how to win the lottery: a book club podcast

we’re kicking off our seventh module with two firsts for the pod: a guest (heather antos) and discussing a book in the intro episode (understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud). after learning about our histories with comics, we spend a while talking about dilbert and scott adams (please read this) as well as our favorite “sunday funnies.” we share love for sam and max, learn about shreds’s childhood as a science-fiction kid, and discuss the current state of comics. shreds gives mccloud a big compliment before we discuss understanding comics and the many lessons it has to impart. we talk about reading comics digitally vs. physically. we share the reading list for the rest of the season (to which heather adds context). shreds compliments joey in a way that immediately requires explanation. heather gives insight into where to start watching star trek and offers recommendations for comics she’s worked on.

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 are closing out our delaware mini-module with sunburn by laura lippman, along with even more delaware facts. first, though, we sort through a meager list of musicians from the state. then, into sunburn, which is firmly set in delaware, even though belleville is not a real place. we talk about what makes it delaware, a solidarity among beach towns, and the story’s plot twists vs. its emotional twists. we discuss its “mystery of love,” its distinct lack of horniness, and how lippman’s page-turning writing ability compares to stephen king. egg writes in about the sweater curse. shreds exposes a bit of his own ignorance. we share some final thoughts about delaware.

reading list for season six

fight club by chuck palahniuk

the book of unknown americans by cristina henríquez

sunburn by laura lippman

our delaware module “keeps on truckin'” (this is a delaware phrase) as we read the book of unknown americans by cristina henríquez. joey shares some more delaware facts before we look up tv shows set in delaware and confirm, for the first time this module, that yes we are firmly set in delaware. we discuss what “delaware qualities” are covered in the text, the issue of consent in the novel, and the inclusion of 9/11. shreds breaks down yet another book about language and communication and shares the theory of the subaltern (and his issue within that line of thinking). we discuss the simple sadnesses within the narrative and open emails about both this book and infinite jest.

reading list for season six

fight club by chuck palahniuk

the book of unknown americans by cristina henríquez

sunburn by laura lippman

our delaware module (suck shit, sufjan stevens #2) gets off to a questionable start, geographically speaking, with fight club by chuck palahniuk. joey kicks things off by sharing some delaware facts before he and shreds discuss their history with palahniuk and what his writing meant to people coming of age in the 90s and 00s. we talk about fincher’s adaptation (what it does better and what it does worse), the leap in logic necessary to fully get behind the plot, and the wrong “lessons” people “learned” from this story. we discuss how overt the twist is (once you know it’s coming), why it ruined that twist for all subsequent art, and why the timing of its reveal helps it work as well as it does. shreds brings up taylor swift but doesn’t want to hear joey’s explanation. joey talks about the time he met chuck palahniuk. shreds talks about the time he was in a fight. we open a mailbag that leaves shreds walking on air, and we once again discuss the horny module.

reading list for season six

fight club by chuck palahniuk

the book of unknown americans by cristina henríquez

sunburn by laura lippman

we’re once again embracing our lottery and gambling spirit with the sixth season of the pod. (if you don’t want to have the theme spoiled, just listen to the episode.) we’ve tied up sufjan stevens with this one. as a reminder, years ago, sufjan stevens vowed to write an album for every u.s. state. he made two then bailed. we plan to outdo him. we’re unveiling which state will be covered in the (shortened) sixth season of the pod with a return of everyone’s favorite bit of gambling and (once again) some great foley work.

reading list for season six

fight club by chuck palahniuk

the book of unknown americans by cristina henríquez

sunburn by laura lippman

our un/adaptable season draws to a close with infinite jest by david foster wallace. shreds is back, and he’s got a story to tell. we discuss the difficulty of the text (which is baked into the design), a mere fraction of the many things joey missed in his first read, and why you don’t really read infinite jest so much as you re-read it. we talk about the purpose and importance of the endnotes, wallace’s ability to describe tennis, and the prescience of technology in the text. we attempt to parse the most confusing part of the book (found in the first chapter), explore the purpose behind “the entertainment,” and wonder if punters have ever been this cool or admired. we hear from both egg and the honorable judge matt erdely, who drops by to judge a book by its four covers.

