how to win the lottery: a book club podcast

our third great american novel module kicks off with the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald, and we’re joined by an old friend (albeit one who makes a very brief appearance before immediately leaving). after discussing, briefly, two film adaptations (and the flaws in baz luhrmann’s version), joey asks: is this wasted on high schoolers? we talk about gatsby’s ties to other classic literature, the wealth discrepancy on display in the novel, and whether kids prefer “new money” today.

we discuss the profound sadness of gatsby reconnecting with daisy and the inability to recapture the past, and heap praise on daisy, who is the novel’s best character. shreds explains a homoerotic reading of the text and talks about why the best scene in the novel works as well as it does. we cast the best adaptation of gatsby anyone has ever dreamt up, and we look ahead to american psycho (and the themes to look out for).

reading list for season twenty

the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgeraldamerican psycho by bret easton ellis

yes, we’re still the world’s most patriotic podcast. now, it’s time to announce our third “great american novel” pairing. after we refresh the rules, we roll the die to discover which books we’re reading. joey details what he remembers about each. we talk about the film adaptations of each novel. shreds gives some stone-cold 2026 fantasy baseball locks.

reading list for season twenty

the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgeraldamerican psycho by bret easton ellis

our minnesota module comes to a close with american boy by larry watson. we have minnesota facts… but do we have more klobuchar facts? we play “say a nice thing about this novel” (and struggle, though point out it is a textbook example of what not to do in writing). we talk about the negative portrayals of literally every woman in the text, the lack of depth and the overabundance of explanation, a desire for horny writing (but failing in that regard), and needlessly over-explaining background info. we also have questions. would this novel be better if matthew was younger? what is the message? is there a message? why do we know nothing about johnny? joey tries to remember either a riddle or a joke (or… something). shreds reads the end aloud, which was buried behind a “thank you” page, and he also pitches an alternate ending. we close with a new game that doesn’t quite work, so feel free to skip to the end.

reading list for season nineteen

ruby and roland by faith sullivanvestments by john reimringeramerican boy by larry watson

after discussing vestments last week, we welcome john reimringer onto the show to talk about his work. we ask him about his connections to minnesota and baseball, the origins of joe dressler (and what the character afforded him while writing the novel), and where vestments began. he shares lessons learned about catholicism and the church, talks about what other stories can be told in this universe, and fills us in on the o’connor system at work in saint paul. we ask for ther novels set in minnesota that he’d recommend, where his favorite spot for a juicy lucy is, and whether or not hamm’s is a major midwest beer. he talks about life as a professor and policing the use of ai. we ask him a question he’s never been asked. he shares a playlist he made for the novel and tells a fun story about why bob dylan is mentioned in vestments.

reading list for season nineteen

ruby and roland by faith sullivanvestments by john reimringeramerican boy by larry watson

our minnesota module continues with vestments by john reimringer, which represents not only the high point of the season but one of the high points of the show’s run so far. after revealing that shreds already forgot all of our previous minnesota facts, joey shares even more. we talk about where else could vestments take place, specifically with regards to its working class catholicism. we discuss the looming dread of what could happen, how the suicide in the text doesn’t feel like a plot device, and ow the basic social realism in the text elevates its characters and plot. does vestments re-orient the way we think about priests? we praise the strong way reimringer closes the story, discuss his romantic descriptions of (and associations to) baseball, and share in our mutual love of and for betty. in talking about the young pope, we ask: is paolo sorrentino “the priest guy” or “the ornate shit guy”? come back next week for our interview with john reimringer.

reading list for season nineteen

ruby and roland by faith sullivanvestments by john reimringeramerican boy by larry watson