# Ologies with Alie Ward book recommendations

> Every book mentioned on Ologies with Alie Ward, most mentioned first, with the strongest quote for each. Compiled by Podshelf from episode transcripts.

- Show page: https://podshelf.io/podcasts/ologies-with-alie-ward
- Hosted by Alie Ward
- 88 books, 94 mentions and 3 top picks across 171 episodes since 2024-01-04

## Books

- [The Collapse of Complex Societies](https://podshelf.io/books/9780511817168) by Joseph Tainter: 2 mentions, 1 top pick
  > “So this ologist is an anthropologist, historian, a legend, a one-of-a-kind expert in the field, literally wrote the book on the topic titled The Collapse of Complex Societies. … I listened to the audiobook of The Collapse of Complex Societies alongside your pod mother, Jarrett Sleeper, on a road trip. And Mercedes Maitland is also a fan of this ologist's work. And she produced and did a huge amount, like nearly all the research for this episode.” — Collapsology (SOCIETAL COLLAPSE, LOL!) with Joseph Tainter (2026-07-01)
- [Tell Me Where It Hurts: The New Science of Pain and How to Heal](https://podshelf.io/books/9781538758144) by Rachel Zoffness: 2 mentions, 1 top pick
  > “find Tell Me Where It Hurts, The New Science of Pain and How to Heal, wherever you get books. Absolutely life-changing.” — Dolorology (PAIN) Encore with Rachel Zoffness (2026-04-22)
- [The New Perimenopause](https://podshelf.io/books/9780593736616) by mary claire haver: 2 mentions
  > “We also have on Dr. Mary Claire Haver. Dr. Mary Claire Haver. She, her. Who is a longtime healthcare provider in obstetrics and gynecology and a well-known advocate in this space. She authored the New York Times bestselling books, The New Paramenopause Book, and the New York Times bestseller, also The New Menopause Book. And she hosts the podcast Unpaused.” — Emmenology (MENOPAUSE & PERIMENOPAUSE) Part 1 with Monica Christmas, Mary Claire Haver and Lara Durgavich (2026-07-15)
- [Dr. Fred's Weather Watch](https://podshelf.io/books/9780999391228) by Dr Fred Bortz, Dr Marshall Shepherd, Ingrid Olson: 2 mentions
  > “He also co-hosts the Weather Channel's excellent podcast, Weather Geeks. He writes for Forbes. He's authored several books, including a kid's book called Dr. Fred's Weather Watch. Frankly, I was lucky to weasel my way onto his schedule.” — Meteorology (WEATHER & CLIMATE) Encore with Marshall Shepherd (2026-09-09)
- [the new menopause](https://podshelf.io/books/9781583332429) by mary claire haver: 2 mentions
  > “We also have on Dr. Mary Claire Haver. Dr. Mary Claire Haver. She, her. Who is a longtime healthcare provider in obstetrics and gynecology and a well-known advocate in this space. She authored the New York Times bestselling books, The New Paramenopause Book, and the New York Times bestseller, also The New Menopause Book. And she hosts the podcast Unpaused.” — Emmenology (MENOPAUSE & PERIMENOPAUSE) Part 1 with Monica Christmas, Mary Claire Haver and Lara Durgavich (2026-07-15)
- [The Connection Cure](https://podshelf.io/books/9781668030349) by Julia Hotz: 2 mentions
  > “The Connection Cure by Julia Hotz” — Bonus Episode: ICYMI Moments of 2025 with newly beloved Ologists (2026-02-17)
- [Awe](https://podshelf.io/books/9781984879707) by Dacher Keltner: 1 mention, 1 top pick
  > “Keltner has a staggering body of research authored or coauthored nearly 300 publications, written several books, including on the topics of living a meaningful life and what that means psychologically and on power struggles. And then his book, Ah, the new science of everyday wonder and how it can transform your life is a really great read or listen. If you're an audiobook person, it's a great science and really beautifully written.” — Awe Psychology (WONDER) with Dacher Keltner (2026-06-03)
- [Big Bang](https://podshelf.io/books/9780007737383) by Simon Singh: 1 mention
  > “Big Bang by Simon Singh” — Cryptology (SECRET CODES) with Simon Singh (2025-06-04)
- [A Boy Called Bat](https://podshelf.io/books/9780062445834) by Elana K. Arnold: 1 mention
  > “And I have mentioned this ologist on the podcast numerous times. Every time someone asks, who's your dream guest? It's this guest. They founded the Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations. Got his PhD studying skunks at Texas A&M University, has been featured on PBS, various TV shows, high-profile periodicals, even has a character named after him in a children's book called A Boy Called Bat.” — Mephitology (SKUNKS) with Jerry Dragoo (2026-08-19)
- [The Perfectionists](https://podshelf.io/books/9780062652577) by Simon Winchester: 1 mention
