If Books Could Kill
by Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri
Is this your podcast?Insights from recent episode analysis
Audience Interest
Podcast Focus
Publishing Consistency
Platform Reach
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Most discussed topics
Brands & references
Total monthly reach
Estimated from 32 chart positions in 32 markets.
By chart position
- 🇺🇸US · Society & Culture#26100K to 300K
- 🇨🇦CA · Society & Culture#26100K to 300K
- 🇦🇺AU · Society & Culture#33100K to 300K
- 🇬🇧GB · Society & Culture#5230K to 100K
- 🇩🇪DE · Society & Culture#1615K to 30K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
283K to 889K🎙 ~2x weekly·79 episodes·Last published 1w ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
566K to 1.8M🇺🇸17%🇨🇦17%🇦🇺17%+29 more - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
311K to 978K
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
—
Total Plays
—
Total Reviews
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
On the show
From 13 epsHosts
Recent guests
Recent episodes
Surrounded By Idiots
Sep 1, 2026
1h 09m 05s
Three Cups of Tea
Aug 5, 2026
1h 52m 21s
The Body Keeps The Score
Jun 18, 2026
1h 49m 41s
Think And Grow Rich
May 21, 2026
1h 03m 04s
Grit
Apr 30, 2026
1h 19m 02s
Social Links & Contact
Official channels & resources
Official Website
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/1/26 | Surrounded By Idiots | Peter and Michael discuss "Surrounded by Idiots," a book that dares to ask: Can the mystery of human relationships be unraveled by a workplace personality assessment? Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Pioneers, Drivers, Integrators, and GuardiansCreator of Lie Detector Test Dies; Lecturer and Author Produced Comic StripOne of Sweden's biggest scientific bluffs Pseudoscience and the Clai... | 1h 09m 05s | ||||||
| 8/5/26 | Three Cups of Tea | In 1993, a desperate man stumbled into a remote village in the foothills of the Karakoram mountains. After the residents nursed him back to health, he placed his hands on the village elder's shoulders and made a sacred promise. "Somehow," he said, "I am going to get some private jet reimbursements out of this." Warning: Contains spoilers for the 2016 film "Arrival." Thanks to Ted Callahan for helping us fact-check this episode! Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's ... | 1h 52m 21s | ||||||
| 6/18/26 | traumaabuse+3 | — | If Books Could Kill | — | traumaabuse+3 | — | 1h 49m 41s | ||
| 5/21/26 | self-helpfraud+3 | — | Think And Grow RichThe Untold Story of Napoleon Hill, the Greatest Self-Help Scammer of All Time+2 | — | Think And Grow RichNapoleon Hill+3 | — | 1h 03m 04s | ||
| 4/30/26 | Grit✨ | education reformgrit+3 | — | GritMuch Ado About Grit+7 | — | griteducation reform+5 | — | 1h 19m 02s | |
| 4/16/26 | biohackingdiet+3 | Peter Shamshiri | Maintenance PhasePatreon+3 | — | biohackingdiet+3 | — | 1h 08m 18s | ||
| 3/5/26 | bullshit jobswork+3 | — | Bullshit Jobs | — | bullshit jobsDavid Graeber+3 | — | 1h 00m 22s | ||
| 2/5/26 | wealthsocioeconomic status+3 | — | Uneasy StreetA Century of Wealth In America+4 | — | wealthmillionaire+5 | — | 1h 11m 25s | ||
| 12/29/25 | political commentarymedia criticism+3 | — | Patreon | — | worst takespolitical pundits+3 | — | 50m 05s | ||
| 12/18/25 | Elon MuskWalter Isaacson+3 | — | Team TrumpDeSantis+2 | — | Elon MuskWalter Isaacson+3 | — | 1h 31m 15s | ||
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| 12/9/25 | biographyworker abuse+4 | — | — | — | Elon Muskbiography+4 | — | 1h 28m 25s | ||
| 11/20/25 | history of humanitybook analysis+3 | — | Sapiens | — | SapiensYuval Noah Harari+3 | — | 1h 38m 17s | ||
| 10/2/25 | self-helpinfluence+3 | — | Self-help Messiah: Dale Carnegie and Success in Modern AmericaThe Positive Thinkers+2 | — | Dale Carnegieinfluence+5 | — | 1h 10m 00s | ||
| 9/11/25 | book discussionpolice shootings+3 | — | Princeton UniversitySummer of Our Discontent | — | Thomas Chatterton WilliamsSummer of Our Discontent+3 | — | 1h 31m 42s | ||
| 7/31/25 | self-helpgender+3 | — | BacklashFor Women Who Count on Men to Be Jerks+4 | — | self-help literaturegender dynamics+3 | — | 1h 00m 09s | ||
| 7/17/25 | Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" | Did you know that in the split-second it took you to read the title of this episode, your subconscious already figured out that it was going to be extremely good? Peter and Michael talk about Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink," a book that is mostly cute scientific anecdotes but also indirectly resulted in millions of taxpayer dollars being wasted on fraudulent science. Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSou... | 57m 44s | ||||||
