Better the Bookshelf Podcast

Announcement - A Farewell To Podcasts by Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly

Rich and Ryan were together in Switzerland and had a chat about their 2022 book experience and podcast resolutions for 2023.

Rich and Ryan read Allison Rumfitt's trans-horror novel that Rich found as a suggestion on Twitter. Are there ties to the "Haunting of Hill House"? Should they take more Twitter recommendations? Come for their muddled cold-ridden voices, stay for the advent calendar style selection of their next book at the end.

Time for a story about a haunted house... or is it? Rich and Ryan take on Jackson's terror classic, "The Haunting of Hill House."

It's time for a heavy-hitter. This Pulitzer Prize-winning book beat Rich and Ryan down a bit, take a listen and find out why!

Happy spooky season! It's time for some H.P. Lovecraft. Let's see what monsters Rich and Ryan find lurking in the Mountains of Madness.

Let's talk about Jesus in space and aliens whose faces look like fetuses. That's right, it's time for Rich and Ryan to get into some literary science fiction.

A new book and a new co-host! Check our Rich and Ryan's meander through Amor Towles's latest book "The Lincoln Highway."

Announcement time! New bi-weekly episodes starting 5 September 2022. Welcome in the Rich & Ryan era of slightly irreverent book chats.

We are back in action faithful listeners!

Jacob and Ryan discuss Gillian Flynn's dramatic murder/trauma debut novel, Sharp Objects and make a big announcement about the future of the podcast.

Jacob and Ryan talk about another Erik Larson best seller and ties to modern politics.

Jacob and Ryan wrap up their required reading dystopian themed novels with Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

Jacob and Ryan discuss George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984, and its themes in modern American politics, among other things.

Jacob and Ryan discuss Erik Larson's rich historical nonfiction novel about the building of Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair (World's Columbian Exposition) and the horrific activities of serial killer H.H. Holmes who used the event to find his prey.

Jacob and Ryan swoop through Maggie Smith's poetry collection on motherhood.

Jacob and Ryan have a sour conversation about Fifty Shades of Grey, with a bit of Tiger King sprinkled in.

Jacob and Ryan dive into Stephen King's "The Outsider." Read the book, watch the great HBO adaptation, or do both, and then jump in and enjoy our discussion! Stick around until the end for LOTS of upcoming books and past recommendations to help get you through COVID-19.

Jacob and Ryan talk about spies and all that entails.

The theme of depressing childhood books continues with a discussion of Frank McCourt's Pulitzer prize-winning memoir.