Reservation Blues
Sherman Alexie
Mentioned 3 months ago
‘Eddie and the Cruisers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan
Book Recommendations
The Rewatchables
The Rewatchables, a film podcast from the Ringer Podcast Network, features The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and a roundtable of movie lovers from the Ringer universe discussing movies they can’t seem to stop watching. Listen to the complete archives of over 300 movies, including Pulp Fiction, Silence of th...
Episodes
312
Books
239
Recently mentioned
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Most Recommended
Easy Riders Raging Bulls
How the Sex-Drugs-And Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
Peter Biskind's book was referenced as the source of a critique about the movie's thematic focus.
"
Peter Biskind wrote in Easy Riders Raging Bulls, he had a whole thing about this movie
— Episode: ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ Wit...
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Peter Biskind's book was referenced as the source of a critique about the movie's thematic focus.
"
Peter Biskind wrote in Easy Riders Raging Bulls, he had a whole thing about this movie
Rumble Fish
The book was mentioned dismissively, with the hosts saying "Rumble Fish sucks," indicating a negative view of the work.
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The Outsiders? Rumble Fish? Come on. Rumble Fish sucks.
— Episode: ‘Boyz n the Hood’ With Bill Simmons, Sea...
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Episode: ‘Boyz n the Hood’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennesse...
The book was mentioned dismissively, with the hosts saying "Rumble Fish sucks," indicating a negative view of the work.
"
The Outsiders? Rumble Fish? Come on. Rumble Fish sucks.
The Hustler by Walter Tevis (1997-09-01)
The conversation referenced the original novel The Hustler as the source material for the earlier film and as part of the discussion of Tevis's work.
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I think it's this... it's a theoretical based on Walter Tevis's followup novel to the hustler.
— Episode: ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons,...
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Episode: ‘The Color of Money’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan...
The conversation referenced the original novel The Hustler as the source material for the earlier film and as part of the discussion of Tevis's work.
"
I think it's this... it's a theoretical based on Walter Tevis's followup novel to the hustler.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
A True Story
The hosts recalled seeing Cameron Crowe's first work, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and noted it was originally a book based on his highschool experiences.
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I felt that way when I saw Cameron Crowe's first movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
— Episode: ‘Say Anything’ With Bill Simmons, Chris...
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Episode: ‘Say Anything’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and...
The hosts recalled seeing Cameron Crowe's first work, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and noted it was originally a book based on his highschool experiences.
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I felt that way when I saw Cameron Crowe's first movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
It was a book and I don't know if he did half a year or a whole year and wrote a book based on what he saw in high school.
You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again
During the discussion about a producer who was dismissed from a film, the hosts cited the memoir as an illustrative example of Hollywood's harsh fallout. They referenced the book while exploring the challenges faced by industry insiders. The mention was brief and used mainly to underscore the anecdote.
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Episode: ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Sim...
Julia Phillips' memoir was cited when the conversation turned to a producer who was fired from the film.
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You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again from Julia Phillips
The Big Con
How the Consulting Industry Weakens Our Businesses, Infantilizes Our Governments, and Warps Our Economies
The hosts noted that the movie was apparently based on the 1940 bookTheBigCon, referencing it as the source material for the film.
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And then it was based apparently maybe on this book in 1940, The Big Con.
— Episode: ‘The Sting’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Rya...
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Episode: ‘The Sting’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sea...
The hosts noted that the movie was apparently based on the 1940 bookTheBigCon, referencing it as the source material for the film.
"
And then it was based apparently maybe on this book in 1940, The Big Con.
It was based on The Big Con.
The Princess Diarist
The speakers noted that Carrie Fisher had written a memoir revealing an affair with Harrison Ford, commenting on how the revelation made sense to listeners.
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She wrote this book and she's like, yeah, I had an affair with Harrison Ford the whole time. It makes so much sense. People are like, what?
— Episode: ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With...
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Episode: ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simm...
