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PODCAST

The Book Pile

Kellen Erskine and David Vance

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!

arts books

All Episodes

20:09

Kellen's Favorite Books of 2025 So Far! (And three...

The Book Pile ·

2025/06/04

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 ...

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33:35

Permission to Feel, by Marc Brackett

The Book Pile ·

2025/04/25

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=JpBt0...

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33:52

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

The Book Pile ·

2025/04/18

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

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30:33

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

The Book Pile ·

2025/03/27

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 KE...

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27:31

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

The Book Pile ·

2025/03/13

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 A...

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24:32

The Body, by Bill Bryson

The Book Pile ·

2025/02/24

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&...

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30:50

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

The Book Pile ·

2025/02/19

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 Delr...

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33:51

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The Book Pile ·

2025/02/10

SUMMARY: What if Pride and Prejudice were spooky? What if Mr. Darcy were less handsome, but also more abominable? What if instead of four sisters, Lizzie had no parents and a best friend who dies of tuberculosis? If you love Jane Austen, you’ll love this book, assuming you can get on board with some stuff. Today’s novel is the incomparable Jane Eyre. Though I guess it can be comparable to Pride and Prejudice. WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0...

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26:16

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

The Book Pile ·

2025/01/28

SUMMARY: The typical human lifespan is in the neighborhood of 4,000 weeks. That is an extremely precious, finite, and dwindling amount of life. It gives all of us urgent reason to (while we still can) take advantage of the Taco Bell 5 Dollar Taco Discovery Box deal. How would you live differently if you knew this was your last day to spend time with loved ones, work on a passion project, or eat a Doritos Locos Taco with a medium fountain drink (including the Baja Blast)?On this episode hear D...

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16:00

How to Read 100 Books This Year

The Book Pile ·

2025/01/21

SUMMARY: Whether you want to read 100 books this year, or even just 87, Kellen has some tips for how to succeed--and he's strategically waited 3 weeks into January so that he could get a head start before you.WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL "NEGATIVE COMMENTS" ON YOUTUBE!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile-Dave’s book / game The Starli...

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24:55

Everybody Lies, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

The Book Pile ·

2025/01/15

SUMMARY: To celebrate this book about dishonesty, we’re gonna test how well you know Kellen and Dave with a game of two truths and a lie. You ready? See if you know us well enough to pass the quiz.1. Statement 2 is false.2. Statement 3 is true.3. Statement 1 is false.Alright, we’ll see which of you are superfans!WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL "NEGATIVE COMMENTS" ON YOUTUBE!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-202...

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38:11

Our Favorite Books of 2024!

The Book Pile ·

2024/12/30

SUMMARY: Our best books this year had everything: Murder! Therapy! Lyndon B. Johnson! The three elements of good literature. Come join us as we review our favorite books of the year. Happy New Year, and thanks for listening to The Book Pile! We really appreciate it. See you in 2025!WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www...

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21:48

Re-Issue: A Christmas Carol (with an EVEN NEWER...

The Book Pile ·

2024/12/23

Rediscover this gem of a Book Pile episode (#114) that we dug up from 2022 (now with an even newer intro full of public-domain Christmas music!) Listen to Dave whisper laugh! Hear Kellen disagree with Dave's habit of walking out of movies! Notice how Kellen tries to defend himself against what appears to be a an unequal luggage-packing relationship with his wife...JOIN OUR PATREON to get in free to any of Kellen's comedy shows in 2025!https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile*Dave’s graphic n...

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29:04

Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke

The Book Pile ·

2024/12/17

SUMMARY: We live in a society inundated by endless sources of entertainment and cheap dopamine. In today’s book, Anna Lembke discusses how we can respond to such dangers, like, for instance, a pool table. Friend, either you're closing your eyes to a situation you do not wish to acknowledge, or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated by the presence of a pool table in your community.Well, ya got trouble, my friend, right hereI say, trouble right here in River CityWhy, sure, I'm ...

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22:51

Kellen Crams to Get His 100 Books Read by The End of...

The Book Pile ·

2024/12/12

SUMMARY: Kellen is behind on his reading, and he needs your help! (Sounds like a Saturday morning PBS cartoon...). Kellen gives a rundown of most of the books he's read so far this year; also he has an idea for a very classy author name; and at around the 15-minute mark he quits recording for a full day to recover from starting to lose his voice in real time (and--if you catch when it happens--it sounds like a miracle), and through the magic of editing, he picks it up right where he left off ...

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39:22

A 2nd LOOK AT: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

The Book Pile ·

2024/12/03

SUMMARY: It's been 3 years so we gave this book "another go" as they say in non-American English speaking countries, like Wizard Land. Today we cover the second Harry Potter, which managed to improve on the original, and is also – no offense – the only book you could get rid of without changing anything important. Don’t be mad, but if the series just went straight from Sorcerer’s Stone to Prisoner of Azkaban, you basically wouldn’t know any better. You’d just have to be like, “By the wa...

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24:04

Re-Issue: The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

The Book Pile ·

2024/11/25

SUMMARY: When you hear a story, do you lose interest after like 5 minutes? Then you will LOVE short stories, a new thing we invented. Today’s book is a short story collection by Ray Bradbury, who realized that anything counts as sci-fi if you take a normal story and just put it on Mars. Plus, Kellen has planned out a very unexpected last day on Earth, and Dave uncovers a deceptive photograph.WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237sKE...

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25:09

THE ROAST OF: The Spy Who Loved Me, by Ian Fleming

The Book Pile ·

2024/11/18

SUMMARY: This is a James Bond book without James Bond, a love story without love, and a spy story without spying. The only person who’s unaware of all this is the author, Ian Fleming, AKA the only person feminists beg to please write fewer female characters. KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN CHICAGO THIS WEEK Nov 22-23! Go to KellenErskine.com for tickets-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile-Dave’s book / ...

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33:30

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever WITH GUEST Dallas...

The Book Pile ·

2024/11/13

SUMMARY: An Americana small-town Christmas pageant gets hijacked by kids from the other side of the tracks, but it all works out (or this would be a very different genre). Kellen is joined by Dallas Jenkins who directed and co-wrote the movie (currently IN THEATERS and at 90% on Rottentomatoes!)KELLEN ERSKINE IS PERFORMING IN CARLSBAD (close to San Diego) THIS WEEK! Nov 16th! Go to KellenErskine.com for tickets-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-2025 by joining The Boo...

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31:43

Yes Please, by Amy Poehler

The Book Pile ·

2024/11/04

SUMMARY: Dave and Kellen take another dive into the great Amy Poehler's (SNL, Baby Momma, Parks and Recreation) memoir. Also Dave is terrible at comforting people and Kellen rants about actors' award speeches.KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN PROVO & SALT LAKE CITY THIS WEEK! Nov 7th (Provo) then 8-9 (SLC) go to KellenErskine.com for tickets-Get two free tickets to any of Kellen's live shows in 2024-2025 by joining The Book Pile's Patreon at:https://www.patreon.com/TheBookPile-If you want to read Yes ...

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