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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 we explore outdated whale facts, the whale as god, and moby dick‘s ties to the x-files and its impact on common vernacular.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 -
Fehlende Folgen?
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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 -
we’re once again embracing our lottery and gambling spirit with the tenth season of the pod. we’ve doubled up sufjan stevens with this one. after shreds recaps what we’re doing — and draws a card — he blames joey for something he can’t control before the sound board acts up in an inopportune way. joey tries to remember an old card game on tv. shreds unveils this season’s books and shares the mysterious background of one of this module’s authors.
reading list for season ten
the shame by makenna goodman
radio free vermont by bill mckibben
flee by evan dara -
we wrap up our eco module (perhaps our most depressing module yet?) with drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk. we talk about the novel’s unreliable narrator, who is revealed as such in a potentially frustrating way… except it doesn’t frustrate us. shreds talks about writing for writers vs. writing for readers, and the trick tokarczuk plays to potentially frustrate both sides of that divide. we try to make our way through a general lack of knkowledge around astrology and william blake, and we talk about language, translation, and names. shreds tells a strange story about a bird and a box. joey talks about having read the book before and forgetting the ending. we wrap up our eco module with a look back.
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
we covered stephen markley’s novel the deluge last week, and today we’re joined by him to talk about his work. after confirming that we have a mutual friend, we learn how stephen pronounces the title of his novel and how much research went into the deluge. stephen speaks about edits made in the paperback version of the book and whether or not the text is prescient. we discuss levels of cynicism in eco literature, face characters in the novel and how to invest in the humanity of every character, and stephen’s thoughts on audiobooks vs. e-books vs. physical books. we talk about the level of optimism found in the ending and how to create compelling characters through whom you convey the novel’s trends. we discuss the idea of adapting the novel and the problems with wikipedia.
stephen’s mini-module
storms of my grandchildren by james hansen
rising: dispatches from the new american shore by elizabeth rush
the work of bill mckibben
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
we’re winding down our eco module with the deluge by stephen markley: one of our longest books on the pod and arguably our most depressing. we discuss how the narrative reflects a movement toward total chaos and how reading the book at a very strange time (with regards to weather and politics) made it even more impactful. we talk the book’s ambition (and simultaneous lack thereof), markley’s well-understood praise from stephen king, and the various ways the text is written (and what markley is best at). we make our picks for the book’s main character, share some love for shane battier, and make our picks for who we envisioned as the pastor. did markley underestimate the influence/impact of ai? could this be adapted into a chernobyl-style miniseries?
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
the eco module is starting to wind down, but it’s not done yet! today we’re talking about the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi. after checking in with shreds to make sure he’s h.a.g.s.ing (and seeing what he’s been reading this summer), we talk about how he judged this book by its cover (in a good way). we talk about its magical realism and regional folklore, how quickly plastic has ruined the environment (and our bodies), and the surprise reveal/twist at the end of the story. we discuss if there’s an existential coincidence in these books, the beauty of destructive elements of nature, and how truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. shreds pitches slash fiction. we address a youtube comment about the raw shark texts and ravenous fan bases.
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
jeff wood, author of the glacier (which we covered last week), joins the pod to talk about whether or not this book does, in fact, fit into our eco module. we talk about ohio literature, our love of two dollar radio (and how he hooked up with them), and how much work it took to adapt his writing from a screenplay into this novel. we talk about the meaning behind the title, the job of a land surveyor, and terrence malick’s work.
note: jeff’s pick for outro music (“powderfinger” by neil young) was met with such instantaneous copyright claims on both youtube and our podcast hosting platform that we left it out of the episode. instead, once you finish listening to this episode, head here to hear the song.
jeff’s mini-module
the society of the spectacle by guy debord
in the shadow of the silent majorities by jean baudrillard
the administration of fear by paul virilio
the day after (1983 television film) (dir. nicholas meyer)
dead man (1995) (dir. jim jarmusch)
the thin red line (1998) (dir. terrence malick)
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
it’s back-to-back books from two dollar radio in the eco module as today’s book is the glacier by jeff wood. after shreds eviscerates joey to begin the podcast proceedings, we talk about two dollar radio and exploring a single press’s work. we try to parse what the glacier is about and whether being in eco module informs how we interpret its narrative. we talk about the story being intentionally unstuck from time, the writing’s cinematic/screenplay-like structure, and the the final third of the book’s drastic shift. we talk about david lowery’s film a ghost story. we open a bigger than normal mailbag to talk about trigger/content warnings and whether the patreon is real. we briefly discuss megan boyle’s liveblog 2023.
