Heard Conor on the Talkin’ Simpsons. Grew up with Mike on MST3k, so instantly became a fan. So happy I listened to this instead of reading Ready Player One and having to suffer alone

Finally a podcast that judges books as much as I do. And also by two amazing funny people.

If you’re a fan of MSTK3000, Rifftrax, and reading, or you just enjoy laughing, give this podcast a try. Start from the beginning and it just gets better and better.

This is my favorite podcast when I’m looking for a laugh. It also ruined bad books for me as well. 😂

At one time, I enjoyed this show, but it’s become mind numbingly repetitive. They’re so fixated on adding content to Patreon that they’ve sucked the soul out of the show, often repeating the exact same jokes time after time. It’s like they can’t remember what they talked about or read from week to week. It’s become a lifeless slog of bad Simpson’s jokes and Mike forgetting what happened from week to week, chapter to chapter. They’ve turned something that they were doing for fun, into a garbage money grab. I was more than happy to support then through Patreon when they weren’t removing content. Now, you commonly hear “We’ll save that for Patreon.” If this is what you’re offering then why listen at all? To reiterate, I subbed to their Patreon, early on, and felt like a fool when I realized how much they eventually degraded the podcast in order to monetize it. It’s not a great experience to listen to a show, hear you talk about something potentially funny, either pause or finish the show, then go to Patreon to see the “bonus” content. This is especially frustrating knowing that this content was once in the podcast.

I was a longtime fan of 372 Pages and recently took the plunge to become a Patreon supporter. Unfortunately, since then, I’ve noticed that the show is simply not as much fun as it used to be. It’s been a longstanding criticism of the show that Mike and Conor simply nitpick and repeat the same critiques over and over. Until recently, I thought this criticism was a little overblown. However, the nitpicks and repetitive complaints have become far more prevalent lately. There also seems to be a new level of mean-spiritedness that was not there before. Perhaps it has something to do with their more recent book choices. The books that they focus on nowadays seem to either be odd and unusual, but not bad (The Starlight Barking, for instance) or are the work of largely unknown indy authors. Whatever sins those indy authors have committed, seeing two highly successful people like Mike and Conor go after them inevitably feels like punching down. When they would tear Ernest Cline or Sean Penn a new one, it felt like literary justice. With these more obscure authors, it just feels mean. In addition, the two hosts have recently become obsessed with wringing as much money out of their fans as possible. It was disheartening as a five-dollar patron to be constantly reminded that I was missing out because I wasn’t paying for their new eight-dollar video tier. The new mean-spiritedness also seems to have filtered down into their paying fanbase itself, which went out of its way to make my stay there a miserable one. Overall, I’m sad that I have to write this review, as this used to be one of my favorite podcasts. I hope Mike and Conor can address these issues and turn the show around, so that it can go back to being as funny and enjoyable as it once was. Until that happens, however, this is no longer a podcast that I can recommend to new listeners.

I’ve been listening to this podcast since it began, but only recently joined the Patreon after listening to last episode’s full thirty odd minutes of Conor reciting every dog breed. That level of crazy commitment deserves some dosh.

Good podcast

What makes this podcast so fun? Part of it is listening to Mike and Conor lose their will to live multiple times per episode. There are some doozies in the run of the show, but it’s worth getting through them for the humor.

Excellent premise and sharp humour. People on the office will often look over to see why I am el-oh-elling. Great choice of books and I have been just as entertained listening to Edison’s courageous capture of Mars as I was from the very first segment of RP1, and all episodes in between. Huzzah!

The most sophisticated humor based book club on the interwebs!

It’s the same story as so many other podcasts. An idea that has legs for 30’ish episodes becomes a monetized income source/promotional vehicle for its hosts. They come up with a standard format (with “departments” they cover in every episode), endlessly hock their patreon campaign and their live shows, etc. it starts to become less about the premise of the show and more about the hosts (and then feeding the growing Parasocial Relationships they’re now cultivating with their Patrons). Also, like most podcasts that go down this route, the premise loses its luster once they run out of good topics to cover. They’re scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to interesting books

Michael J Nelson MST3K alumni (the big goofy prisoner in the blue suit), Rifftrax creator and driving force as well as Conor Lastowka author of "The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe" and "Jaws" riff on bad books. This is a great podcast for folks who like to laugh and have a desire to be put in a current event decompression chamber, getting their entertainment without any sign even subtly of a political bent. If you like good natured humor, books, MST3K and want to escape all the nonsense going on in the world, you will love this podcast.

