Lit to Lens

About Lit to Lens

A podcast about books and their film adaptations. It's a safe place for those who really did like the movie better than the book.

Publisher

Lit to Lens

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

29 Aug 2016

Latest episode

31 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

96 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   31 Dec 2025

   95. HAMNET

   The guys discuss the film adaptation of HAMNET, based on the 2020 novel Maggie O’Farrell. … Hamnet is an historical novel that reimagines the life and death of William Shakespeare’s only son, Hamnet. Set in late 16th-century England, the story centers on Agnes, Shakespeare’s wife, a woman known for her independence, herbal knowledge, and deep intuition. The novel traces Agnes and Shakespeare’s courtship, marriage, and family life, while moving fluidly through time to explore how love, illness, and loss shape their world. When the plague reaches their household, their young son Hamnet falls gravely ill and dies, an event that devastates the family and fractures their marriage. Themes of motherhood, memory and grief feature prominently. … The film adaptation was written and directed by Chloe Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell, and stars Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn. … Topics of discussion include the reimagining of Thomas Pynchon’s novel, the postmodernist literary movement, the challenging aspects of reading Thomas Pynchon, the film’s Academy Awards chances come Oscar season, and whether or not Erik is a member of The Christmas Adventurer’s Club. … (1:10) Intro, fast facts, trivia … (15:55) A reading from the novel … (17:10) Studio pitch & novel breakdown … (44:24) A word from our sponsor … (45:12) Learn you something, differences from the book … (1:22:00) Coming up next, and outro … Coming up next: TRAIN DREAMS by Denis Johnson which was adapted into the new film from Clint Bentley, starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones. So keep an eye out for that! … If you would like to get in contact with us about anything regarding the show, feel free to shoot us an e-mail: littolens@gmail.com … Or reach out on social media: twitter.com/littolens instagram.com/littolens

2. 

   26 Nov 2025

   94. VINELAND / ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

   ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER The guys discuss the film adaptation, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, based on the 1990 novel, VINELAND, by Thomas Pynchon. … Vineland is set in 1984, the year of Ronald Reagan’s reelection, but primarily told in flashback. The story follows several characters who provide remembrances of their revolutionary life in the late 60s during a time of “fascistic Nixonian repression” and how that had evolved to the 80s and the war on drugs. The main through-line, however, concerns four primary players: three revolutionaries–Zoyd Wheeler, Frenesi Gates, her daughter Prairie, and the federal agent Brock Vond, and the book’s main narrative concerns Zoyd, Prairie and Brock’s attempts to find Frenesi, who is in witness protection. Themes of American rot, the corruptive power of television and the goodness of weed feature prominently. … The film adaptation was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Texans Taylor, Sean Penn, Chase Inifiniti, Benicia del Toro and Regina Hall. … Topics of discussion include the reimagining of Thomas Pynchon’s novel, the postmodernist literary movement, the challenging aspects of reading Thomas Pynchon, the film’s Academy Awards chances come Oscar season, and whether or not Erik is a member of The Christmas Adventurer’s Club. … (0:41) Intro, fast facts, trivia … (15:27) A reading from the novel … (16:28) Studio pitch & novel breakdown … (35:47) A word from our sponsor … (36:16) Learn you something, differences from the book … (1:52:32) Coming up next, and outro … Coming up next: HAMNET by Maggie O’Farrell which was adapted into the new film by Chloe Zhao. So keep an eye out for that! … If you would like to get in contact with us about anything regarding the show, feel free to shoot us an e-mail: littolens@gmail.com … Or reach out on social media: twitter.com/littolens instagram.com/littolens

3. 

   7 Oct 2025

   93. OIL! / THERE WILL BE BLOOD

   The guys discuss the film adaptation, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, based on the 1926 novel by Upton Sinclair. … In Oil! Upton Sinclair fashioned a novel out of the oil scandals of the Harding administration, providing in the process a detailed picture of the development of the oil industry in Southern California. Bribery of public officials, class warfare, and international rivalry over oil production are the context for Sinclair's story of a genial independent oil developer and his son, whose sympathy with the oilfield workers and socialist organizers fuels a running debate with his father. Senators, small investors, oil magnates, a Hollywood film star, and a crusading evangelist people the pages of this lively novel. … The film adaptation was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano and Ciarán Hinds. The film is considered to be of the best films from PTA as well as the first quarter of the 21st century. … Topics of discussion include the loose nature of the adaptation, the Russian Revolution, the similarities of today’s political climate with the political strife detailed in Sinclair’s novel during 1920’s America, and whether or not the “oil” used in the film was really made from MCDonald’s chocolate milkshakes. … (0:00) Intro, fast facts, trivia … (16:29) A reading from the novel … (17:28) Studio pitch & novel breakdown … (37:47) A word from our sponsor … (38:25) Learn you something, differences from the book … (1:24:50) Coming up next, and outro … Coming up next: VINELAND by Thomas Pynchon which was adapted into the new film by Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER. So keep an eye out for that! … If you would like to get in contact with us about anything regarding the show, feel free to shoot us an e-mail: littolens@gmail.com … Or reach out on social media: twitter.com/littolens instagram.com/littolens

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

55

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

77

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.