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
our eco module continues with square wave by mark da silva, a book that we have plenty of thoughts about. after comparing it to giles goat-boy (joey’s least favorite book we’ve covered so far), we talk about how shreds maybe poisoned the well and why we found this book difficult to permeate. we compare da silva’s writing to thomas pynchon, chuck palahniuk, and bret easton ellis. we debate whether the text is racist or misogynist. we talk about da silva’s ability to world-build a dystopian future and the novel’s battle between science and art. we wonder if we’re being we too hard on ourselves. we talk about a “dnf” in reading a novel.
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
our eco module continues with another water-related catastrophe as we discuss fever dream by samanta schweblin. after realizing that we missed an anniversary/milestone (or more than one) and wondering how many books people read in their life, we look back to see what the last book we read in translation was. we then discuss how the title of the novel gives a lot away, how fever dream reads like a horror book, and how the narrative slips through your fingers. shreds talks about carnosaur, we make connections to previous books this module, and we recount fever dreams (or the like) that we’ve had. shreds ask questions about major motion picture challengers (dir. 2024, luca guadagnino). we perform a halfway through the module check-in.
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
after talking about her novel barn 8 last week, we spoke with deb olin unferth about heist stories, teaching literature, and chickens. after deb dubs joey the frontman of the podcast (a topic that we never circle back on), we ask deb about how she combines disparate genres and her time spent at farms and with chickens. she and shreds share lessons learned from teaching literature as deb professes her love for the novel as an art form. we find out where the idea for barn 8 come from, how she got access to these farms and farmers (and how she won them over with booze), and where the character names came from. deb shares her picks for books you should read.
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
our eco module continues with barn 8 by deb olin unferth as we shift our focus from trees and water toward animal rights. shreds starts the pod like it’s the end of the pod as he explains why this book found itself in the module in this location. we talk about all we need (as a people) for the earth to be okay. we discuss how barn 8 aligns with (and differs from) more traditional heist narratives, and how the story subverts expectations about what these narratives typically include. we talk about barn 8 as a book about (chicken) language and (chicken) religion. we rank our favorite fast food chains. (next week, we talk deb olin unferth about her book, her research process, and much more.)
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman is the next book up in our eco module, and it continues our run of bleak looks at our near-future. we discuss the book’s structure (and its 3-4 main focuses) and how it kind of bails on a bunch of stuff in an interesting way. we talk about the perspective shifts (and whether or not they work), the unique elements that nora offers as a child, and whether or not celebrities are more interesting than “normal” people. shreds compares this novel to kleeman’s other writing as well as to don delillo. we talk about the real-world insanity of buying bottled water. we talk about ozark and how to adapt this novel — and what might get cut.
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
our eco module continues with the overstory by richard powers, which marks an early high point in the season as it’s one of our favorite books of all-time, and one of the best books we’ve ever read. first, though, we get into some heavy lotto pod lore. then, we dive into the overstory and wonder: is this the ideal version of this module? we talk about the return of literary magic tricks, our favorite characters and storylines, and the villain of the book. shreds shares some recent related (and unrelated) book reviews and then likens filmmakers to comedians. we talk about how to adapt this book (which may already be in the works).
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
we’re kicking off our eco module with land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang — as well as some steve harvey talk. we ask: is this book a bummer? also: is the book pro cigarettes? we discuss the inner conflict of the protagonist, whether or not the novel’s depiction of climate disaster and climate repair is realistic, and the queer freudian love story at the heart of the novel. we talk about sacrificing long-term gain for short-term pleasure and our shared lack of ambition on the pod to try insane foods. joey relates this novel to fight club. we talk about how visual the novel is and how ripe for adaptation it feels.
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk -
we’ve turned nine (seasons) old, and we’re celebrating by looking up what the ninth anniversary gifts are. (they are weird.) we then explore the next season’s worth of books, featuring another uplifting theme! shreds explains his process for picking books.
reading list for season nine
land of milk and honey by c. pam zhang
the overstory by richard powers
something new under the sun by alexandra kleeman
barn 8 by deb olin unferth
fever dream by samanta schweblin
square wave by mark de silva
the glacier by jeff wood
the man with the compound eyes by wu ming-yi
the deluge by stephen markley
drive your plow over the bones of the dead by olga tokarczuk - Mehr anzeigen
