AI Summary
5 min readThe episode opens not with a book discussion but with an inside joke: Anthony Jeselnik and Gregg Rosenthal have been best friends since college, lived together for years, and co-hosted a previous podcast that Jeselnik says he ended partly because he “lost his mind” at the time. Rosenthal is now the face of NFL Daily, and Jeselnik is launching a new book club show at The Ringer. The first guest is his old friend, partly as a guinea pig and partly because they share a genuine love of reading. The conversation that follows is part literary analysis, part friendship banter, and part confession about what it means to be a serious reader in 2024.
The Book Under Discussion: Life of M by Rachel Cusk
The main literary event is Life of M, Rachel Cusk’s new novel that generated controversy before publication because it was widely understood to be a thinly veiled portrait of Natalie Portman. Jeselnik and Rosenthal both read it and liked it, though for different reasons than they expected. Rosenthal calls it “a fun blast of a read” and says he was surprised it got “killed” by critics. Jeselnik notes that any book that makes this many people angry, including the subject herself, “has to be doing something right.”
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:04) **Welcome and Catching Up** - Jeselnik introduces the show and his best friend Greg Rosenthal, setting up their long friendship and reading history.
- 2 (08:18) **Chapter One: How's the Family?** - Jeselnik asks about Rosenthal's family, particularly his daughter who writes novels.
- 3 (18:06) **Chapter Two: Life of M by Rachel Cusk** - The main book discussion begins, focusing on Cusk's controversial novel about Natalie Portman.
- 4 (32:50) **Chapter Three: The Jeselnik Book Club Gauntlet** - A rapid-fire agree/disagree segment on reading-related statements.
- 5 (46:44) **Chapter Four: One Additional Question** - The hosts share books they were embarrassed to be seen reading.
- 6 (48:50) **Chapter Five: Book Club Horror Stories** - Jeselnik reads a Reddit post about a man in a neighborhood book club.
- 7 (55:46) **Acknowledgments and Wrap-Up** - Jeselnik thanks Rosenthal, gives a call to action for listeners, and Rosenthal gives a gift and book recommendations.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Gregg Rosenthal, Anthony’s best friend and former JRVP cohost, joins the show to discuss Rachel Cusk’s ‘Life of M’ and recommend a few books for Anthony’s reading list. They also catch up on Gregg’s family, Anthony puts Gregg through the JBC Gauntlet, and the guys dive into a Reddit horror story about a man who joined an all-woman book club.
(00:00) Introduction: Jeselnik Book Club Past, Present, Future
(01:16) Chapter 1: Gregg’s Family
(07:00) Chapter 2: ‘Life of M’ by Rachel Cusk
(30:26) Chapter 3: Jeselnik Book Club Gauntlet
(44:14) Chapter 4: One Additional Question
(46:20) Chapter 5: Book Club Horror Stories
(53:18) Acknowledgments: Gregg’s Gift and Listener Requests
(1:03:30) To Be Continued: Patton Oswalt Joins the Show Next Week
Email me at [email protected] by October 26 with your thoughts and questions about our next book club selection, ‘The Trees’ by Percival Everett.
Join Jeselnik Book Club: https://anthonyjeselnik.com/the-jeselnik-book-club
Tour dates: https://anthonyjeselnik.com/tour
Host: Anthony Jeselnik
Supervising Producer: Magdalena Munao
Talent Booker: Paige Garbarini
Creative Producer: Daniel Comer
Technical Director: Chris Wohlers
Set Design: Jonathan Ratliff and Gitu Mehra
Editor: Matt Pevic
Social: Keith Fujimoto
Additional Production Supervision: Jack Wilson
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