Pigheaded and Well Read

Ethan Rowley and Nate Skidmore
  • 5.0 (7)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

📚 Pigheaded and Well Read is a bookish podcast where two friends dive deep into great literature, one 50 page chunk at a time. Season 1 tackles East of Eden by John Steinbeck in preparation for Netflix’s 2026 limited series adaptation, with deep-dive analysis, fresh takes, and zero spoilers beyond what we’ve read. Perfect for first-time readers and longtime fans alike. 🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 9am ET (11/4/25 - 1/20/26) 📩 pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com 📺 Also on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for bonus content

  1. East of Eden Read-Along FINALE: Chapters 50-55

    JAN 20

    East of Eden Read-Along FINALE: Chapters 50-55

    In this episode we cover Chapters 50-55 of East of Eden. That’s it - that’s the end of the novel. Thank you for reading along with us! Content warning: due to the nature of East of Eden’s story and characters, throughout this read-along we’ll be touching on some mature and complex themes, including but not limited to violence, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, racism, war, death, and sex work. If those topics are difficult for you, please listen with care. Like, Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok @pigheadedandwellread. You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Feel free to DM us or email us at pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com (0:00) Episode Introduction and 3 Sentence Summary (4:26) Chapter 50 (15:29) Chapter 51 (30:53) Chapter 52 (38:00) Chapter 53 (42:05) Chapter 54 (44:19) Chapter 55 (52:32) Nate’s Takes! Lee the Intercessor (57:27) East of Ethan: Our most important decisions (59:36) Musings on the Novel (1:02:25) Netflix Adaptation Notes (1:08:51) Nate’s Predictions Recap (1:09:48) Steinbeck Stats (1:13:10) Wrap Up

    1h 20m
  2. East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 45-49

    JAN 13

    East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 45-49

    In this episode we cover Chapters 45-49 of East of Eden. We are committed to being a SPOILER-FREE podcast. We will only be discussing what has happened through Chapter 49.  From now through January 20, 2026, join us every Tuesday for a new episode where we break down the novel chapter by chapter in preparation for Netflix's East of Eden miniseries. Next week is the season’s finale! And we’ll be breaking down Chapters 50-55. Content warning: due to the nature of East of Eden’s story and characters, throughout this read-along we’ll be touching on some mature and complex themes, including but not limited to violence, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, racism, war, death, and sex work. If those topics are difficult for you, please listen with care. Like, Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok @pigheadedandwellread. You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Feel free to DM us or email us at pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com (0:00) Episode Introduction and 3 Sentence Summary (5:20) Chapter 45 (25:45) Chapter 46 (36:14) Chapter 47 (52:47) Chapter 48 (59:03) Chapter 49 (1:18:48) Nate’s Takes! (1:23:21) East of Ethan (1:26:52) Netflix Adaptation Notes (1:30:52) Steinbeck Stats (1:32:37) Nate’s Predictions and Wrap Up

    1h 35m
  3. East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 39-44

    JAN 6

    East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 39-44

    In this episode we cover Chapters 39-44 of East of Eden. We are committed to being a SPOILER-FREE podcast. We will only be discussing what has happened through Chapter 44.  From now through January 20, 2026, join us every Tuesday for a new episode where we break down the novel chapter by chapter in preparation for Netflix's East of Eden miniseries. Next week we’re breaking down Chapters 45-49. Content warning: due to the nature of East of Eden’s story and characters, throughout this read-along we’ll be touching on some mature and complex themes, including but not limited to violence, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, racism, war, death, and sex work. If those topics are difficult for you, please listen with care. Like, Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok @pigheadedandwellread. You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Feel free to DM us or email us at pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com (0:00) Episode Introduction and 3 Sentence Summary (4:25) Chapter 39 (25:38) Chapter 40 (32:27) Chapter 41 (47:26) Chapter 42 (50:57) Chapter 43 (1:06:55) Chapter 44 (1:20:25) Nate’s Takes! (1:23:12) East of Ethan (1:25:46) Netflix Adaptation Notes (1:30:56) Steinbeck Stats (1:32:31) Nate’s Predictions and Wrap Up

    1h 36m
  4. East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 33-38

    12/30/2025

    East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 33-38

    In this episode we cover Chapters 33-38 of East of Eden. We are committed to being a SPOILER-FREE podcast. We will only be discussing what has happened through Chapter 38.  From now through January 20, 2026, join us every Tuesday for a new episode where we break down the novel chapter by chapter in preparation for Netflix's East of Eden miniseries. Next week we’re breaking down Chapters 39-44. Content warning: due to the nature of East of Eden’s story and characters, throughout this read-along we’ll be touching on some mature and complex themes, including but not limited to violence, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, racism, war, death, and sex work. If those topics are difficult for you, please listen with care. Like, Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok @pigheadedandwellread. You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Feel free to DM us or email us at pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com (0:00) Episode Introduction and 3 Sentence Summary (3:33) Chapter 33 (19:51) Chapter 34 (30:20) Chapter 35 (41:45) Chapter 36 (52:11) Chapter 37 (1:04:04) Chapter 38 (1:20:31) Nate’s Takes! (1:24:26) East of Ethan (1:28:08) Netflix Adaptation Notes (1:31:27) Steinbeck Stats (1:34:12) Nate’s Predictions and Wrap Up

