If Books Could Kill cover art

If Books Could Kill

If Books Could Kill

By: Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri
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Summary

 The airport bestsellers that captured our hearts and ruined our minds© 2026 If Books Could Kill Art Literary History & Criticism Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Grit

    Grit
    Apr 30 2026

    In 2013, education reformers tried to help poor students the using the best tool at their disposal: The 16th most popular Ted Talk.

    Special thanks to Marcus Credé!

    Where to find us:

    • Our Patreon
    • Our merch!
    • Peter's newsletter
    • Peter's other podcast, 5-4
    • Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase

    Sources:

    • Much Ado About Grit
    • What Shall We Do About Grit?
    • Grit under attack
    • Teaching “Grit”
    • The Problem With Grit
    • The Limits of “Grit”
    • Grit: The power of passion and perseverance
    • Is 'Grit' Doomed To Be The New Self-Esteem?
    • Measurement Matters
    • Using Psychological Science to Help Children Thrive
    • Self-Control and Academic Achievement
    • Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success
    • Should non-cognitive skills be included in school accountability systems?
    • Measuring Students’ Non-Cognitive Skills and the Impact of Schooling
    • Grit: A Short History of a Useful Concept
    • Teaching Kids 'Grit' is All the Rage.
    • "Grit" Revisited
    • Character Education: A Cautionary Note
    • What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?
    • The Effects of the EITC on Child Achievement
    • Academic Performance And Food Stamps

    Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 19 mins
  • CROSSOVER EVENT: Tim Ferriss’s "The 4-Hour Body"

    CROSSOVER EVENT: Tim Ferriss’s "The 4-Hour Body"
    Apr 16 2026

    Peter went on Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase, to revisit a biohacking diet book for the boys.

    Where to find us:

    • Our Patreon
    • Our merch!
    • Peter's newsletter
    • Peter's other podcast, 5-4
    • Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase

    Sources:

    • The 4-Hour Body
    • Does Glycemic Index Matter for Weight Loss? An Examination of the Evidence
    • New! Improved! Shape Up Your Life!
    • The 4-Hour Body: The Real App You Are Working On Is An App Called Yourself

    Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Bullshit Jobs

    Bullshit Jobs
    Mar 5 2026

    Peter and Michael discuss "Bullshit Jobs" by anarchist anthropologist David Graeber. The result: two professional podcasters debating which jobs are real and which jobs are fake.

    Where to find us:

    • Our Patreon
    • Our merch!
    • Peter's newsletter
    • Peter's other podcast, 5-4
    • Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase

    Sources:

    • On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant
    • 37% of British workers think their jobs are meaningless
    • Average Annual Hours Worked by Persons Engaged for United States
    • The times they are not changin’: Days and hours of work in Old and New Worlds, 1870–2000
    • ‘Bullshit’ After All? Why People Consider Their Jobs Socially Useless
    • Alienation Is Not ‘Bullshit’: An Empirical Critique of Graeber’s Theory of BS Jobs
    • Many people feel they work in pointless ‘bullshit’ jobs, research confirms
    • The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure
    • Study: Leisure Time Declines
    • USA Consumption as percent of GDP
    • The Significance of Task Significance: Job Performance Effects, Relational Mechanisms, and Boundary Conditions
    • Task significance and meaningful work: A longitudinal study
    • Americans’ job satisfaction in 2024

    Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
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All stars
Most relevant
I love the tone and content of this podcast; the hosts have great chemistry, it's clever, well-researched and hilarious; and even though they have a capital P Position on the works, you genuinely feel they try to be fair in critiquing them. I also love how contemporary the show is (I am sure this will age well). Binge listening at the moment, and discovering works I might not otherwise have considered. Love love it.

Like being on the couch listening to your bestbuds

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writing words so I can submit my review without having to think anymore about this

cutting, funny but really insightful

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Ive made this into an excellent BINGO card w all my pals who listen - Law of attraction? They mention not being qualified to speak on a subject then plow on? Pronunciation nitpickery? Bingo, baby

yummy snarky critical analysis

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I don’t normally listen to podcasts but saw a friend recommend this so I gave it a listen and I’m so glad I did! It’s so entertaining and both hosts are hilarious, engaging and very knowledgeable. I just genuinely enjoyed listening to them and learned so much about these books that really shocked and fascinated me. Please keep this series going!

I laughed, I seethed, I learned, I was in awe…

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