Book Explained

A carnival arrives in late October, and two best friends find out what it sells. Is Something Wicked This Way Comes worth reading? Hailey gives her spoiler-free verdict, compares the 1983 Disney film, picks six books to read next, then, after a clear spoiler warning, explains the ending.

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Books mentioned in this episode
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The October Country by Ray Bradbury

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:35 Welcome
1:11 The Review
8:39 Book Versus Screen
12:48 What To Read Next
16:51 Spoiler Warning
17:15 The Ending Explained
24:56 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Would you let your ten year old move to Mars? Jonathan Haidt says we did exactly that with smartphones. Hailey reviews The Anxious Generation spoiler-free: the central argument, the four foundational harms, the four fixes, what critics like Candice Odgers say about the evidence, and who should pick it up.

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Books mentioned in this episode
iGen by Jean M. Twenge
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
The Gardener and the Carpenter by Alison Gopnik

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:25 Welcome
1:01 The Review
10:40 What The Book Asks You To Do
12:17 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom has reportedly sold close to eighteen million copies, but is it worth reading? Hailey gives a spoiler-free review of the memoir about a busy sportswriter and his dying professor: what it is about, what works, where it gets too sentimental, the true story behind Morrie Schwartz, a score, and what to read next. Content note: the book deals with terminal illness and grief, though this episode does not describe the ending.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:30 Welcome
1:05 The Review
10:16 Putting It To Work
11:32 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz is a very short book with four rules: be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions, and always do your best. Hailey reviews it spoiler-free, explains each agreement, weighs what is genuinely useful against the mystical claims and missing evidence, and says who should read it.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz
The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:26 Welcome
0:56 The Review
10:10 Putting It To Work
10:59 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"What if the most hated man in Panem was once a hungry, polite teenager you almost rooted for? Hailey reviews Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes without spoilers: young Coriolanus Snow, Lucy Gray Baird, what works, what drags, and three books to read next. Content note: war violence, children killing children, executions and starvation are discussed."

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:29 Welcome
1:03 The Review
9:54 What To Read Next
11:22 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Prison libraries, rappers and ambitious interns all swear by it. Hailey reviews Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power spoiler-free: how the book works, the laws that hold up, the ones that made her wince, whether the history counts as evidence, and the ethics question at the heart of it.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Influence by Robert Cialdini
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene
The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene
The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:27 Welcome
0:59 The Review
10:00 Three Stories Worth Remembering
11:26 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Is Rich Dad Poor Dad worth reading, and does it hold up? Hailey gives an honest review of Robert Kiyosaki's money classic: the six lessons, what still works, the well-documented criticisms, including whether Rich Dad was a real person, and a score. A book review, not financial advice."

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:31 Welcome
1:07 The Review
10:37 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley worth reading? Hailey gives a spoiler-free review of the 1831 text: the three narrators, the creature who steals the book, Victor, what works, what drags, content notes, which version to pick, a score, and three books to read next. No spoilers past the first night of the experiment."

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:18 Welcome
0:52 The Review
10:02 How To Start
10:43 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Everything Is Tuberculosis is John Green's nonfiction book about the world's deadliest infectious disease. Hailey gives a spoiler-free review, fact checks the key numbers against the latest World Health Organization report, weighs the fairest criticisms, and shares content notes and similar books. Content note: the death of children and graphic illness are discussed.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
Illness as Metaphor by Susan Sontag
Phantom Plague by Vidya Krishnan
The Remedy by Thomas Goetz
Epidemics and Society by Frank M. Snowden

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:25 Welcome
0:59 The Review
10:44 More From The Book
11:44 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Is Dracula by Bram Stoker worth reading? Hailey gives a spoiler-free review of the 1897 Gothic horror classic told through diaries, letters and telegrams: the castle chapters, Mina, the Count, the long middle, content notes, a score, and a few books to read next. No spoilers, not even the ending."

Get the book
Audiobook
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books mentioned in this episode
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Chapters
0:00 Cold Open
0:23 Welcome
0:55 The Review
10:10 Before You Start
10:59 Outro

Scores, the full written review and the videos

Narrated by Hailey, the Book Explained host voice (AI-generated with Kokoro TTS).

Music
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0