Elton Reads A Book A Week

Short-isode: "The Worst Business Deal In American History"

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: eltonreadsabookaweek@gmail.comThe 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]

Short-isode: The Welsh Madman Who Declared War on Reality (And Won) with Nothing But Books

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: eltonreadsabookaweek@gmail.comThe 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"]

"Killa-B" 'i am Brian Wilson' by Brian Wilson, Ben Greenman

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: eltonreadsabookaweek@gmail.comThe 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.

"Arthur C. Clarke--Sci-Fi Junkie" '2001: A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke

Elton's diving into Arthur C. Clarke's absolute acid trip of a book (okay, maybe just the ending), "2001: A Space Odyssey" – you know, the one with the soft spoken computer that murders it's crew to keep a secret? [SPOILERS] And those mysterious black rectangles that basically trolled humanity for millions of years.Here's what's happening this episode:Who was Arthur C. Clarke anyway? Turns out the guy invented the satellites that keep your phone connected to the world...in the 1940s. He even predicted we'd all be doom-scrolling on the internet way before anyone knew what WiFi was. Plus, he was part of sci-fi's holy trinity with Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. So, a nerd circle jerk. Well, maybe not...THAT, but a pretty important guy. He did well for guy who started out fiddling with radar during WWII.Join Elton as he walks through this wild ride from cavemen discovering tools to humans becoming space gods. There's evolution, mystery, and murder A.I., and honestly? A lot of nerdly nerd stuff that'll make your brain EXPAND in the best way. Don't worry – Elton takes a brunt of the load.The Clarke-Kubrick team-up: Clarke and director Stanley Kubrick basically wrote the book and movie at the same time, which sounds like a nightmare but somehow worked. They turned a short story called "The Sentinel" (Arthur hates that) and turn it into the most mind-f*cking sci-fi movie ever made, though it wasn't all dry humping and champagne.Whether you're into classic sci-fi, love a good book-to-movie story, or just want to understand why HAL 9000 is everyone's least favorite AI, this episode's got you covered. Fair warning: you might have an existential crisis. So, go easy on the sci-fi.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!⁠EMAIL: eltonreadsabookaweek@gmail.comThe following section is reserved for the people, places, things, and more that Elton probably offended in this episode--THE APOLOGIES SECTION: Sci-fi fans, nerds, Arthur C. Clarke, special effects teams, drug addicts, spoilers, and other nerds.A special thanks to Diedrich Bader and Jenna Fischer for all their inspiration.[MUSIC]Arabesken über 'An der schönen blauen Donau' von Johann Strauss (Schulz-Evler, Adolf)Charlie Albright (Piano)Publisher Info.Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumCopyrightCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Also sprach Zarathustra, Op.30 (Strauss, Richard)University of Chicago Orchestra (orchestra)Barbara Schubert (conductor)Publisher Info.Chicago: University of Chicago OrchestraCopyrightCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Misc. NotesPerformed 27 May 2000, Mandel Hall. From archive.org.

"Smirkstibator" The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Join Elton as he stumbles through the lives of two women; one real, one fake. This time around Elton's irreverence locks onto "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue", a book all about cutting deals with the devil, living forever, and learning that, when cutting a deal with Satan, it's all about the details. On his hilarious journey, Elton discovers the nature of how others affect your identity, and what a Faustian bargain is all about. Come along,...and stop all that "smirkstibating.""France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name."GET THE BOOK: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E SchwabElton Reads A Book A Week Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tips!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SOCIAL MEDIA!⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠This is the LINK TREE!⁠EMAIL: eltonreadsabookaweek@gmail.comThe following section is reserved for the people, places, things, and more that Elton probably offended in this episode--THE APOLOGIES SECTION: Satan, God, fanatical Christians, Rodney Mullen, Tony Hawk, skateboarders from the "Golden Age", and psychologists, and Goethe.A special thanks to Diedrich Bader and Jenna Fischer for all their inspiration.[Addie LaRue, V.E. Schwab, invisible life, forgotten curse, immortal woman, dark fantasy romance, contemporary fantasy, book review comedy, YA fantasy, adult fantasy crossover, Faustian bargain, deal with devil, supernatural contracts, cursed deals, immortality curse, dark magic, price of wishes, soul selling, supernatural consequences, devil's bargain, looking glass self, social identity, self perception, identity crisis, how others see us, social psychology, Charles Horton Cooley, invisible identity, forgotten existence, social reflection theory, book comedy podcast, funny book review, literary humor, book roast, comedy book club, sarcastic book review, witty literary analysis, humorous fantasy review, book parody, literary comedy, fantasy podcast, book podcast, solo podcast, literary podcast, bookish humor, reading comedy, book discussion, fantasy book review, romance fantasy, dark academia adjacent, book recommendations, fantasy book lovers, bookstagram, booktok, book community, reading humor, literary memes, book obsessed]