Books & Nachos

Books & Nachos' sister podcast, Now Playing, is spending November reviewing all of the Rambo films, so Books & Nachos decided to look back at Rambo's origin in David Morell's 1972 classic novel First Blood. How does the book compare to the legend? Listen to Arnie's review to find out, then come back later this month as Arnie interviews David Morell about Rambo!

George Lucas's Blockbusting may sound like a book chronicling George Lucas' rise to box office dominance, first through his Star Wars films, and then through Indiana Jones and the other movies he's been a part of; however, this book is actually a cultural and financial look at movies through history, including what Lucas and the editors deemed the 300 "Blockbuster" movies from 1913 through 2005. On this episode of Books & Nachos, Arnie interviews Alex Ben Block to discuss how the included films were selected, and then reviews this book to see if it deserves a place on your bookshelf!

Indiana Jones is back! With the revival of the Indiana Jones franchise in 2008 with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, now the original novelized adventures of Indy continue as well with Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead. Taking place between the 3rd and 4th Indiana Jones movies we get to see our hero back in action. But as Crystal Skull did not appease many fans of the franchise, will the book fare better? Listen to our review, and find out how you can win a copy of Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead!

It's a house that has no right angles, walls meeting floors at curves, and may just be haunted in Joe Screiber's latest horror novel "No Doors No Windows." Books and Nachos will tell you if this book will have you clawing the walls in fear.

Avid podcaster Scott Sigler has become a novelist.  Now his novels are the subject of a podcast.  Is that recursive, ironic, or just a coincidence?  Either way, here we review his 2008 novel Infected, which began as the podcast novel Infection in 2006.  With Halloween around the corner, is this the answer to your need for scares?  We'll tell you on Books and Nachos!

He Is...IRON MAN.  This novelized version of the Marvel Comics superhero pits him against international terrorist group HYDRA headed by the mysterious Madame Hydra.  With the success of the 2008 film this book is sure to get some attention, and we review it for you here on Books and Nachos!

On this episode, we review the devotional guide A Walk Through the Book of Matthew Youth Style by Pastor Jamie Estes, including an interview with the author.

Stephen King's latest work, Under the Dome, is his third longest novel to date, bested in page count only by his classic works The Stand and It. Does this new novel, about a small Maine town cut off from the rest of the world by an unseen force, meet the standards of those books? Listen to find out in this totally spoiler-free review!

(Note: There is a spoiler-ish conversation AFTER the review regarding one of the book's larger plot twists but you will have plenty of warning so you can listen to the review and still remain totally spoiler-free).