how to win the lottery: a book club podcast

our ohio module kicks off with a known quantity: the undeniably great debut novel from toni morrison, the bluest eye. after briefly reflecting on the states so far, we talk about famous people from ohio as well as whether the bluest eye feels specific to ohio. we talk about its thematic ties to ryan coogler's sinners, as well as the text's generational trauma and its characters who can afford to be nice. why isn't joey bothered when his least favorite trope in movie-making pops up in books? we discuss. we admire toni morrison's mastery of dialogue — especially kid dialogue, as well as kid behavior. we talk about her writing this novel from the perspective of an editor and the merits of introducing great literature to high school students (even if it's lost on them). egg writes in a great email. reading list for season fourteen the bluest eye by toni morrison omensetter's luck by william gass outside in by doug cooper ohio by stephen markley

it's time for another card drawing on lottery pod, and even though we don't say it in this episode: suck shit, sufjan stevens. after we struggle to remember which states we've already covered, we make picks and predictions for both the states that we're most excited about and the states we think will come up in the drawing. (spoiler: shreds is almost right.) we figure out what we're reading. shreds recaps fantasy baseball news from eight months ago. (note: after recording this episode, we decided to swap in the bluest eye by toni morrison for beloved.) reading list for season fourteen the bluest eye by toni morrison omensetter's luck by william gass outside in by doug cooper ohio by stephen markley

we're closing out our second-person module with one of our strongest books yet: open water by caleb azumah nelson. after talking about the pitt (and the mount rushmore of tv), we talk about the lack of irony in open water and the way its naturalistic style makes you forget it's written in second-person. we talk about the way nelson writes about media (and how it feels like a barry jenkins movie), how good he is at describing music, and the good lineage of books with “water” in the title. we ask: what would this be like if it was set in the u.s.? we admire the amazing circumstance of the main characters' meeting, how glad we are at what this book did NOT become, and the shortcut nelson uses to existing art (and the intertextuality it has with other modern media). would this make a good movie? we reflect back on the mixed bag of a module. reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

our penultimate book in the “you” module is a man asleep by georges perec, which is a return to form as it's once again french as hell. we talk about how it compares to suicide by édouard levé and the malady of death by marguerite duras, as well as the refreshing nature of variation in the module. shreds talks about the other short story in the collection (things) and the act of lucid dreaming. we discuss perec describing the act of playing solitaire, whether the end is a call to action (or defeatist), and life as a street performer. shreds talks about bosho's hakus (and how different “english haikus” are), and then he predicts the title of elif batuman's next novel. reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

our “you” module is winding down, so it feels like the perfect time to cover a book that shouldn't be in the module at all: the night circus by erin morgenstern. first, though, we talk about the film magazine dreams (with heavy spoilers): what makes it a mess, what went wrong, and how shreds would have ended the movie. then, we pivot to the night circus to discuss our issues with the text on its own and for the module. shreds explains how it made its way into the module in the first place. joey talks about the biggest issue in writing about illusionists. we both agree on how the second-person could have worked. we talk about how the text is humorless, sexless, and themeless, as well as the recipe of three things that add up to a thing that shreds hates. joey explains how it's like the hunger games (and every other “baby's first uprising” book). shreds has an issue with time. egg writes in to talk about the book's assumption that you just deeply “know” tarot. reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

shreds continues to physically fall apart on our latest episode as we talk about the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida. joey rejoices as we finally hit a book this module that he loves, and we wonder if there's a module we can built around the central element in this novel that he loves. we talk about how young and modern this novel feels, its connection to the last book we covered, and how it may be reminiscent of another book we covered a long time ago. we empathize with the specific types of frustration and dislocation in this book, debate whether the main character grows or evolves, and share who we pictured as the actress. we identify the point at which shreds no longer loves the book, take a detour and forget how we got there, and heap praise on beth morgan. could shreds find books for joey to read he hates more than giles goat-boy? reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

