Chapter 27: Robin the Bartender on fiddling with frankincense and fighting for freedom
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Chapter 152: Robin Sloan weaves wonder and weirdness into the warbly world of words
Last year I picked up a book called ‘Moonbound’ by Robin Sloan and it blew me away. Reading it was like riding some rainbow-speckled rocket ship where I experienced the bizarre combination of having no idea what was going on while not being able to wait for what happened next. The book was full of talking beavers. Talking swords! Strange video games. And ever-expanding worlds with wizards, who maybe aren’t really wizards, and oh—it's narrated by a microscopic AI-type chronicler, who’s been in many different lives across millennia and who now sits inside our protagonist’s left shoulder. The writing was like a jacked up ‘Star Wars’ meets ‘Cloud Atlas’ by David Mitchell featuring Willy Wonka and Mad Hatter types with moments of poignancy dashed in to let us see, and see around, our endlessly twisting lives together. It is a big, loud, cymbal crash of a book so after I was done I reached out to the giant-minded author Robin Sloan to invite him on the show. Robin Sloan is a writer, printer, and manufacturer—his new 3-word biography!—with three mind-expanding novels including ‘Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore’, 'Sourdough', and, of course, the magical 'Moonbound'. Robin splits his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley of California where he (wait for it) manufactures California extra virgin olive oil. He also (yes) prints wonderful zines and sends out a delightfully nerdy newsletter every 29 1/2 days via his website. Strap in as we discuss social media, AI ethics, childhood obsession, books as technology, olive oil, working with your partner, myths and identity, and, of course, the brilliant Robin Sloan’s 3 most formative books… Let's flip the page to Chapter 152 now...
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Chapter 30: Jerry Howarth on branding, bereavement, and Blue Jays baseball
My friend Drew Dudley once told me that, other than his parents, he hadn’t heard anyone speak to him more in his life than Jerry Howarth… The voice of the Toronto Blue Jays. I can relate. Growing up I would listen to Jerry Howarth call the Blue Jays games on the radio on long summer drives, with my friends at the park, or just on my clock radio with the “Sleep” timer on as I fell asleep. Why do I love Jerry? Because for thirty-six years he was a local leader and community-builder who created trust with millions of baseball fans… So I was thrilled to visit the Skydome in downtown Toronto to sit down with Jerry Howarth in this classic chapter of 3 Books. Join me and Jerry to watch batting practice just before the game begins as we discuss how to build a community, developing authentic connections, the art of being objective, how to coach leaders, and, of course, Jerry's 3 most formative books... GO JAYS GO! Let's flip the page back to Chapter 30 now...
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Chapter 151: The Holderness Family conquers content creation by corralling chaos
What do Xmas Jammies, ADHD, and The Amazing Race have in common? The Holderness Family! Penn and Kim Holderness have created viral videos with ... billions of views. They entered Season 33 of The Amazing Race ... and won. They wrote one of my favourite books ... 'ADHD is Awesome'. Penn and Kim started their careers in broadcasting but have old ditched that to find a massive 8 million person following as creators of hilarious yet educational videos on topics as wide-ranging as wearing masks during COVID, the 5 stages of pickleball, and, of course, losing your phone. They host the popular Holderness Family podcast and their book 'ADHD Is Awesome' helped me realize I have ADHD. (Have you left your keys in the fridge before, too?) In this special couples episode of 3 Books my beautiful wife Leslie joins me to talk with Penn and Kim Holderness about better names for ADHD, the secrets of making great comedy, the benefits of turning 40, premarital counseling tips, Shel Silverstein's best poems, why the world need introverts, and, of course, The Holderness Family's 3 ... no wait, 6! ... most formative books... Let's flip the page to Chapter 151 now...
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Chapter 4: Sarah Ramsey on beating book blame with brilliant bookselling
A few years ago, I settled into the children's section of Book City in the heart of Toronto's beautiful Bloor West Village for the first chapter of 3 Books recorded live in an open bookstore with my favorite bookseller in the world—the one and only Sarah Ramsey. I love Sarah because she takes the art of bookselling seriously and seemingly reads people’s minds to find the exact book they need to help them grow. As we always say: Humans are the best algorithm. Listen in to hear us talk about how books can transcend generations, if memoirs are over, why you *can* judge a book by its cover, honoring lost loved ones through storytelling and, of course, Sarah's 3 most formative books... Let's flip the page back to Chapter 4 now...
3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 22-year-long quest to uncover and discuss the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter discusses the 3 most formative books of one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Brené Brown, David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, Roxane Gay, Cheryl Strayed, Rich Roll, Soyoung the Variety Store Owner, Derek the Hype Man, Kevin the Bookseller, Shirley The Nurse, Vishwas the Uber Driver, Angie Thomas, David Mitchell, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Mark Manson, Seth Godin, Judy Blume, and Quentin Tarantino. 3 Books is published on the lunar calendar with each of the 333 chapters dropped on the exact minute of every single full moon all the way up to 10:37 PM EST on April 26, 2040. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show and is 100% non-profit with no ads, no sponsors, no commercials, and no interruptions. 3 Books has 3 clubs including the End of the Podcast Club, the Cover to Cover Club, and the Secret Club, which operates entirely through the mail and is only accessible by calling 1-833-READ-A-LOT. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome, The Happiness Equation, Two-Minute Mornings, etc.
For more info check out: https://www.3books.co
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