Literary Guise: A Book Club for Modern Men

Our love of ASCII art graphs reaches its zenith with this novel. Today we're talking about Crichton's famous "Odd Man Hypothesis" wherein only unmarried men are deemed capable of making key decisions.  Do we agree? As two (at least as of this recording) single men ourselves, we speak to our own decision-making acumen, albeit over many, many cocktails. We also question the &quot...

After two years of a global pandemic, who's ready to read the all-time classic virus scare story?! We revisit one of our childhood favorites to see how the author of Jurassic Park's first novel has aged. Q: How has the "cutting edge" 1960s science held up? A: About as well as Bell Bottoms and Segregation.

What conversation about The Republic Gilead would be complete without a thorough discussion of "Salvaging?" We also give the Aunts their due, especially as it relates to the masculine archetypes they appropriate to hold onto  power in this patriarchal society. And we ask the age old question: how close is Boston to actually becoming a biblical dystopia?

Today we pick apart the sad sack that is Commander Fred and ponder what is it about the Commanders that the NFL found worthy enough to honor with a team name. We'll also take a virtual trip to Jezebel's and have an honest conversation around some of the myths of male sexuality. Just your average, light-hearted podcast conversations, brought to you by Gilead. 

We're drinking "Blessed be the Fruit" cocktails courtesy of the Stardust's wonderful bartender (and suspected Eye) Crystal. Our exploration of the men within the society of The Handmaid's Tale continues with discussions  about Nick, the guardians, and the fertility doctors. So, the conversation isn't getting any less grim, but we at least take a few cheap shots at rel...

The Handmaid's Tale, from the perspective no one wants to tackle: The Men of Gilead! But seriously, even those supporting and defending this nightmarish patriarchy seem miserable. If the men aren't enjoying this dystopia created to solely benefit them, who is it for?! In this episode we talk about the mechanics of Atwood's brilliant writing-- how she creates this masterpiece of sci-...

This week we're doing another dramatic reading by previewing our featured author for July, Yukio Mishima, with this shocking short story set in post-war Japan. Not only are there strong themes about fragile masculinity and the role of men as societal provider, but there are also rich under currents of anti-consumerism and a  yearning for Imperial restoration. It's a short story that pack...

The gloves of off on this one! We must've still be harboring some St. Patrick's Day binge-drinking vigor because we come out of the gate hot and heavy on the antiquated masculinity Bourdain likes to champion in this book. But worry not, we make sure to give Anthony his due, as all men who desire to change and better themselves should be accorded. The later half of the episode features so...

We're back in studio (a darkly lit booth at the back of the Stardust Lounge) with our special guest, Chef David, to discuss more of Anthony Bourdain's pseudo-non-fiction memoir, "Kitchen Confidential." In this episode we peel back the layers of  masculinity (both toxic and puerile) described in Bourdain's kitchens and David gives us an insight into how the #MeToo movement...

Season 2 kicks off with a three-part discussion of Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential." This week's episode also features our first special guest, master chef and loyal listener, David. He's here will give us an additional glimpse behind the butler doors and help put into perspective what this nonfiction work has meant for the industry it exposes.  So, light up your...

Mix up your favorite cocktail and join us on a trip down memory lane as we discuss the inaugural season of Literary Guise: the highs, the lows, and the lessons we learned through the great (and not so great) works of literature we explored.  Then stick around for our announcement of the FULL Season 2 selection of books. Head out to your favorite independent bookstore and show them some love by sco...

We finish off our first full season of Literary Guise with another conversation exploring the themes of Brokeback Mountain. Far from just "that gay cowboy story," it's one of the best explorations of masculinity in modern literature. We talk about the  love between Ennis and Jack, but we also explore the powerful female characters existing in the fringes of these men's lives. A...

We finish up the first season of Literary Guise with one of author Zachary Kellian's favorite works of fiction.  Will co-host Gordon Macallan like it too (yes, yes he will. This is Annie Proulx we're talking about. A living legend in American literature.) You definitely want to read this piece. It's much more than that "gay cowboy story." It's a masterpiece about masc...

Through a special arrangement with the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, we present a dramatic reading of one of the greatest short stories of all-time: "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," by Papa himself. Stay tuned for a discussion of its themes (at 8min 33 sec) with author Zachary Kellian and noted bibliophile, Dr. Gordon MacAllan. Literary legend, James Joyce, had this to say about this month&...

We take Literary Guise on the road for the first time, visiting the Dune Peninsula in author Frank Herbert's hometown of Tacoma, Washington. We'll talk a bit about the themes in Dune, examine its commentary on masculinity, and review some great blue collar cocktail lounges along the way. Let us know what you think of this special format! We've already got some future trips planned,...

We've finished the novel that inspired "Die Hard," (Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp) and we're more confused than when we started. Who is the hero of this novel? What was the plot? Why are the John McClane/ Officer Al Powell characters total sociopaths? Has the author ever met a real person in his life or even had a human-level thought of his own? HOW DID SUCH A GREAT M...

If you're still not sold on skipping "Nothing Lasts Forever" in favor of rewatching the much better movie adaptation, "Die Hard,"  the direct quote from the novel with which we open this episode with will dissuade you for sure. We also touch on the characters who didn't make it into the movie ("Taco" Bill, anyone?), use this novel as a literal textbook to id...

In honor of the holiday season, we are reading and discussing the novel that inspired the action move/ Christmas classic: "Die Hard." Roderick Thorp's grisly and unpleasant, "Nothing Lasts Forever." Look at it this way: we read this book so you don't have to. In this episode we'll discuss the key differences between the book and the novel, share which of the shal...

*SPOILER ALERTS* abound in our final episode of this new American classic. We talk about the amazing "twist" ending, its ramifications on the plot and its startling re-contextualization of the story we thought we were being told. We also grapple with themes about living for others/ living to honor others and the expectations society often places on men to do so. And we try to define the...

We go even deeper into what this novel has to say about our country and about the time in which we live. Elwood is one of our favorite literary characters: how can we learn from him and how can we continued to be inspired by him? Not every Literary Guise episode needs to be a boozy snark-fest, sometimes we can get real and talk about real issues. That's something we all need to do more of in...

We tried to go deep with this episode, but it's such a serious topic with such hefty moral implications that, frankly, we bailed ship and talked a lot about boxing and Stephen A. Smith's radio show. Don't worry, they're tangentially related, but we wanted to be upfront with what this episode was providing. This book is a masterpiece but also really hard to discuss in an enterta...

One of our more serious ventures, this month we're discussing the recent Pulitzer-Prize winner: The Nickel Boys. Heartbreaking, important, and wonderfully written. We will use this novel as a jumping off point to explore what society has done to young men over the years and we will not shy away from having  frank conversations about race in American. This novel is a must read, but if that all...

We wrap up Richard Matheson's masterpiece with deep dives into vampire scientists, the insidious nature of Manifest Destiny indoctrination in public schools, and the 80s cartoon classic Pound Puppies. (Yes, it was a late night at the Stardust Lounge and yes, they cut us off). 

Let's talk about dogs: doggos, puppers, and vampire-bacteria-infected-canines. Robert Neville gets a dog in these chapters and it's a heart-breaker. We also do a deep dive into male stoicism and the under-lying societal causes. So it's a light-hearted easy-breezy one, is what we're promising.  

Just like Robert Neville pumping shotgun shells into the undead, we unload right away on white male privilege, proportional biases during a pandemic, and whether or not sport peppers could stave off a zombie horde as well as garlic. Tackling the really profound topics this week on Literary Guise!