our episode about how like a god by rex stout starts with joey immediately killing one of shreds' bits, setting a vibe. after talking about dave “storyteller” grohl, we talk a lot about shakespeare (including whether hamlet is required reading) before shreds gives this podcast our “ian mckellen on wtf” moment. we talk about how this feels like a philip roth novel, the dislikeable protagonist (amplified by the second-person perspective), and the text's long stretches where it's not quite clear what's happening. we also cover the unnecessary intercutting, feminist and freudian readings of the text, and whether or not this could be adapted into a satisfying film. we recommend other crime books to read instead. reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

the malady of death by marguerite duras is likely the shortest text we've covered on the main feed so far. like suicide last week, it's also european as all hell. after celebrating the 100th book covered on our show, which we missed, we pivot into the malady of death. horny module alert! we explore the mystery behind this book's publication, try to determine how much wine could we drink, and express our love for the craziest final four pages. we ask: does everyone picture themselves as the protagonist? we talk about how the second-person twist is captured in this text. shreds wonders if he could make up a banger of a phrase like “the malady of death.” reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

the next book in our second-person module is suicide by édouard levé, which kicks off a mini-module of shorter writing that is also european as hell. after discussing a gem of a film we discovered on the criterion channel, we talk about suicide‘s up-ending afterward and the manipulation found within the text. we discuss suicide as the defining moment in anyone's life who dies that way and why it's hard to reflect on what happens within the book. we explore how (and why) first-person is found more in this book than in our other books this module, the wildly different alt cover, and how the extensive poetry that ends the text reads in french. we talk about wanting to learn more about translators and the act of translation. egg does a great job of articulating thoughts about this text. reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

welcome back to the penn badgley module. today's episode is the most “normal” book we've read in a while: bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney. we talk about the novel's deadpan humor, whether it feels tied to the 1980s, and how the main character ends the book while still sort of spiraling. we explore the current irony of a plot about fact-checking and computers making life easier, the arc to cocaine as a drug in the united states, and a time where t.g.i. friday's was a cool place to hang out. we wonder if there's a jay mcinerney connected universe and we revisit shreds's shared bennington literary universe. we discuss how the second-person perspective villainizes amanda, the amount that bret easton ellis seems to take from this writing, and the weird miscasting in the film adaptation. shreds champions a specific element of kevin smith's movies. reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

our next second-person novel is if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino, which features an all-time great first chapter. before we talk about the novel, though, we simply must talk about the season 5 trailer for “you.” we then talk about incarnations of the text's “gimmick” in other mediums, whether this is a “horny book for dudes,” and how long a postmodern text can exist before its schtick becomes tiring. we lament a second person element lost in the english language, talk about the text's charlie kaufman-esque elements, and admire its prescience around generative ai. shreds talks about the oulipo gathering. we ask: what do you want in a bookstore? rip david lynch. reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

our second-person module kicks off with interior chinatown by charles yu, which gives us literary whiplash both in terms of difficulty and perspective. we talk about the type of racism that charles yu captures in the book (and the type we “expected” to find), the way he takes down hollywood in the novel (and the similar representations we've seen on tv), and the strengths of the novel (as well as its limitations). we briefly discuss the limited series on hulu (which was a surprise to both of us) and what “chinatown” usually signifies in stories like this. shreds makes a request to make the book longer. reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

it's time for another season of lottery pod, and today's theme reveal is news to everyone, including joey. (well, not everyone. shreds knows. he made it.) we discuss the theme as structure (rather than content), the inspiration for this theme, and the only book most people know that fit this theme. we talk about our goal of aiming for something less depressing, shreds teases modules that he created but abandoned, and we wonder if this module annoy us. we discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of writing in this style. reading list for season thirteen interior chinatown by charles yu if on a winter's night a traveler by italo calvino bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney suicide by édouard levé the malady of death by marguerite duras how like a god by rex stout the diver's clothes lie empty by vendela vida the night circus by erin morgenstern a man asleep by georges perec open water by caleb azumah nelson