Mike (MST3K, Rifftrax) and Conner (Rifftrax) do a great job breaking down mostly bad books. While they spend a lot of time criticizing, they’re also clearly having a blast and seem to enjoy (at least, in a campy sort of way) reading some of these books, especially the utterly unhinged ones that tend to come from nonprofessional authors. Throughout the show, they alternate between books by mainstream authors (Ready Player One, Gump and Co. etc.) and outsider/self-published efforts (The Moon People, Eye of Argon, etc.) the latter being real jewels of utter weirdness. Each book gets around 3-6 podcast devoted to it, and each episode has a lot of fun little diversion like “Real or Fanfic” where the hosts challenge each other to guess of passages are from the actual book or were submitted by listeners. Conner and Mike also complement each other has co-hosts with verging cultural and generational perspectives, which keeps the banter lively. Really love spending time with these two and hope they keep the show going through many many more bad books to come.

Stop. Eating. While. Podcasting.

Groins will tighten.

I found this podcast from the Ready Player One Wikipedia entry. Full disclosure: I enjoyed the audiobook as ready by Wil Wheaton, and while it is not the next Great American Novel (nor even a “novel” in the strictest sense of the word- more of a sci-fi adventure), I find it a compelling view of VR, a feast of 80s culture, an a fun adventure full of Wheaton’s verve. Still, I wanted to hear this podcast riff on the book but decided to start with one of their later episodes to acclimate to their style. Those episodes were so dull, unfunny, and fluffed with the hosts lifeless banter that I had to cut to the chase and start from the beginning. I came to hear funny and informed criticism of Ernest Cline’s book from a couple blokes who know about writing. What I got was dry, pedantic, nit-picking that even critical-me found impossible to agree with. Whiffed riffs like: Kids can “walk” around a school in VR? PREPOSTEROUS! A reclusive incel hacker becomes a billionaire making video games and still prefers life in video games? INCONCEIVABLE! A character has nostalgia for the 80s pop culture but also likes some movies from the 90s? A FATAL PLOT HOLE MR CLINE! If these guys were funny, it would be one thing. Same goes if the they were right in their criticism. In either case, I’m so interested in the topic that I’d I’d power through. But I was on a three-hour long car ride away from any cell reception and just this show downloaded on my phone. Half way through, I decided to listen to the wind instead. 92 minutes I won’t get back.

I love this show! The books are so bad! I love that we get to laugh at the terrible books together. I do regret that I didn’t know about it at the beginning; it would have made the beginning of Corona times way better. Thanks y’all!

I have listened to many episodes multiple times.

But in Ancient Greek the "th" sound in Theophilus would have been pronounced as an aspirated alveolar plosive, more similar to the /t/ in Tyra than the /θ/ in "Theo." And it's "Koy-ney" but "Co-ine" is an interesting take

I think it’s funny how these guys dump on authors for poor writing and lack of creativity, but then they nitpick the same things over and over and over and over and over again. Gets old really fast.

I found the 372 Pages podcast about a year ago, and it quickly became my favorite. Mike and Conor have an easy, hilarious rapport. Yeah, they skewer the books featured on the show, but they’re not unduly harsh or jerky about it -- unless such treatment is called for (see Ernest Cline, Sean Penn, E.L. James). I’ve learned not to eat or drink while listening, based on the sheer number of spit-takes per episode. And since I’m working on an MFA in creative writing, I can procrastinate on my thesis work by listening to episodes and still convince myself that I’m doing something edifying and tangentially related to my studies.

I’ve heard every episode so far and I love this podcast. I’ve only read along with 3 or 4 of the books. You don’t need to read along to enjoy.

Super snarky and kind of mean-spirited. Nitpicky and pedantic. But also funny and well-researched, with fun pre-recorded sketches and long, involved bits that do pay off. If you like this kind of thing, the podcast delivers with consistency and good sound quality.

Mostly enjoyable podcast, especially the Cline book segments. However, definitely overly nit picky, and does not give any credit where deserved. Ready Player One has its faults but is not nearly as bad as they make it out to be. Also most annoying is how the hosts dump on the original material Cline references just because he references it. “He here quotes more garbage movies”, etc. Is it John Hughes fault that Cline is obsessive about his films? Don’t get me wrong, this is a funny podcast, but the tone is off.

Best enjoyed alone

Love it! Big fan of Rifftrax and I had heard Mike Nelson and Conor Lastowka (Senior-Writer at Rifftrax) were doing a book review podcast together but it was always something I’d eventually get around to listening to. Now I’ve gotten around to listening and boy was I missing out. Love the long-form book review/riffing. Each podcast is just a little further into the book and it’s such a fun listen. Not only are the hosts great but they also include occasional fun little bits/skits that really add a lot of enjoyment to what is essentially a podcast book club. If you’re a fan of Rifftrax/MST3k and/or just need a fun little occasional break from reality then I highly recommend 372 Page We’ll Never Get Back.

...of those I listen to. Mike and Connor as we know from their other work are well read and extremely smart. They’re hilarious without being crude or overly mean. They’re fairly gentle and good natured with the sincere amateur authors they cover and seem to have some affection for Stephenie Meyer, given all the entertainment she’s brought to Rifftrax over the years. Meanwhile, their utter contempt for the works of Sean Penn, EL James, and Ernest Cline is a cathartic delight. Episodes are long but a definite recommend.

