Best Paul Alan Read Podcasts (2025)

1
252 - X-Factor by Peter David: The 2000s Run + Thunderbolts #25 1:27:24

Play Pause

11h ago1:27:24

1:27:24

We loved Peter David's X-Factor so much last time, so we're going back in for more! Except this time we're taking a look at his 2005 reboot of the title, coming hot off the heels of House of M and Decimation. We've still got Multiple Man struggling with controlling his dupes, but now we've got depowered mutants and an inexplicably omnipotent little…

1
Eating with Intelligence (with Julia Belluz) 1:05:49

24h ago1:05:49

1:05:49

Losing weight should be simple: eat less, exercise more. But according to author and health journalist Julia Belluz, it's complicated. Listen as Belluz talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about her new book, Food Intelligence. Belluz argues that a calorie is pretty much a calorie whether it's carbs or fat. Keeping calories under control is often har…

1
736 Jane Austen's Favorite Brother, Henry (with Christopher Herbert) | A Letter from the South of France | My Last Book with Nicholas Jenkins 1:00:29

2d ago1:00:29

1:00:29

Jane Austen had six brothers, but her older brother Henry was her favorite. Kind and witty, Henry has long been appreciated by Austen fans for his devotion to Jane and his championing of her novels. But Henry was a fascinating figure in his own right, capering through risky financial schemes and marrying an enigmatic French countess before ending h…

1
Steven Pinker on Common Knowledge 1:23:20

8d ago1:23:20

1:23:20

Why are Super Bowl ads so good for launching certain kinds of new products? Why do we all drive on the same side of the road? And why, despite laughing and crying together, do we often misread what others think? According to bestselling author and Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, it all comes down to common knowledge, or the phenomenon that happ…

1
735 Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (with Mark Hussey) | My Last Book with Graham Watson 1:23:55

9d ago1:23:55

1:23:55

Jacke talks to author Mark Hussey (Mrs Dalloway: Biography of a Novel) about Virginia Woolf's beloved novel Mrs Dalloway, which turned 100 earlier this year. PLUS author Graham Watson (The Invention of Charlotte Bronte) stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England (signup open thr…

1
734 The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (#16 GBOAT) | 1925 - A Literary Encyclopedia (with Tom Lutz) 56:09

13d ago56:09

56:09

Jacke talks to author Tom Lutz about 1925: A Literary Encyclopedia, which provides a fascinating window into a year when literature was arguably at its peak centrality. PLUS a look at J.R.R. Tolkien and his influential Lord of the Rings, #16 on the list of the Greatest Books of All Time. Join Jacke on a trip through literary England (signup open th…

1
251 - X-Factor by Peter David: The 90s Run + Thunderbolts #24 1:17:09

15d ago1:17:09

1:17:09

Today we're taking a look at Peter David's classic run on X-Factor! We get a spotlight focus on Jamie Madrox aka Multiple Man, we meet Strong Guy, and we get a nice new team of mutants to work with. We're reading his first arc in issues #71-75 and then jumping forward to a fun therapy issue with #87. It gets weird. Then we're getting to the end of …

1
How Did America Build the Arsenal of Democracy? (with Brian Potter) 1:05:05

15d ago1:05:05

1:05:05

American manufacturing of aircraft during WWII dwarfed that of its enemies. By the end of the war, an American assembly line was producing a B-24 bomber in less than an hour. But that success was far from inevitable. Structural engineer and writer Brian Potter speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the logistical challenges of ramping up product…

1
733 Haruki Murakami (with Mike Palindrome | To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (#17 GBOAT) | A Letter from Tehran 1:24:11

16d ago1:24:11

1:24:11

Haruki Murakami (b. 1949) is one of the rare writers who combines literary admiration with widespread appeal. Host Jacke Wilson is joined by lifelong Murakami fan Mike Palindrome to discuss what makes his novels so compelling, so mysterious, and so popular. Works discussed include The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore, and …

1
732 The Bible (#18 GBOAT) | The Diaries of Samuel Pepys (with Kate Loveman) | Health Advice 1:13:35

20d ago1:13:35

1:13:35

Jacke starts the episode by looking at the different ways that ten writers have viewed the Bible, #18 on the list of the Greatest Books of All Time. Then he's joined by scholar Kate Loveman, one of the few people in the world who's been able to read the diaries of Samuel Pepys in the original shorthand, for a discussion of her book The Strange Hist…