after covering four of his novels — 300,000,000, aannex, void corporation, and uxa.gov — we talk to blake butler about his work. note: there are spoilers in this conversation (at least as much as you can spoil blake's work.) we ask him about what he focuses on when he reads, his double book launch, and whether his nonfiction writing helps inform his fiction writing. we learn how miles davis inspired his editing process, the benefits of setting things in the distant future, and how much he thinks about the design on the page while writing. we explore adapting his text to other mediums (and channeling other mediums through the novel as an art form), how he aims to make his readers feel yucky, and how much he shares about his in-progress writing with other writers. blake talks about how he tries to capture america in his writing. we ask a new question in our author-driven module. we pick up some more stone cold nba locks. blake talks about all-you-can-eat buffets. reading list for season twelve 300,000,000 by blake butler aannex by blake butler void corporation by blake butler uxa.gov by blake butler

the final book in our blake butler module is uxa.gov, which may be his hardest-to-understand book we've covered. we talk about why we thought it would be more approachable, as well as why we should know better by now. we discuss the premise and whether it feels or reads like a film being described, the importance of font choice in the printing, and the value of the violence that blake creates in his books. we try to figure out if “chain smoking” four of blake's books in a row the right way to read them as we also reflect on the books we covered this module. we tear down the business of star ratings. shreds explores whether reactions to body horror are universal. (stay tuned for our next episode, releasing in one week, where we talk to blake butler about all four of the novels we read this module.) reading list for season twelve 300,000,000 by blake butler aannex by blake butler void corporation by blake butler uxa.gov by blake butler

our blake butler module continues with a slight swerve and schedule pivot as we discuss void corporation (formerly titled alice knott). we talk about the text's new foreword from blake, the approachability of this novel (especially in comparison to his other work), and the benefits of having read more of blake's other novels to compare to this text. we discuss the way this novel portrays the media, the idea of things not being there (or of being removed), and the many associations tied to the name alice. like blake, we take down the golden age of tv. we ask: what does art mean? joey busts out a barcode scanner. egg and shreds talk about being physically moved by art. we wonder: does this book encourage bad behavior at museums? (our module concludes next episode with uxa.gov, followed by an interview with blake butler after that.) reading list for season twelve 300,000,000 by blake butler aannex by blake butler void corporation by blake butler uxa.gov by blake butler

our blake butler module continues with aannex, which apocalypse party describes as “a post-joycean neo-slipstream sci-fi cult dream encyclopedia composed as algorithmic code compiled in-soul.” we talk about how we viewed the novel while reading it, and we unpack what “difficult” means with regards to this specific text. shreds poses some questions: “what would happen if i skipped 10 pages? what if i started in the middle?” we talk about mike corrao's design (and how it's akin to driving in traffic), the found footage-y feeling of the text and how the narrative creates false digital worlds. we explore the way blake manipulates language, ask if the text supposed to be unlocked, and connect/relate aannex to 300,000,000. what would stephen king think of this novel? who's the real monster: dr. frankenstein or the creature? we hear stories from our old pal neve about sailing around the world and encountering whales. reading list for season twelve 300,000,000 by blake butler aannex by blake butler uxa.gov by blake butler void corporation by blake butler

we're kicking off our blake butler module with 300,000,000: a novel that proves there's still room to push the medium forward. we discuss whether or not this novel qualifies as horror (especially considering the queasy nature of its violence, how much of the text should be taken as literal (and how much of the unconscious is literal), and the text's embodiment of a meme (in the literal sense). we talk about language being used to wash over us in a way that isn't representative of what's real or unreal in the text and whether we understand this book (and whether or not that matters). shreds rails against bad and lazy reviews. joey may have accidentally read this book in the way that blake intended. the egg has an interesting read of the narrative. joey confesses that shreds has likely broken and re-shaped him into a new type of reader. reading list for season twelve 300,000,000 by blake butler aannex by blake butler uxa.gov by blake butler void corporation by blake butler

