Turek Books Podcast

BoJack Horseman's, Aparna Nancherla joins Joshua to talk about her favorite formative books "A House on Mango Street" and "The Phantom Tollbooth". The comedian, author, and actor delves into the struggles she faced with Imposter Syndrome while writing her memoir "Unreliable Narrator" about the very trials of that very Imposter Syndrome. She and Joshua explore how the end result to a story about yourself is not an end at all, and how an honest conclusion can be an open one. They share their mutual love of libraries and the prolific comedian pulls out a wide array of contemporary fiction and nonfiction from the tote bag she was given at the Miami Beach Book Fair, an unlikely festival for such a beach forward city.

TV writer Jamie Lynn Harris joins Joshua to reminisce over the last time someone read erotica written by a radio DJ to her on a beach in Spain. She and Joshua bond over their shared love of "Anna Karenina" and Paul Beatty's "The Sellout". She goes into lush detail about the sapphic novel of race and identity in the late 1920's "Passing" by Nella Larsen. And tells of how she is catching up on the canonical authors whose names she heard thrown around in grad school like Clarice Lispecter. Jamie also goes against the grain by speaking fondly over the books she had to read in high school and mourns how students these days are being required to read less and less. Josh also talks about a Rumi book specifically a poem about dogs being gateways into the eternal. PLEASE be sure to rate this podcast (If you like it) and Subscribe and Follow!!!Books Talked About IncludeAn Apprenticeship or the Book of Pleasures by Clarice LispecterPassing by Nella LarsenThe Sellout by Paul BeattyAnna Karenina by TolstoySay I Am You by Rumi

Comedian, writer and co-host of the Grifthorse Podcast, Megan Koester joins Joshua Turek to discuss her favorite books about magazines and how to harvest the California state flower into opium. The two frequent collaborators recount climbing around the Hollywood Hills a couple months into the pandemic with a fruit picker to gather neglected avocados off rich people's trees and while making a video about it. They get into self publishing zines and talk Josh's new self published poetry book which sold out of its first edition! Also included are two book recommendations from listeners!

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 memoirDilla Time biography by Dan CharnasA Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy TooleSlumberland by Paul BeattyBlack is the New White memoir by Paul Mooney

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!

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 SABooks Talked About Include:Five Personality Patterns byt Steven KesslerVoices in the Ocean by Susan CaseyWalking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black by Cookie Mueller MemoirBig Swiss by Jen BeaginKinship with All of Life J. Allen Boone

"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! 

“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

“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 AscherLIFE WANTS YOU DEAD by Evan WaiteTHE STENCH OF HONOLULU by Jack HandyWATCHMEN by Alan MooreFEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS by Hunter S. ThompsonAMERICA by Jon Stewart and teamIS THIS ANYTHING? by Jerry Seinfeld48 LAWS OF POWER by Robert Greene