1
How Teams Succeed (with Colin Fisher) 1:03:22

22d ago1:03:22

1:03:22

What makes some groups thrive while others crash and burn? According to organizational-behavior scholar Colin Fisher, the real villains are rarely individuals, but dysfunctional teams and organizations. Listen as he and EconTalk's Russ Roberts discuss the reasons for the free-rider problem and the importance of meaningful, well-defined tasks to inc…

1
731 The Brothers Karamazov Reclaimed (#19 Greatest Book of All Time) 1:21:06

23d ago1:21:06

1:21:06

Responding to a special request from a listener, Jacke discusses Fyodor Dostoevsky, his novel The Brothers Karamazov, and the search for meaning in a meaningless world. This episode was originally released as episode #250 on October 7, 2020. For reasons Jacke discusses, it has not been available for several years. One show note: at several points i…

1
730 "To Autumn" by John Keats | The Invention of Charlotte Brontë (with Graham Watson) | My Last Book with Sara Charles 1:06:20

27d ago1:06:20

1:06:20

Jacke looks forward to a new season by exploring the language and imagery of John Keats's famous ode to autumn. Then he talks to Graham Watson about his new book The Invention of Charlotte Brontë: A New Life, which tells the story of how how Charlotte reinvented herself as an acclaimed author, a mysterious celebrity, and a passionate lover. PLUS Sa…

1
Humans Are Overrated (with Christine Webb) 1:10:53

30d ago1:10:53

1:10:53

Are humans the most intelligent species, or just the most arrogant? NYU primatologist Christine Webb, author of The Arrogant Ape, believes that human exceptionalism is a myth that does more harm than good. Listen as she speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about how research has skewed our understanding of animals' capabilities, the surprising inner…

1
729 Milton the Revolutionary (with Orlando Reade) | My Last Book with Jodi Picoult | More Exciting News 1:07:45

30d ago1:07:45

1:07:45

Since the publication of John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost in 1667, readers and critics have noted the relationship between the poem and the author's political and personal struggles. What has been less prominent - at least until now - is how the poem came to haunt various political struggles over the next four centuries. In this episode, Jacke…

1
250 - Freaky Friday! Body Swap Comics + Thunderbolts #23 1:12:22

1M ago1:12:22

1:12:22

We've got Freaky Friday Fever and we're reading three body swap stories that are all over the map! Daredevil and Doctor Doom swap places in Daredevil #37 & 38! Emma Frost spends some time in Iceman's body in Uncanny X-Men #314! High school-aged Peter Parker trades places with Wolverine in Ultimate Spider-Man #66 & 67! And we're still continuing Thu…

1
Hemingway, Love, and War (with David Wyatt) 1:06:28

1M ago1:06:28

1:06:28

What can Ernest Hemingway teach us today about the morality of war, the eternal and transient nature of love, and how to write a masterpiece? Listen as author and teacher David Wyatt talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about Hemingway's epic For Whom the Bell Tolls. Topics include Hemingway's role in the wars of the 20th century, the book's context …

1
728 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (#20 GBOAT) | Lorraine Hansberry - RECLAIMED 1:30:35

1M ago1:30:35

1:30:35

As part of the "25 for '25" series, Jacke starts the episode with a look at #20 on the list of Greatest Books of All Time, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Then he reclaims a previous episode devoted to Lorraine Hansberry, author of A Raisin in the Sun, a brilliant playwright who died at the tragically young age of 34. (The Hansbe…

1
727 Earthly Paradise in Old French Verse (with Jacob Abell) | My Last Book with Victorian Literature Expert Allen MacDuffie | A Dueling Neapolitan Passionate for Poetry 1:04:12

1M ago1:04:12

1:04:12

What happened to Eden? While today we might view the story of Adam and Eve as metaphorical, for many generations of Christians, the Earthly Paradise was a vibrant symbol at the heart of the cosmos. In this episode, Jacke talks to Jacob Abell about his book Spiritual and Material Boundaries in Old French Verse: Contemplating the Walls of the Earthly…