we're dropping another surprise module on you (and on us) with a new format: a deep dive into the work of blake butler. we talk about how the module came about, why shreds has been intimidated by blake's writing, and the idea of knowing “about” blake before reading his work. we discuss a throwback to an earlier time of creating successful and challenging art as well as why blake feels like the “right” author to do this type of module with. reading list for season twelve 300,000,000 by blake butler aannex by blake butler uxa.gov by blake butler void corporation by blake butler

we conclude our first great american novel module with blood meridian by cormac mccarthy and a simple question: what is this novel about? we talk about blood meridian‘s ties to an original american sin, whether or not the judge an antagonist, and mccarthy reacting to americans' view of war. shreds sets a record in mentioning nominative determinism. we talk about why blood meridian feels like a religious text, the lack of weight applied to the violence (and what this leads to), and what makes this book “challenging” to read. we talk about adapting the novel and who would play the judge, we relate its themes to moby dick, and we open the mailbag to discuss when and how ambiguity can be satisfying. is cormac mccarthy making up a new world on just about every page? we explore what that would mean and how it thematically ties into the text. reading list for season eleven moby dick by herman melville blood meridian by cormac mccarthy

the time has come for us to cover our first great american novel, moby dick by herman melville, which by definition makes it our greatest american novel yet. we talk about the insanity of ahab's quest, the common misunderstanding of who the protagonist is, and who's hanging dong aboard the pequod. we wonder if other novels provide a more apt companion to this than blood meridian as well as whether or not this should be considered a comedy or satire. we talk about who should adapt this and the movies this novel most feels like. we explore outdated whale facts, the whale as god, and moby dick‘s ties to the x-files and its impact on common vernacular. we connect this book to both jaws and the raw shark texts. we talk about gay language in the text (and how much of this was intentional at the time). we land on a verdict: is moby dick a great american novel? reading list for season eleven moby dick by herman melville blood meridian by cormac mccarthy

we're adding in a brand new type of module here on lotto pod as we continue to get conceptually more difficult. welcome to the first installment of the great american novel module. what is "the great american novel"? where did that phrase come from? we try to figure that out. we talk about whether or not any of our previous books qualified for this categorization. we discuss what we're going to do at the end of each book, the specific format we're following, and how we're picking these books. we embrace our lottery spirit with a roll of the dice, and we learn that chance throws a difficult task our way. "ain't that america?" reading list for season eleven moby dick by herman melville blood meridian by cormac mccarthy

we're closing out our vermont module with flee by evan dara along with everyone's favorite segment: vermont facts. we talk about the proverbial canaries in the coal mine of a dying town, grappling with gentrification, and a narrative tied to a specific moment in u.s. history that also finds itself as a timeless text. we discuss evan dara's use of italics and varied fonts, the style of the writing and its overlapping dialogue, and a weird reversal for a major character in the final pages. shreds finds joey within a character in the text. we talk about whether flee feels vermont, either specifically or more broadly. reading list for season ten the shame by makenna goodman radio free vermont by bill mckibben flee by evan dara

our vemont module (and shreds's maple syrup challenge) continues with radio free vermont by bill mckibben. before we talk about the book, joey quizzes shreds on famous vermonters, prompting shreds to ask: does vermont suck? we discuss whether the idea of pirate radio make the novel feel dated, the nicest (and least dramatic) way for the characters to do what they're doing, and whether our characters lose their ethical high ground. we talk about mckibben seemingly (and strangely) underestimating the darkness of the u.s. government (as well as how to fix this). we vent about literary devices that allow for exposition dumps and discuss vermont's blend of conservative and liberal beliefs. joey talks about his connection to rex tillerson. shreds sets the record straight on the origins of the dewey decimal system. reading list for season ten the shame by makenna goodman radio free vermont by bill mckibben flee by evan dara