    1h 38m
  5. East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 28-32

    12/23/2025

    East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 28-32

    In this episode we cover Chapters 28-32 of East of Eden. We are committed to being a SPOILER-FREE podcast. We will only be discussing what has happened through Chapter 32.  From now through January 20, 2026, join us every Tuesday for a new episode where we break down the novel chapter by chapter in preparation for Netflix's East of Eden miniseries. Next week we’re breaking down Chapters 33-38. Content warning: due to the nature of East of Eden’s story and characters, throughout this read-along we’ll be touching on some mature and complex themes, including but not limited to violence, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, racism, war, death, and sex work. If those topics are difficult for you, please listen with care. Like, Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok @pigheadedandwellread. You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Feel free to DM us or email us at pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com (0:00) Episode Introduction and 3 Sentence Summary (3:02) Chapter 28 (19:48) Chapter 29 (31:06) Chapter 30 (53:01) Chapter 31 (1:02:03) Chapter 32 (1:09:33) Nate’s Takes! (1:17:59) East of Ethan (1:22:59) Netflix Adaptation Notes (1:27:48) Steinbeck Stats (1:32:23) Nate’s Predictions and Wrap Up

    1h 36m
  6. East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 25-27

    12/16/2025

    East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 25-27

    In this episode we cover Chapters 25-27 of East of Eden. We are committed to being a SPOILER-FREE podcast. We will only be discussing what has happened through Chapter 27.  From now through January 20, 2026, join us every Tuesday for a new episode where we break down the novel chapter by chapter in preparation for Netflix's East of Eden miniseries. Next week we’re breaking down Chapters 28-32. Content warning: due to the nature of East of Eden’s story and characters, throughout this read-along we’ll be touching on some mature and complex themes, including but not limited to violence, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, racism, war, death, and sex work. If those topics are difficult for you, please listen with care. Like, Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok @pigheadedandwellread. You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Feel free to DM us or email us at pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com (0:00) Episode Introduction and 3 Sentence Summary (2:54) Chapter 25 (30:34) Chapter 26 (42:46) Chapter 27 (1:08:38) Nate’s Takes! (1:15:16) East of Ethan (1:20:12) Netflix Adaptation Notes (1:24:47) Steinbeck Stats (1:29:03) Nate’s Predictions and Wrap Up

    1h 32m
  7. East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 22-24

    12/09/2025

    East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 22-24

    In this episode we cover Chapters 22-24 of East of Eden. We are committed to being a SPOILER-FREE podcast. We will only be discussing what has happened through Chapter 24.  From now through January 20, 2026, join us every Tuesday for a new episode where we break down the novel chapter by chapter in preparation for Netflix's East of Eden miniseries. Next week we’re breaking down Chapters 25-27. Content warning: due to the nature of East of Eden’s story and characters, throughout this read-along we’ll be touching on some mature and complex themes, including but not limited to violence, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, racism, war, death, and sex work. If those topics are difficult for you, please listen with care. Like, Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok @pigheadedandwellread. You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Feel free to DM us or email us at pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com (0:00) Episode Introduction and 3 Sentence Summary (3:47) Chapter 22 (44:35) Chapter 23 (59:10) Chapter 24 (1:15:39) Nate’s Takes! (1:22:24) East of Ethan (1:27:39) Netflix Adaptation Notes (1:33:58) Steinbeck Stats (1:34:19) Nate’s Predictions and Wrap Up

    1h 41m
  8. East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 18-21

    12/02/2025

    East of Eden Read-Along: Chapters 18-21

    In this episode we cover Chapters 18-21 of East of Eden. We are committed to being a SPOILER-FREE podcast. We will only be discussing what has happened through Chapter 21.  From now through January 20, 2026, join us every Tuesday for a new episode where we break down the novel chapter by chapter in preparation for Netflix's East of Eden miniseries. Next week we’re breaking down Chapters 22-24. Content warning: due to the nature of East of Eden’s story and characters, throughout this read-along we’ll be touching on some mature and complex themes, including but not limited to violence, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, racism, war, death, and sex work. If those topics are difficult for you, please listen with care. Like, Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok @pigheadedandwellread. You can also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Feel free to DM us or email us at pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com (0:00) Episode Introduction and 3 Sentence Summary (4:23) Chapter 18 (30:13) Chapter 19 (47:47) Chapter 20 (1:01:44) Chapter 21 (1:12:10) Nate’s Takes! (1:22:14) East of Ethan (1:30:45) Netflix Adaptation Notes (1:36:24) Steinbeck Stats (1:39:44) Nate’s Predictions and Wrap Up

    1h 45m
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About

📚 Pigheaded and Well Read is a bookish podcast where two friends dive deep into great literature, one 50 page chunk at a time. Season 1 tackles East of Eden by John Steinbeck in preparation for Netflix’s 2026 limited series adaptation, with deep-dive analysis, fresh takes, and zero spoilers beyond what we’ve read. Perfect for first-time readers and longtime fans alike. 🎧 New episodes every Tuesday at 9am ET (11/4/25 - 1/20/26) 📩 pigheadedandwellread@gmail.com 📺 Also on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for bonus content

Information

  • Creator
    Ethan Rowley and Nate Skidmore
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ethan Rowley and Nate Skidmore
  • Show Website
    Pigheaded and Well Read