1
Tim Ferriss on Tim Ferriss (and much much more) 2:06:49

1M ago2:06:49

2:06:49

Cold plunges. Exogenous ketones. Pu-erh tea--but hold the breakfast: it's all par for the morning routine, at least if you're entrepreneur, self-experimenter, and king of the lifehacks, Tim Ferriss. From how he manages the challenges of his celebrity to how he manages to stay in great shape; how he does--and when he doesn't--harness the power of AI…

1
726 England vs France - A Literary Battle Royale (with Mike Palindrome) - RECLAIMED 1:03:36

1M ago1:03:36

1:03:36

“Our dear enemies,” a French writer once called the English. Englishman John Cleese called the French “our natural enemies” and joked “if we have to fight anyone, I say let’s fight the French.” With the exception of some (very important) twentieth-century alliances, the French and the English have been at each others’ throats for a thousand years. …

1
725 The Trial by Franz Kafka (#21 GBOAT) | Edith Wharton and Patrick O'Brian (with Olivia Wolfgang-Smith) | An Uplifting Story 1:18:40

2M ago1:18:40

1:18:40

Jacke starts the episode with an uplifting story, then submerges himself into chaos and absurdity for a look at The Trial by Franz Kafka, which lands at #21 on the list of Greatest Books of All Time. Then he welcomes novelist Olivia Wolfgang-Smith to the show for a discussion of her admiration for Edith Wharton, her passion for the works of Patrick…

1
249 - Superman Smashes the Klan + Thunderbolts #22 1:11:21

2M ago1:11:21

1:11:21

Did you know Superman hates racism? It's true, he's been fighting against it for decades now! We're taking a look at Superman Smashes the Klan from 2019 by Gene Luen Yang and art by Gurihiru, which is not just set in the 1940s, but also based on an old radio play from the 1940s. As the Klan makes their presence known in Metropolis to scare away a n…

1
Learning to Think Like Someone Else (with David Marquet) 1:03:46

2M ago1:03:46

1:03:46

Former submarine commander David Marquet joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to explore how distancing--thinking like someone else, somewhere else, or sometime else--can unlock better choices in business and life. They talk about leadership without giving orders, how to empower teams, and what it means to see yourself as a coach rather than a boss. Along…

1
724 The Stranger by Albert Camus (#22 Greatest Book of All Time) | Christopher Isherwood (with Jake Poller) | Postcard from a Listener in Yunnan 1:01:38

2M ago1:01:38

1:01:38

Put on your black turtleneck! Jacke starts the episode with a look at #22 on the list of The Greatest Books of All Time, The Stranger by Albert Camus. Then he talks to Jake Poller about British and American novelist and playwright Christopher Isherwood, whose Goodbye to Berlin was adapted into the stage musical and movie Cabaret. In discussing his …

1
723 The Moral Rights of Authors (with Mira T Sundara Rajan) | My Last Book with Radha Vatsal 1:16:28

2M ago1:16:28

1:16:28

As technology advances, the ability of authors and artists to prevent their works from being pirated or misused has become urgent. In this episode, Jacke talks to copyright expert Mira T. Sundara Rajan (The Moral Rights of Authors and Artists: From the Birth of Copyright to the Age of Artificial Intelligence) about the history of copyright law, the…

1
Let Me Be Forgotten (with Lowry Pressly) 1:21:00

2M ago1:21:00

1:21:00

What do we lose when every moment is recorded, every action scrutinized, and every past mistake preserved? Philosopher and author Lowry Pressly joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to discuss why privacy isn't just about secrets or information control, the necessity of spontaneity, the importance of moral growth, and what we need to become fully human. Fr…

1
722 Kerouac's Road - A Conversation with Ebs Burnough, Director of a New Kerouac Documentary | My Last Book with Beat Generation Expert Steven Belletto 1:03:15

2M ago1:03:15

1:03:15

Since its publication in 1957, Jack Kerouac's iconic novel On the Road has inspired millions to head for the highways and live life to its fullest. In this episode, Jacke talks to filmmaker Ebs Burnough about his new documentary Kerouac's Road: The Beat of a Nation, which interweaves stories of modern-day travelers with those influenced by or conne…

1
721 Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (The #23 Greatest Book of All Time) 1:28:14