we're kicking off the vermont module in proper with the shame by makenna goodman. does this novel feel like vermont? we discuss. first, though, we (naturally) talk about halloween and halloween costumes. then, joey shares some vermont facts (that turns into a vermont quiz). we realize that we've covered quite a few books about motherhood as we talk about how the shame feels akin to both a touch of jen and nightbitch (as well as the film tully). we discuss the idea of making contact with your double (in the style of the science fiction trope). we decipher the titular shame, talk how that particular feeling has evolved over time, and describe what we expected the book to be about (based on both the title and the opening passage). shreds channels fox mulder. joey assigns some new lore to the walking (nay, skateboarding) myth that is shreds. reading list for season ten the shame by makenna goodman radio free vermont by bill mckibben flee by evan dara

we're once again embracing our lottery and gambling spirit with the tenth season of the pod. we've doubled up sufjan stevens with this one. after shreds recaps what we're doing — and draws a card — he blames joey for something he can't control before the sound board acts up in an inopportune way. joey tries to remember an old card game on tv. shreds unveils this season's books and shares the mysterious background of one of this module's authors. reading list for season ten the shame by makenna goodman radio free vermont by bill mckibben flee by evan dara

we wrap up our eco module (perhaps our most depressing module yet?) with drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk. we talk about the novel's unreliable narrator, who is revealed as such in a potentially frustrating way… except it doesn't frustrate us. shreds talks about writing for writers vs. writing for readers, and the trick tokarczuk plays to potentially frustrate both sides of that divide. we try to make our way through a general lack of knkowledge around astrology and william blake, and we talk about language, translation, and names. shreds tells a strange story about a bird and a box. joey talks about having read the book before and forgetting the ending. we wrap up our eco module with a look back. reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

we covered stephen markley's novel the deluge last week, and today we're joined by him to talk about his work. after confirming that we have a mutual friend, we learn how stephen pronounces the title of his novel and how much research went into the deluge. stephen speaks about edits made in the paperback version of the book and whether or not the text is prescient. we discuss levels of cynicism in eco literature, face characters in the novel and how to invest in the humanity of every character, and stephen's thoughts on audiobooks vs. e-books vs. physical books. we talk about the level of optimism found in the ending and how to create compelling characters through whom you convey the novel's trends. we discuss the idea of adapting the novel and the problems with wikipedia. stephen's mini-module storms of my grandchildren by james hansen rising: dispatches from the new american shore by elizabeth rush the work of bill mckibben reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

we're winding down our eco module with the deluge by stephen markley: one of our longest books on the pod and arguably our most depressing. we discuss how the narrative reflects a movement toward total chaos and how reading the book at a very strange time (with regards to weather and politics) made it even more impactful. we talk the book's ambition (and simultaneous lack thereof), markley's well-understood praise from stephen king, and the various ways the text is written (and what markley is best at). we make our picks for the book's main character, share some love for shane battier, and make our picks for who we envisioned as the pastor. did markley underestimate the influence/impact of ai? could this be adapted into a chernobyl-style miniseries? reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

the eco module is starting to wind down, but it's not done yet! today we're talking about the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi. after checking in with shreds to make sure he's h.a.g.s.ing (and seeing what he's been reading this summer), we talk about how he judged this book by its cover (in a good way). we talk about its magical realism and regional folklore, how quickly plastic has ruined the environment (and our bodies), and the surprise reveal/twist at the end of the story. we discuss if there's an existential coincidence in these books, the beauty of destructive elements of nature, and how truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. shreds pitches slash fiction. we address a youtube comment about the raw shark texts and ravenous fan bases. reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

jeff wood, author of the glacier (which we covered last week), joins the pod to talk about whether or not this book does, in fact, fit into our eco module. we talk about ohio literature, our love of two dollar radio (and how he hooked up with them), and how much work it took to adapt his writing from a screenplay into this novel. we talk about the meaning behind the title, the job of a land surveyor, and terrence malick's work. note: jeff's pick for outro music (“powderfinger” by neil young) was met with such instantaneous copyright claims on both youtube and our podcast hosting platform that we left it out of the episode. instead, once you finish listening to this episode, head here to hear the song. jeff's mini-module the society of the spectacle by guy debord in the shadow of the silent majorities by jean baudrillard the administration of fear by paul virilio the day after (1983 television film) (dir. nicholas meyer) dead man (1995) (dir. jim jarmusch) the thin red line (1998) (dir. terrence malick) reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

