Literary Guise: A Book Club for Modern Men

Special Episode: The Best Books of the 21st Century

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, we move the discussion out of the Stardust Lounge and into the soulless void of a podcast studio... mostly to address the fir...

The Final Episode?!?... or not (Season 3 Recap)

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We talk about our favorite reads in 2023 and the conversations they inspired. We discuss changes (Gordon in NYC, Zac in lawful marriage) and brainstor...

"The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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: tha...

"The Killer Angels," by Michael Shaara

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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. Jo...

"The Tell-Tale Heart," by Edgar Allan Poe

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 al...

The Collected Works of Dashiell Hammett

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Top 10 Literary Men

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ran...

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How much can we pack into one episode? Southern race relations? Gender identity? Paragons of masculine virtue? Great literary drinking buddies? *A bon...

Death Wish: The Cinematic Universe

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

"Memories of My Melancholy Whores" by Gabriel García Márquez

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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-t...

"Heartstopper" by Alice Oseman

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 A...

"Road to Perdition" by Max Allan Collins

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Revenge! Revolvers! Riverboat Gambling! We read our first graphic novel to learn about the form, experience a new level of storytelling, and indulge o...

A Reading: "If" by Rudyard Kipling

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We take a chance on one of the few non-problematic works by Kipling as we read his short poem, "If," and discuss the various "masculine...

"Predator: A Memoir" by Ander Monson

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Get to the chopaaaaah!!! We return to the 'roid-biceped, greased-gun, day-glo fantasia of violence that was our 1980s action movie childhood... s...

The White Lotus: Season 2

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We're drinking Aperol Spritzes out of comically oversized wine glasses by the beach club for this second episode on Mike White's HBO series....

"Sharks in the Time of Saviors," by Kawai Strong Washburn

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for a special episode recorded in Hawai'i! We'll be discussing one of the best novels of the  decade, learning from its perspective...

"The Man with the Beautiful Eyes," by Charles Bukowski

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Love him or... more than likely hate him, it cannot be denied that Charles Bukowski has left this mark on the literary landscape with his singular app...

"Less" by Andrew Sean Greer

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We thoroughly enjoyed our read of this recent, Pulitzer-prize winning novel celebrating the ennui and folly of an American abroad. Join us table-side ...

The White Lotus-- What season 1 has to say about modern masculinity

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Guys are binge-watching The White Lotus season 1 while getting Tiki drunk (if only to honor the season's themes of colonization and appropria...

"Bright Lights, Big City" by Jay McInerney

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Season 3* kicks off with full book episodes released on the first Monday of every month. First up, we return to the cocaine novels of the 1980s and on...

Season 3 Announcement!

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Announcing the line-up for Literary Guise: Season 3, returning March 6th.  We  also preview our new format. All our monthly novels will be tackled i...

Season 2 Recap

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Just two guys, in that gray twilight between Christmas and New Year's Eve, sipping Seagrams Escapes in a mostly empty bar.. talking about all the...

A Reading: "Sticks," by George Saunders

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As an end of the year gift to ourselves and the Literary Guise community, we read one of our favorite short stories and analyze its themes over drinks...

"No Country for Old Men," by Cormac McCarthy (Episode 21.2) Part 2/2

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of our favorite episodes: where we get to talk about literary greats like Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, Colson Whitehead, and Amor Towles... alon...

"No Country for Old Men," by Cormac McCarthy (Episode 21.1) Part 1/2

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?"In conjunction with Cormac McCarthy's first novel released in 16 years, we're ...

"All Quiet on the Western Front," by Erich Maria Remarque (Episode 20.3) Part 3/3

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We finish up our Listeners' Choice for 2022, "All Quiet on the Western Front," on a bright note as things are looking up for our German...

"All Quiet on the Western Front," by Erich Maria Remarque (Episode 20.2) Part 2/3

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What does it say about men that it took war, in many cases, for our emotional barriers to finally breakdown? Why did it take months in a foxhole being...

"All Quiet on the Western Front," by Erich Maria Remarque (Episode 20.1) Part 1/3

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our listeners' choice for this season is one of the most famous novels of all time, the first true anti-war novel, the bleak, the unrelenting: Al...

