how to win the lottery: a book club podcast

we’re headed back in time (?) to go forward in time (maybe?) to the metaverse (definitely) to talk about snow crash by neal stephenson. we talk about science-fiction being an unusual genre for the pod, trying to balance prescience and ingenuity with problematic plot points, and the pros and cons of writing dystopian futures based on current events. bob gets flabbergasted by neal stephenson’s turn toward a dean koontz mainstay, joey stumbles through a plot summary, and bob shares his issue with the ending. we talk about snow crash‘s influence and potential adaptation, the chicken-and-egg nerd interest conundrum of snow crash‘s content, and the importance of getting your narrative’s jargon right. joey shouts out amelia gray. bob finds himself surrounded by nerds.

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

our internet module continues as we talk about 17776 by jon bois. is it a book? what defines a book? we get into it. after shreds kickflip mctwists his way back onto the podcast, we talk about what we love about bois's work and discuss "the ichiro moment." we break down the sci-fi future presented by bois, the work's unusual intersection of science-fiction and sports, and using the internet to tell a story in a way only the internet can tell a story. joey tries to get literate. bob swats him down.

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

fake accounts by lauren oyler

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

megan boyle swung by the ol’ lottery pod treehouse to talk with us about her book liveblog (and a whole lot more). after briefly pivoting to a bob-centric interview, we talk about liveblog existing in a different era of the internet, how her intentions in writing liveblog aligned (or didn’t) with how it played out, and whether the word “autofiction” makes her cringe. we talk about what liveblog would have been like if she thought about making it a book from the start, the process of adapting this from a tumblr into a book, and her transition away from a public persona online. bob pitches his return to liveblog idea; megan talks about her 2020 return to the liveblog format. joey reads some of megan’s writing to her. megan explains the thought process behind the 37-hour livestream reading. bob likens megan to david blaine. we get answers about megan’s parents’ sleep patterns. we talk about asmr (and kind of give each other asmr). we introduce megan to the idea of the quadrant. megan offers some stone cold nba locks.

megan’s mini-module #1: “autofiction-y stuff that is a little more ambitious/creative than regular ‘autofiction'”:

empty words and the luminous novel by mario levrero

torpor, i love dick, and all other books by chris kraus

seven samurai swept away in a river and a contrived world by jung young moon

plus, a note from megan: “probably not ‘supposed to,’ but i read all david foster wallace as autobiographical (recommend everything but broom of the system & the pale king, which i haven’t read, but given what i know i feel like i’d probably recommend pk over bots). i actually read most fiction as autobiographical in some capacity; it feels farsighted to me when people act as though their imagination isn’t part of who they are.)

megan’s mini-module #2: “psychologically-minded memoirs that helped me on path i’m currently on”:

the words to say it by marie cardinal

juliet the maniac by juliet escoria

memories, dreams, reflections by c.g. jung

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

fake accounts by lauren oyler

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

our internet module continues with our longest book this season (and one of our favorites we’ve covered so far): liveblog by megan boyle. (our interview with megan will drop next week.) this episode begins with a return to everyone’s favorite segment (schedule talk) before we talk about our poor planning re: podcast preparation. we explore the “scaffolding” of liveblog, megan boyle’s bravery (and her trust in her audience), and how relatable so much of this novel is. joey likens liveblog to the avengers. bob has a stretch of saying words in a strange way. we talk about how liveblog simultaneously enforces and unplugs drug stereotypes, whether or not work like this is imitable, and how it (like seemingly every other book we’ve covered) winds up being about language. we praise megan boyle for her ability to recount dreams. “trout : that’s the fish.” joey breaks the podcast’s one rule. egg sends in an email. bob has an idea for a return 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

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

neuromancer by william gibson

fake accounts by lauren oyler

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

our internet module heads toward another brand new novel as we share (kind of!) conflicting opinions about the novelist by jordan castro. we talk about how castro writes about the process of writing, the multiple jordan castros at play here, and how online life dictates our thoughts and controls our actions. bob lays out his dictates for editing this podcast before (boldly!) defending himself; joey laughs and throws bob out of whack. we decide that this is a gray man podcast now before we head “back to the bathroom!” a triumphant segment returns.

