Literary Guise: A Book Club for Modern Men
A book club where we (those who identify as men and those who want to understand men better) review great works of literature and discuss what they have to say about masculine archetypes. We are two life-long friends, one straight, one gay; a writer, and a doctor of computer science and philosophy, who have vastly different ideas of what it means to be a man. We’re here to take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly and to grow along the way.
Episodes
102 episodes
Special Episode: The Best Books of the 21st Century
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 first three seasons' alcohol budget imbalance. We share our thoughts about the New York Times "Be...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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41:11
The Final Episode?!?... or not (Season 3 Recap)
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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33:45
"The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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47:34
"The Killer Angels," by Michael Shaara
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 genera...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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52:39
"The Tell-Tale Heart," by Edgar Allan Poe
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....
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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32:55
The Collected Works of Dashiell Hammett
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 ove...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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42:26
Top 10 Literary Men
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 pres...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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41:16
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
How much can we pack into one episode? Southern race relations? Gender identity? Paragons of masculine virtue? Great literary drinking buddies? *A bonus 90 second rant on "Go Set a Watchman" WITH cursing* This episode is crammed with some of ou...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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46:54
Death Wish: The Cinematic Universe
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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29:48
"Memories of My Melancholy Whores" by Gabriel García Márquez
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 w...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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46:22
"Heartstopper" by Alice Oseman
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 mea...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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27:11
"Road to Perdition" by Max Allan Collins
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...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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44:53
A Reading: "If" by Rudyard Kipling
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" virtues it extolls. *Disclaimer: this episode was recorded during 50% off scotch night at The Star...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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18:29
"Predator: A Memoir" by Ander Monson
Get to the chopaaaaah!!! We return to the 'roid-biceped, greased-gun, day-glo fantasia of violence that was our 1980s action movie childhood... specifically this memoir about how the movie Predator has affected one American man, and in turn, so...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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51:54
The White Lotus: Season 2
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. Join us for an examination of father-son dynamics, toxic male friendships, and whether or not the gay m...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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24:27
"Sharks in the Time of Saviors," by Kawai Strong Washburn
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 on native Hawaiian culture, and exploring its unique relationship to "The Big Island." Did...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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56:23
"The Man with the Beautiful Eyes," by Charles Bukowski
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 approach to masculinity. We present a dramatic reading of one of his best known prose poems, a su...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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19:50
"Less" by Andrew Sean Greer
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 at the Stardust Lounge as we talk about Arthur Less: a man of many facets, all of them semi-tr...
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49:36
The White Lotus-- What season 1 has to say about modern masculinity
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 appropriation). We'll be sharing our thoughts on Armond's best dinner service ever, debating whether or not ...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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23:08
"Bright Lights, Big City" by Jay McInerney
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 one of the literary brat pack's brightest works. This novel has everything: Cocaine, Bolivian Ma...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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53:13
Season 3 Announcement!
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 in one long-form episode on the 1st Monday of the month. The third Monday of the month ...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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23:43
Season 2 Recap
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 books we've read this year with you, our loyal listeners. We also talk about a book so bad that it...
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Season 2
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Episode 39
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19:33
A Reading: "Sticks," by George Saunders
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 at the Stardust Lounge.
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Season 2
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Episode 38
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16:42
"No Country for Old Men," by Cormac McCarthy (Episode 21.2) Part 2/2
One of our favorite episodes: where we get to talk about literary greats like Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, Colson Whitehead, and Amor Towles... along with discussions of masculine nature vs the reality of male nurturing. We also try to get to...
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Season 2
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Episode 37
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33:12
"No Country for Old Men," by Cormac McCarthy (Episode 21.1) Part 1/2
"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 reviewing one of his all-time classics (and the brilliant Coen Bros film it inspired) "No Country for Old Men."&nbs...
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Season 2
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Episode 36
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28:01