Person
Every book Will Arnett recommended on podcasts
Will Arnett’s most recommended books
- Prussian Blue by Philip Kerr
- Moneyball by Michael Lewis
- The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
- When the Going Was Good by Graydon Carter
- Bag Man by Rachel Maddow, Michael Yarvitz
- Prequel by Rachel Maddow
- Surrender by Bono
- Imminent by Luis Elizondo
- The Magicians by Lev Grossman
- The Monmouth Manifesto by James Arnett
Will Arnett recommended and mentioned several books and series across multiple episodes of the SmartLess podcast. He asked guest Margot Robbie if she had ever read Lev Grossman's book series The Magicians, which he described as a grownup, dark version of Narnia. Arnett mentioned his father James Arnett's historical fiction novel, The Monmouth Manifesto, and discussed Graydon Carter's book When the Going Was Good while recapping the guest's career and plugging the work for listeners. He also brought up Luis Elizondo's Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs during an interview with the author, noting that he could not wait to read it. Arnett talked about Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel The Sympathizer, highlighting its exploration of the Vietnam War from a Vietnamese American perspective, and expressed regret for not asking Dave Grohl about his book The Storyteller. Finally, Arnett cited Hans Fallada's Alone in Berlin as one of his favorite books of all time, noting that it served as the basis for a film starring Emma Thompson.
Books recommended by Will Arnett
-
Prussian Blue
Prussian Blue by Philip Kerr is a historical thriller novel following detective Bernie Gunther as he navigates the dangerous political landscape of Nazi Germany.
Discussed“I noticed recently I was reading the 10th book in the in the Gunter what's his name series by Philip Kerr and I noticed your name on the back of it. Oh the and you you gave a little uh blurb for the back of for the jacket of pre Prussian blue which I'm almost finished with.”
Where to get it
-
Moneyball
Moneyball by Michael Lewis is a groundbreaking non-fiction book that explores how the Oakland Athletics baseball team leveraged advanced statistical analytics to compete against wealthier franchises with larger payrolls.
Discussed“And by the way, I remember reading Moneyball. That was 2003. The great Michael when that book came out. The great Michael Lewis. Absolutely. The great Michael Lewis. I've read all his books. These guys have never read a book in their lives. And I read I read that book. My ears work. They read book reviews though, I'm sure.”
Where to get it
-
The Sympathizer
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that explores the Vietnam War and its aftermath through the eyes of a communist spy of mixed French and Vietnamese descent living as a refugee in America.
Discussed“so I did that and then I read this the sympathizer. Have you guys read that?”
Where to get it
-
When the Going Was Good
When the Going Was Good by Graydon Carter and James Fox is a memoir chronicling Carter's notable career in journalism, including his time leading magazines like Spy and Vanity Fair.
Discussed“Um, your new book, uh, uh, Graden is, uh, When the Going Was Good, which is which is out now. And, uh, talk a little bit about that.”
Where to get it
-
Bag Man
Bag Man by Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz is a thorough exploration of the political scandal involving former Vice President Spiro Agnew.
Discussed“another book that you wrote bagman um correct me if I'm wrong is the spe agu”
Where to get it
-
Prequel
Prequel by Rachel Maddow is a historical nonfiction work that uncovers the fascist movements, right-wing extremist plots, and anti-Semitic propaganda operating within the United States during the era of World War II.
Discussed“now so Rachel you your your latest book prequel is um is is a bit of a cautionary tale yet that yes that that that is applicable to what we're talking about right here that that in fact America went through this uh at least once before uh right around World War II is is is this story that you've”
Where to get it
-
Surrender
Surrender by Bono is an autobiographical memoir by the U2 frontman that explores his life, faith, activism, and forty defining songs.
Discussed“it's funny you say that uh bono because i so your book i mentioned that your book uh has come out and you've been on tour supporting it”
Where to get it
-
Imminent
Imminent by Luis Elizondo is a non-fiction book detailing the author's experiences inside the Pentagon investigating unidentified anomalous phenomena and UFOs.
Recommended“you have a book called imminent which I'm getting it's it's inside the pentagon's hunt for UFOs it's called imminent and I haven't read it but I want I can't wait to read it”
Where to get it
-
The Magicians
The Magicians by Lev Grossman is a contemporary fantasy novel that follows a group of young adults discovering that magic is real, combining dark themes with a meta-fictional approach to traditional fantasy tropes.
Recommended“Have you Have you ever read a book series called The Magicians? It's like this like grownup dark Nani version of Nani.”
Where to get it
-
The Monmouth Manifesto
The Monmouth Manifesto by James Arnett is an intriguing historical fiction novel written by the author.
Recommended“Well, uh his his latest is The Monmouth Manifesto, which is an interesting uh interesting novel. And, uh, it's sort of historical fiction, if you will.”
Where to get it
-
The Storyteller
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl is an engaging and autobiographical book by the legendary musician, chronicling his extraordinary life experiences from his early days playing in punk bands to fronting Foo Fighters and Nirvana.
Recommended“He's great, super funny, and he's got a brand new book out, I should have asked him, it's called The Storyteller.”
Where to get it
-
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a classic American novel depicting a young boy's journey down the Mississippi River with an escaped slave, confronting society and morality.
Where to get it
-
Alone in Berlin
Alone in Berlin is a powerful historical novel by Hans Fallada that portrays ordinary German citizens engaging in quiet, perilous acts of resistance against the Nazi regime.
