Elton Reads A Book A Week

"Under the watchful eyes of Bob's Stratos and Apollo..."This week Elton is asking the big questions: What do you do when the world ends, not with a bang, but with a sudden, awkward silence?In this special crossover event, Elton is joined by the one and only Glen Nuzzle from the Nuzzle House podcast to unpack Jonathan Lethem’s post-technological fever dream, The Arrest.Imagine the "Off" switch for the entire world was flipped. No internet, no cars, no planes—just a sudden, quiet return to a pastoral life. This is the world of Sandy “Journeyman” Duplessis, a former Hollywood script doctor now living a humble life in rural Maine, delivering organic rutabagas and trying to forget his past.But the past has a way of showing up in a nuclear-powered, drill-nosed super-machine.When Sandy’s old frenemy, the legendary (and legendarily ego-maniacal) producer Peter Todbaum, rolls into town in the "Blue Streak," he brings more than just forbidden technology—he brings the toxic baggage of Hollywood storytelling to a world that was finally learning to live without it.The Ultimate Rivalry: We dive into the petty, hilarious tension between a man who just wants to garden and a man who refuses to stop being the protagonist.Post-Apocalypse... with Vibes: Is it a dystopia, or just a really long camping trip? Lethem flips the script on traditional "end of the world" tropes.A "Nuzzle" Worthy Discussion: Glen Nuzzle brings his signature style to the table, helping Elton navigate the surreal landscapes and meta-commentary that only Lethem can provide."It’s a story about the stories we tell ourselves to survive, and what happens when those stories are delivered by a man in a giant metal mole-car."Whether you’re a fan of high-concept literary sci-fi or you just enjoy hearing two guys talk about the absurdity of a nuclear-powered drill in a potato field, this episode is for you.GET THE BOOK: ⁠⁠⁠From Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠From an Indie Book Seller⁠⁠BECOME AN Elton Reads A Book A Week CONTRIBUTOR HERE:⁠⁠⁠⁠Elton Reads A Book A Week Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tips!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SOCIAL MEDIA!⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠This is the LINK TREE!⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Discord server!⁠EMAIL: [email protected] following section is reserved for the people, places, things, and more that Elton probably offended in this episode--THE APOLOGIES SECTION: Clowns...again, flatulence, New York...again, those that get easily tricked, Penthouse Forum, and much, much more.A special thanks to Diedrich Bader and Jenna Fischer for all their inspiration.

Is your career in a tailspin? Have you been wandering blindly from one dead-end job to the next, hoping the universe will throw you a bone? Well, great news—wealthy CEOs are here to tell you how to fix your life! In this week’s episode of Elton Reads A Book A Week, Elton dives into Fortune Zoom: Surprising Ways to Supercharge Your Career—a book where Fortune Magazine corrals its “40 Under 40” wunderkinds to dispense what they believe passes for practical career advice.Is it useful? Maybe. Is it relatable? Absolutely not. But does Elton’s brain snap in increasingly entertaining ways as he tries to make sense of it? Oh, very much so.From Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s crusade for “company culture,” to closets full of costumes for adults, to Marissa Mayer yeeting herself from Google into Yahoo’s hot seat—you’ll hear what these innovators supposedly did to “supercharge” their careers, and how you (a normal human with bills) are supposedly meant to do the same.Packed with maniacal rants, sharp satire, and the occasional inspirational nugget buried under layers of skepticism, this episode explores the realities of hard work, risk-taking, and the glossy mythmaking behind success stories. Plus, Elton tries to decide whether this advice is motivational, delusional, or just really good comedy fodder.Come listen to Elton’s brain break. It’s educational… in its own way.GET THE BOOK: ⁠⁠⁠From Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠From an Indie Book Seller⁠⁠ - Sorry, no listing for the indies. Damn.BECOME AN Elton Reads A Book A Week CONTRIBUTOR HERE:⁠⁠⁠⁠Elton Reads A Book A Week Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy me a coffee here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SOCIAL MEDIA!⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠This is the LINK TREE!⁠⁠⁠The Elton Reads A Book A Week Substack!⁠Join the Discord server!⁠Other podcasts Elton is in: Two Books, One Cup!EMAIL: [email protected] following section is reserved for the people, places, things, and more that Elton probably offended in this episode--THE APOLOGIES SECTION: People wanting actual career advice, the people of The Great Depression, concert goers, mental patients, ramen, careers...A special thanks to Diedrich Bader and Jenna Fischer for all their inspiration.#EltonReadsABookAWeek #BookPodcast #ComedyPodcast #FunnyBookReview #BookDiscussion #BookTalk #CareerSuccess #SuperchargeYourCareer #CareerAdvice #ProfessionalGrowth #LeadershipTips #BusinessTips #CareerDevelopment #WorkplaceWisdom #YoungEntrepreneurs #BusinessLeaders #Innovators #40Under40 #StartupStories #EntrepreneurLife #TakeRisks #ThinkDifferently #HardWorkPaysOff #CompanyCulture #BusinessMindset #SuccessStrategies #InspirationDaily #AspiringEntrepreneurs #FutureLeaders #BusinessBook #CareerMotivation #SelfImprovement #GrowthMindset #Zappos #UnderArmour #MarissaMayer #TonyHsieh #KevinPlank