2M ago1:28:14

1:28:14

Jacke continues his journey through the list of the 25 Greatest Books of All Time with a look at Flaubert's "perfect novel," Madame Bovary (1856-57). Telling the story of the bored wife of a provincial doctor who enters into a series of infidelities, Flaubert's debut caused an immediate sensation - and changed the way we've come to view both novels…

1
Read Like a Champion (with Doug Lemov) 1:03:56

2M ago1:03:56

1:03:56

Many students graduate high school today without having read a book cover to cover. Many students struggle to learn to read at all. How did this happen? Listen as educator and author Doug Lemov talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the failed fads in reading education, the mistaken emphasis on vocabulary as a skill, and the importance of backgro…

1
720 The 25 Greatest Books of All Time - #24 "The Odyssey" by Homer | The Conclusion to F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" (with Mike Palindrome) 1:23:43

2M ago1:23:43

1:23:43

Jacke continues his analysis of "The 25 Greatest Books of All Time" by a special look at Homer's Odyssey. Then Mike Palindrome, the president of the Literature Supporters Club, joins Jacke for a discussion of the second half of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1922 story, "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," in which a young midwesterner travels to a secluded Mo…

1
248 - Starman by James Robinson & Tony Harris + Thunderbolts #21 1:07:22

2M ago1:07:22

1:07:22

It's time for some Starman! We're taking a look at James Robinson's 1995 reboot of the golden age character with art from Tony Harris, and we get to meet FIVE Starmen in this book! He's not exactly a household name. I barely even knew there was one Starman. We learn all about them in issues 0-5. Then we're continuing with Thunderbolts #21, where Ha…

1
719 "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" by F Scott Fitzgerald (with Mike Palindrome) | 25 for 25 - #25 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 1:51:49

2M ago1:51:49

1:51:49

In June of 1922, the twenty-five-year-old wunderkind F. Scott Fitzgerald published "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," an incredible story of fabulously wealthy people living a secret life in remote Montana. Later that month, he began composing his most famous work, The Great Gatsby. In this episode, Jacke and Mike read and discuss this early Fitzger…

1
James Marriott on Reading 1:25:22

2M ago1:25:22

1:25:22

Is long form reading a dying pastime? Journalist and cultural critic James Marriott joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to defend the increasingly quaint act of reading a book in our scrolling-obsessed, AI-summarized age. He urges juggling a paper book and a Kindle, recounts ditching his smartphone to rescue his attention, and shares tactics for finding …

1
718 Jim - The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn's Comrade (with Shelley Fisher Fishkin) | Mark Twain's Dreams 1:36:04

2M ago1:36:04

1:36:04

In this episode, Jacke talks to eminent Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin (Was Huck Black?: Mark Twain and African-American Voices) about her new book Jim: The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn's Comrade, which sheds new light on the origins and influence of Mark Twain's beloved yet polarizing figure. PLUS Jacke takes a look at the recent …

1
717 Einstein and Kafka (with Ken Krimstein) | Dr Johnson Helps a Friend (and Changes the Course of Literary History) | My Last Book with Fernando Pessoa Expert Bartholomew Ryan 53:41

3M ago53:41

53:41

It's an action-packed day at the History of Literature! First, Jacke recounts the story of Dr. Johnson racing to the aid of his friend, the playwright Oliver Goldsmith, whose landlady was threatening him with debtor's prison. Naturally, the great critic and dictionary author Johnson found a very literary way to help. Then Jacke is joined by author …

1
How to Walk the World (with Chris Arnade) 1:14:38

3M ago1:14:38

1:14:38

Skip the Mona Lisa when you visit Paris. Don't tour the Coliseum in Rome. Walk, don’t hurry. Chris Arnade speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about a different way to travel. Listen as Arnade shares what he learned from Istanbul's small community mosques and how Avignon's Congolese-neighborhood cathedrals provided moving moments of spirituality. He…

1
716 Icelandic Folk Legends (with Dagrun Osk Jonsdottir) | John le Carre at the Bodleian 58:28

3M ago58:28

58:28

Since the first permanent settlers landed there more than a thousand years ago, Iceland has been perhaps the most unique and enchanting place in all of Europe. How fitting, then, for its people to have developed unique, enchanting, and captivating stories involving hidden people, trolls, ghosts, sea monsters, and more. In this episode, Jacke talks …