The BookJelly Podcast

Grand Delusion | The Book That Reframes 40 Years of American Folly

For forty years, across nine presidencies, America kept returning to the Middle East — convinced, each time, that this administration would finally get it right. It never did. In this episode, we dig into Grand Delusion, a fantastic book by Steven Simon — a former Reagan and Obama insider who had a ringside seat to four decades of foreign policy. The book traces a chilling pattern: each president arrives with a new theory, builds policy around it, and leaves the region worse than they found it. Oil? Turns out, that was never really the point. This one is essential listening if you follow geopolitics — or if you've ever wondered how the world's most powerful country keeps making the same expensive, exhausting mistake.

Why Reading Old Books Might Save Your Mind

We live in a time where information is endless, but clarity is rare. You scroll, consume, react… and still feel like you’re going nowhere. In this episode, I dive into Breaking Bread with the Dead by Alan Jacobs, a deceptively small book that quietly challenges how we read, think, and live. Jacobs argues for something almost unfashionable today: read old books. Not for nostalgia. Not for intellectual showmanship. But to deepen your thinking. Because when you engage with the past, you step outside the noise of the present. You stop reacting. You start reflecting. This isn’t a summary. It’s a conversation. About attention, depth, and why most of us are stuck in what Jacobs calls a “frenetic standstill.” If you’ve ever felt mentally cluttered, distracted, or shallow in your thinking… this one’s for you.

Lost in Thought: Why Learning Doesn't Need a Payoff

What if learning did not have to lead to money, status or success? In this episode, I explore "Lost in Thought" - a fantastic book by Zena Hitz and its powerful argument for learning for its own sake. We have turned education into a transaction, constantly asking what it will give us in return. But what happens when you learn simply because you are curious? Drawing from Hitz’s ideas and examples from thinkers and writers across disciplines, this episode reflects on intellectual life, solitude and the quiet joy of thinking deeply. If learning has started to feel mechanical or purposeless, this might help you see it differently.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop Review

A reflective review of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa. Set in Tokyo’s famous Jimbocho book district, this episode explores heartbreak, healing and the quiet role books play in rebuilding a life. If you enjoy Japanese slice-of-life fiction and stories about bookstores, relationships, and slow personal transformation, this book is for you.

Scott Adams Was Right: Goals Are for Losers | How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big

Most self-help books promise success. Scott Adams does the opposite. In How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, the creator of Dilbert argues that motivation is unreliable, goals are overrated, and success often comes from building systems instead. In this episode of The BookJelly Podcast, I explore Adams’ unconventional ideas about failure, energy, skill stacking, and why execution matters far more than ideas. From his early career failures to the creation of Dilbert, Adams shows how repeated setbacks can quietly compound into success. If you enjoy honest books about work, failure, and personal systems, this episode is worth your time.