how to win the lottery: a book club podcast

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

our last-minute addition to the kentucky module turned out to be one of our favorite books on the podcast so far: first blood by david morrell rules so hard. after starting in media res as shreds reads from a blog about sylvester stallone, we play a kentucky celebrity game and discuss how the novel diverges from the movie (specifically in its violence and radically different ending). we talk about re-adapting this in a way that more closely adheres to the book, featuring modern actors and filmmakers. we talk about the novel holding rambo accountable for his actions, the sort of bizarre supernatural connection between rambo and teasle, and characters who seem to know nothing about chess and time zones. since hollywood mandated sequels to this perfectly contained story, we pitch sequel ideas that don’t feature john rambo. reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

before closing out our kentucky module, we had the pleasure of speaking with david connerley nahm, author of last week’s book, ancient oceans of central kentucky. after learning how to pronounce his name (oops), we ask a kentucky man about justified — and get an ernest p. worrell answer. we learn where david’s love of the mysterious and eerie came from, what he drew on from his life and his childhood while writing ancient oceans, and the specific way he structured, organized, and edited this book. we talk about the end of the novel (with spoilers!). david shares the one thing he’d do differently in publishing the book. we ask if he’d want to believe it was jacob who returned. reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

our kentucky module continues with ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm as well as, you guessed it: more kentucky facts. first, though, we explore the twisted mind of matthew vaughn. we then discuss the profound sadness in the book, the best passage in the novel (which we agree upon), and why the ending worked (in spite of being more “plotty” than the rest of the book). shreds does some visual aids that can’t be seen before talking down to joey about being uncultured; joey fires back. we talk about the novel’s connection to j.d. wilkes’ the vine that ate the south and remember ghost stories (sort of) from our own childhoods. we talk about the process of recording audiobooks. (next week, we talk david connerley nahm about his book, his editing process, and much more.) reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

you just heard an episode last week, but we’re back with our first episode in months (our time): the vine that ate the south by j.d. wilkes. we catch up on stuff, like how life has been going (busy) and what we’ve been up to (not reading). we talk about the kudzu plant. we explore rural myths, cryptozoology, and more x-files stuff before talking an interesting exploration of a state largely unknown to us. joey shares some kentucky facts. we talk about the types of stories that do (or don’t) get told. shreds finds childhood goals in the story. we discuss the narrative’s (sort of) universality, the flaw with accents in literature, and the characters’ names (and lack thereof). joey reads a portion of the book that basically serves as the how to win the lottery thesis statement. reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

we're once again embracing our lottery and gambling spirit with the eighth season of the pod. we've passed sufjan stevens with this one. the most exciting moment in podcasting returns -- and no, we're not talking about shreds sharing his thoughts on the irish or joey declining to do an impression. instead, we are returning to the deck of cards to determine our fate as we reveal state #3. in doing so, we look up a vine (nature vine, not the extinct video platform) and discuss geography. shreds makes a proposition for these episodes. we encounter an unprecedented turn of events. reading list for season eight the vine that ate the south by jd wilkes ancient oceans of central kentucky by david connerley nahm first blood by david morrell

our graphic content module draws to a close with ragnarok by walter simonson. fantasy content is tough for us, which isn’t particularly fair to this book, but we still find things to love and appreciate about it. we talk about what moving away from marvel allows for simonson to do with this book, which segues into a discussion about the future of the mcu. we wonder: does pop culture have space for this type of brutally violent art? (yes.) we perform a post-mortem of this module and talk about media ownership and digital rights. we open the email bag to discuss the difference in reading an ongoing thing (rather than a complete story) and discuss another email about infinite jest. we talk about adam levin’s bubblegum.

our graphic content module truly lives up to its name (for the first time) as we talk about prison pit by johnny ryan. we talk about whether or not johnny ryan is an edgelord — and if there’s a reason he aims to offend. we talk about the art’s similarity to “kid drawings” (and joey’s regret about the reading experience). shreds shares a perhaps too-thought-out analysis of what prison pit is about. we discuss the (consciously repulsive) type of humor and the book’s similarities to prison movies, as well as johnny ryan’s use of blank space and his ties to looney tunes. shreds channels george costanza. we talk about a combative email. 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’re finally entering the realm of the superhero in our graphic content module with kingdom come by mark waid and alex ross. shreds explains why he sees this as a superman comic but not a batman comic, and joey explains why he felt lost by an apparent lack of context for dc mythology — and why the book would likely work better on a second read. we gush over alex ross’s gorgeous art, wonder why everyone is fascinated with batman being an old man, and debate whether this book is pro-fascism — or simply promoting the idea. joey forgets the premise of superhero alter egos, shreds invents his own superhero, and we talk about how much clark kent loves milk. 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

