If Books Could Kill podcast
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 13 of 42 podcasts by recommenders
Entertaining podcast that takes apart popular books and current ideas. Critics say it looks for problems where none exist.
Entertaining podcast that takes apart popular books and current ideas. Critics say it looks for problems where none exist.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Entertaining and well liked
“it is quite entertaining, considering the subject matter”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Tesla registrations crash 17% in Europe as BEV market surges 14%” “I highly recommend the podcast: If Books Could Kill.”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Has AI already killed self-help nonfiction books?” “I'm very fond of If Books Could Kill.”
Comment from 8 Mar 2026 in “Ask HN: How to Be Alone?” Covers current stories and ideas
“If you like Podcasts the "If Books Could Kill" Podcast goes into some of this story again too.”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “I'm Scared About Biological Computing” “what really sent me over the edge was the "if books could kill" podcast episode about it”
Comment from 17 Apr 2026 in “How to make buffet breakfasts less wasteful” “See also the 'If books could kill' podcast's take”
Comment from 7 Dec 2025 in “The past was not that cute”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Looks for problems where none exist
“I think the podcast is mostly looking for problems where there aren't any.”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Has AI already killed self-help nonfiction books?”
Other podcasts people recommend
The four most recommended other podcasts, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarkesh Podcast | 29 | 8 | 78% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Oxide and Friends | 26 | 3 | 90% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Acquired podcast | 25 | 0 | 100% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Behind the Bastards podcast | 18 | 1 | 95% | 11 | — | Approved |
| If Books Could Kill podcastThis page | 10 | 2 | 83% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
11 of the 13 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I think the podcast is mostly looking for problems where there aren't any.”
“I highly recommend the podcast: If Books Could Kill.”
“My favorite episodes of IBCK are mostly the self-help trash.”
“It really is all the same book.”
“If you like Podcasts the "If Books Could Kill" Podcast goes into some of this story again too.”
“my takeaway was they seem to be against every book they review”
“what really sent me over the edge was the "if books could kill" podcast episode about it”
“I'm very fond of If Books Could Kill.”
“it is quite entertaining, considering the subject matter”
“I came for Žižek and instead got Haidt, Taleb, Hannania and the rest of the If Books Could Kill podcast backlog.”
“See also the 'If books could kill' podcast's take”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.