The speakers noted that Carrie Fisher had written a memoir revealing an affair with Harrison Ford, commenting on how the revelation made sense to listeners.
"
She wrote this book and she's like, yeah, I had an affair with Harrison Ford the whole time. It makes so much sense. People are like, what?
Love Story
They mentioned that "Love Story" had been a massive hit both as a film and as a bestselling novel released shortly before "The Godfather".
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the one other thing too about the book point is Love Story was the movie that Paramount had put out right before this and was a huge hit and was a huge book.
— Episode: ‘The Godfather’ With Bill Simmons, Sean...
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Episode: ‘The Godfather’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey,...
They mentioned that "Love Story" had been a massive hit both as a film and as a bestselling novel released shortly before "The Godfather".
"
the one other thing too about the book point is Love Story was the movie that Paramount had put out right before this and was a huge hit and was a huge book.
Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?
A play
The hosts cited it as another example of an excellent play that has been successfully turned into a film.
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I think that it is very clearly on the shortlist of like 12 Angry Men and A Streetcar Named Desire and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in terms of the best filmed plays, right?
— Episode: ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ With Chris Ryan an...
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Episode: ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ With Chris Ryan and Sean Fen...
The hosts cited it as another example of an excellent play that has been successfully turned into a film.
"
I think that it is very clearly on the shortlist of like 12 Angry Men and A Streetcar Named Desire and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in terms of the best filmed plays, right?
CAPRICORN ONE
The book was briefly mentioned during a discussion of Watergate-era thrillers, appearing alongside titles like All the President's Men and The Parallax View. The hosts included it in a list of novels reflecting the era's conspiracy themes, but did not elaborate further or endorse it. The overall tone was a simple acknowledgment rather than a recommendation.
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Episode: ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Sim...
The book (misheard as "CapCorp one") was included in the list of Watergateera novels.
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Conversation, all the President's Men, Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor, CAPRICORN ONE, China Syndrome, Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Tropic of Cancer
In an episode, the hosts raised a speculative question about whether a character had finished reading the title, using the reference to illustrate its cultural relevance. No explicit endorsement was given, and the discussion was limited to a brief mention.
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Episode: ‘After Hours’ with Bill Simmons and Sean Fennessey
The book was brought up in a speculative question about whether a character had finished reading it. Its mention highlighted its cultural relevance.
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Did he finish reading Tropic of Cancer?
All the Pretty Horses
They referenced the novel when discussing a director's cut, calling it a legendary bomb for what people thought.
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All the Pretty Horses. A pretty legendary bomb for what people thought.
— Episode: ‘The Bourne Identity’ With Bill Simmons...
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They referenced the novel when discussing a director's cut, calling it a legendary bomb for what people thought.
"
All the Pretty Horses. A pretty legendary bomb for what people thought.
The Martian
A Novel
The hosts noted that the film was based on Andy Weir's 2011 novel, highlighting its recent publication and pointing out a major scientific inaccuracy that Weir himself mentioned.
"
it was adapted from a 2011 novel by Andy Weir
— Episode: ‘The Martian’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fe...
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Episode: ‘The Martian’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, C...
The hosts noted that the film was based on Andy Weir's 2011 novel, highlighting its recent publication and pointing out a major scientific inaccuracy that Weir himself mentioned.
"
it was adapted from a 2011 novel by Andy Weir
the author of the book that this was turned into a movie, Andy Weir, he said this was the biggest inaccuracy of the story, that they would not have a storm like this on Mars
The Beach
The hosts briefly referenced Alex Garland's novel The Beach while discussing other cultural touchstones of the era.
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Alex Gardner novel The Beach ...
— Episode: ‘Trainspotting’ With Chris Ryan and Andy...
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Episode: ‘Trainspotting’ With Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald
The hosts briefly referenced Alex Garland's novel The Beach while discussing other cultural touchstones of the era.
"
Alex Gardner novel The Beach ...