the next stop in our graphic content module is asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli. after discussing how this module being defined by medium (rather than content) seems to yield great success, we talk about the singular vision and design and presentation of polyp before reading something from mazzucchelli’s wiki that totally endears him to us even more. we talk about how polyp is reminiscent of understanding comics, the surprisingly sweet moments of growth it has for asterios, and its incredible stylistic choices and flourishes. we explore the freedom of its chapter length (and mazzucchelli’s knowledge of form and when and how to break it) as well as the different audience/crowd for this book — and what that allows mazzucchelli to do. 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’re tackling our first young adult book this module as we’re covering this one summer by mariko tamaki and jillian tamaki. after talking about location-specific friends and family fights on vacation, we dive into the emotionally-fraught story as we tap into our love of media aimed at teen girls. shreds gets passionate about this book and describes about how the tamakis deftly get around the “adults writing child characters” issue. we discuss the joy of the art (and the joy of windy), get angry at people attempting to censor/ban art, and discuss the second-hand fear we have for these girls. we talk about adapting this book (and the character whose casting would make or break the adaptation). 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’re headed to 1920s harlem on this episode of lottery pod as we talk about bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, and sanford greene. (a fun note: heather antos worked on this book!) we talk about the incredible value of this book’s omnibus, the book’s absolutely gorgeous coloring, and how the story smartly resets for each new third. we discuss the timeliness of the narrative (and the unfortunate fact that it’s always timely) as well as the tough task (executed well in this case) of making something feel both timely and timeless. shreds talks about how this book feels like a dream gig for his childhood self. we admire the book’s many splash panels (including one doing something we hadn’t seen before) and talk about the multiple ways you can read and appreciate and re-appreciate good comic books. we wonder if there could be sequels written and whether it’s possible to adapt this narrative. 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

after covering the seeds last week, we are joined by ann nocenti, the book’s author, to talk about hexagons, fake news, and andrei tarkovsky. ann talks about the roots of the journalism in the book, how the novel’s other major themes found their way in, and what changed through the course of the development. she talks about the origin of the ending, shares storytelling advice for young writers, and how she and david aja worked together on the book’s layout and design. ann breaks down the evolution of the art style as the book developed, the book she worked on with david mazzucchelli, and how she and david aja developed the original idea for the seeds. she shares recommendations for other work to read/consume. 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

our graphic content module continues with the seeds by ann nocenti and david aja and a return to familiar subject matter. first, though, we talk about steven soderbergh for a while. then, we talk about how the seeds reminds us of the private eye, except with aliens and different ideological divides among its characters. we talk about the book’s 90s feel re: aliens and accompanying aesthetics, the thematic appropriateness of the art, and the seemingly optimistic ending. we bring up the oft-discussed eco module. joey asks shreds about a new (to him) book website. we wonder what the “right” speed at which to read and consume and spend with comics may be. 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

our graphic content season continues with no longer human by junji ito, which marks our first foray into manga. we explore the medium (including our overall unfamiliarity with it, despite its global prominence) and how no longer human‘s original publication specifically targeted adult men (and how this manifests itself in the story). we analyze how the book unknowingly returns to several of our show’s ongoing themes, we discuss the soap opera-esque structure and (intentionally) repetitive style of the narrative, and we wonder if the book presents a bit of a genre fakeout. joey offers up a surprising association for the protagonist. shreds proposes a spinoff podcast. 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

after covering the private eye last week, our first interview this season comes with the book’s illustrator, marcos martin, as we continue to figure out how to talk about art on the pod. we discuss the way (and the speed at which) marcos works, the machinations of the page layout/format (and the process of adapting it for the physical release), and the idea behind forming panel syndicate and the plan for the book’s original release. we ask marcos about the process of determining what could/would survive the cloudburst, determining the way this book looks, and their views on tech optimism vs. pessimism. marcos tells us how he and brian met and began working together, how he decided when and where to place the credits page, and which piece of art from the book is his favorite. marcos shares his recommendations for related content to read/watch before we form a connection on his wikipedia lie. 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

our graphic content module continues with the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente, which looks like a “more traditional comic” (read: superhero comic) and feels like a classic noir. we discuss archaic/obsolete tech (including joey’s beloved zune), the book’s unusual layout/format, and whether the story is cynical or optimistic in the way it discusses technology. we talk about the grandfather character as a kind of audience surrogate, the pros/cons of a world without internet, and the book’s violence and most shocking moments. shreds talks about his desire for things to justify why they’re not prose. we explore the idea of journalists acting as cops. we look back at the book’s original release as a “pay what you want” online drop. 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

it’s a surprise bonus episode in our graphic content module as we cover gender queer by maia kobabe, one of the most banned/challenged books this year. the graphic novel memoir covers some serious content, so we open with some absolute nonsense before we dive into our discussion. shreds again gets heated talking about banned books before returning to his favorite topic: the exploration and use of language. we discuss the value and lessons found in the book, what we learned from the text, and the irony of banning books. we talk about the art style in gender queer and how reading it reminds us of 2010s tumblr. 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

our graphic content module kicks off in earnest with coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt. after shreds shares a bone he has to pick with joey, we explore lisa hanawalt’s connection to bojack horseman before spending a while complimenting the beautiful art on display and how well it (wordlessly) communicates information. we talk about coyote doggirl‘s ability to both lean into and subvert western tropes, its emotional depth, and its wonderful absurdist humor. shreds shares his one real critique of the book, we talk about the simpsons and voice actors (and draw unfortunate blanks), and make an official request to get more coyote doggirl. 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