it's back-to-back books from two dollar radio in the eco module as today's book is the glacier by jeff wood. after shreds eviscerates joey to begin the podcast proceedings, we talk about two dollar radio and exploring a single press's work. we try to parse what the glacier is about and whether being in eco module informs how we interpret its narrative. we talk about the story being intentionally unstuck from time, the writing's cinematic/screenplay-like structure, and the the final third of the book's drastic shift. we talk about david lowery's film a ghost story. we open a bigger than normal mailbag to talk about trigger/content warnings and whether the patreon is real. we briefly discuss megan boyle's liveblog 2023. reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

our eco module continues with square wave by mark da silva, a book that we have plenty of thoughts about. after comparing it to giles goat-boy (joey's least favorite book we've covered so far), we talk about how shreds maybe poisoned the well and why we found this book difficult to permeate. we compare da silva's writing to thomas pynchon, chuck palahniuk, and bret easton ellis. we debate whether the text is racist or misogynist. we talk about da silva's ability to world-build a dystopian future and the novel's battle between science and art. we wonder if we're being we too hard on ourselves. we talk about a “dnf” in reading a novel. reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

our eco module continues with another water-related catastrophe as we discuss fever dream by samanta schweblin. after realizing that we missed an anniversary/milestone (or more than one) and wondering how many books people read in their life, we look back to see what the last book we read in translation was. we then discuss how the title of the novel gives a lot away, how fever dream reads like a horror book, and how the narrative slips through your fingers. shreds talks about carnosaur, we make connections to previous books this module, and we recount fever dreams (or the like) that we've had. shreds ask questions about major motion picture challengers (dir. 2024, luca guadagnino). we perform a halfway through the module check-in. reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

after talking about her novel barn 8 last week, we spoke with deb olin unferth about heist stories, teaching literature, and chickens. after deb dubs joey the frontman of the podcast (a topic that we never circle back on), we ask deb about how she combines disparate genres and her time spent at farms and with chickens. she and shreds share lessons learned from teaching literature as deb professes her love for the novel as an art form. we find out where the idea for barn 8 come from, how she got access to these farms and farmers (and how she won them over with booze), and where the character names came from. deb shares her picks for books you should read. reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

our eco module continues with barn 8 by deb olin unferth as we shift our focus from trees and water toward animal rights. shreds starts the pod like it's the end of the pod as he explains why this book found itself in the module in this location. we talk about all we need (as a people) for the earth to be okay. we discuss how barn 8 aligns with (and differs from) more traditional heist narratives, and how the story subverts expectations about what these narratives typically include. we talk about barn 8 as a book about (chicken) language and (chicken) religion. we rank our favorite fast food chains. (next week, we talk deb olin unferth about her book, her research process, and much more.) reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman is the next book up in our eco module, and it continues our run of bleak looks at our near-future. we discuss the book's structure (and its 3-4 main focuses) and how it kind of bails on a bunch of stuff in an interesting way. we talk about the perspective shifts (and whether or not they work), the unique elements that nora offers as a child, and whether or not celebrities are more interesting than “normal” people. shreds compares this novel to kleeman's other writing as well as to don delillo. we talk about the real-world insanity of buying bottled water. we talk about ozark and how to adapt this novel — and what might get cut. reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

our eco module continues with the overstory by richard powers, which marks an early high point in the season as it's one of our favorite books of all-time, and one of the best books we've ever read. first, though, we get into some heavy lotto pod lore. then, we dive into the overstory and wonder: is this the ideal version of this module? we talk about the return of literary magic tricks, our favorite characters and storylines, and the villain of the book. shreds shares some recent related (and unrelated) book reviews and then likens filmmakers to comedians. we talk about how to adapt this book (which may already be in the works). reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