  > “People had to make it and design it and invent it, though. And you had to do jobs to buy it. And, you know, I was just listening to Simon Winchester's book, The Perfectionists, about machining and sort of the origin of metrology. And just how meticulous a screw has to be. Just how precise everything down to a bolt has to be to be interchangeable.” — Collapsology (SOCIETAL COLLAPSE, LOL!) with Joseph Tainter (2026-07-01)
- [All About Love](https://podshelf.io/books/9780062862174) by bell hooks: 1 mention
  > “And this is from Dr. Bell Hook's 1999 book, All About Love, New Visions, in which the late author and philosopher writes, love is an action, a participatory emotion. This is why it is useful to see love as a practice, she writes. She continues, the path to love is not arduous or hidden, but we must choose to take the first step. So yes, love is an action, they find.” — Relational Psychology (BONDING VIA  LAUGHING) with Sara Algoe and Laura Kurtz (2026-10-03)
- [Burnout Immunity](https://podshelf.io/books/9780063323674) by Kandi Wiens: 1 mention
  > “Burnout Immunity by Kandi Wiens” — Ergopathology (BURNOUT) with Kandi Wiens (2024-11-13)
- [The Rat Nervous System, Third Edition](https://podshelf.io/books/9780080474120) by George Paxinos, Charles Watson: 1 mention
  > “Let us read from the 2004 book, The Rat Nervous System, Third Edition. The neurokinin 3 receptor is the tachykinin receptor that binds NKB with the highest affinity among the known tachykinins. Internalization of NK3R in the supraoptic nucleus was observed after injection of an NK3 agonist implying receptor activation. And when I read that, I was like, holy shit, bitch, what?” — Emmenology (MENOPAUSE & PERIMENOPAUSE) Part 2 with Monica Christmas, Mary Claire Haver and Sarah Witkowski (2026-07-23)
- [Roots](https://podshelf.io/books/9780099522003) by Alex Haley: 1 mention
  > “It kind of entered the cultural consciousness again through the Roots TV miniseries based on the book by Alex Haley.” — Broomology (BROOMS) with Cate O’Connell-Richards (2026-10-21)
- [Frankenstein](https://podshelf.io/books/9780141439471) by Mary Shelley: 1 mention
  > “This guy happened to be the nephew of Luigi Galvani, the guy who discovered you can get frog legs to kick if you run electrical current through the nerves. And he was also the guy who inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein.” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [Dracula](https://podshelf.io/books/9780141439846) by Bram Stoker: 1 mention
  > “But then you also get the confound that the original classic vampire was an immigrant. He was an immigrant into England. So I'm talking about Bram Stoker's Dracula, where they have a Romanian man. And there are so many little bits throughout Dracula where it's talking about how unusual things are in a foreign place.” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [Mindwise: Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want](https://podshelf.io/books/9780141968049) by Nicholas Epley: 1 mention
  > “This was a really singular moment on a train ride one morning on my way into the University of Chicago, where I was writing a chapter from my first book, Mind Wise, describing how we have a brain uniquely equipped for connecting with the minds of others, how we're made happier and healthier by connecting with other people. And then I look around and I have this eureka moment that here we all were on this train, all alone together.” — Conversational Psychology (CONNECTING WITH OTHERS) with Nicholas Epley (2026-07-10)
- [The Maneaters of Kumaon](https://podshelf.io/books/9780195613445) by Jim Corbett: 1 mention
  > “if you can't get enough of tigers eating people, you may want to thumb through a book called The Maneaters of Kuman, the 1944 memoir by Jim Corbett, who was a naturalist and a tiger hunter” — Megafelinology (SNOW LEOPARDS + OTHER BIG CATS) with Imogene Cancellare (2026-03-25)
- [The Elementary Forms of Religious Life](https://podshelf.io/books/9780199540129) by Emile Durkheim: 1 mention
  > “The Elementary Forms of Religious Life by Emile Durkheim” — Climate Fervorology (ECO-ADVOCACY WITHOUT IT BEING A BUMMER) with AJR’s Adam Met (2025-04-16)
- [Interpersonal Attraction](https://podshelf.io/books/9780201005691) by Ellen Berscheid and Elaine Hatfield: 1 mention
  > “Elaine Hatfield and Ellen Rashide were actually studying initial attraction between people and they were talking about love. They wrote a book called Interpersonal Attraction that I have here in 1969. And they had some research that was funded by the NIH, I think.” — Relational Psychology (BONDING VIA  LAUGHING) with Sara Algoe and Laura Kurtz (2026-10-03)
