I talked with Ellen Castellini about The Dinner (2009) by Herman Koch, which tells the story of two families who must address a horrible secret over the course of - and this came out of left field for me - a dinner. It's a by turns grim and funny story, and we had a great time breaking down both parts.

Ellen is a mom and accountant from Chicago, and she's also the first guest who read her choice in a real life book club! We were joined by Ellen's daughter Clare, six months old as of this recording.

In this episode, I talk with my friend Kelsey Nash about Steven Pressfield's The War of Art (2002). It was an honest and interesting conversation about the different battles we fight in trying to do creative work (or, different facets of "Resistance," as Pressfield labels them). Kelsey's an actor, filmmaker, content creator, and writer with tons of good stories of his own struggles against resistance. Listen to find out what kind of plant Kelsey re-potted instead of working on his script!

My friend Maggie Bower came on to talk about John Steinbeck's East of Eden (1952). This is one of my favorite books too, and I really enjoyed talking about Maggie's first reading of the book while leading a 50 day canoe trip in Ontario, the treatment of male vs. female characters, and, of course, "Thou Mayest."

Maggie does comedy and improv in New York City and you should consider following her on twitter at @magbower .

I sat down with friend and poet Sarah Jean Alexander, who chose the book Inferno (A Poet's Novel), by Eileen Myles. We had a great conversation, picking different sections and ideas from the book to discuss (are subways hell? Yes!), and Sarah Jean gave a glimpse into the world of poetry readings. And stay tuned after the conversation to hear a reading of her poem, "Real Good."

Follow Sarah Jean on twitter at @sarahjeanalex  which also has links to her latest book, Stop Goddamn Apologizing. Enjoy!

I sat down with actor and comedian Ken McGraw to talk about his choice, Belushi: A Biography (2005) by Judith Belushi Pisano and Tanner Colby. We get into Belushi's tremendous life & works, his influence on Ken's life and comedy, as well as Ken's first theatrical credit as Elf No. 7.

You can follow Ken on Twitter here@KenMcGraw and you can see him perform on the show Characters Welcome at UCB in the East Village.

I sat down with Bridget Scanlon to talk about David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas (2004). It's a great read, both interesting for the story/stories it contains as well as it's stylistic and structural innovations. Bridget and I talk about the novel's Russian doll structure, which sections we like best, and why the movie adaptation didn't work so well. We also coin some new words!

This episode has me talking with Ben Hargrave about The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. We talk about its prescriptions for living a good life, the good emperor's emphasis on death and on what matters, and the weird serendipity you feel when you read a book that articulates your beliefs. Ben is an actor, improviser, and writer, and you should all follow him on Twitter at @HarHarHargrave .

In this episode, I got to talk with my fried Brandon Follick about the book You'll Grow Out Of It (2016) by Jessi Klein. We talk all about her hilarious writing style, my love of baths, and how her style in the book relates to some of her sketches on Inside Amy Schumer. Enjoy!

I sit down with Father Anthony Andreassi, a Priest of the Brooklyn Oratory of St. Philip Neri and history teacher at Regis. Anthony chose Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory (1940), about a "Whisky Priest" on the run from anti-clerical forces in 1920s Mexico. We talked about the book's influence on Anthony, its depictions of faith, and the similarities between the priest and his pursuer.

Anthony also wrote the book Teach Me to be Generous: The First Century of Regis High School in New York City.

I sat down with my friend Andy Maguire to talk about The Golden Spruce (2005) by John Vaillant. The book tells the story of Grant Hadwin, a logger who in 1997 cut down a giant golden Sitka Spruce tree in an act of protest against logging practices. It's a fascinating read and Andy and I had a great conversation touching on the tree itself, the writing style, and what kind of nurse log Andy and I would want to be. Andy is currently pursuing his PhD in Natural Resources at the University of Idaho.