how to win the lottery: a book club podcast

our “suck shit, sufjan stevens” module (#1) continues as we stay in the sticky, humid louisiana weather for all the king’s men by robert penn warren, our first of two pulitzer prize-winning novels in a row. we discuss the parallels you can (easily) draw between willie stark and donald trump, compare the protagonist (and their levels of inaction) of this novel (jack) to the protagonist of our last novel (binx in the moviegoer), and talk about our favorite/least favorite chapters. we talk about its status as another “great american novel,” compare it to other similar works, and lament an overall lack of characters in the story. we talk about david simon, read egg’s email, and wonder whether or not anne “should” love willie. not enough jokes in this write-up, if we’re being honest, but hey — what can you do.

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

we’re kicking off our first “suck shit, sufjan stevens” module by heading down to louisiana for a three-book season, kicking off with the moviegoer by walker percy. after tulsa establishes his obsession with four loko (and joey shares his history adjacent to it), tulsa makes an assertion that he gets wrong and joey surprises tulsa with his reaction to this book. we talk about how the moviegoer kind of swerves (at least based on its title), the role geography plays within the novel, and how it’s a great example of accessing stuff through what it’s not (and how to find love for a region by leaving that region). we explore the novel’s pro-suicide slant and talk about how our modules shape the way we read things. we plan lottery pod field trips and define what a moviegoer is. we also learn that the world has spoken — and it wants more bowel movements.

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

we're embracing our inner lottery and gambling spirit with the fourth season of the pod. (if you don't want to have the theme spoiled, just listen to the episode.) years ago, sufjan stevens vowed to write an album for every u.s. state. he made two then bailed. we plan to outdo him. (thus the season's theme: "suck shit sufjan stevens.") we're unveiling which state will be covered in the (shortened) fourth season of the pod with a bit of gambling, a new mixer and soundboard, and some great foley work.

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

our internet module comes to a close with fake accounts by lauren oyler — and yet another great author instagram handle. we share praise for the title, discuss whether or not fake accounts is satire, and talk about the likeability (or absolute lack thereof) we have for the narrator. we admire the meticulous way with which each sentence is unbelievably crafted, praise lauren oyler for her precise editing ability, and discuss how skills and talent do (or don’t) translate depending on the situation in which they’re used. we also talk about the reversal in the narrative and the way irony is used in both fake accounts and in megan boyle’s liveblog. shreds dunks on joey’s goodreads picture and pries into his dating life. joey (sort of accidentally) picks a perfect passage to read aloud. shreds avers his determination to reclaim certain “negative” words and makes a plea to our saudi arabian listeners.

reading list for season three

a touch of jen by beth morgan

the shore by katie runde

literally show me a healthy person by darcie wilder

amygdalatropolis by b r yeager

shitstorm by fernando sdrigotti

liveblog by megan boyle

17776 by jon bois

snow crash by neal stephenson

no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood

aesthetica by allie rowbottom

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

neuromancer by william gibson

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

fake accounts by lauren oyler

our internet module is nearing its end, and today we’re talking about we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets. we talk about the value of reading literature in translation, the weird position that reading novellas puts shreds in, and the current state of social media (and content moderation). we discuss how we had to remove this post reframes long-term exposure to horrific things, how it compares to dave eggers’ the circle, and how it leaves characters’ beliefs open to interpretation. we talk about motormouths and “brand suitability.” the honorable judge matt erdely returns to judge a book by its cover — and to recommend the swashbuckling adventures of cassian andor.

reading list for season three

a touch of jen by beth morgan

the shore by katie runde

literally show me a healthy person by darcie wilder

amygdalatropolis by b r yeager

shitstorm by fernando sdrigotti

liveblog by megan boyle

17776 by jon bois

snow crash by neal stephenson

no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood

aesthetica by allie rowbottom

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

neuromancer by william gibson

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

fake accounts by lauren oyler

our mini sci-fi module (maybe not really a thing) within our broader internet module continues with neuromancer by william gibson. after checking in on our new year’s resolutions (for the second time this module? but first [maybe?] time-appropriate instance) and setting new ones for 2023, we offer a disclaimer for neuromancer superfans. we compare neuromancer to snow crash, talk about ridley scott’s blade runner, and the evolution and cultural osmosis of science fiction narratives and plot elements. we share shreds’s tip to “unlock” the novel, discuss neuromancer as yet another book about language, and america’s concept of futurism. we praise our main man chappie. shreds wonders if he’s “just getting stupider and stupider.” we talk about how to best adapt neuromancer. shreds talks about why the first sentence does a perfect job setting the tone for the entire book. joey tries to link neuromancer to liveblog.