- [The Way the Wind Blows: Climate, History, and Human Action](https://podshelf.io/books/9780231112086) by Joseph Tainter: 1 mention
  > “So this ologist is an anthropologist, historian, a legend, a one-of-a-kind expert in the field, literally wrote the book on the topic titled The Collapse of Complex Societies. And he also authored The Way the Wind Blows, Climate, History, and Human Action, as well as the book Drilling Down, The Gulf Oil Debacle, and Our Energy Dilemma.” — Collapsology (SOCIETAL COLLAPSE, LOL!) with Joseph Tainter (2026-07-01)
- [Caliban and the Witch](https://podshelf.io/books/9780241532539) by Silvia Federici, Laia Bragulat, Inés Moreno López, Edurne Lazkano Ibarbia, Aitor Arruti Rezabal: 1 mention
  > “I do want to point out the work of Sylvia Federici. And she wrote about these phenomena are deeply tied to the beginnings of capitalism, for which the breakup of communities, common spaces was necessary. Think about all the folk knowledge that was lost and social cohesion. If you know anything about Salem in the United States, you know, it rips a community apart.” — Broomology (BROOMS) with Cate O’Connell-Richards (2026-10-21)
- [The Mothman Prophecies](https://podshelf.io/books/9780340824467) by John A. Keel: 1 mention
  > “Yeah. So yeah, John Keel's book, The Mothman Prophecies, links all these sightings in Point Pleasant to the Silver Bridge collapse, naming this muscular winged cryptid as some kind of harbinger of doom. So there was a 2022 Richard Gere film of the same name, and it follows the story loosely. It changes a lot of facts and also adds some new romances, some characters, but it borrows the names like John and Mary and Connie.” — Mothman Mythology (YES, MOTHMAN) with Jeff Wamsley (2026-10-30)
- [The Code Book](https://podshelf.io/books/9780385495318) by Simon Singh: 1 mention
  > “The Code Book by Simon Singh” — Cryptology (SECRET CODES) with Simon Singh (2025-06-04)
- [Stiff](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393050936) by Mary Roach: 1 mention
  > “Stiff by Mary Roach” — Human Technomorphology (SWAPPING OUT BODY PARTS) with Mary Roach (2025-09-17)
- [Bonk](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393069211) by Mary Roach: 1 mention
  > “Bonk by Mary Roach” — Human Technomorphology (SWAPPING OUT BODY PARTS) with Mary Roach (2025-09-17)
- [Gulp](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393081572) by Mary Roach: 1 mention
  > “Gulp by Mary Roach” — Human Technomorphology (SWAPPING OUT BODY PARTS) with Mary Roach (2025-09-17)
- [Grunt](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393245448) by Mary Roach: 1 mention
  > “Grunt by Mary Roach” — Human Technomorphology (SWAPPING OUT BODY PARTS) with Mary Roach (2025-09-17)
- [Packing for Mars](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393339918) by Mary Roach: 1 mention
  > “Packing for Mars by Mary Roach” — Human Technomorphology (SWAPPING OUT BODY PARTS) with Mary Roach (2025-09-17)
- [At Day's Close: Night in Times Past](https://podshelf.io/books/9780393344585) by A. Roger Ekirch: 1 mention
  > “And here I must shout him out. Roger Eckrich, who authored the 2006 banger At Day's Close, Night in Times Past. The very first words of this book are the quote, Never greet a stranger in the night for he may be a demon. That's from the Talmud. Now, chapters in this juicy historical work include In the Shadow of Death, Terrors of the Night, Plunder, Violence, and Fire, and the passages that launched modern polyphasic sleep curiosities. Sleep we have lost, rhythms and revelations. And I've read parts of this book. It is an absolutely lovely romp through medieval peasant ale houses, DTF messaging via snuffed candles, lanterns shooed away past fornicating Romans. Just 10 out of 10 for the gossip.” — Noctohabitology (SLEEP PROCRASTINATION) with Vanessa “Nessy” Hill (2026-08-12)
- [Rosemary's Baby](https://podshelf.io/books/9780394545127) by Ira Levin: 1 mention
  > “So, the feminist horror idea, it's kind of gone back, but, you know, before women had a very strong voice in media. So, people like Ira Levin, who was a dude, but in the 60s, he wrote Rosemary's Baby, which is still one of those classics. I'm waiting for a remake for that one, so I got my fingers crossed on that.” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [Meteorologica](https://podshelf.io/books/9780434993970) by Aristotle: 1 mention
  > “Legend has it the field was named by Aristotle, who wrote a tome about weather and named it meteorologica from a root word meteor for lofty. So stuff above us. So let's get to what is over our heads.” — Meteorology (WEATHER & CLIMATE) Encore with Marshall Shepherd (2026-09-09)
