14 episodes

We’re never going to have enough time to read all the books we want, but hearing about them from an interesting person is its own valid form of experiencing their stories. Turek Books invites comedians and writers on as guests to grab a few books off their shelves that they really want to tell the world about. 

The compelling nature of chatting about the books we read becomes a springboard to revealing ourselves. The show’s subject matter ranges from inspirational favorites to petty grievances with all kinds of layers peeled back in between. Mostly, each guest returns to the good reads, those ones we can’t forget that rattle our souls for the better. 
 
Joshua Turek is a comedian, poet, and factotum whose viral rants on social media have found a home talking about his great passion of reading books. Turek Books Podcast, because all the clever names were already taken.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Turek Books Podcast Ninth Planet Audio

    • Comedy
    • 4.9 • 59 Ratings

We’re never going to have enough time to read all the books we want, but hearing about them from an interesting person is its own valid form of experiencing their stories. Turek Books invites comedians and writers on as guests to grab a few books off their shelves that they really want to tell the world about. 

The compelling nature of chatting about the books we read becomes a springboard to revealing ourselves. The show’s subject matter ranges from inspirational favorites to petty grievances with all kinds of layers peeled back in between. Mostly, each guest returns to the good reads, those ones we can’t forget that rattle our souls for the better. 
 
Joshua Turek is a comedian, poet, and factotum whose viral rants on social media have found a home talking about his great passion of reading books. Turek Books Podcast, because all the clever names were already taken.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Bake That Sh*t Out with Kimberly Clark

    Bake That Sh*t Out with Kimberly Clark

    Netflix comedian Kimberly Clark gets deep into music with a memoir she's currently reading by jazz legend Thelonious Monk and a biography she loved about the late music producer J Dilla. She and Josh discuss morality and greatness and how to reconcile your admiration of deeply flawed artists. "Confederacy of Dunces" is another one of her picks, she likens the main character to Larry David and discusses how the book was given to her just before she began performing stand up comedy. She also brings Paul Mooney's memoir and discusses how the prolific comedy writer for acts like Richard Pryor and Dave Chapelle shaped her own approach and even encouraged her while she was working at The Laugh Factory in Hollywood. Kimberly and Joshua agree to disagree about David Sedaris and she also brings in the next book she wants to read. Thanks for listening!
    Books Talked About Include:
    Thelonious Monk memoir
    Dilla Time biography by Dan Charnas
    A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
    Slumberland by Paul Beatty
    Black is the New White memoir by Paul Mooney


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Come On Kindle Light My Fire with Peter Ditzler and Cam George

    Come On Kindle Light My Fire with Peter Ditzler and Cam George

    On this week's episode Joshua is joined by his first Gen Z guests, the comedy duo behind Content.Channel, Cam George and Peter Ditzler. Not only have these two been helping with the podcast, they've also been kindred readers with Joshua sharing similar tastes in books since they met. They get into their shared love of Mike Davis, particularly his book about the geology of Los Angeles and modern day conflicts with it in "Ecology of Fear". Eve Babitz is discussed as are some of the pivotal figures in the modern day city like Mulholland, D.W. Griffith, and Aimee Semple McPherson. But first Cam and Pete pitch Joshua hard on their love of e-readers and how to mimic the scrolling on their phones helps trick their brains into doing something productive on their Kindles. We also get into book recommendations from listeners!
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 52 min
    Dolphins Might Be Aliens with Bridey Elliott 

    Dolphins Might Be Aliens with Bridey Elliott 

    Actor and Sundance Festival Filmmaker, Bridey Elliott joins Joshua to discuss self help, the people who believe dolphins are aliens, NASA experiments gone wrong, and how Bridey throws away every journal she ever finishes. Their book conversation ranges from parasocial relationships, a lesbian psychosexual love affair in the novel “Big Swiss” to the short fiery life and memoir of author Cookie Mueller, all the way out to the spiritual watery depths of a dolphin lover named Joan Ocean who Bridey went and visited in Hawaii after reading a book featuring her. They also read listener book recommendations at the end! TW: Book plot description of Big Swiss briefly mentions SA
    Books Talked About Include:
    Five Personality Patterns byt Steven Kessler
    Voices in the Ocean by Susan Casey
    Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black by Cookie Mueller Memoir
    Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
    Kinship with All of Life J. Allen Boone

