how to win the lottery: a book club podcast

the next stop on our un/adaptable module is continues with the raw shark texts by steven hall. joey is joined by a guy named gary, who arrives with special instructions from tulsa… and we need your help! after checking on what macaulay culkin is up to — and taking a brief sidebar to talk about area legend miss cleo — we wonder why there are so many amnesia stories and whether or not naming a character scout is a direct or indirect reference to to kill a mockingbird. we talk about the novels’ conceptual shark and the concrete poetry on display, and we discuss whether or not it’s truly unadaptable. (spoiler: probably not.) we examine the benefit of not saving the “twist” for the end of the story and talk about the “un-chapters” that steven hall wrote. joey once again references the fast and the furious. we shout out friend of the pod megan boyle and LIVEBLOG 2023. the honorable judge matt erdely returns to judge a book by its cover. egg reveals her egg bias in an email. we try to make monopoly into a british game.

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 project hail mary by andy weir, soon to be a major motion picture from lord/miller starring ryan gosling. (if you’re a fan of this book, here’s an apology in advance. “sorry, dorks!”) we talk about the similarities between project hail mary and the martian, the coincidence of covering another amnesia book this module, and how rocky (and, by extension, the buddy cop angle) is the mvp of this story. we unveil a new soundboard sound effect, incorporate the svedka robot into project hail mary, and wonder how the lord and miller aesthetic (and ryan gosling as the lead) will work in the adaptation. we also cast andy serkis in the wolf of wall street, share the moments where we each thought “there can’t be 400 more pages of this,” and wonder whether project hail mary is cynical or simply optimistic in an unreal way. we react to a recent viral tweet, explain why the twist is a good idea that doesn’t really work, and whether bad books generally make for good movies. shreds goes nuts. joey spoils the video game version of the last of us. shreds exposes joey for the pervert he is.

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 blood and guts in high school by kathy acker, which is difficult to adapt for many reasons. joey kicks things off by explaining how tulsa has changed his brain before we dive into blood and guts in high school to talk about its three distinct sections and its collage style/presentation. we also break down its focuses on the body and language itself, and whether or not it’s meant to be read as autobiography. we praise acker’s ability to write a book in this style and talk about the depiction of men in her work. tulsa gets mad at people on the internet. joey REALLY struggles with charles dickens.

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 memory by donald e. westlake, which is being adapted by duke johnson. part of the “hard case crime” series, we talk about how memory never quite gets to crime, subverting all expectations of the series. we discuss jarring time jumps, the downer ending, and whether or not the narrative is propulsive. we wonder about “concussion,” learn what moby dick knows about whales, and discuss the beauty of genuine art discovery. we also take guesses about the upcoming film adaptation: will it comment on race? how will it depict amnesia on-screen? how did they come up with such a better title for the film? egg writes in. we look up and tell jokes.

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 speedboat by renata adler, which may be our first truly unadaptable novel this season; we discuss why that’s the case. we also talk about the humor in the novel (and why its meanness works so well), adler’s discussion of the politics of education, and how the novel has a timeless quality. we compare adler’s writing to alice munro and amy hempel and joan didion. joey talks about loving this book and tries to figure out why the first half worked better for him. tulsa once again mentions the book of wall. egg sends a long email. we talk about people laughing in art.

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

ottessa moshfegh returns to the pod as we discuss her novel eileen, which william oldroyd is adapting for release later this year. we discuss how gross the book is (and how dirty its world is), rebecca as a manic pixie dream girl, and the specific way moshfegh wrote this novel. we also question (or challenge, maybe) the timeline of the plot, break down the many chekhov's guns (as well as how moshfegh plays into our expectation of how they'll be incorporated), and try to sound smart when talking about freud. joey does prayer hands and connects eileen to the fast and furious. tulsa wonders whether or not he has vocal fry. we preview the adaptation and talk about even more poop stuff.

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

don delillo returns to the podcast (via the written word) as we continue our un/adaptable module with underworld. in spite of us kicking off the “unadaptable” half of this module with this book, it turns out… it’s very adaptable, and may be getting made! oops. anyway. we talk about how underworld is “the delillo fingerprint,” how the narrative’s structure re-prioritizes plot vs. character, and how this compares to other delillo novels. we talk about delillo’s incredible ability to write about sports. we talk about weirdos who spend a lot of money on pez and funko pops and that time tulsa risked his life as a 17-year-old idiot. we also discuss commercializing nuclear war and the meaning and creation of “the great american novel.” we also discuss how to adapt underworld and who we’d cast.

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

we head back in time to kick off our un/adaptable module with the zone of interest by martin amis. first, though, we stop for a pre-emptive fantasy baseball team check-in before we find an updated cast list for jonathan glazer's adaptation. tulsa takes down goodreads readers and then shares some background on martin amis. we talk about whether or not martin amis is a showoff (but, like, in a good way), wonder how jonathan glazer will adapt this (including rumors we've heard), and try to parse the meaning and intent behind untranslated text. tulsa rails against pacific rim (again?). we push back against criticism that the novel lacks an ending, criticize its structural inconsistency, and make plans to cover the film adaptation. we pitch a new (and much better) ending for 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

after our briefest module yet, we’re back to unveil the theme and reading list for our next batch of books. before that, though, we plan for either one of us to die and tulsa explains aphantasia. then, we unveil the theme: un/adaptable. (spoilers.) we announce the titles for this module, talk about our cathy cartoon (and this tumblr page), and frame why some of these titles are deemed “unadaptable.” tulsa makes a promise to you, the listener.

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 louisiana module comes to a close with its third and final book: a confederacy of dunces by john kennedy toole. before we discuss the book, we learn about tulsa as "a state of mind" and finally unveil why original host bobby left the show. we discuss the interconnectedness to other books this module, whether or not we know any ingatius j. reilly types in real life, and whether it feels more or less new orleans and louisiana than the other books in this module. we wonder whether the new orleans accent truly sounds like a new jersey accent. tulsa offers joey a gross gift. we look ahead to future states, perspectives, and field trips. we share an important real-life food update, discuss "the valve" and dollar hot dog nights, and whine about the terrible kindle experience for this book.

reading list for season four

the moviegoer by walker percy

all the king’s men by robert penn warren

a confederacy of dunces by john kennedy toole