- [What Is Real](https://podshelf.io/books/9780465096053) by Adam Becker: 1 mention
  > “What Is Real? by Adam Becker” — ENCORE Quantum Ontology (WHAT IS REAL?) with Adam Becker (2026-03-04)
- [A Little More Social](https://podshelf.io/books/9780593319543) by Nick Epley: 1 mention
  > “I think one thing I love about your work is it does point out that everyone has a valuable story and everyone has something that can kind of stick with you. I think your book, too, A Little More Social, is such a good on-ramp. You know, like 'a little more social' and you go, it's gentle, I could do that, baby steps. And that it's this unexpected happiness, that a lot of our expectations are so much lower.” — Conversational Psychology (CONNECTING WITH OTHERS) with Nicholas Epley (2026-07-10)
- [The Galveston Diet](https://podshelf.io/books/9780593578896) by mary claire haver: 1 mention
  > “I can tell you that the galveston diet is specifically geared toward people going through menopause and it focuses on intermittent fasting with an eight hour window for eating low carb and higher fat foods and some anti inflammatory diet strategies. Now the creator says that inflammation rises especially with decreasing estrogen levels... and the doctor who designed it is Dr. Claire Haver so there you go and a lot of resources for the galveston diet are free online or we can link her book in the show notes.” — Emmenology (MENOPAUSE & PERIMENOPAUSE) Part 2 with Monica Christmas, Mary Claire Haver and Sarah Witkowski (2026-07-23)
- [How to ADHD](https://podshelf.io/books/9780593578957) by Jessica McCabe: 1 mention
  > “How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe” — Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD) Part 2  Encore with How to ADHD, Black Girl Lost Keys, Jahla Osborne + more (2025-12-31)
- [Amplify](https://podshelf.io/books/9780593735909) by Adam Met: 1 mention
  > “Amplify by Adam Met” — Climate Fervorology (ECO-ADVOCACY WITHOUT IT BEING A BUMMER) with AJR’s Adam Met (2025-04-16)
- [Turkey Girl: A Zuni Cinderella Story](https://podshelf.io/books/9780605344983) by Penny Pollock: 1 mention
  > “I'd never heard of this turkey girl story, but I found a copy titled Turkey Girl, A Zuni Cinderella Story. And it's about a poor girl who lives on the mesa and she herds her turkeys all day” — Meleagrology (TURKEYS) with Cyler Conrad (2026-05-06)
- [Hyperbole and a Half](https://podshelf.io/books/9780606340670) by Allie Brosh: 1 mention
  > “have you ever read hyperbole and a half? Yes. Yes. Ali Broch... That girl is so brilliant and so talented... If you Google hyperbole and a half pain scale, you will laugh your ass off.” — Dolorology (PAIN) Encore with Rachel Zoffness (2026-04-22)
- [Wild Animals at Home](https://podshelf.io/books/9780613802468) by Ernest Thompson Seton: 1 mention
  > “Ernest Thompson Seton. In 1913, he wrote a book called Wild Animals at Home. And the well-meaning skunk is chapter six. And this is his first paragraph. I have a profound admiration for the skunk. Indeed, I once maintained that this animal was proper emblem of America.” — Mephitology (SKUNKS) Part 2 with Jerry Dragoo (2026-08-26)
- [Lolita](https://podshelf.io/books/9780679723165) by Vladimir Nabokov: 1 mention
  > “Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov” — Literary Olfactology (THE POLITICS OF SMELL) with Ally Louks (2025-07-30)
- [Ghost Hunters: True Stories from the World's Most Famous Demonologists](https://podshelf.io/books/9780708848371) by Ed Warren, Lorraine Warren: 1 mention
  > “Ghost Hunters by Deborah Blum” — Historical Toxicology (OLD TIMEY POISONS) with Deborah Blum (2025-10-29)
- [Spook](https://podshelf.io/books/9780739467299) by Mary Roach: 1 mention
  > “Spook by Mary Roach” — Human Technomorphology (SWAPPING OUT BODY PARTS) with Mary Roach (2025-09-17)
- [Swept Away](https://podshelf.io/books/9780764354458) by Karen Hobbs: 1 mention
  > “You can find books on how to make a broom at such places. But I will point to two more contemporary books. One is Swept Away by Karen Hobbs. This is how a lot of people got started making brooms. Karen Hobbs sadly passed. I mentioned Nam Jyoti earlier in the episode. I learned from a woman named Carol Morse at Foxfire. Nam studied a little bit with Karen Hobbs.” — Broomology (BROOMS) with Cate O’Connell-Richards (2026-10-21)
- [Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty](https://podshelf.io/books/9780805071658) by Roy F. Baumeister: 1 mention
  > “Evil: A Critical Primer by Kenneth MacKendrick” — Critical Ponerology (WHAT IS “EVIL”?) with Kenneth MacKendrick (2025-10-22)