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 59 min
    Love in the Time of Tolstoy with Jeff Loveness

    Love in the Time of Tolstoy with Jeff Loveness

    "Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" writer Jeff Loveness (Rick and Morty, Jimmy Kimmel Live) brings our biggest stack of books yet and talks with Joshua about everything from Anthony Bourdain books to the Teenage Bible. He and Joshua bring the same final novel of Tolstoy, "Resurrection" and joke about the time they bro'd out at the Alamo Theater and watched the emotionally heavy movie "Past Lives". Joshua also gives a sneak peek at his soon to be released poetry book "On the Outside Looking Up" and reads two book recommendations written in from listeners of the show! 
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr 11 min
    The Joy of Trees and Spider Aliens with Kurt Braunohler

    The Joy of Trees and Spider Aliens with Kurt Braunohler

    “Bananas Podcast” co-host and voice on BOB’S BURGERS, stand up comedian, Kurt Braunohler joins Joshua to talk about how his kids read more than him by virtue of them exhausting him. The two discuss their shared love of trees prompted by book “The Overstory” that Kurt says is one of his all time favorites even if he hasn’t finished it yet. Their conversation ranges from a book about dishwashing to imagining Raymond Carver’s stories as cartoonishly overwritten without his famed editor Gordon Lisch. They also discuss the stunted feelings of the cursed white male rugged individualists and CIA interference in U.S. art institutions and literature. Ultimately, it’s about reading what you love, no matter if it’s spiders in outer space science fiction or 70’s NYC musician junkie memoirs.
    Books talked about include:
    “What People Talk About When They Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver
    “The Overstory” by Richard Powers
    “Dishwasher” by Pete Jordan
    “I Dreamed I was a Very Clean Tramp” by Richard Hell
    “Children of Time” by Adrian Tchaikovsky

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 55 min
    "Life Wants You Dead" with Evan Waite

    "Life Wants You Dead" with Evan Waite

    “Family Guy” writer/producer Evan Waite joins Turek Books to talk about his time writing for “The Onion” and his new book “Life Wants You Dead”. Evan and Joshua bond over used book sales at libraries and avoiding social media witch hunts. Evan talks about how reading “48 Laws of Power” was the impetus to creating a writer’s group at the Strand Bookstore in New York City. He also discusses making the leap from teaching English in China to finding his way into comedy writing. And how he drew inspiration in penning his book about fear from a book about the inner workings of New York City.
    Books talked about include:
    THE WORKS: ANATOMY OF A CITY by Kate Ascher
    LIFE WANTS YOU DEAD by Evan Waite
    THE STENCH OF HONOLULU by Jack Handy
    WATCHMEN by Alan Moore
    FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS by Hunter S. Thompson
    AMERICA by Jon Stewart and team
    IS THIS ANYTHING? by Jerry Seinfeld
    48 LAWS OF POWER by Robert Greene

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    • 1 hr 13 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
59 Ratings

59 Ratings

Tom31667789 ,

Five Stars

I’m becoming convinced Josh deliberately mixes the audio to be nearly unlistenable on car speakers in an attempt to get us off the roads. Five stars.

Lizbethjune ,

My new favorite

As someone who listens to a lot of book and reading podcasts, this one has quickly become my new favorite. It’s smart and touching and funny, and feels like listening to your smartest friends tell you a little about a book they’ve read. It’s increased my TBR pile for sure, but it doesn’t make you feel pressured to read them all. Sometimes I’ll hear a great little nugget or quote, and I enjoy turning it over in my mind without having read the book. Tough to explain, so just give it a try!

N_Ruck ,

ITS GOOD

I wish I read more but sadly my attention span is very 2024, thankfully I now have Josh’s podcast to enlighten me about books I should read. I love hearing people talk about books. So far my favorite ep has been Chris Estrada. Book people can be so precious and serious and I love that Josh is talking to comedians about books, because it ends up feeling casual and approachable. Josh has a great radio voice.

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