Why am I passionate about this?

Joe Pardavila has produced over ten thousand hours of audio content over the course of his career in podcasting and terrestrial radio. Joe was a radio personality and producer on the legendary New York City radio station, 95.5 PLJ, where he was part of the iconic Scott & Todd in the Morning. He studied sketch and improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade and was a founding member and actor in the New York-based sketch comedy group, Clip Show. He is the codirector, writer, and producer of the award-winning horror satire, The Witches of Bushwick. Currently, he serves as the director of podcasts for Advantage Media Group | Forbes Books.


I wrote

Good Listen: Creating Memorable Conversations in Business and Life

By Joe Pardavila,

Book cover of Good Listen: Creating Memorable Conversations in Business and Life

What is my book about?

In the new book Good Listen: Creating Memorable Conversations in Business, I share with readers my insights and knowledgeā€¦

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Humankind: A Hopeful History

Joe Pardavila Why did I love this book?

I read Bregmanā€™s book during the height of the pandemic and it was the perfect escape from all the sadness. Itā€™s a history book full of happy stories. Most history books are downers and are full of death and destruction, but Bregman proves that humans arenā€™t all that bad. Wait until you read the part about the Stanford Prison Experiments. Reading the book, I realized that you could learn so much from stories of hope and perseverance.

By Rutger Bregman, Erica Moore (translator), Elizabeth Manton (translator)

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked Humankind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
A Guardian, Daily Telegraph, New Statesman and Daily Express Book of the Year

'Hugely, highly and happily recommended' Stephen Fry
'You should read Humankind. You'll learn a lot (I did) and you'll have good reason to feel better about the human race' Tim Harford
'Made me see humanity from a fresh perspective' Yuval Noah Harari

It's a belief that unites the left and right, psychologists and philosophers, writers and historians. It drives the headlines that surround us and the laws that touch our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Dawkins, the roots of this belief haveā€¦


Book cover of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

Joe Pardavila Why did I love this book?

Like many Americans growing up in the 80s, I was aware of ā€œThe Troubles,ā€ but I had no idea what was actually happening between the UK and Northern Ireland. You would randomly hear about car bombs and the like but didnā€™t know what they were all fighting about. Reading Keefeā€™s book, you get an understanding of what it was like to live in Northern Ireland and why this was all happening. It's narrative non-fiction at its best and is a remarkable piece of work.

By Patrick Radden Keefe,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Say Nothing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ā€¢From the author of Empire of Painā€”a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions

"Masked intruders dragged Jean McConville, a 38-year-old widow and mother of 10, from her Belfast home in 1972. In this meticulously reported bookā€”as finely paced as a novelā€”Keefe uses McConville's murder as a prism to tell the history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Interviewing people on both sides of the conflict, he transforms the tragic damage and waste of the era into a searing, utterly gripping saga." ā€”New York Times Book Review

Jean McConville'sā€¦


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Book cover of Taken: A Mother's Secret

Taken by Dan Lawton,

Nine-year-old Chloe Janis is missing. Abby, her mom, is now faced with an impossible decisionā€”revealing seventeen-year-old secrets she's kept hidden, or losing her daughter forever.

Everything unravels after Abby receives a cryptic message from a man from her past, someone sheā€™d tried to erase from her memory. But now, heā€™sā€¦

Book cover of The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

Joe Pardavila Why did I love this book?

Business books tend to be stuffy and over technical, but Igerā€™s book was the model I was going after when writing my own book. Iger shares the hits and misses (but mostly hits) of his time running one of the most prestigious brands the world has ever seen. But even though theyā€™re mostly showbiz and Disney-focused, any human can relate and learn from his stories.

By Robert Iger,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Ride of a Lifetime as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'One of the best business books I've read in years.' BILL GATES
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019
_____________________________

The CEO of Disney, one of Time's most influential people of 2019, shares the ideas and values he embraced to reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world and inspire the people who bring the magic to life.

Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 2005, during a difficult time. Morale had deteriorated, competition was intense, and technology was changing faster than at any time in the company'sā€¦


Book cover of The Chain

Joe Pardavila Why did I love this book?

I had to share my favorite piece of fiction from the past decade, and thatā€™s McKintyā€™s The Chain. A book I always recommend to folks looking for a high-octane, edge-of-your-seat thriller. Adrian takes the concept of ā€œchain lettersā€ and heightens it into a game of murder and manipulation. Any time a work of fiction makes you feel like youā€™re watching a movie unfold in your brain, you know itā€™s working.

By Adrian McKinty,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Chain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


When a mother is targeted by a dangerous group of masterminds, she must commit a crime to save her kidnapped daughterā€”or risk losing her foreverā€”in this "propulsive and original" award-winning thriller (Stephen King).

It's something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. But a cell phone call from an unknown number changes everything: it's a woman on the line, informing her that she has Kylie bound and gagged in her back seat, and the only way Rachel will see her again is to follow her instructions exactly: pay aā€¦


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Book cover of Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration

Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration by Mark Doherty,

I have woven numerous delightful and descriptive true life stories, many from my adventures as an outdoorsman and singer songwriter, into my life as a high school English teacher. I think you'll find this work both entertaining as well as informative, and I hope you enjoy the often lighthearted reparteeā€¦

Book cover of Les Miserables

Joe Pardavila Why did I love this book?

Les Miz was the first book I truly read as a kid. I was in high school, and we mostly read boring old textbooks and I never had an interest in reading anything outside of what was required. That all changed when I was assigned to read Hugoā€™s novel in sophomore English class. Not only did I learn about the turbulent history of France, but I saw it through the eyes of Jean Valjean. Jean fought against all odds to live the life he wanted to live and change the lives of people around him. Iā€™ll never forget that twist midway through the book that forced me to go back and read to see what I had missed.

By Victor Hugo, Jillian Tamaki (illustrator), Christine Donougher (translator)

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Les Miserables as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This is a brilliant new translation by Christine Donougher of Victor Hugo's thrilling masterpiece, with an introduction by Robert Tombs. The Wretched ( Les Miserables) is the basis for both the longest running musical on the West End and the highly-acclaimed recent film starring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, and by the relentless investigations ofā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Good Listen: Creating Memorable Conversations in Business and Life

By Joe Pardavila,

Book cover of Good Listen: Creating Memorable Conversations in Business and Life

What is my book about?

In the new book Good Listen: Creating Memorable Conversations in Business, I share with readers my insights and knowledge for creating a podcast that will appeal to listeners and leave them clamoring for more. But you donā€™t need to have a podcast to benefit from the book because my tips for connecting with others also apply to work, love, and life.

Drawing on my days as a New York radio personality, I also weave into the book anecdotes involving such celebrities as Taylor Swift, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Aniston, John Mayer, and Chris Martin to demonstrate how interviews can go wonderfully right (Aniston) or terribly wrong (Swift).

Book cover of Humankind: A Hopeful History
Book cover of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Book cover of The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

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šŸ“š You might also likeā€¦

Book cover of Glimmer of the Other

Glimmer of the Other by Heather G. Harris,

Delve into this internationally best-selling series, now complete! A fast paced laugh-out-loud mix of Urban Fantasy and Mystery.

I can tell when youā€™re lying. Every. Single. Time. Iā€™m Jinx, a PI hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a barā€“yet my gutā€¦

Book cover of Fourteen

Fourteen by Leslie Johansen Nack,

Fourteen is a coming-of-age adventure when, at the age of 14, Leslie and her two sisters have to batten down the hatches on their 45-foot sailboat to navigate the Pacific Ocean and French Polynesia, as well as the stormy temper of their larger-than-life Norwegian father.

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