reading list for season five

the zone of interest by martin amis

underworld by don delillo

eileen by ottessa moshfegh

speedboat by renata adler

memory by donald westlake

blood and guts in high school by kathy acker

project hail mary by andy weir

the raw shark texts by steven hall

crying in h mart by michelle zauner

wittgenstein’s mistress by david markson

nightbitch by rachel yoder

infinite jest by david foster wallace

our final novel this module with an upcoming adaptation is nightbitch by rachel yoder, which breaks new ground for the podcast, as former host bobby had (briefly) covered this already in a patreon exclusive behind the elsive paywall. (a reminder: don’t subscribe to our patreon. it’s not worth it.) we talk about feeling less qualified to talk about this novel than others in a similar space, rachel yoder’s use of the werewolf metaphor, and the meaning/reason behind a particularly gruesome action in the text. we discuss the target audience for the novel, whether the transformation into nightbitch is metaphorical or literal (and if it matters one way or the other), and the satire on display. tulsa refuses to care about the film mean girls. we discuss the upcoming adaptation of nightbitch (directed by marielle heller and starring amy adams) and debate whether the film will be able to portray the internal machinations at work in the novel.

reading list for season five

the zone of interest by martin amis

underworld by don delillo

eileen by ottessa moshfegh

speedboat by renata adler

memory by donald westlake

blood and guts in high school by kathy acker

project hail mary by andy weir

the raw shark texts by steven hall

crying in h mart by michelle zauner

wittgenstein’s mistress by david markson

nightbitch by rachel yoder

infinite jest by david foster wallace

our next (un)adaptable title this module is wittgenstein’s mistress by albany’s greatest novelist david markson. tulsa has returned and he has stories about the honorable judge matt erdely to share. we discuss how wittgenstein’s mistress is hard to summarize as we talk about its distortion of time, profound sadness, and the meaning of language within the text. we talk about david foster wallace’s writing about the novel, markson’s frequent inclusion of menstruation in the text, and whether or not there’s any possible way to adapt this to film. tulsa embarks on an ambitious project. maybe.

reading list for season five

the zone of interest by martin amis

underworld by don delillo

eileen by ottessa moshfegh

speedboat by renata adler

memory by donald westlake

blood and guts in high school by kathy acker

project hail mary by andy weir

the raw shark texts by steven hall

crying in h mart by michelle zauner

wittgenstein’s mistress by david markson

nightbitch by rachel yoder

infinite jest by david foster wallace

our un/adaptable module continues with crying in h mart by michelle zauner, which also marks our first foray into nonfiction. joey is joined once again by a guy named gary, who shares a plea from shreds and expresses a hatred for a specific pronunciation of a particular word. we talk about whether or not you need to know a lot about korean food to appreciate this book, lament not having a food/cooking connection with people close to us (which seems very nice), and compare the food in america to the food around the world. joey recalls axe bodyspray. gary dunks on joey (in an unrelated incident). we lose the premise of the discussion, spend a lot of time talking about food, and break down how weird the module is turning out. egg compliments michelle zauner’s reading of the audiobook. we count down to our next state module. gary says goodbye to cormac mccarthy.

reading list for season five

the zone of interest by martin amis

underworld by don delillo

eileen by ottessa moshfegh

speedboat by renata adler

memory by donald westlake

blood and guts in high school by kathy acker

project hail mary by andy weir

the raw shark texts by steven hall

crying in h mart by michelle zauner

wittgenstein’s mistress by david markson

nightbitch by rachel yoder

infinite jest by david foster wallace

after covering the raw shark texts last week, we talk to its author, steven hall, about his work. we discuss the “adaptability” of the novel and its current status, explore the “un-chapters” (and his intent in writing them), and the three main readings steven had in mind while writing. steven teases ways he could mess with viewers of a tv version of raw shark, joey compares the novel to the langoliers (kind of), and bob wonders how much of the novel he missed. we discuss steven’s work in video games and visual art and how good he has at turning everyday objects into something sinister. we also talk about why it’s strange to call this novel “experimental” and explore how fallible our memory and recollection can be.

reading list for season five

the zone of interest by martin amis

underworld by don delillo

eileen by ottessa moshfegh

speedboat by renata adler

memory by donald westlake

blood and guts in high school by kathy acker

project hail mary by andy weir

the raw shark texts by steven hall

crying in h mart by michelle zauner

wittgenstein’s mistress by david markson

nightbitch by rachel yoder

infinite jest by david foster wallace