we're kicking off our eco module with land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang — as well as some steve harvey talk. we ask: is this book a bummer? also: is the book pro cigarettes? we discuss the inner conflict of the protagonist, whether or not the novel's depiction of climate disaster and climate repair is realistic, and the queer freudian love story at the heart of the novel. we talk about sacrificing long-term gain for short-term pleasure and our shared lack of ambition on the pod to try insane foods. joey relates this novel to fight club. we talk about how visual the novel is and how ripe for adaptation it feels. reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

we've turned nine (seasons) old, and we're celebrating by looking up what the ninth anniversary gifts are. (they are weird.) we then explore the next season's worth of books, featuring another uplifting theme! shreds explains his process for picking books. reading list for season nine land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang the overstory by richard powers something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman barn 8 by deb olin unferth fever dream by samanta schweblin square wave by mark de silva the glacier by jeff wood the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi the deluge by stephen markley drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk

our last-minute addition to the kentucky module turned out to be one of our favorite books on the podcast so far: first blood by david morrell rules so hard. after starting in media res as shreds reads from a blog about sylvester stallone, we play a kentucky celebrity game and discuss how the novel diverges from the movie (specifically in its violence and radically different ending). we talk about re-adapting this in a way that more closely adheres to the book, featuring modern actors and filmmakers. we talk about the novel holding rambo accountable for his actions, the sort of bizarre supernatural connection between rambo and teasle, and characters who seem to know nothing about chess and time zones. since hollywood mandated sequels to this perfectly contained story, we pitch sequel ideas that don't feature john rambo. reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

before closing out our kentucky module, we had the pleasure of speaking with david connerley nahm, author of last week's book, ancient oceans of central kentucky. after learning how to pronounce his name (oops), we ask a kentucky man about justified — and get an ernest p. worrell answer. we learn where david's love of the mysterious and eerie came from, what he drew on from his life and his childhood while writing ancient oceans, and the specific way he structured, organized, and edited this book. we talk about the end of the novel (with spoilers!). david shares the one thing he'd do differently in publishing the book. we ask if he'd want to believe it was jacob who returned. reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

our kentucky module continues with ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm as well as, you guessed it: more kentucky facts. first, though, we explore the twisted mind of matthew vaughn. we then discuss the profound sadness in the book, the best passage in the novel (which we agree upon), and why the ending worked (in spite of being more “plotty” than the rest of the book). shreds does some visual aids that can't be seen before talking down to joey about being uncultured; joey fires back. we talk about the novel's connection to j.d. wilkes' the vine that ate the south and remember ghost stories (sort of) from our own childhoods. we talk about the process of recording audiobooks. (next week, we talk david connerley nahm about his book, his editing process, and much more.) reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

you just heard an episode last week, but we're back with our first episode in months (our time): the vine that ate the south by j.d. wilkes. we catch up on stuff, like how life has been going (busy) and what we've been up to (not reading). we talk about the kudzu plant. we explore rural myths, cryptozoology, and more x-files stuff before talking an interesting exploration of a state largely unknown to us. joey shares some kentucky facts. we talk about the types of stories that do (or don't) get told. shreds finds childhood goals in the story. we discuss the narrative's (sort of) universality, the flaw with accents in literature, and the characters' names (and lack thereof). joey reads a portion of the book that basically serves as the how to win the lottery thesis statement. reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

we're once again embracing our lottery and gambling spirit with the eighth season of the pod. we've passed sufjan stevens with this one. the most exciting moment in podcasting returns -- and no, we're not talking about shreds sharing his thoughts on the irish or joey declining to do an impression. instead, we are returning to the deck of cards to determine our fate as we reveal state #3. in doing so, we look up a vine (nature vine, not the extinct video platform) and discuss geography. shreds makes a proposition for these episodes. we encounter an unprecedented turn of events. reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

our graphic content module draws to a close with ragnarok by walter simonson. fantasy content is tough for us, which isn't particularly fair to this book, but we still find things to love and appreciate about it. we talk about what moving away from marvel allows for simonson to do with this book, which segues into a discussion about the future of the mcu. we wonder: does pop culture have space for this type of brutally violent art? (yes.) we perform a post-mortem of this module and talk about media ownership and digital rights. we open the email bag to discuss the difference in reading an ongoing thing (rather than a complete story) and discuss another email about infinite jest. we talk about adam levin's bubblegum.

