We talk about our favorite reads in 2023 and the conversations they inspired. We discuss changes (Gordon in NYC, Zac in lawful marriage) and brainstorm tentative plans for the future of the podcast. We speculate why no one listened to our Death Wish episode (an episode no one asked for and certainly no one wanted), congratulate ourselves on some truly stellar book choices and some well received readings, and inevitably go off on tangents about Hitchcock, Steven Seagal being an absolute joke of a man, and ABC's 1991 sitcom "Dinosaurs." See if you can also catch our subtle tribute to the film ..read more

25+ years of friendship, 3 years of co-hosting a podcast, and we finally reached the pinnacle of the craft when it comes to literary conversation: that is to say, talking about a book without really talking much about the book. We close out our third season with one of the Great American Novels-- and true to Fitzgerald's artistic vision, we use the boozy shenanigans of Jay, Nick, Daisy, Tom, Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, et al as a jumping off point for  conversations about the human condition and the state of the American dream. At least that's how we hope it turned out... there were many martini ..read more

As a man, how often do you think about... The Civil War? Well, if you've joined us on this season three book club, the answer is likely often. Join us as we discuss the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic from author Michael Shaara, about the generals of Gettysburg and the brooding, emo moods that define them ..read more

A dramatic reading of a Halloween classic from the father of the short story, the inventory of horror, and the progenitor of the modern mystery! He also married his cousin and  died wearing another man's clothes for some mysterious reason... Edgar Allan Poe did it all ..read more

The Maltese Falcon! The Thin Man! Nick and Nora Charles, Sam Spade, The Continental Op... even Noir as a genre... so much greatness to come out of one author with such a small, but refined, body of work. Join us as we fanboy more than usual over one of our shared favorite authors. Pour your favorite style of martini into a Nick and Nora glass, and read along with us as we cover Red Harvest, Maltese Falcon, Glass Key, and The Thin Man... along with drunken asides about 1970s "Trop Rock" legend Bertie Higgins who we recently became obsessed with after watching him chain-smoke his way through all ..read more

We've caved under our own pressure for content and a few too many boozy Manhattans... here's our contribution to the ubiquitous world of ranked lists on the internet: the literary men we admire most. (It's only 10 because we'd be hard pressed to even name 15... virtue, integrity, and general self-awareness typically don't make for interesting characters). But these 10 are awesome and interesting in their own way! Enjoy ..read more

Wherein we discuss Death Wishes 1-5, the remake, Death Hunt, and everyone's favorite  Bronson movie, made 15 years after his passing, Death Kiss. What do these dreary, nihilistic films have to say about the role and capacity of violence in the modern man? Whatever the answer, they forgot it halfway through the plot of the original and it only went downhill from there. Join us on this love/hate exploration of 70s grit and 80s excess through everyone's favorite deadpan mustache: Charles Bronson ..read more

Another listener suggestion, giving us the chance to talk about one of the great South American writers, and indeed, one of the great writers of all-time. Why did he choose to write a Lolita clone as his swan song? Why do men struggle so much with aging? What is the best cream for rear-end itching? These questions will all be talked in one of our more challenging episodes to date.  ..read more

Our second graphic novel exploration, taking a hard pivot from the action genre by delving into the world of LGBTQIA+ high school romance. What does Alice Oseman get right about the story of two young men falling in love? What has this work meant to the queer community? And why is paving the way for more work like this is so important? Also, Nellie the dog.... come on! When is she going to get her own MCU spin-off series ..read more

Revenge! Revolvers! Riverboat Gambling! We read our first graphic novel to learn about the form, experience a new level of storytelling, and indulge our mafia fascination.  You can get a copy of the original comic through abebooks.com or you can read it online via a free 7-day trail at dcuniverseinfinite.com OR you can watch the stellar Sam Mendes movie to witness (*spoiler*) a balding Jude Law and Tom Hanks machine-gunning Paul Newman to death. (Best Hollywood retirement ever ..read more