| 7/1/25 | The Supreme Court Goes Full TERF [TEASER] | This is most of the episode but if you want to hear the last 20 minutes, support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod | 1h 01m 53s | ||||||
| 6/19/25 | "In Covid's Wake" Part 2: Wrong About The Right | Last episode we met two Princeton political scientists who are bad at virology. Today we learn that they are also bad at political science. Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year”Jonathan Howard’s “We Want Them Infected”How the Pandemic Defeated AmericaCOVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventionsUS State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic DeathsIm... | 1h 10m 19s | ||||||
| 6/17/25 | "In Covid's Wake" Part 1: Lying About Lockdowns | Two political scientists look back at a deadly pandemic and ask, "could we have done even less?" Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Lawrence Wright’s “The Plague Year”The 2019 WHO report 30‐day mortality following COVID‐19COVID-19: examining the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventionsPolicy Interventions, Social Distancing, and SARS-CoV-2 Trans... | 57m 47s | ||||||
| 6/5/25 | Bonus: The Lab Leak Goes Mainstream | By popular demand we are releasing last month's Patreon bonus episode on the main feed! We chart the transformation of the lab leak from an unfounded theory promoted by right-wing cranks to an unfounded theory promoted by liberal journalists. Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod | 1h 21m 09s | ||||||
| 4/23/25 | The Let Them Theory | Peter and Michael discuss The Let Them Theory, a self-help guide to seeking bliss through unmitigated complacency. Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: How to stop screwing yourself overMel Robbins and PlagiarismLet her? Army wife claims Mel Robbins stole her idea for blockbuster self-help book Mel Robbins’s “Let Them” theory: really that simple?Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual ... | 53m 44s | ||||||
| 3/31/25 | Josh Hawley's "Manhood" [TEASER] | To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod | 53m 11s | ||||||
| 3/28/25 | Steve Harvey's "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man" | Are you a single lady struggling to find love with a man? Don't fret! A twice-divorced game show host who thinks conversation is for women is here to help. Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseThanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod | 58m 53s | ||||||
| 3/6/25 | Of Boys And Men | Who's to blame for the crisis of American masculinity? On the right, politicians tell men that they being oppressed by feminists and must reassert their manhood by supporting an authoritarian regime. And on the left, users of social media are often very irritating to people who write airport books. Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Conscientiousness as a Predictor of the Gender Gap in Academic Achievement... | 1h 22m 42s | ||||||
| 1/23/25 | You Are A Badass | Peter and Michael dissect Jen Sincero's "You are a Badass," a book that answers the question: What if "The Secret" was written in the painful, try-hard style of "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck"? Featuring a surprise digression about Sincero's other, even worse books. Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: Savy Writes Books Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod | 58m 58s | ||||||
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Chart history for If Books Could Kill
Peaked at #11 in India, currently #11 in India.
| Market | Genre | Peak | Current | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | — | #11 | #11 | — |
| RO | — | #15 | #15 | — |
| CL | — | #21 | #21 | — |
| United States | — | #26 | #26 | — |
| Canada | — | #26 | #26 | — |
| New Zealand | — | #26 | #26 | — |
| TH | — | #32 | #32 | — |
| Australia | — | #33 | #33 | — |
| Finland | — | #40 | #40 | — |
| SG | — | #41 | #41 | — |
| South Africa | — | #41 | #41 | — |
| GR | — | #48 | #48 | — |
| United Kingdom | — | #52 | #52 | — |
| Denmark | — | #54 | #54 | — |
| VN | — | #54 | #54 | — |
| Ireland | — | #57 | #57 | — |
| IS | — | #59 | #59 | — |
| AR | — | #61 | #61 | — |
| Norway | — | #71 | #71 | — |
| AE | — | #84 | #84 | — |
Chart Positions
32 placements across 32 markets.
Chart Positions
32 placements across 32 markets.