Bret Easton Ellis: American Genius (Episode 4: Collected Works and Comparison)

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We wrap up our month-long look into the career of a distinctly American author. His collected works are further summarized. Natural comparisons to ano...

Bret Easton Ellis: American Genius (Part 3: "American Psycho")

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“I was never much of a fan of Literary Guise, at least not until the 31st episode of their 2nd season, a hyper-pop EDM new disco fantasia entitled, ...

Bret Easton Ellis: American Genius (Part 2: "Less Than Zero")

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Disappear here. (Into our podcast talking about one of the seminal works of the 1980s, Bret Easton Ellis's disaffected debut novel about an LA po...

Bret Easton Ellis: American Genius (Part 1: An Overview)

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are dedicating an entire month to Bret Easton Ellis's work! Join us live from the Stardust Lounge in Seattle, WA as we discuss the author, his...

Special Episode: Las Vegas! (The History, The Literature, The Spectacle... featuring a podcast first: recorded LIVE mid-Bachelor party)

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Who records a podcast 48 hours into a limo-chauffeured, bachelor party-fueled, drinking tour of Las Vegas? We do. Join us at some of our favorite off-...

"Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck (Episode 18.3) Part 3/3

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We wrap up one of our most listened to book discussions of the season with a bleak examination of the death of the American dream and a needless 2020-...

"Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck (Episode 18.2) Part 2/3

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Get ready to coat the inside of your glove with vaseline, because we're going deep into... wait... let us rephrase. When it comes to this Steinbe...

"Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck (Episode 18.1) Part 1/3

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're going back to school this month! Specifically back to our collective High School curriculum as we explore some of the novels of our student...

Mid-Season Recap: A Three Martini Lunch

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We get blitzed on martinis and talk about our favorite books from this year so far... and we re-write the high school comparative literature curriculu...

"Lolita," by Vladimir Nabokov (Episode 17.3) Part 3/3

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A little sympathy for the devil in this one as we try to get into the core mechanics of this novel's horrible protagonist. What does this narrati...

"Lolita," by Vladimir Nabokov (Episode 17.2) Part 2/3

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We get more entangled in the uncomfortable themes of Lolita, while also uncovering more of the brilliant wordplay baked-in by Nabokov... which is, exa...

"Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov (Episode 17.1) Part 1/3

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We take on one of the most controversial novels ever put to print this month, Nabokov's "Lolita." It's the novel you've alway...

Special Episode: A Trip to the Used Bookstore

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Your co-hosts travel to a neighborhood used bookstore to supermarket sweep three must reads for the other person. This is our chance to get out of the...

"Confessions of a Mask" by Yukio Mishima (Episode 16.3)

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A sad ending to a sad novel, we talk about the way inaction and not living authentically can misshape the soul. How sometimes the greatest tragedy in ...

"Confessions of a Mask" by Yukio Mishima (Episode 16.2)

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over cocktails we go deep into psychoanalyzing our own sexuality (same old, same old with this podcast) all the while exploring in more detail some of...

"Confessions of a Mask" by Yukio Mishima (Episode 16.1)

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Co-host Zachary Kellian introduces one of his favorite authors to Gordon Macallan who in turn lends even more personal insight into the text... just w...

A Reading: "Dagon" by H.P. Lovecraft

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Was this podcast just a long and needlessly complex excuse to eventually discuss H.P. Lovecraft? Maybe... we're big fans of the grandfather of ho...

"The Body (Stand By Me)," by Stephen King (Episode 15.3)

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We wrap up this season's foray into the world of Stephen King with an in-depth discussion on "the coming of age tale" and the unique ri...

"The Body (Stand By Me)" by Stephen King (Episode 15.2)

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We continue to drink some corpse revivers as we read one of the master of horror's non-horror novellas, "The Body." In this episode we ...

"The Body (Stand By Me)" by Stephen King (Episode 15.1)

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're drinking Corpse Revivers and reading Stephen King all month! What's a literary podcast doing examining the master of horror? If you&ap...

