Listen to your favorite episodes before we say goodbye on 13 September! Better the Bookshelf is a bookclub-esque podcast hosted by Richard Daly and Ryan Kuether. We read to decide what to keep on our personal bookshelves and we podcast because we like the sound of our own voices. Twitter: @betterbookshelf
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Announcement - A Farewell To Podcasts
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Announcement - A Farewell To Podcasts by Ryan Kuether & Richard DalyAv Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 64 - New Years Eve Mountainside Chat
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Rich and Ryan were together in Switzerland and had a chat about their 2022 book experience and podcast resolutions for 2023.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 63 - Tell Me I'm Worthless by Allison Rumfitt
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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.…
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Ep. 62 - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
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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."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 61 - The Overstory by Richard Powers
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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!Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 60 - At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
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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.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 59 - The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber
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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.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 58 - Linconln Highway by Amor Towles
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A new book and a new co-host! Check our Rich and Ryan's meander through Amor Towles's latest book "The Lincoln Highway."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Announcement: New Episodes! New Host?!
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Announcement time! New bi-weekly episodes starting 5 September 2022. Welcome in the Rich & Ryan era of slightly irreverent book chats.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 57 - WE'RE BACK BABY! - Better The Bookshelf Podcast
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We are back in action faithful listeners!Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 56 - Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
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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.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 55 - In The Garden Of Beasts by Erik Larson
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Jacob and Ryan talk about another Erik Larson best seller and ties to modern politics.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 54 - Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
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Jacob and Ryan wrap up their required reading dystopian themed novels with Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 53 - 1984 by George Orwell
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Jacob and Ryan discuss George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984, and its themes in modern American politics, among other things.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 52 - The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson
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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.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 51 - Good Bones by Maggie Smith
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Jacob and Ryan swoop through Maggie Smith's poetry collection on motherhood.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 50 - Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
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Jacob and Ryan have a sour conversation about Fifty Shades of Grey, with a bit of Tiger King sprinkled in.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 49 - The Outsider by Stephen King
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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.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 48 - The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John le Carre
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Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 47 - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
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Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 46 - The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
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Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 45 - Blankets by Craig Thompson
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Ep. 43 - Silent Night by Stanley Weintraub
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Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 42 - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
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Jacob and Ryan talk about Ocean Vuong's dense prose in his debut novel, "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 41 - Kraken by China Miéville
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Jacob and Ryan try to untangle the Kraken's tentacles and make sense of what they just read.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 40 - On The Beach by Nevil Shute
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Jacob and Ryan discuss Shute's compelling, but less than admirable, book on the impending death of the southern hemisphere by a slow-moving cloud of radioactive fallout after WW3 decimates the northern half of the earth. If a poorly written book still gives you the feels, is it a bad book? Come find out!…
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Ep. 39 - The Stranger by Albert Camus
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Jacob and Ryan read a philosophically dense, short novel by the Nobel Laureate, Albert Camus.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 38 - The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
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Jacob and Ryan discuss the dense, enlightening debut novel by Viet Than Nguyen.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 37 - Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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Jacob and Ryan do a special YA episode over Jewell Parker Rhodes' "Ghost Boys" and have a discussion on all the troubling, timely topics woven into the book.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 36 - Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
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Jacob and Ryan read the bestselling, masterful debut novel by Lisa Halliday.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 35 - Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
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Jacob and Ryan pick up the hilarious, confounding first book of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy's five-book trilogy. (Don't panic. You read that correctly.)Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 34 - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
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Jacob and Ryan delve into Steinbeck's masterpiece, "The Grapes of Wrath," and how the themes and philosophy relate to problems we still face. They also have an announcement about the future of the podcast...Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 33 - The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
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In this NSFW episode Jacob and Ryan talk about a book neither of them wanted to finish reading... and they don't mean it as a compliment.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 32 - Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
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Jacob and Ryan kick of year 2 of the podcast with Ryan's first book in his list of "I'm Embarrassed to Say I Haven't Read This" picks, which is Kurt Vonneguts war/alien/prisoner of war/time travel/PTSD/real Optometrists of Ilium New York masterpiece, "Slaughterhouse Five." Or, if you prefer, "The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death."…
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It's our 1st Birthday! Jacob and Ryan discuss all 30 books they read in the first year and do a bit of shuffling of their shelves. Come for the birthday cake, and then be disappointed there is no cake.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 30 - The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
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Jacob and Ryan take on a hardboiled 1930's crime novel in Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 29 - You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian
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Jacob and Ryan delve into the debut collection by Kristen Roupenian which contains the polarizing, viral sensation "Cat Person."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 28 - Writer Series: Christina Thatcher Discussing "More Than You Were"
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For the first ever Writers Series special episode Jacob and Ryan sit down with writer Christina Thatcher to discuss her debut poetry collection "More Than You Were."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 27 - Everyman by Philip Roth
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Jacob and Ryan talk death, degeneration, religion, regret, and... sex? Roth wrote it so they have to talk about it. Get ready for a slightly more personal discussion about the tough subjects tackled in "Everyman."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 26 - The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
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Jacob and Ryan have an appropriately weird conversation about the manic first novel by Iain Banks, "The Wasp Factory."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 25 - Salvage The Bones by Jesmyn Ward
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Jacob and Ryan swim through a swift current of Jesmyn Ward's National Book Award-winning novel, 'Salvage The Bones'. We'll just go ahead and say now that this is well worth the read.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 24 - Beloved by Toni Morrison
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Jacob and Ryan try to sort out how a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by a Nobel winner can be so... unlikable. Buckle up for an honest discussion over this critically acclaimed work.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 23 - The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
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Jacob and Ryan kick off their Black History Month reading list with Colson Whitehead's critically acclaimed novel "The Underground Railroad."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 22 - Heart Of A Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov
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Jacob and Ryan stay the course on Russian-themed literature for another week with the short novel, Heart Of A Dog.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 21 - A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles
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Jacob and Ryan read their final book of 2018 and it's a good one! Come check out this episode over Amor Towles' "A Gentleman In Moscow."Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 20 - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
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Jacob and Ryan have a festive episode on Charles Dickens' universally loved book, "A Christmas Carol," and chat about their favorite and least favorite parts of the holiday season.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 19 - Milkman by Anna Burns
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Jacob and Ryan meander through the 2018 Man Booker Prize-winning novel, "Milkman" by Anna Burns.Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 18 - Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
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Jacob and Ryan take a trip through Hesse's Steppenwolf in this meandering episode. Have the guys found a new favorite book?Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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Ep. 17 - The Night Country by Stuart O’Nan
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Jacob and Ryan get behind the wheel of a modern day ghost story with Stuart O'Nan's "The Night Country". It might be slightly macabre but it's very enjoyable. Did we just ruin our bookshelf rating again? Listen to the episode and find out!Av Ryan Kuether & Richard Daly
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