our graphic content module truly lives up to its name (for the first time) as we talk about prison pit by johnny ryan. we talk about whether or not johnny ryan is an edgelord — and if there's a reason he aims to offend. we talk about the art's similarity to “kid drawings” (and joey's regret about the reading experience). shreds shares a perhaps too-thought-out analysis of what prison pit is about. we discuss the (consciously repulsive) type of humor and the book's similarities to prison movies, as well as johnny ryan's use of blank space and his ties to looney tunes. shreds channels george costanza. we talk about a combative email. reading list for season seven understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente no longer human by junji ito the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross prison pit by johnny ryan ragnarok by walter simonson

we're finally entering the realm of the superhero in our graphic content module with kingdom come by mark waid and alex ross. shreds explains why he sees this as a superman comic but not a batman comic, and joey explains why he felt lost by an apparent lack of context for dc mythology — and why the book would likely work better on a second read. we gush over alex ross's gorgeous art, wonder why everyone is fascinated with batman being an old man, and debate whether this book is pro-fascism — or simply promoting the idea. joey forgets the premise of superhero alter egos, shreds invents his own superhero, and we talk about how much clark kent loves milk. reading list for season seven understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente no longer human by junji ito the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross prison pit by johnny ryan ragnarok by walter simonson

the next stop in our graphic content module is asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli. after discussing how this module being defined by medium (rather than content) seems to yield great success, we talk about the singular vision and design and presentation of polyp before reading something from mazzucchelli's wiki that totally endears him to us even more. we talk about how polyp is reminiscent of understanding comics, the surprisingly sweet moments of growth it has for asterios, and its incredible stylistic choices and flourishes. we explore the freedom of its chapter length (and mazzucchelli's knowledge of form and when and how to break it) as well as the different audience/crowd for this book — and what that allows mazzucchelli to do. reading list for season seven understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente no longer human by junji ito the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross prison pit by johnny ryan ragnarok by walter simonson

we're tackling our first young adult book this module as we're covering this one summer by mariko tamaki and jillian tamaki. after talking about location-specific friends and family fights on vacation, we dive into the emotionally-fraught story as we tap into our love of media aimed at teen girls. shreds gets passionate about this book and describes about how the tamakis deftly get around the “adults writing child characters” issue. we discuss the joy of the art (and the joy of windy), get angry at people attempting to censor/ban art, and discuss the second-hand fear we have for these girls. we talk about adapting this book (and the character whose casting would make or break the adaptation). reading list for season seven understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente no longer human by junji ito the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross prison pit by johnny ryan ragnarok by walter simonson

we're headed to 1920s harlem on this episode of lottery pod as we talk about bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, and sanford greene. (a fun note: heather antos worked on this book!) we talk about the incredible value of this book's omnibus, the book's absolutely gorgeous coloring, and how the story smartly resets for each new third. we discuss the timeliness of the narrative (and the unfortunate fact that it's always timely) as well as the tough task (executed well in this case) of making something feel both timely and timeless. shreds talks about how this book feels like a dream gig for his childhood self. we admire the book's many splash panels (including one doing something we hadn't seen before) and talk about the multiple ways you can read and appreciate and re-appreciate good comic books. we wonder if there could be sequels written and whether it's possible to adapt this narrative. reading list for season seven understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente no longer human by junji ito the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross prison pit by johnny ryan ragnarok by walter simonson