reading list for season three

a touch of jen by beth morgan

the shore by katie runde

literally show me a healthy person by darcie wilder

amygdalatropolis by b r yeager

shitstorm by fernando sdrigotti

liveblog by megan boyle

17776 by jon bois

snow crash by neal stephenson

no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood

aesthetica by allie rowbottom

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

neuromancer by william gibson

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

fake accounts by lauren oyler

recorded in spooky season, releasing in the most wonderful time of the year (according to that one song), our internet module continues with things have gotten worse since we last spoke and other misfortunes by eric larocca. we talk about the different ways the titular story can be consumed, discuss why the narrative might be set in the year 2000, and lament the lack of variation in its epistolary style. we talk about how framing “things have gotten worse since we last spoke” as an internet story may be unfair to how we read it, then use egg’s email to guide our discussions about “the enchantment” and “you’ll find it’s like that all over.” shreds talks about the mcrib and being “pork drunk.”

reading list for season three

a touch of jen by beth morgan

the shore by katie runde

literally show me a healthy person by darcie wilder

amygdalatropolis by b r yeager

shitstorm by fernando sdrigotti

liveblog by megan boyle

17776 by jon bois

snow crash by neal stephenson

no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood

aesthetica by allie rowbottom

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

neuromancer by william gibson

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

fake accounts by lauren oyler

after covering her work last week, we spoke with allie rowbottom, author of aesthetica and jell-o girls. joey and allie share some memories about her book’s launch party/reading before we talk about the publishing world being separate from this type of content, how allie focused on the deep emotional underpinnings of the characters and the world, and how it’s more than just an “internet novel.” joey delivers another non-question that leads to a compliment before we discuss whether there was more story to tell toward the end, how the novel could be adapted into a three-season tv series, and who would play anna in the adaptation. we talk about a weird thing in allie’s wiki. she shares picks for a mini-module. we discuss the risk of recommending media to other people and give allie an award. we discuss the weirdness inherent in instagram comments sections, @paigeuncaged and @dudesinthedm, and lana del rey.

allie’s mini-module:

body high by jon lindsey

heartbroke and godshot by chelsea bieker

long live the tribe of fatherless girls by t kira madden

a year without a name by cyrus dunham

boys of alabama by genevieve hudson

a cigarette lit backwards and life of the party by tea hacic-vlahovic

reading list for season three

a touch of jen by beth morgan

the shore by katie runde

literally show me a healthy person by darcie wilder

amygdalatropolis by b r yeager

shitstorm by fernando sdrigotti

liveblog by megan boyle

17776 by jon bois

snow crash by neal stephenson

no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood

aesthetica by allie rowbottom

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

neuromancer by william gibson

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

fake accounts by lauren oyler

the newest episode of lotto pod is also the newest book we’ll cover this season: aesthetica by allie rowbottom. first, some news: shreds is dead; long live tulsa, who shares his thoughts on saying “happy birthday.” we then talk about how the internet has changed over the course of this season, how “the real world” keeps popping up in our conversations, and how phones have changed the ways we socialize. we wonder if surgery will ever become obsolete. tulsa shares the research he did for the episode (and describes some tiktok memes) before he accidentally engages in self-harm, gets vulnerable, and shows his age.

reading list for season three

a touch of jen by beth morgan

the shore by katie runde

literally show me a healthy person by darcie wilder

amygdalatropolis by b r yeager

shitstorm by fernando sdrigotti

liveblog by megan boyle

17776 by jon bois

snow crash by neal stephenson

no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood

aesthetica by allie rowbottom

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

neuromancer by william gibson

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

fake accounts by lauren oyler

can a dog be twins? our next stop in our internet module is no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood. we talk about how the novel’s content (at least in the first-half) relies on existing (and somewhat inexplicable) scaffolding around internet humor as well as the way that it captures how fast trends happen and how the internet has an ability to change language forever. we compare it to darcie wilder’s literally show me a healthy person and talk about how lockwood’s priestdaddy informs this narrative. we also talk about the “stomach-dropping” moment midway through the novel, how that ties into the internet, and how the overall narrative reminds people there’s more to life than twitter. joey talks about delilah before bob re-affirms a pledge and teaches us all about juridical postulates (?).

reading list for season three

a touch of jen by beth morgan

the shore by katie runde

literally show me a healthy person by darcie wilder

amygdalatropolis by b r yeager

shitstorm by fernando sdrigotti

liveblog by megan boyle

17776 by jon bois

snow crash by neal stephenson

no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

neuromancer by william gibson

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

fake accounts by lauren oyler