Imagine you're the person that could have bought Amazon stock for $18.00 per share or maybe Microsoft at $21 per share, better still, Facebook, Coca-Cola, and Apple at their initial public offerings. Now, imagine you could have bought into any of those kinds of PHENOMENALLY profitable companies BEFORE they went public. Finally, imagine you did just that, got in on the ground floor, and still...somehow...managed to come out on the losing end.This is that story.GET THE BOOK FROM AMAZON: ⁠The Best of The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom ReaderGET THE BOOK FROM AN INDEPENDENT BOOK SELLER: The Best of The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader⁠BECOME AN Elton Reads A Book A Week CONTRIBUTOR HERE:⁠⁠Elton Reads A Book A Week Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠Tips!⁠⁠⁠⁠SOCIAL MEDIA!⁠⁠ ⁠This is the LINK TREE!⁠EMAIL: [email protected] following section is reserved for the people, places, things, and more that Elton probably offended in this episode--THE APOLOGIES SECTION: Uncle John, patient people, people that like longer episodes, and listeners like you.THANKS:Thank you for listening and sharing this podcast with others. It means a lot. I appreciate it, sincerely.A special thanks to Diedrich Bader, Jenna Fischer, and Steve Guttenburg for all their inspiration.[business, worst deal, American history, history, comedy, podcast, funny, company, corporations, corporate history, Ford, Model T, Daisy, bb gun, Henry Ford, business deal, near miss, hindsight]

Picture this: It's the 1960s, your Welsh hometown is dying, and everyone's telling you to accept reality and move to London. Instead, you read about American libraries closing down and think, "You know what? Opportunity." So you buy crates of abandoned books, ship them to Wales, open a bookshop in an old fire station, purchase a medieval castle, and turn it into a 24-hour honor-system bookstore. Then, for your next trick, you declare your town an independent kingdom and crown yourself monarch. The media goes insane, tourism explodes, and suddenly your "joke" has spawned dozens of copycat book towns worldwide and an international literary festival that attracts more visitors than your entire town's population. Meet Richard Booth, the Oxford-educated madman who proved that sometimes the most ridiculous ideas are also the most brilliant. This is the story of Hay-on-Wye: the town that books built, the kingdom that never was but somehow still exists, and the beautiful audacity of believing that literature can literally save the world—one used paperback at a time.GET A BOOK ABOUT IT HERE: To support independent book shops use this link.Or to just use Amazon use this link.BECOME AN Elton Reads A Book A Week CONTRIBUTOR HERE:⁠⁠⁠⁠Elton Reads A Book A Week Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tips!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SOCIAL MEDIA!⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠This is the LINK TREE!⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Discord server!⁠EMAIL: [email protected] following section is reserved for the people, places, things, and more that Elton probably offended in this episode--THE APOLOGIES SECTION: Pee-pees, horse politicians, Pac-man, decent people, Hay-on-Wye, the 1960s, fictional pregnancies, etc.A special thanks to Diedrich Bader and Jenna Fischer for all their inspiration.[Books, True Story, Biography, Welsh History, Independent Bookstores, Small Town Success, Entrepreneurship, Literature, Tourism, Medieval History, Book Towns, Hay-on-Wye, Richard Booth, Hay Festival, Used Books, Secondhand Books, Literary Tourism, Book Collecting, Wales Travel, Castle History, Eccentric, Self-Made King, Visionary, Maverick, Underdog Story, Against All Odds, Audacious, Unconventional Success, Supporting Local Business, Anti-Corporate, Community Revival, Sustainable Business, Cultural Preservation, Historic Preservation, Honor System, Trust-Based Economy, Comedy Podcast, Educational Entertainment, History Podcast, British History, European History, Business Success Story, Cultural Stories, Travel Stories, Inspiring, Funny, Unbelievable, Motivational, Quirky, Heartwarming, Revolutionary, Transformational, "How books saved a town", "Real life kingdom", "Medieval castle bookstore", "Honor system bookshop", "Self-proclaimed king"]

Brian Wilson had a gift, and a curse. His mind worked in a magically musical way, in that he could "see" whole, elaborate songs all in his head. It also allowed him to manifest those wonderful ideas in the real world, via the help of his family and friends. It would lead him to cofound a group that would change pop music forever, and have his particular genius recognized the world over as a unique and singular voice in the pantheon of singer-songwriters and composers.His mind was also his worst enemy that would send him spiraling into madness and self loathing that he would turn to drugs and nefarious characters for help, eventually becoming a recluse and musical oddity."As a cofounding member of the Beach Boys in the 1960s, Wilson created some of the most groundbreaking and timeless popular music ever recorded, forever expanding the possibilities of pop songwriting. Derailed in the 1970s by mental illness, drug use, and the shifting fortunes of the band, Wilson came back again and again over the next few decades, surviving and--finally--thriving. Now he weighs in on the sources of his creative inspiration and on his struggles, the exhilarating highs and the debilitating lows. Whether he's talking about his childhood, his bandmates, or his own inner demons, Wilson's story, told in his own voice and in his own way, unforgettably illuminates the man behind the music, working through the turbulence and discord to achieve, at last, a new harmony."Join Elton as he ventures through Brian Wilson's second attempt at a memoir, and listen to him wrestle with guilt about taking advantage of the dead. Um,...oh, that came out wrong.GET THE BOOK: ⁠⁠From Amazon⁠⁠From an Indie Book Seller⁠BECOME AN Elton Reads A Book A Week CONTRIBUTOR HERE:⁠⁠⁠Elton Reads A Book A Week Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tips!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SOCIAL MEDIA!⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠This is the LINK TREE!⁠⁠Join the Discord server!EMAIL: [email protected] following section is reserved for the people, places, things, and more that Elton probably offended in this episode--THE APOLOGIES SECTION: Beach Boy fans, Brian Wilson's ghost, falsetto singers, gangster rappers, Elton John (probably), Bernie Taupin (also probably)...A special thanks to Diedrich Bader and Jenna Fischer for all their inspiration.