Special Episode: The White Horse Tavern in NYC... a legendary literary locale!

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We take a field trip for our second remote recording session, this time to New York City, NY! We sip some drinks just barstools away from where Dylan ...

"The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton Part 3/3 (Episode 14.3)

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lasers! Poison darts! Miss Gladys Stephens of Omaha, Nebraska! We talk about the climax of The Andromeda Strain as well as get a glimpse behind the sc...

"The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton Part 2/3 (14.2)

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our love of ASCII art graphs reaches its zenith with this novel. Today we're talking about Crichton's famous "Odd Man Hypothesis" ...

"The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton Part 1/3 (Episode 14.1)

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 s...

"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood Part 4/4 (Episode 13.4)

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What conversation about The Republic Gilead would be complete without a thorough discussion of "Salvaging?" We also give the Aunts their due...

"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood Part 3/4 (Episode 13.3)

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 te...

"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood Part 2/4 (Episode 13.2)

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're drinking "Blessed be the Fruit" cocktails courtesy of the Stardust's wonderful bartender (and suspected Eye) Crystal. Our ex...

"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood Part 1/4 (Episode 13.1)

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Handmaid's Tale, from the perspective no one wants to tackle: The Men of Gilead! But seriously, even those supporting and defending this nigh...

A Reading: "Three Million Yen" by Yukio Mishima

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week we're doing another dramatic reading by previewing our featured author for July, Yukio Mishima, with this shocking short story set in p...

"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain Part 3/3 (12.3)

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain Part 2/3 (Episode 12.2)

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 Bourd...

"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain (Episode 12.1)

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Season 2 kicks off with a three-part discussion of Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential." This week's episode also features ou...

Season 1 Recap / Season 2 Preview

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Episode 11.2: "Brokeback Mountain" by Annie Proulx

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We finish off our first full season of Literary Guise with another conversation exploring the themes of Brokeback Mountain. Far from just "that g...

Episode 11.1: "Brokeback Mountain" by Annie Proulx

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 li...

A Reading: "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Through a special arrangement with the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, we present a dramatic reading of one of the greatest short stories of all-time: &q...

Special Episode: Frank Herbert's "Dune" and a trip to his hometown!

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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&a...

Episode 10.3: DIE HARD! The Podcast! (But really it's the awful book that inspired it and we hated every moment of reading it)

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've finished the novel that inspired "Die Hard," (Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp) and we're more confused than when we ...

Episode 10.2: DIE HARD! THE PODCAST! (Except we're reading the novel on which its based and the book is like a terrible, drunk, racist uncle relaying the plot of the movie to you)

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you're still not sold on skipping "Nothing Lasts Forever" in favor of rewatching the much better movie adaptation, "Die Hard,&q...

Episode 10.1: DIE HARD! The Podcast! (Except it's the novel that inspired the movie, "Nothing Lasts Forever," and it's not nearly as good or nuanced)

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of the holiday season, we are reading and discussing the novel that inspired the action move/ Christmas classic: "Die Hard." Roderi...

Episode 9.4: "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

*SPOILER ALERTS* abound in our final episode of this new American classic. We talk about the amazing "twist" ending, its ramifications on th...

Episode 9.3: "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 charac...

Episode 9.2: "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Episode 9.1: "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of our more serious ventures, this month we're discussing the recent Pulitzer-Prize winner: The Nickel Boys. Heartbreaking, important, and wo...

Episode 8.4: "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We wrap up Richard Matheson's masterpiece with deep dives into vampire scientists, the insidious nature of Manifest Destiny indoctrination in pub...

Episode 8.3: "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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-...

Episode 8.2: "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Just like Robert Neville pumping shotgun shells into the undead, we unload right away on white male privilege, proportional biases during a pandemic, ...

Episode 8.1: "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We kick off our first Listeners' Choice! (Thanks, David). "I Am Legend" by the great and woefully underrated Richard Matheson. Q: What ...

A Reading: "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" by Bret Harte

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A full reading of the pioneering work of American Naturalism that kicked off the Old West literary craze: "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" by Br...

