Should you read before you die?

Jewish thinker, coach, and Philadelphia icon Brian Schiff joins Josh to discuss James A. Michener's mammoth philosemitic novel. Should you read The Source before you die? What about other Michener books? Listen in and find out.

Entrepreneur and professor Ryan Berger from The Berger Shop stops by to discuss NFTs and Top Shot. What are NFTs? And how people in sports using them to make money? How has the pandemic changed sports technology for good? And most importantly he'll answer: Should you invest in NFTs before you die. 

Melissa Andretta is back to share her expertise on top Chinese cities. Which city has the best street food scene? Which city has the coolest skyline? Where's the best place to visit the Great Wall? And of course which Chinese city should you visit before you die?

Jonathan Franzen's epic novel was a sensation across this great nation when it came out in September of 2001. Professor Chris Ingraham is back to discuss the novel, plus Franzen's other major works: Freedom, and Purity. The Oprah scandal is addressed and dissected.  Chris also gossips about his dinner with Franzen, before answering: Should you read The Corrections before you die?

Is Crypto the future of money? Josh and Sam Pardo breakdown the benefits and drawbacks of crypto and who you should be following within the space! They also discuss Robinhood, Doge, and The Silk Road before answering: should you invest in Bitcoin before you die? And if so, how much?

Getting to Cuba isn't easy. But is it worth it? Josh breaks down his quick trip to Havana and the countryside and tries be helpful by answering: Should you visit Cuba before you die.

Julian Rowand joins Josh to talk about Michel Foucault's philosophical classic, Discipline and Punish. Is this the most readable philosophy book of all time? Should you read it before you die? The conversation touches on the panopticon before veering into the incarceration issues still plaguing America.

Grant Wahl(!) stops by to discuss the best soccer books of all time. Is there a soccer canon? And if so which books belong in it? Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby? Grant also talks about his experiences with David Beckham, MLS, and his new podcast about Freddy Adu. *During the episode Josh is wearing a soccer hoodie from dirtpitch.com -- check them out!

Thought this podcast was just about books? Think again. In this episode, Josh is joined by Melissa Andretta to answer: Should you visit Iceland before you die? Melissa is a Director at SFO and has been to Iceland 140+ times. Is the Blue Lagoon worth it? Is Bjork the national hero of Iceland? What's the Great Icelandic novel? Tune in and find out!

Special fantasy edition! Josh is joined by his son Nate to discuss the Patrick Rothfuss cycle, define high and low fantasy, and contextualize it all relative to Game of Thrones. Should 12-year-olds like Nate read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's before they die? Should adults? Should you? Listen in and find out.

Wondering which classics are actually good? Professor Chris Ingraham is back again, joining Josh to celebrate some classics. Should you read Lady Chatterley's Lover before you die? Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain? Ethan Frome? Are any John Steinbeck books actually funny? Are they classic classics? Listen in and find out now!

Because one episode about Lonesome Dove just isn't enough! We brought in original superfan Erik Hardenburgh to discuss a novel he's read more than 12(!) times. He's answer whether he think you should read the Larry McMurtry epic before you die. Though you can probably guess the answer already.

Professor Chris Ingraham is back to join Josh to poop on some classics. Nothing is safe. Should you read Charles Dickens' Great Expectations before you die? Or is it a crappy classic? What about Heart of Darkness or One Hundred Years of Solitude? Listen in and find out now!

In this episode, Josh and Assistant Principal Jeremy Stubbs dive into the famous Western Lonesome Dove, written by Larry McMurtry. The conversation veers toward other westerns worth your precious time. They agree that Lonesome Dove is a cult classic, but should you be part of the cult? Listen to find out.

Special intervention episode: Is Borne the best book of the millennium? Josh is joined by Mike Tong to discuss Jeff Vandermeer's New Weird instant classic.

In this episode, Josh is joined by Robert Fay and Roman Tsivkin, co-hosts of The Feeling Bookish podcast to discuss James Joyce's literary classic Ulysses. Yes it's a classic, but should you read it before you die?

Pod producer Lon Koontz comes on with Josh to debate Dune. Whose side are you on?

In which Josh shares his burning hot take on Frank Herbert's Dune. Don't agree with what he says about Dune? Check out the rebuttal with Lon Koontz in part 2.

Professor Chris Ingraham joins again to discuss DFW's postmodern literary masterpiece. He and Josh then go on to rank the best David Foster Wallace books, before answering: Should you read Infinite Jest before you die?

Proust's literary masterpiece is 4215 pages long. That's a lot so... should you read the modernist classic before you die?

Josh is again joined by literary Professor Chris Ingraham from the University of Utah –– this time to discuss Don DeLillo's body of work. They engage in a fantasy draft of DeLillo's top 10 books and answer the pressing question of whether you should read Underworld before you die.

Emily Holleman, author of Cleopatra's Shadows and The Drowning King, joins Josh to talk about Homer's The Odyssey. Emily Wilson's translation makes the literary epic easier to enjoy, but is it still worth reading for before you die? Tune in and find out.

Is Thomas Pynchon's classic actually worth reading? Josh tries to demystify the opus and come down with an official verdict. In the process he nerds out and ranks all the Pynchon books.

Filmmaker Rom Kim talks with Josh about his favorite book: Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son. They contextualize the literary book alongside other "drug books" and Johnson's own epic Tree of Smoke -- to answer which are worth reading before you die.

In this episode, Josh welcomes Alex Sarlin to discuss Paul Bowles' mini-classic with a small but passionate following.

In this episode, Josh answers the most frequently-asked question on listeners' minds: Should you read Leo Tolstoy's mammoth 1869 classic War and Peace, or is it a huge, 1269-page waste of time?

Josh is joined by Professor Chris Ingraham from the University of Utah to discuss the Norwegian literary event of the 21st Century. But, more importantly, they give their opinions on whether it's worth reading at all.