- [The Way the Wind Blows](https://podshelf.io/books/9780812906653) by Alec Douglas-Home: 1 mention
  > “…the disintegration of societal complexity. So this ologist is an anthropologist, historian, a legend, a one-of-a-kind expert in the field, literally wrote the book on the topic titled The Collapse of Complex Societies. And he also authored The Way the Wind Blows, Climate, History, and Human Action, as well as the book Drilling Down, The Gulf Oil Debacle, and Our Energy Dilemma. And it has been on radio and TV, worked on movies as a consultant, and has continued to teach as a professor of environme…” — Collapsology (SOCIETAL COLLAPSE, LOL!) with Joseph Tainter (2026-07-01)
- [Marijuana: A Short History](https://podshelf.io/books/9780815738312) by John Hudak: 1 mention
  > “But as John Hudak wrote in his book, Marijuana, a short history, quote, for decades, the war on drugs has been a tool to target black and brown Americans” — Cannabinology (MARIJUANA) Part 2 with Ziva Cooper and Caroline Melly (2026-04-15)
- [The White House Cookbook](https://podshelf.io/books/9780832605413) by Jones, Robert: 1 mention
  > “President James Garfield, he liked this protein source so much that the 1887 White House Cookbook features a recipe for squirrel soup. And that involves lima beans, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, butter, celery, parsley, and the use of a coarse colander, quote, so as to get rid of the squirrel's troublesome little bones. Well, the recipe concludes with a self-review. Very good.” — Sciuridology (SQUIRRELS) Encore with Karen Munroe (2026-07-30)
- [By Shaker Hands](https://podshelf.io/books/9780874515428) by June Sprigg: 1 mention
  > “Author June Sprigg wrote a book called By Shaker Hands and noted that, quote, the shakers felt that work and worship were inseparable. So their household tools and objects were used with reverence, like a ritual. They had a real pride in their workmanship, work people-ship.” — Broomology (BROOMS) with Cate O’Connell-Richards (2026-10-21)
- [Human Extinction: A History of the Science and Ethics of Annihilation](https://podshelf.io/books/9781032159065) by Émile Torres: 1 mention
  > “But Dr. Emil Torres is a philosopher and a historian of human extinction. They report, sadly, it's an increasingly relevant topic. And you can check out their 2023 book, Human Extinction, A History of the Science and Ethics of Annihilation. And if you're more kind of in a listening mood, you can enjoy their podcast, Dystopia Now.” — Collapsology (SOCIETAL COLLAPSE, LOL!) with Joseph Tainter (2026-07-01)
- [Strange Bedfellows](https://podshelf.io/books/9781250206640) by Ina Park: 1 mention
  > “Strange Bedfellows by Ina Park” — Venereology (SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS) with Ina Park (2026-02-11)
- [Dad Brain](https://podshelf.io/books/9781250387523) by Darby Saxbe: 1 mention
  > “So they just came to my home studio with my small poodle mutt Grammy snoozing in the corner to chat about fatherhood, the industrial revolution, male hormones during pregnancy and after, what defines a good dad, diaper changing, division of labor, dad bods, gorillas, toxic masculinity, and their new excellent book titled Dad Brain, The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men's Lives.” — Paternology (FATHERHOOD) with Darby Saxbe (2026-06-10)
- [Sounds Like Misophonia](https://podshelf.io/books/9781399404983) by Jane Gregory: 1 mention
  > “Sounds Like Misophonia by Jane Gregory” — Misophonology (DISTRACTING SOUND & NOISE RAGE) with Jane Gregory (2024-08-14)
- [Brave New You](https://podshelf.io/books/9781401976569) by Cory Allen: 1 mention
  > “Brave New You by Mary Poffenroth” — Araneology (SPIDERS) with Marshal Hedin (2025-05-14)
- [The Poisoner's Handbook](https://podshelf.io/books/9781410425126) by Deborah Blum: 1 mention
  > “The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum” — Historical Toxicology (OLD TIMEY POISONS) with Deborah Blum (2025-10-29)
- [Why Whales Sing](https://podshelf.io/books/9781421452890) by Mercado, Eduardo: 1 mention
  > “Professor of psychology at the University of Buffalo and the director of the Neural and Cognitive Plasticity Laboratory, Dr. Eduardo Mercado III, has just proposed in his new book, Why Whales Sing, that what whale scientists have been calling songs are actually a sophisticated form of echolocation, similar to what bats do. So if you want more on that hypothesis, you can check out Why Whales Sing by Eduardo Mercado III.” — Biomusicology (OUR MUSICAL NATURE) with David Bashwiner (2026-06-25)
- [Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana, Medical, Recreational, and Scientific](https://podshelf.io/books/9781439102619) by Martin A. Lee: 1 mention
