Episode · Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang · 2026-04-15
Books mentioned on “Life Is Just So” (w/ Lena Dunham)
In a world of Apple conferences, HBO gems, and insightful memoirs around career building experiences, we would be remiss to not remind ourselves that life is just so... so much so that the sisters are joined by Lena Dunham to talk, and mostly quote, one of our great post-feminist works: Girls.
Matt Rogers recommended Famesick by Lena Dunham, and discussed The Giver by Lois Lowry. Lena Dunham discussed The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken, and Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Famesick
Famesick by Lena Dunham is a memoir that explores the author's life and artistic trajectory.
Recommended“But then you read this wonderful book, Famesick, and you get a glimpse into the creative process.”
Where to get it
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The Westing Game
Discussed“It felt like the beginning of um the Westing Game or like an Agatha Christie. I love the Westing Game. Well, I love the Westing Game, too.”
Where to get it
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The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase
The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken is a classic children's gothic adventure novel set in an alternative historical period in England, featuring daring orphans and sinister plots.
Discussed“I don't know if you have a book called The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. No tell anything. It was incred. It was like about a girl. I loved books about like a girl who is an orphan and she moves to a house and something's not quite right.”
Where to get it
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The Giver
The Giver is a dystopian young adult novel by Lois Lowry set in a tightly controlled society that has eliminated pain, fear, and deep emotional experiences.
Discussed“And also um did you like The Giver? Of course. The Giver. Wasn't Taylor Swift in the Giver? She was in the Giver. Yes, in the Giver. She played an important memory in The Giver.”
Where to get it
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Not That Kind of Girl
Lena Dunham's candid autobiographical release chronicles various personal experiences, formative years, and youthful reflections, serving as the author's first major foray into memoir writing.
Discussed“I mean, I wrote my first book in 8 months I wrote this book in 8 years which we also loved not that kind of girl. Thank you so much.”
Where to get it
