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