  > “according to the 2013 veritable textbook Smoke Signals, A Social History of Marijuana, Medical, Recreational, and Scientific, we started to discover our own endocannabinoid system after firs” — Cannabinology (MARIJUANA) Part 1 with Ziva Cooper and Caroline Melly (2026-04-08)
- [Drilling Down: The Gulf Oil Debacle and Our Energy Dilemma](https://podshelf.io/books/9781441976772) by Joseph A. Tainter, Tadeusz W. Patzek: 1 mention
  > “And he also authored The Way the Wind Blows, Climate, History, and Human Action, as well as the book Drilling Down, The Gulf Oil Debacle, and Our Energy Dilemma. And it has been on radio and TV, worked on movies as a consultant, and has continued to teach as a professor of environment and society in the College of Natural Resources at Utah State University until just very recently.” — Collapsology (SOCIETAL COLLAPSE, LOL!) with Joseph Tainter (2026-07-01)
- [Sex and Cetaceans](https://podshelf.io/books/9781466879225) by Marah J. Hardt: 1 mention
  > “Well, let's turn to the textbook, Sex and Cetaceans, which I pray to God was a play on sex in the city. But they have a chapter titled Sex and Killer Whales, Behavior, Exogyny, and the Evolution of Sexual Strategies in the Ocean's Apex Predator. And it says that those male-to-male activities in young orcas may be courtship practice, but in general, orcas mate outside their own pod by using those vocalizations to find a mate in another pod or maybe several mates.” — Orcinology (KILLER WHALES) with Jorge Vélez-Juarbe (2026-10-14)
- [Jumping the Broom: The Surprising Multicultural Origins of a Black Wedding Ritual](https://podshelf.io/books/9781469660868) by Tyler D. Parry: 1 mention
  > “I'm going to point to right now a really great book called Jumping the Broom by Tyler D. Parry, who is an associate professor of African-American and African diaspora studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In this book, it's fantastic. There's actually a lot of cultures that jumping the broom came from. Romani peoples, different African traditions, and the British Isles, specifically Celts and Welsh peoples.” — Broomology (BROOMS) with Cate O’Connell-Richards (2026-10-21)
- [Horror on the Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction](https://podshelf.io/books/9781493084791) by Austin Lim: 1 mention
  > “So this ologist is an associate biology, psychology, and neuroscience professor in the College of Science and Health at Chicago's DePaul University with a roster of courses including the brain and behavior, physiological psychology, the brain through science fiction, and of course wrote the book on the topics titled Horror on the Brain. The Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction. I could not get them on fast enough, so we hopped on a call to kick off this creepiest month, and he was flanked by a backdrop of bookshelves containing all kinds of fiction.” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [It](https://podshelf.io/books/9781501142970) by Stephen King: 1 mention
  > “Yeah, that's a cool question about what is it with the deal with clowns? Yeah. Yeah, Stephen King's It was a big influencer for that. I think there's also something about clown makeup that initiates the uncanny valley sensation.” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [Brave New You](https://podshelf.io/books/9781523518616) by Mary Poffenroth: 1 mention
  > “Now, I consider my amygdala to be a screaming almond of terror. And let's hear a little from biopsychologist and author of the book Brave New You, the now doctor, Mary Poffinroth, who is one of our all-time favorite guests after she did a two-part fearology episode. She's great.” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [Plight of the Living Dead: What Real-Life Zombies Reveal About Our World—and Ourselves](https://podshelf.io/books/9781524705145) by Matt Simon: 1 mention
  > “But some zombies, I hate to tell you, they are real. If you ask Matt Simon, a science writer who authored the book Plight of the Living Dead, what real life zombies reveal about our world and ourselves. And this book is so good. Matt's a hilarious writer. It features all kinds of Darwinian gore from parasitic wasps doing brain surgery and keeping you alive while their babies eat your guts. To tales of crickets who yearn to drown themselves in the moonlight so that a nematode as big as them can crawl out of their butt.” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity](https://podshelf.io/books/9781541619593) by Adam Becker: 1 mention
