Hardcover Hooligans

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

87 episodes of Hardcover Hooligans since the first episode, which aired on July 3rd, 2023.

  • Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius

    Episode  |  September 19th, 2025  |  41 mins 16 secs
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, horror, review, scifi

    After an unintentional summer hiatus, we’re back with the third and final installment of our short series on Borges short stories. And oh no! It turns out a billionaire creating a fantasy planet with his friends can destroy the world.

  • Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote

    Episode  |  June 2nd, 2025  |  51 mins 43 secs
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, horror, review, scifi

    If we claimed we wrote a Borges story and read it in its entirety at the end of our podcast, that would make the story infinitely richer.

  • The Library of Babel

    Episode  |  April 30th, 2025  |  48 mins 30 secs
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, horror, review, scifi

    An infinite library implies the existence of infinite Mr. Beast video transcripts.

  • Carrie

    Episode  |  April 14th, 2025  |  1 hr 13 mins
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, horror, review, scifi

    The moral of this story is to not bully the girl with latent psychic abilities.

  • Dungeon Crawler Carl

    Episode  |  April 1st, 2025  |  59 mins 24 secs
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review, scifi

    I guess books are just video games now.

  • Watchmen

    Episode  |  March 17th, 2025  |  1 hr 14 mins
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review, scifi

    That’s right, we read comic books now! Just kidding, it’s called a "graphic novel". And this one’s about a bunch of superheroes who aren’t really that super and one blue guy who is TOO super. Get ready for morally grey characters, questionable motives, and a weird spooky pirate story.

  • The Way of Kings - Part 2

    Episode  |  March 3rd, 2025  |  1 hr 17 mins
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review

    We finish The Way of Kings and are left with boredomspren floating around our computers. Plus, we read some one-star Goodreads reviews of The Way of Kings and do a quick overview of the other Stormlight Archive books.

  • The Way of Kings - Part 1

    Episode  |  February 17th, 2025  |  1 hr 34 mins
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review

    We embark on The Way Of Kings, the first book in Brandon Sanderson’s magnum opus series, The Stormlight Archive. This book dares to explore such important questions as “what if someone who was good at fighting also had depression?” and “what if big swords but no blood?”

  • Assassin’s Quest - Part 3

    Episode  |  February 3rd, 2025  |  49 mins
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review

    Fitz’s story finds a poetic, complex, and bittersweet ending, but all we can talk about are Prince Verity’s cool silver arms. Which begs the question: did Robin Hobb want Prince Verity to eventually become this world’s Silver Surfer?

  • Assassin’s Quest - Part 2

    Episode  |  January 21st, 2025  |  45 mins 45 secs
    book, book podcast, books, bookstagram, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review

    Are chronic pain, sadness, social isolation, and the unbearable burden of duty worth it if it means you get abs?

  • An Announcement

    Episode  |  November 27th, 2024  |  2 mins 24 secs

    "Huh?! They're not dead?!"

  • Assassin's Quest - Part 1

    Episode  |  October 7th, 2024  |  1 hr 3 mins
    assassins apprentice, assassins quest, book, book podcast, books, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review, royal assassin

    Our favorite teenage wolf assassin is back, but does this mean he stops getting shafted by everyone and everything in his life? No. But has he learned anything from what he's gone through? Also, no. Will he continue to make questionable decisions about his life? Yes. And we get to read about it.

  • Royal Assassin - Part 2

    Episode  |  September 23rd, 2024  |  1 hr 22 mins
    assassins apprentice, book, book podcast, books, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review, royal assassin

    We continue to read about the fraught life of a moody teen who is slowly turning into a crazy wolf man. Believe it or not, this causes problems in his personal life.

  • Royal Assassin - Part 1

    Episode  |  September 9th, 2024  |  1 hr 8 mins
    assassins apprentice, book, book podcast, books, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review, royal assassin

    In the previous book, Fitz bonds with a dog. In this book, he bonds with a wolf. What's the next step, the final evolution? What's the Blastoise of wolves?
    These questions not answered in the episode, but it's still a fun discussion of a great book.

  • Assassin's Apprentice - Part 2

    Episode  |  August 26th, 2024  |  1 hr 28 mins
    assassins apprentice, book, book podcast, books, booktok, comedy, criticism, discussion, fantasy, geek, review

    This book is unbelievably good. I love Fitz and Prince Verity and they are my real life best friends.

  • Assassin’s Apprentice - Part 1

    Episode  |  August 12th, 2024  |  1 hr 12 mins

    The blurb on the back cover of this book makes it sound like it’s fantasy for babies, but it’s actually really really good.