Heartburn
40th Anniversary Edition – with a Foreword by Stanley Tucci (Virago Modern Classics)
They referenced the novel while discussing Nora Ephron's personal life and her multiple divorces.
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See Heartburn. Divorced three times. Yeah. There's five booms. Three? What was the third one? I don't know. That was in the research. Oh, okay. Three-time divorcee.
— Episode: ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ With Bill Simmons...
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Episode: ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ With Bill Simmons, Juliet L...
They referenced the novel while discussing Nora Ephron's personal life and her multiple divorces.
"
See Heartburn. Divorced three times. Yeah. There's five booms. Three? What was the third one? I don't know. That was in the research. Oh, okay. Three-time divorcee.
The Crucible
The classic play was counted among the courtroomthemed books discussed for its dramatic courtroom setting.
"
Primal Fear, The Crucible, which is kind of a courtroom drama when you think about a stage.
— Episode: ‘Primal Fear’ With Bill Simmons, Chris R...
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Episode: ‘Primal Fear’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and S...
The classic play was counted among the courtroomthemed books discussed for its dramatic courtroom setting.
"
Primal Fear, The Crucible, which is kind of a courtroom drama when you think about a stage.
The Game
The hosts praised the title as one of the best sports books ever, noting its vivid portrayal of the Montreal Canadiens' late‑dynasty challenges. They likened its narrative style to that of The Last Dance, emphasizing its relevance for fans of team histories.
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Episode: ‘Rocky’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lat...
They said it was one of the best sports books ever, focusing on the Montreal Canadiens' latedynasty struggles and likening it to The Last Dance.
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One of the best sports books ever was The Game by Ken Dryden, which was about like the Montreal Canadiens at the tail end of their dynasty trying to hold it together. It's basically what The Last Dance is about too.
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs
A Low Culture Manifesto
The hosts referenced Chuck Klosterman's book while discussing popculture relevance to Memento, noting it was published in 2003 and even contains a chapter about the film.
"
From a pop pop culture significant standpoint. It really was important I think you know Chuck our friend Chuck Klosterman. He wrote sex drugs and cocoa puffs, which I think was what? 2003 there's a me...
— Episode: ‘Memento’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ry...
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Episode: ‘Memento’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan
The hosts referenced Chuck Klosterman's book while discussing popculture relevance to Memento, noting it was published in 2003 and even contains a chapter about the film.
"
From a pop pop culture significant standpoint. It really was important I think you know Chuck our friend Chuck Klosterman. He wrote sex drugs and cocoa puffs, which I think was what? 2003 there's a memento chapter about the
The Bourne Identity
The hosts noted that the Bourne books their fathers read were different from the movies and mentioned the original novel as the source material.
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And then the Bourne books were something our dads read. And it's a lot different than the Bourne books.
— Episode: ‘The Bourne Identity’ With Bill Simmons...
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Episode: ‘The Bourne Identity’ With Bill Simmons and Chris...
The hosts noted that the Bourne books their fathers read were different from the movies and mentioned the original novel as the source material.
"
And then the Bourne books were something our dads read. And it's a lot different than the Bourne books.
I never did, but Ludlum could have released a book of him taking a shit for 350 pages and my dad would be like okay, red cover.
The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County (The Gregg Press western fiction series)
In the episode, Rocky read the book to Adrian during several painful scenes, using it to illustrate his growing reading ability. The hosts noted that it was a 1940s third‑person western by Edgar Rice Burroughs and served mainly as a narrative device rather than a recommendation. Overall, the discussion was a brief, casual mention.
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Episode: ‘Rocky II’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van...
Rocky read this book, which was published in the 1940s, to Adrian for multiple excruciating scenes while she was incapacitated. The book was an example of Rocky's improving reading skills, though it was written in the third person when referring to Apollo Creed.
"
the book that Rocky reads to Adrian for multiple excruciating scenes is The Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County by Edgar S. Burroughs published in 1940s
he's reading Edgar Rice Burroughs it's not like you're like a picture book so I know but why did why do we come back to him reading
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.