  > “More Everything Forever by Adam Becker” — ENCORE Quantum Ontology (WHAT IS REAL?) with Adam Becker (2026-03-04)
- [Cabinology](https://podshelf.io/books/9781561589487) by Dale Mulfinger: 1 mention
  > “Cabinology by Dale Mulfinger” — Cabinology (CABINS) Encore with Dale Mulfinger (2024-12-24)
- [Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them](https://podshelf.io/books/9781572843219) by Tove Danovich: 1 mention
  > “In the meantime, you can gawk at her chickens on Instagram at bestlittlehenhouse. And we'll link that and her website and her blue sky, which is TK Dano at blue sky, as well as her book, which is under the hen fluence, which is what every potential chicken haver needs. We'll be back next week with a bunch of your chicken questions, which are excellent ones.” — Chickenology Part 1 (HENS & ROOSTERS) with Tove Danovich (2026-11-04)
- [Malleus Maleficarum](https://podshelf.io/books/9781585090983) by Heinrich Kramer: 1 mention
  > “And then we get the Malais Maleficarum, which is written by a German clergyman, Kramer. This is where we get a lot of our imagery, our, again, quotes, knowledge of witch practices. There's talks of witches traveling, flying. They're working in service to the devil and really kind of fomenting a paranoia overall about the sneaky nature of witches and how they use the most unassuming objects for evil purposes, wood and bone and root.” — Broomology (BROOMS) with Cate O’Connell-Richards (2026-10-21)
- [Moral Tribes](https://podshelf.io/books/9781594202605) by Joshua Greene: 1 mention
  > “Moral Tribes by Joshua Greene” — Trolleyology (MORAL DILEMMAS + THE TROLLEY PROBLEM) with Joshua Greene (2025-08-20)
- [Guitar Zero](https://podshelf.io/books/9781594203176) by Gary F. Marcus: 1 mention
  > “So there's a book, it's about a guy who's maybe 40 and he decides to learn the guitar for the first time and he makes himself play — his goal is to play a show a year later. This book, side note, is by psychologist and cognitive scientist Gary Marcus and it's called Guitar Zero, and like that book he goes and interviews all these people including like famous people, but it's really beautiful. It's again this idea that we tend to think that music is something you have to go to some fancy music school for.” — Biomusicology (OUR MUSICAL NATURE) with David Bashwiner (2026-06-25)
- [The Not So Big House](https://podshelf.io/books/9781600851506) by Sarah Susanka: 1 mention
  > “The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka” — Cabinology (CABINS) Encore with Dale Mulfinger (2024-12-24)
- [Monsters in America](https://podshelf.io/books/9781602583146) by W. Scott Poole: 1 mention
  > “But I asked teratologist Dr. W. Scott Poole, who wrote the books Monsters in America and Dark Carnivals, Modern Horror and the Origins of the American Empire, to just get down to brass tacks and silver bullets with me. What exactly is defined as a monster? What's a monster? What's a demon? What's a zombie? What's a cryptid?” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [Florentine Codex](https://podshelf.io/books/9781607811596) by Bernardino De Sahagun: 1 mention
  > “Well, there's also in South America, the Floritene Codex in the, what's it, the 1500s maybe? Where they're translating the Aztec language and the Spanish language, and they were writing the same story side by side. And so you're kind of learning the Aztec tradition in the Spanish. Of course, I've read the English translation.” — Mephitology (SKUNKS) with Jerry Dragoo (2026-08-19)
- [The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets](https://podshelf.io/books/9781620402771) by Simon Singh: 1 mention
  > “The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh” — Cryptology (SECRET CODES) with Simon Singh (2025-06-04)
- [Dark Carnivals: Modern Horror and the Origins of the American Empire](https://podshelf.io/books/9781640096127) by W. Scott Poole: 1 mention
  > “But I asked teratologist Dr. W. Scott Poole, who wrote the books Monsters in America and Dark Carnivals, Modern Horror and the Origins of the American Empire, to just get down to brass tacks and silver bullets with me. What exactly is defined as a monster? What's a monster? What's a demon? What's a zombie? What's a cryptid?” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [Recycling for Death](https://podshelf.io/books/9781649031280) by Kara Cooney: 1 mention
  > “Recycling for Death by Kara Cooney” — Momiology (MUMMIFICATION) with Kara Cooney & Salima Ikram (2024-10-09)
- [99 Bottles: A Black Sheep's Guide to Life-Changing Wines](https://podshelf.io/books/9781683354925) by André Hueston Mack: 1 mention