The creators of this podcast would likely do better to spend time on their own original creative endeavors than taking pot-shots at people who are actually contributing something.

You know, you can criticize and find humor in the Eye of Argon without making fun of its 16-year-old author who “probably wears all-black” and got his ideas “from a comic book shop.” What was Michael J. Nelson doing at 16? Probably reading the Lord of the Rings and waiting for the day he could sneer at other nerds, I guess.

I just stumbled on this podcast yesterday, and now I’ve listened to ALL of the episodes about Ready Player One, which is clearly better than having read the book, but also I now know much more about it than I ever wanted to. This is a wonderful podcast!

The experience of listening to some podcasts is akin to stubbing your toe. Not your big toe mind you but the little one. Stubbing it really hard! And as you lie on the floor clutching the shattered remains of what used to be your pinkey toe, you shout to the heaveans "Why? Why didn't I just listen to 372 Pages We'll Never Get back? Why?" Because, as you see, 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back is not one of theose toe stubbing podcasts. Well, at least not the pinkey toe. 5 STARS!

Conor and Mike are so good at this. More than any podcast, 372 Pages cheers me when I’m blue and energizes me when I’m feeling great.

Mike and Conor do an amazing job of skewering bad books. While I didn’t agree with all of their choices, ( I actually liked TekWar.) the guys are absolutely hilarious in their roasting of the books. I’d honestly subscribe to the podcast just to listen to the guys read the books without any commentary, the fact that they add their hilarious take on the books is an added bonus. If you like RiffTrax or Mystery Science Theater 3000, you will love this podcast!

Terrible books are the price paid for the funniest podcast I’ve listened to in a long while

While reading I’ve found a deep self-hate, of the Catholic variety. Co-commiserating about Shadow Moon is not so cathartic as it is extended emotional abuse.

Even in the worst books, this podcast makes it funny. Mike and Conor have a great thing going here. Keep up the great work!

Downloaded for a specific episode, overall product was adequate. Perfect for distracting yourself at work. An acceptable product, would recommend.

The title says it all, Mike Nelson and Conor Lastowka from RIFFTRAX use their wit on books, a must listen!

Never realized I needed this in my life. A podcast that rips into hilariously bad books. Would recommend.

This is one of the best and funniest podcasts out there. Fans of MST3K and RiffTrax will enjoy this or even fans of undeserving books that are praised just get obliterated. I don’t actually read along but the hosts provide enough context and summary to get the gist of it. Enjoy!

You’ll LOVE this podcast! I wasn’t familiar with Connor (sp?) until now- his personality is SO endearing! I love his giggle:) Ok, back to substance: Mike is hilarious, as usual. Their banter is natural and witty. The “departments” are always entertaining as well. Eg. Author’s words or fan fiction (?), and Dumb sentences. Fans of MST3K and Rifftrax will enjoy their occasional references. I TRIED reading ‘Ready Player One.’ It was the suckiest book I’d ever entered! I only made it through about 40 pages, but I still loved the podcast! Oh, but ‘suckyness’ torpedoed to the earth’s core with the “writing” of Sean Penn. You HAVE to read that one! The accompanying pod (so far) is...oddly therapeutic! LOL

My husband and I only listen to this together on specially designated Podcast Nights. Woe betide the spouse who gets greedy and listens ahead.

The thing I found most annoying about this podcast is the hosts think they are so smart...and they are that smart. I didn’t think Ready Player One was a good book, but it was kind of fun. Hearing every way that it was horrible was a little depressing. I think it would have been a little more fun if they had a “geek/fanboy” this book was written about and for trying to defend it a little.

Love the show. I haven’t read any of the books so far and probably won’t ever. Much better this way

The most scozsctic podcast you will find. 5 stars.

Exploring the Clineverse was an amazing journey. Please make more!

It’s borderline cathartic to have articulated why this book was so awful to read. I thought I was the one taking crazy pills until this wonderful podcast came into my life.

Now do another season

I didn’t like the book, so was fully on board to hear it critiqued (or at least ripped apart in a relevantly humorous way). This though, is mostly two older gentlemen nitpicking things they don’t fully grasp. I wouldn’t go so far as a “grandparents trying to figure out the internet” scenario, but more of a “these kids today” lecture. Don’t get me wrong, I know the book was written by someone not on the cutting edge of youth, and that these two gentlemen do have what sounds like a well-rounded background in smarts, but the quasi vehemence towards the book and its (unwarranted) success gives me the sads a little bit. Yeah, the book stinks. Yeah, the author got a lot of $$$ for it. Who cares, move on. I barely got through episode 1. I’ll try the next one, and if it’s more tolerable (based on other reviews I’ve read, I fear this won’t be the case) I’ll edit this in an appropriate manner. And I must apologize, this is my most harsh review ever in the history of the world, but it’s 100% in keeping with the theme of the show: 90% nitpicking hate, 10% valuable input.