Avsnitt
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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 -
Saknas det avsnitt?
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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 -
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.
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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 - Visa fler
