In this week's episode, I’m sharing why The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy is one of the most powerful things I’ve ever read. It’s only 53 pages, but it forced me to rethink how I’m living, what I’m chasing, and whether I’m being honest with myself.

We’ll break down what this book is really about (spoiler: it’s not just death), how it gets under your skin, and why it might be the wake-up call you didn’t know you needed.

💡 In this video, you'll learn:

• What makes The Death of Ivan Ilych a manual for living authentically
• How Tolstoy captures the lies we tell ourselves
• Why I bought 100 copies of this book and created a course around it

📚 Want to read this with me?

This November, I’m teaching a 30-day live course on The Death of Ivan Ilych.

We’ll read slowly together, take deep notes, and build a personal system for lifelong learning. It’s part reading group, part note-taking workshop, and part life reset.

📦 What’s Included in the Course:

• A physical copy of the book
• A custom Edgewater reading journal
• A handcrafted bookmark
• 14 live reading sessions + 4 instructional workshops
• Full access to recordings for 1 year
• And a chance to support the launch of Edgewater Bookstore

Only 500 seats available.

🎉🔗 Link to reserve your seat: https://pages.thereadwellpodcast.com/products/30-day-deep-reading-course

Let’s read slowly, take notes, and apply the ideas -- together.

-Eddy

Send Me a Text Message with Your Questions

IMPORTANT LINKS:
🛍️ - Visit my Bookstore Online - https://edgewaterbookstore.com/

📝 - Join my Newsletter Letter for weekly tips on reading deeply - https://www.thereadwellpodcast.com/newsletter

📚 - Join The Read Well Book Club: https://thereadwellpodcast.com/book-club/

As a kid, I used to read by flashlight under my covers—completely absorbed, completely amazed. Somewhere along the way, I traded that sense of wonder for utility. In this episode, I talk about what happened and how to get it back. I’ll share one book that lit the fire again and offer a few tips for reclaiming a deeper, more joyful experience of reading.

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IMPORTANT LINKS:
🛍️ - Visit my Bookstore Online - https://edgewaterbookstore.com/

📝 - Join my Newsletter Letter for weekly tips on reading deeply - https://www.thereadwellpodcast.com/newsletter

📚 - Join The Read Well Book Club: https://thereadwellpodcast.com/book-club/

I didn’t pick these books expecting them to shake up my perspective. But they did. In this episode, I walk through Working Days by John Steinbeck, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, and Cultish by Amanda Montell—three very different books that ended up revealing something essential about how we live, what we believe, and what we hide from ourselves. If you’re looking for thoughtful, honest reads that might nudge you toward new ways of seeing, this one’s for you.

Send Me a Text Message with Your Questions

IMPORTANT LINKS:
🛍️ - Visit my Bookstore Online - https://edgewaterbookstore.com/

📝 - Join my Newsletter Letter for weekly tips on reading deeply - https://www.thereadwellpodcast.com/newsletter

📚 - Join The Read Well Book Club: https://thereadwellpodcast.com/book-club/

In this episode, I talk about why so many people forget what they read—and how I’ve changed my habits to remember the books that matter. It’s not a trick or a hack. It’s just a way of treating books like relationships. You can’t know someone after one dinner, and you can’t know a book after one reading.

Send Me a Text Message with Your Questions

IMPORTANT LINKS:
🛍️ - Visit my Bookstore Online - https://edgewaterbookstore.com/

📝 - Join my Newsletter Letter for weekly tips on reading deeply - https://www.thereadwellpodcast.com/newsletter

📚 - Join The Read Well Book Club: https://thereadwellpodcast.com/book-club/

This is episode 100 of The Read Well Podcast, and to mark the moment, I’m sharing the 11 books we’ll be reading together from June 2025 to June 2026 in season 3 of the Book Club. If you’re someone who wants to read more deeply, especially when it comes to philosophy and big ideas, I think you’ll want to see what’s on the list. I’ll also explain how to join us for book club—whether you want to talk, listen, or just read alongside a community.

Join the Book Club Here: https://thereadwellpodcast.com/book-club/

Get Your Books Here: https://edgewaterbookstore.com/collections/book-club-season-3-reads

Send Me a Text Message with Your Questions

IMPORTANT LINKS:
🛍️ - Visit my Bookstore Online - https://edgewaterbookstore.com/

📝 - Join my Newsletter Letter for weekly tips on reading deeply - https://www.thereadwellpodcast.com/newsletter

📚 - Join The Read Well Book Club: https://thereadwellpodcast.com/book-club/

I read to spend time with people—fictional or not—that make me think, make me laugh, or just feel like good company. In this episode, I talk about why Less by Andrew Sean Greer worked for me, why Artemis by Andy Weir didn’t, and why I give every novel exactly 50 pages to win me over. This isn’t about snobbery—it’s about using your time wisely.

Send Me a Text Message with Your Questions

IMPORTANT LINKS:
🛍️ - Visit my Bookstore Online - https://edgewaterbookstore.com/

📝 - Join my Newsletter Letter for weekly tips on reading deeply - https://www.thereadwellpodcast.com/newsletter

📚 - Join The Read Well Book Club: https://thereadwellpodcast.com/book-club/

Philosophy can feel like a foreign language at first. I used to struggle with it too—until I found the right books. In this episode, I walk through 9 books that helped me go from confused to curious, and eventually confident. If you’ve ever wanted to read philosophy but didn’t know where to begin, these titles will help you build that muscle. This isn’t about sounding smart—it’s about learning to think clearly.

Send Me a Text Message with Your Questions

IMPORTANT LINKS:
🛍️ - Visit my Bookstore Online - https://edgewaterbookstore.com/

📝 - Join my Newsletter Letter for weekly tips on reading deeply - https://www.thereadwellpodcast.com/newsletter

📚 - Join The Read Well Book Club: https://thereadwellpodcast.com/book-club/

In this episode, I sit down with Binnie Kirshenbaum to talk about her new novel, Counting Backwards—a story about love, aging, and the slow disappearance of memory. We talk about how books can help us wrestle with what it means to be human, and how reading deeply—without rushing—can be one of the most powerful ways to stay present in our own lives.

Send Me a Text Message with Your Questions

IMPORTANT LINKS:
🛍️ - Visit my Bookstore Online - https://edgewaterbookstore.com/

📝 - Join my Newsletter Letter for weekly tips on reading deeply - https://www.thereadwellpodcast.com/newsletter

📚 - Join The Read Well Book Club: https://thereadwellpodcast.com/book-club/