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

fake accounts by lauren oyler

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

we’re joined by fernando sdrigotti, author of shitstorm, to talk about his writing and how “the algorithm loves a shitstorm.” we find out about the (vastly different) origins of the “novelette,” how the pacing of the writing changed over time, and being on twitter throughout the news events referenced in his writing. we talk about richard dawkins, the need to “do the work” to keep up with social media (and the language therein), and how twitter has evolved over the years. can twitter be saved? how different would shitstorm be if he published it in 2022? does bob know about wagatha christie? we get to the bottom of all of these important questions, learn a great argentinian phrase used when people die, and return to our newest and best segment.

fernando’s mini-module picks:

the twittering machine by richard seymour

in the swarm: digital prospects by byung-chul han

so you’ve been publicly shamed by jon ronson

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

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

liveblog by megan boyle

neuromancer by william gibson

fake accounts by lauren oyler

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

sorry, tipper gore! our internet module continues with shitstorm by fernando sdrigotti, and the google ban is still being upheld. it’s not christmas (yet), but we check in on our new year’s resolutions and talk about (very) short stories before diving into sdrigotti’s novella. we discuss the perceived catharsis of writing this, the novella’s parallels to our reality, and how it investigates the hypocrisies that engage our cycle of anger. we compare shitstorm to books we’ve read (but episodes we haven’t released yet, sorry), try to parse what the final third of the novella means, and break down the focus on feces we’ve found in our narratives. bob brings up milkshake duck and yells “poop” at joey’s alexa.

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

fake accounts by lauren oyler

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

this episode of how to win the lottery starts in media res, which is fancy speak for “in the middle of the action.” (this may be wildly wrong, but we must operate under the assumption that bob’s google ban is still in effect.) we’re joined by b.r. yeager, author of amygdalatropolis, to talk about what “transgressive fiction” means (and if it means anything at all), how to pin down truth in a place where exaggeration and lying is the norm, and the process of writing difficult scenes. we talk about our own experiences with the internet, the temptation to type in links found within amygdalatropolis, and the story behind the edia connole essay that opens this novel. bob pulls a “trick” out of joey’s bag, then bonds with b.r. over death grips and the pronunciation of gif. b.r. picks some books for you to check out next. we talk about the pressure of the “now playing” section on livejournal. bob unveils a new question/segment.

b.r.’s mini-module picks:

the sluts by dennis cooper

the unyielding by gary j. shipley

an ideal for living by eugene thacker

gag reflex by elle nash

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

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

liveblog by megan boyle

neuromancer by william gibson

fake accounts by lauren oyler

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

our internet season continues with amygdalatropolis by b.r. yeager, which tackles a topic new to literature. (note: this episode has a content warning.) after stumbling over the title (and what an amygdala does), we talk about the literal structure and style of printing books, the act of (once again) reading the internet in print form, and defining the different worlds explored in the narrative. we discuss amygdalatropolis as a transressive novel, the way it captures an 8chan-esque forum, and the hyperreality it dabbles in toward its end. plus, we try to make sense of edia connole’s academic essay that kicks off the book, and what its placement means to the text. bob enacts a google ban and explains why he may have been included in this narrative. egg mixes up her email sign-off.

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

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

liveblog by megan boyle

neuromancer by william gibson

fake accounts by lauren oyler

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets

literally show me a healthy person by darcie wilder is one of our favorite books this season, and today we’re talking to darcie all about it (and a whole lot more). after calling for ducks, newburyport in every port, we talk about darcie’s process to writing, how film school informed her structure, and how rad harmony korine is. darcie’s dog coco stops by as we talk about skunks and armadillos and then praise diners. darcie talks about separating truth from fiction in the writing and what it was like to record the audiobook before outing her self as a fan of the pod (and the books we cover). we talk about what she originally wanted the book to be called, celebrity book clubs, and kendall jenner. darcie recommends some books. we talk about dating profiles and how astrology is wack.

darcie’s mini-module picks:

letters to wendy’s by joe wenderoth

i remember by joe brainard

a crackup at the race riots by harmony korine

pieces for the left hand by j. robert lennon

bright lights, big city by jay mcinerney

body work: the radical power of personal narrative by melissa febos

hill william, crapalachia: a biography of place, and the sarah book by scott mcclanahan

the no hellos diet by sam pink

exalted and bad lawyer: a memoir of law and disorder by anna dorn

reading list for season three

a touch of jen by beth morgan

the shore by katie runde

mount chicago by adam levin (bonus episode)

literally show me a healthy person by darcie wilder

the novelist by jordan castro

17776 by jon bois

snow crash by neal stephenson

no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood

amygdalatropolis by b r yeager

shitstorm by fernando sdrigotti

things have gotten worse since we last spoke by eric larocca

liveblog by megan boyle

neuromancer by william gibson

fake accounts by lauren oyler

we had to remove this post by hanna bervoets