Discussed“and I so many things and I was just I was just I watched within the last year uh a film that you did a few years ago oh god probably 10 years ago but it's based on one of my favorite books of all time which is Alone in Berlin.”
Where to get it
-
Doctor Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak is a sweeping historical novel that chronicles the turbulent life of a physician and poet amidst the chaos of the Russian Revolution.
Discussed“what is the movie you will always stop and watch even with commercials Dr Zhivago because it's kind of the film we sort of fell in love with together”
Where to get it
-
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is a science fiction adventure novel about a disastrous theme park populated by genetically resurrected dinosaurs.
Discussed“that's one of the questions that they asked in Jurassic Park was just just oh good Jurassic Park good”
Where to get it
-
Stories of Your Life and Others
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang is an acclaimed collection of speculative short fiction that explores complex philosophical, linguistic, and temporal concepts.
Discussed“one of the thing that I loved about the short story it was based on the story of your life written by Ted Chang that is a little Masterpiece”
Where to get it
-
The Anxious Generation
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is a prominent non-fiction book examining the severe mental health crises and loneliness epidemic among youth caused by smartphones and social media.
Discussed“I was just reading a thing uh another thing Jonathan hate the guy who who's been doing all this stuff crusading against uh phone usage with our kids Etc he wrote that anxious generation”
Where to get it
-
The Blind Side
The Blind Side by Michael Lewis is a bestselling non-fiction book that examines the evolution of football strategy alongside the complex micro and macro narratives of its subjects, and which famously inspired a major film adaptation.
Discussed“so let's say we'll take the blind side for instance i didn't understand anything you know i watched football my whole life i didn't understand the importance of the left tackle”
Where to get it
-
The Day of the Djinn Warriors
Discussed“I noticed recently I was reading the tenth book in the uh in the gunter uh, what's his name series by Philip Kerr and I noticed your name on the back.”
Where to get it
-
The Devil's Dictionary
The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce is a satirical reference book consisting of cynical and witty definitions that subvert conventional Victorian language and societal norms.
Discussed“it's that guy what's the uh um there's that the devil's dictionary that guy Englishman who wrote it and he had the description of a kilt was a traditional Scottish guard worn by uh Americans in Scotland and Scots in America”
Where to get it
The other 3 books Will Arnett recommended or discussed, ranked
- The History of the Stasi by Antonella Colonna Vilasi
- The Premonition by Michael Lewis
- The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Thompson | SmartLess | 2026-06-29 | 1 |
| RE-RELEASE: Tom Hanks | SmartLess | 2026-06-11 | 1 |
| Margot Robbie | SmartLess | 2026-02-16 | 1 |
| David Duchovny | SmartLess | 2025-11-03 | 1 |
| RE-RELEASE: Kerry Washington | SmartLess | 2025-09-11 | 2 |
| Graydon Carter | SmartLess | 2025-07-14 | 3 |
| Pam Abdy & Mike De Luca | SmartLess | 2025-05-05 | 2 |
| Luis Elizondo | SmartLess | 2024-12-30 | 2 |
| Denis Villeneuve | SmartLess | 2024-12-16 | 1 |
| Ronan Farrow | SmartLess | 2023-12-04 | 1 |
| Rachel Maddow | SmartLess | 2023-10-23 | 4 |
| MIT Professor Max Tegmark: LIVE in Boston | SmartLess | 2023-07-13 | 1 |
| Bono | SmartLess | 2023-01-23 | 2 |
| Steven Spielberg | SmartLess | 2023-01-16 | 1 |
| Kerry Washington | SmartLess | 2022-08-01 | 1 |
| Mike Myers | SmartLess | 2022-05-09 | 1 |
| Michael Lewis | SmartLess | 2022-04-11 | 3 |
| 11/22/21: An Interview with David Grohl | SmartLess w/ Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett | SmartLess | 2021-12-01 | 1 |
| Tom Hanks | SmartLess | 2021-11-01 | 4 |
| 8/30/21: An Interview with Fred Armisen | SmartLess w/ Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett | SmartLess | 2021-09-14 | 1 |
Other mentions (14: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I'm looking for the next Harry Potter movie”
“I've been watching Lord of the Rings. Okay, moving on.”
“I'll tell you this—speaking of Lord of the Rings, are you guys being held hostage somewhere? I've never seen any of them, but oh my God, they're so... very—speaking of Lord of the Rings.”
“And because I'm going to get her a ring, I put as the prompt on the calendar just 'Lord'... Oh Lord of the Rings.”
“did I I rode around like I was in Quadrophenia you know with a long uh long parka”
“So, like for example, right now I'm checking out 'The Immortality Thief.' It's really, really cool.”
“Well, you know, like 'Twas the Night Before Christmas', like an old-time sleeping cap.”
“Well, one of them is my dad's book, Bean Fate, which I finally read, and it's amazing. I'm so proud of my dad, Jim Arnett, who wrote a book, actually.”
“you have this new gigantic book that's out now that's called directed by James Burrows five Decades of stories from the legendary director of Taxi cheers Frasier friends Will and Grace and tons more”
“Um Barry, so you've written this book, 'Barry Sonnenfeld: Call Your Mother.'”
“[Applause] Look at that Led Zeppelin book!”
“is super funny and he's got a brand new book out i should have asked him it's called the storyteller um and uh is it called the storyteller it's called the storyteller”
“after the release of rod stewart's blondes have more fun”