  > “I wrote a book called 99 Bottles and 99 Bottles tell my wine life story through 99 Bottles... the bottles that I've tasted and the stories behind them.” — Enology Methodology (HOW TO DRINK WINE) with André Hueston Mack (2026-05-20)
- [The Pain Management Workbook](https://podshelf.io/books/9781684036448) by Rachel Zoffness: 1 mention
  > “the author of the pain management workbook, which might be the best $20 you can ever spend other than skeeball” — Dolorology (PAIN) Encore with Rachel Zoffness (2026-04-22)
- [Willow](https://podshelf.io/books/9781780232928) by Alison Syme: 1 mention
  > “So what you're going to want to do, perhaps, is get a copy of Willow by Alison Syme, published by Reaction Books, which is 240 pages of willow folklore. We'll link it on our website at aliwar.com slash ologies slash salixology.” — Salixology (WILLOWS & SCULPTURE) with Patrick Dougherty (2026-09-24)
- [Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth](https://podshelf.io/books/9781921753176) by Juliet Schor: 1 mention
  > “But a huge question I had, and you might as well, is in all of this talk of consumerism, what is too much? And in her book, Plentitude, The New Economics of True Wealth, economist and sociologist Dr. Juliette Shore pinpoints what matters most in the leisure that we're seeking, what is worth investing in. And that's a shift toward elements like nature and community and fostering learning and spending time. And the brain derives pleasure and renewal from experiences and memories and bonding.” — Party Psychology (WHY WE CELEBRATE) with Danielle Brick & Kelley Gullo-Wight (2026-09-05)
- [The Handmade Broom](https://podshelf.io/books/9781951217549) by Cynthia Main: 1 mention
  > “The other is by a woman who runs Sunhouse Craft, and her name is Cynthia. This is a very, very new book. Cynthia Main. Very recent. It's called The Handmade Broom. And she runs Sunhouse Craft also in Berea, Kentucky. Again, we're talking the South. There's a lot of support for handcrafts there. All you need is a few things and you can make a broom.” — Broomology (BROOMS) with Cate O’Connell-Richards (2026-10-21)
- [Fuzz](https://podshelf.io/books/9781978680586) by Mary Roach: 1 mention
  > “Fuzz by Mary Roach” — Human Technomorphology (SWAPPING OUT BODY PARTS) with Mary Roach (2025-09-17)
- [Leave Only Footprints](https://podshelf.io/books/9781984823564) by Conor Knighton: 1 mention
  > “Connor Nightington is a friend of mine... he wrote a book called Leave Only Footprints. It's about national parks.” — Special Episode: Wall to Wall Secrets, Sorry! (2026-05-14)
- [Ethnobiology of Corals and Coral Reefs](https://podshelf.io/books/9783319237633) by Nemer Narchi, Lisa Leimar Price: 1 mention
  > “coral reefs surrounding Hawaii, there's also a really big cultural necessity of protecting and preserving those ecosystems. And there's a piece called Pukamai Heikoa, The Significance of Corals in Hawaiian Culture. And it's featured in the book Ethnobiology of Corals and Coral Reefs. With an F.” — Cnidariology (CORAL) Encore with Shayle Matsuda (2026-06-17)
- [The Giving Tree](https://podshelf.io/books/9784751525401) by Shel Silverstein: 1 mention
  > “Speaking of weeping, did you ever weep at the giving tree by shelves? Oh, yeah. Man, that's a real weeper, isn't it? I mean, what a parable of codependence, too, and enabling. But also, it's beautiful that the work that you do is shoots that are renewed and making something out of an area that's been cut down already.” — Salixology (WILLOWS & SCULPTURE) with Patrick Dougherty (2026-09-24)
- [Fermat's Last Theorem](https://podshelf.io/books/9789172636880) by Simon Singh: 1 mention
  > “Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh” — Cryptology (SECRET CODES) with Simon Singh (2025-06-04)
- [Goosebumps](https://podshelf.io/books/9789580434092) by Robert Lawrence Stine: 1 mention
  > “Yeah, it's gone through phases. It started out when I was really young. The Goosebumps books were my favorite. And then, you know, I've always been a gamer.” — Horror Neurobiology (WATCHING SCARY STUFF) with Austin Lim (2026-10-09)
- [All About Allergies: Everything You Need to Know About Asthma, Food Allergies, Hay Fever, and More](https://podshelf.io/books/9798217047970) by Zachary Rubin: 1 mention
  > “So ask incredible people itchy questions and find Dr. Zachary Rubin at Rubin underscore allergy on YouTube and TikTok and Instagram and again his brand bestselling book all about allergies everything you need to know about asthma food allergies hay fever and more is available wherever you get books. We will link all of that in the show notes.” — Allergology (ALLERGIES) with Zachary Rubin (2026-03-18)