUR! MAR 28 Bakersfield, CA APR 2-4 St Pete, Clearwater, & Delray Beach, FL APR 25-26 Indiana MAY 9-10 Dallas MAY 17 St Charles, IL For tickets go to KellenErskine.com -Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:  https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile -Dave’s book / game The Starlings is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMBBLGXN?ref=myi_title_dp THE HOSTS! -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 200 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. He currently tours the country www.KellenErskine.com -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.

    31 min

  5. 03/13/2025

    Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

    SUMMARY: Fight Club is a story with one of the most famous twist endings in book and movie history (they find out violence is good...) But before it was a hit movie, did you know it was also a disgusting book? Join Kellen and Dave as they complain about this well-written book they both kind of hate. WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN ON TOUR! MAR 16 New Bremen, OH MAR 20 Pittsburgh MAR 28 Bakersfield, CA APR 2-4 St Pete, Clearwater, & Delray Beach, FL APR 25-26 Indiana MAY 9-10 Dallas MAY 17 St Charles, IL For tickets go to KellenErskine.com -Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:  https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile -Dave’s book / game The Starlings is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMBBLGXN?ref=myi_title_dp THE HOSTS! -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 200 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. He currently tours the country www.KellenErskine.com -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.

    28 min

  6. 03/10/2025

    THE ROAST OF Star Wars: The Force Awakens (the novelization of the movie), by Alan Dean Foster

    JOIN OUR PATREON FOR BoNuS EpiSoDEs! https://patreon.com/TheBookPile * The king returns. Alan Dean is back, and he’s more Alan Dean than ever. Break out the thesauruses as we do a live roast of his novelization of The Force Awakens. Plus, Kellen teaches you some vocab words and Dave has a guessing game. * To buy the book and support the podcast, click HERE! https://amzn.to/3IJIhsx * Dave’s book / game The Starlings is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMBBLGXN?ref=myi_title_dp * 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. He currently tours the country www.KellenErskine.com * 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.

    30 min

  7. 02/24/2025

    The Body, by Bill Bryson

    SUMMARY: (A Dave and Kellen episode!) This book is full of incredible trivia about the human body, beautifully and hilariously written. For instance, did you know that every one of your organs is being played by a tiny little Phantom of the Opera? When your stomach is rumbling, that’s him telling Christine to “Sing, angel!” If you release gas as you sleep, that’s simply the music of the night! Fun. WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN ON TOUR! MAR 16 New Bremen, OH MAR 20 Pittsburgh MAR 28 Bakersfield, C APR 2-4 St Pete, Clearwater, & Delray Beach, FL APR 25-26 Indiana MAY 9-10 Dallas MAY 17 St Charles, IL For tickets go to KellenErskine.com -Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:  https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile -Dave’s book / game The Starlings is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMBBLGXN?ref=myi_title_dp THE HOSTS! -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 200 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. He currently tours the country www.KellenErskine.com -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.

    25 min

  8. 02/19/2025

    Re-Issue: Excellent Advice for Living, by Kevin Kelly

    SUMMARY: Enjoy a digitally-remastered edit of one of our favorite episodes, where the author shares exactly what the book is called. Plus, Dave tells a story about being accidentally cool at a wedding, and Dave disagrees with a brilliant plan that Kellen has for safe combat with burglars... WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN ON TOUR! MAR 16 New Bremen, OH MAR 20 Pittsburgh MAR 28 Bakersfield, C APR 4 Delray Beach, FL APR 25-26 Indiana MAY 9-10 Dallas MAY 17 St Charles, IL For tickets go to KellenErskine.com -Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:  https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile -Dave’s book / game The Starlings is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMBBLGXN?ref=myi_title_dp THE HOSTS! -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 200 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. He currently tours the country www.KellenErskine.com -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.

    31 min
See All (219)

4.9
out of 5
597 Ratings

About

A podcast where comedians tell you about books so you never have to read! (Now including fiction!) Kellen does standup; Dave writes ads; together they highlight lessons from the world’s best books--and some of the worst. New episode every Monday!

Information

  • Creator
    Kellen Erskine and David Vance
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    219
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Book Pile
  • Show Website
    The Book Pile

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