Best Book Brothers
12 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 11 ratingsTwo brothers bringing their insights & humor to this online community of literary appreciation. (It's the coolest book club around, and we'd love to have you be a part of it!)
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Episodes
Episode 11: How to Stay Alive in the Woods
June 13, 2019 20:19 - 31 minutes - 36.1 MBThe Brothers are BACK for another memorable season of the Best Books! In this episode Joe and Benji figuratively venture into the wilderness and figure out how to stay alive so that you don't have to. There are all kinds of handy tips and tricks. This episode might not save your life today, but it definitely will someday.
Episode 10: A Separate Peace
March 31, 2019 00:46 - 29 minutes - 54.7 MBBenji and Joe track down their 10th-grade English teacher and bring him out of retirement to talk about this John Knowles novel that he made required reading. In the process, Benji confesses to the prank that led to him getting a "Needs Improvement" citizenship grade. Life is messy, the book is beautiful, and this episode is hilariously poignant.
Episode 9 - Undaunted Courage
February 11, 2019 05:59 - 38 minutes - 45.9 MBDo you have the courage to listen to this episode? It's' in tents. Come join the brothers as they reconnect with each other and bond over social media musings, pointless arguments with mom, how much food they used to eat, as well as the adventures of Lewis and Clark, with a personal connection to their famous excursion. Also, bear anatomy! This is our most provocative episode yet.
Episode 8: Billy Collins poetry and The Brother Brothers music
December 30, 2018 02:06 - 53 minutes - 99.1 MBDeservedly famous poet Billy Collins takes aim at lesser poets in his book Ballistics, which of course inspires Joe and Benji to write and share their own poems. The Best Book Brothers reach unprecedented brotherhood levels when the band The Brother Brothers calls in for a conversation that pays homage to the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?Stick around to the end to hear the signature song from The Brother Brothers new album.
Episode 7: 14
November 10, 2018 21:14 - 40 minutes - 47.6 MBWhy didn't Joe and Benji wait until Episode 14 to read Peter Clines' thriller titled "14"? They have no answer for that. But they do talk about awkward movie-watching moments, a town that was taken over by caterpillars in real life, Benji's concerns with being objectified by bears, and an inspiring friendship between a chicken and a beagle. And the book. They talk about the book, too.
Episode 6 - West With the Night
October 10, 2018 06:59 - 48 minutes - 56.6 MBThe best book you've never heard of is Beryl Markham's autobiography West With the Night. It's basically Amelia Earhart, Seabiscuit and Ernest Hemingway wrapped into one beautifully written adventure book. And Joe and Benji found the perfect guest: Alaskan bush pilot Stephanie Greer, owner and operator of Beryl Air. Don't miss her wild story of a man who paid thousands of dollars to personally deliver a six-pack of beer to his brother.
Episode 5 - Choose Your Own Adventure part 2
September 10, 2018 07:00 - 27 minutes - 52.2 MBIt's brother against brother in the decisive Choose Your Own Adventure balttle. The victor gets the glory and picks the next book. The loser delivers an inspirational speech to make us all feel like winners.
Episode Four: Choose Your Own Adventure - Part One
August 10, 2018 06:59 - 33 minutes - 39.3 MBIn this episode we visit some of the easy reading from yesteryear that inspired one of the brothers's love of reading. Choose to have this adventure with us as we delve into the first few books in our six book adventure competition. Which brother will come out ahead? Do you want to follow the dragon into the cave? Are you aware of the consequences of not listening to this episode? Better play it safe and come join us for some good decisions and good laughs. Benji wrote this caption.
Episode Three: The Big Year
July 10, 2018 06:46 - 48 minutes - 89 MBJack Black played him on the screen, but Greg Miller really became a star when Joe and Benji made him an honorary brother. Birding and people watching – or is it bird watching and peopling – reach comedic heights in Episode 3 with epic and touching fatherhood stories, run-ins with apex predators, and the nerdiest trash talk a brother has ever done.
Episode Two: Ready Player One
June 10, 2018 07:00 - 45 minutes - 82.8 MBErnest Kline’s popular novel Ready Player One takes Joe and Benji back to the 1980s and the games, fashion and desserts that came with that quirky decade. Then a trip to the future begs questions like “What is love?” “Are some risks worth taking?” and “Did Spielberg bring his A-Game with the movie adaption?” But best of all is the guest for all, Mr. Andrew Armstrong. Don’t miss the many burning questions Joe and Benji have for the first professional dungeon master they’ve ever met.
Episode 1: The Great Quake
May 10, 2018 07:00 - 43 minutes - 79.8 MBCome for the mind-blowing tectonic action, stay for a lingerie company’s corporate philanthropy. Joe and Benji save countless lives in this episode capped by a conversation with Henry Fountain, environment journalist at The New York Times and author of The Great Quake.
Episode Zero: The Best Book Brothers
April 05, 2018 09:13 - 30 minutes - 55.6 MBJoe and Benji tell the origin story of this podcast, which includes not one but two references to the McKenzie brothers’ separation issues in the movie Strange Brew. After a tangent about the asymmetrical onset of armpit hair, they set some ground rules and plot against their brand-new rivals. Finally, they assign the reading for next time: The Great Quake by Henry Fountain.