Jeselnik Book Club

‘Life of M’ by Rachel Cusk With Gregg Rosenthal

Oct 7, 2026 66:57

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 WeekEmail me at JeselnikBookClub@gmail.com 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-clubTour dates: https://anthonyjeselnik.com/tourHost: Anthony JeselnikSupervising Producer: Magdalena MunaoTalent Booker: Paige GarbariniCreative Producer: Daniel ComerTechnical Director: Chris WohlersSet Design: Jonathan Ratliff and Gitu MehraEditor: Matt PevicSocial: Keith FujimotoAdditional Production Supervision: Jack Wilson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeselnik Book Club: 'The Glass Hotel' Book Review + Q&A

Sep 30, 2026 84:52

Jeselnik Book Club reviews 'The Glass Hotel' by Emily St. John Mandel. We break down the book’s nonlinear story and answer mailbag questions ranging from “Have you ever refused to acknowledge someone from your past?” to “What do you think of authors killing heroes?” (00:00) - Intro (00:39) - Why I joined The Ringer (11:17) - Plot recap (47:40) - How do you try without appearing to try? (48:25) - Rank the Emily St. John Mandel books (49:49) - What's the closest you've been to a Ponzi scheme? (51:00) - Thoughts on the St. John Mandel connected universe? (52:30) - Did Vincent intend to drown, or was it an accident? (53:40) - What song captures the essence of the hotel? (55:54) - How do you feel about the concept of counter lives? (57:53) - Which character do you find most interesting? (59:05) - Why is the book called 'The Glass Hotel'? (1:00:05) - Have you ever pretended to not recognize someone from your past? (1:02:30) - What do you think of Paul using Vincent's videos for his career? (1:04:25) - What do you think about authors killing their heroes? (1:06:03) - How does revealing a tragic end point early change the reader's experience? (1:07:52) - What would you do if you were implicated in this Ponzi scheme (1:09:00) - What do you think about the role of guilt in this story? (1:11:15) - Why is 9/11 never alluded to in this book? (1:13:35) - Is this book better on a second read? (1:15:04) - What is your favorite place to read? (1:19:00) - October Book Club selection: 'The Trees' by Percival Everett Email us your thoughts and questions about our next book club selection, 'The Trees,' by October 26 at mailto:JeselnikBookClub@gmail.com. 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: Michael Rovzar Additional Production Supervision: Jack Wilson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices