
Kafka on the Dork
Explicit content warning
11/24/21 • 70 min
Lexi & Ben get literary AF with their first ever book club episode! Dork book club? Book dork club? Whatever. Listen in as they dork out about some of the formative books that made them the dorks they are today.
SHOW NOTES:
Books we talked about:
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Lexi)
- Catacombs by Paul McCusker (Ben)
- It Happened in Boston? by Russell H. Greenan (Lexi)
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (Ben)
- Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins (Ben)
- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (Lexi)
- Redwall by Brian Jacques (not Jeph Jacques) (Ben)
- Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (Lexi & Ben)
- Every book ever written by David Sedaris (Lexi)
- The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (Ben)
- Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Ben)
Important references:
- Scotish snowplows
- Reading Rainbow (We love you LeVar)
- Jonathon Frakes libido
- Christian Persecution Complex
- Everyone is DEAD
- Cletus
- Toonie (ferreal)
- Margaret Atwood
- Theodore Mouse Goes to Sea
- "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one"
- Becky Chambers
BONUS MATERIAL:
Producer Jess' formative book picks and explanations:
- Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones. I wasn't really much of a reader until I was turned on to the Harry Potter series, but this was the first book I read before even those ones that made me interested in fantasy, and was ultimately what put me on the path of being a lifelong book lover (Gail Carson Levine also falls under this umbrella as another kickass fairytale fantasy writer)
- A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews. I think YA is grossly underrated and books like this prove that; I also think the idea that YA has to have a happy ending is ridiculous and this is a book that proves that because it's decidedly melancholic throughout all the way to the end (but honestly that is how teenagerdom felt for me, so I appreciate that)
- Nightwood, Djuna Barnes. From a stylistic perspective it's unlike any other book I've ever read (it's a story wi...
Lexi & Ben get literary AF with their first ever book club episode! Dork book club? Book dork club? Whatever. Listen in as they dork out about some of the formative books that made them the dorks they are today.
SHOW NOTES:
Books we talked about:
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Lexi)
- Catacombs by Paul McCusker (Ben)
- It Happened in Boston? by Russell H. Greenan (Lexi)
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (Ben)
- Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins (Ben)
- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (Lexi)
- Redwall by Brian Jacques (not Jeph Jacques) (Ben)
- Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (Lexi & Ben)
- Every book ever written by David Sedaris (Lexi)
- The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (Ben)
- Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Ben)
Important references:
- Scotish snowplows
- Reading Rainbow (We love you LeVar)
- Jonathon Frakes libido
- Christian Persecution Complex
- Everyone is DEAD
- Cletus
- Toonie (ferreal)
- Margaret Atwood
- Theodore Mouse Goes to Sea
- "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one"
- Becky Chambers
BONUS MATERIAL:
Producer Jess' formative book picks and explanations:
- Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones. I wasn't really much of a reader until I was turned on to the Harry Potter series, but this was the first book I read before even those ones that made me interested in fantasy, and was ultimately what put me on the path of being a lifelong book lover (Gail Carson Levine also falls under this umbrella as another kickass fairytale fantasy writer)
- A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews. I think YA is grossly underrated and books like this prove that; I also think the idea that YA has to have a happy ending is ridiculous and this is a book that proves that because it's decidedly melancholic throughout all the way to the end (but honestly that is how teenagerdom felt for me, so I appreciate that)
- Nightwood, Djuna Barnes. From a stylistic perspective it's unlike any other book I've ever read (it's a story wi...
Previous Episode

Armageddork
It’s the end of the world as we know it and not at all content with the reality of our slow, steady steps toward climate disaster, Lexi & Ben go searching for the most interesting apocalypses possible.We feel fine.
SHOW NOTES (Thanks Jess!):
- Seth Rogan: pls watch this video
- Rules on duel citizenship for U.S. Citizens
- CANCON definition
- CHEUGY. Now use it in sentence.