Episode 7.4: "The Talented Mr. Ripley"

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Will Tom get away with it all? (Spoiler, he will, because the Italian Police are inept AF... but not for the reason you may think). Stick with the epi...

Episode 7.3: The Talented Mr. Ripley

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tu vuo' fa' l'americano cocktail:2oz Gin.75oz Cocchi Americano0.5oz Bruto Americano0.5oz Grand Marinier1oz fresh squeezed orange juices...

Episode 7.2: The Talented Mr. Ripley

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We follow Tom to Italy and deconstruct his true relationship with Dickie Greenleaf... and ice boxes... and a weird Johnny Walker Blue Label tie-in com...

Episode 7.1 "The Talented Mr. Ripley"

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We tackle one of the most interesting fictional men ever written about. (Just ask Tom Ripley himself, he'd agree). This episode has it all: deep ...

Episode 6.4: Middlesex

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We wrap up the epic that is Middlesex. Our favorite bartender is back and serving us drinks that may include... salamander venom? We talk about all th...

Episode 6.3: Middlesex

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What would a series discussion of the intersex narrative in this Pulitzer Prize winning novel be without some divergence into early Genesis albums and...

Episode 6.2: Middlesex

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We celebrate Motown in this episode and explore Eugenides's love letter to the Motor City. We also get really deep into the coming out experience...

Episode 6.1: Middlesex

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Deep breath. We're diving into our longest novel yet and dipping our toe in the waters of gender theory. Yes, it's a lot; this is a Pulitzer...

Episode 5.4: Fight Club

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is this the end of a (very brief) era? The last Literary Guise brunch is at hand and we're wrapping up our discussion of the themes explored in C...

Episode 5.3: Fight Club

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Happy Father's Day! We start off the episode sharing some stories about our Dads (and speculate if, as adults, we could finally take them in a fi...

Episode 5.2: Fight Club

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's a month of brunch at The Stardust Lounge and we're talking Fight Club. This week we  discuss the mystery of Marla, death wishes (not t...

Episode 5.1: Fight Club

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're breaking the first and second rule: we're talking about Fight Club! Specifically the debut novel from author Chuck Palahniuk and the i...

A Reading: "Indian Camp" by Ernest Hemingway

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A special bonus episode to celebrate our incredible listeners and all the support they've given us to get Literary Guise off the ground. A dramat...

Episode 4.4: From Russia with Love

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We give the amazing chapter titles within "From Russia with Love" their due homage.We rank the movie Bonds.We finish our Martinis.We do just...

Episode 4.3: From Russia with Love

17 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Trigger Warning! (No, not the name of the next Bond movie) It was bound to happen, but this novel from the 1950s gets racist and sexist, who knew? We ...

Episode 4.2: From Russia with Love

10 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Full Moon Killers! Asexual Soviet Torture Experts! Chess Champions! What won't this Bond novel throw at us? We continue to dissect JFK's fa...

Episode 4.1: From Russia with Love

03 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bond... James Bond! We're exploring one of the Western world's premier archetypes for masculinity in Ian Fleming's "From Russia wi...

Episode 3.4: A Gentleman in Moscow

26 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we wrap up Amor Towles' epic and  over-indulge on drinks: which may explain the  Gremlins and Flintstone's references... b...

Episode 3.3: A Gentleman in Moscow

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Does The Count suck? Or does Zac just not understand the gentlemanly "rules of civility?" (Amor Towles call-back!) In this episode *spoiler*...

Episode 3.2: A Gentleman in Moscow

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode we talk about male agency... and caviar. Gordon talks a lot about caviar.Convenient plot devices! Random hook-ups! Potentially problemati...

Episode 3.1: A Gentleman in Moscow

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stock up on your vodka, because for the next two months we're going to Russia! For the month of April, we're reading Amor Towles's 201...

Episode 2.3: The Bridges at Toko-Ri

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Air." We finish our exploration into the Korean War with the heartbreaking final section of James Michener's "The Bridges at Toko...

Episode 2.2: The Bridges at Toko-Ri

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Land." We continue with our discussion of Michener's "The Bridges at Toko-Ri," tackling some serious subjects: misogyny, rac...