- The safe place in our version of the Walking Dead is New Zealand
BONUS MATERIAL:
- Apocalypse
- Armageddon
- Ragnarok
- Ultimate fate of the universe
- Simulation hypothesis
- Global cooling
- Climate change
- Nibiru cataclysm
- AI takeover
SOCIALS:
Here's where you can find us!
- Lexi's website and twitter and instagram
- Ben's website and instagram and where to buy his book: Amazon.ca / Comixology / Ind!go / Renegade Arts
- Dork Matter's website(WIP) and twitter and instagram
If you're enjoying Dork Matters, we'd really appreciate a nice rating and review on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your pods. It would very much help us get this show to the other dorks out there.
We feel fine!
SOCIALS:
Here's where you can find us!
Next Episode

Dorkelicious
Ben and Lexi are dorking out about all things food! What gross food combinations bring you the most comfort? If you had one last meal before the great beyond - what would you eat? What does a latch key eat when they are too afraid to use the stove? Listen in as they dork out with their forks out.
SHOW NOTES:
We are talking food BUT safety first - here is a helpful video on how to save yourself from choking on food if you are alone!
Lexi's Last Meal:
- Yam fries and miso gravy from the Coup
- Caesar salad from Lexi's mom
- "Pseudo" Lasagna , again from Lexi's mom
- Mocha Cake from Glamorgan Bakery
Ben's Last Meal:
- Fancy pants Shepard's pie NOT cottage pie (maybe some gravy or ketchup)
Disgusting Food We Love:
- Spoonfuls of ice tea mix, straight up
- Saltine crackers with peanut butter and chocolate chips (sad snacks)
- Saltines with pb & j
- Saltines with margarine
- Christmas Crack (saltine recipe): https://www.littlesweetbaker.com/christmas-crack-saltine-cracker-toffee/
- Marble cheese, pasta sauce and crackers (saltines, Breton crackers, Ritz crackers or Stone Wheat Thins)
- White pasta, Zesty Italian salad dressing and A LOT of parmesan (sprinkle) cheese...like a lot
- The Dylan special, the Pregnant woman wrap - whole wheat pita, sauerkraut, nut butter (not a sweet one) and lacinato kale
- Imitation crab and melted butter OR wasabi OR a sriracha mayo
- Just melted cheese out of a bowl
Maybe not gross food?
- Brie covered in butter, brown sugar and maple syrup and then wrapped in puff pastry
- Brie covered in Kahlua and then melt and eat with crackers
- Brie and raspberry jam
- Cottage cheese and raspberry jam
Door Dash or Skip the Dishes Go To Order:
- Vietnamese food is the winner! Subs or anything with noodles (Jess agrees!)
Strangest Food We Have Tried
- Lexi will eat pineapple but only on pizza but will NEVER eat pineapple on its own. Pineapple is gross.
- Ben ate a kangaroo , frog and crocodile
We talked about:
- Jordan Witzel's beloved Glamorgan Cheese bun Halloween costume from 2020. Can't make this stuff up folks
- Luke's Drug Mart
- Black Foot Crossing Historical Park
- Calvin and Hobbes
- If you have gross food for our dork cook book, send those recipes in! Especially SALTINE CRACKER recipes
- Tayce and Heniz beans
- Community Natural Foods
- Byblos Bakery and Lake View Bakery
- Wheat Crunch
- Lexi can only eat cheese pizza pops when she is sick
- Let's get going with that lab grown meat!
- People who are allergic to shellfish might also be allergic to bugs
- Lexi alluded to the Queasy Bake oven
- Would you eat lab grown extinct animals? What about human lab grown meat?
- Lexi ate at Yamazato Restaurant in Amsterdam and it was amazing
- The Lucca Comics and Games festival
- Scoma's Restaurant
- Ben would travel back to France for the food and wants to visit Japan for a good noodle house
- Lexi would travel to Korea for the food and wants to go back to the Netherlands for food
- Red Fish Blue Fish
- Mango Rash - it is real
- Grizzly House in Banff
If you like this episode you’ll love
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