I get the feeling I probably read this book before I was ready for it, so there were some concepts that just went right over my head. Still, it was an awesome book for 16-year-old me and an education in how other storytellers think about romanc

Dealing With Dragons

Oct 21st, 2020 12m 2s

If that title looks familiar, it's because we've looked at this book before. I really do love it, and if this isn't enough proof, then I guess I'll just make up a nice big sign. XDThe two-month hiatus was almost completely unplanned, and I sus

A Natural History of Dragons

Jul 8th, 2020 15m 34s

I can't lie - I LOVE this series. It's amazing, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who loves dragons and a slightly feminist look at an Edwardian worldview. It's pretty fantastic on all counts, and I've read it through three times alrea

Daughter of Dragons

Jul 1st, 2020 14m 34s

Sorry if I sound a little funny today - it's been terrible for allergies recently, and I can't seem to clear my sinuses. XPAnyway, I hope that if you have time for it, you'll pick up a copy of Daughter of Dragons by Jack Campbell. It's a fanta

Dragonflight

Jun 24th, 2020 14m 7s

Welcome to the end of the hiatus! I'm mixing things up by posting this episode two weeks early for patrons! It'll take some work to keep up with it, of course, but I think it's worth it, so my lovely patrons have a little more of a reward for t

The City of Ember

May 27th, 2020 15m 43s

To anyone who likes stories about kids that act like kids but also save the world (like Harry Potter and The Books of Beginning) I would very much recommend this book. I couldn't actually finish its sequel, because I'm a biased hack, but I real

Island of the Blue Dolphins

May 20th, 2020 12m 55s

Have you ever had a movie, book, or game that people have told you "you've got to try this" over and over, but you resisted because you were biased in some way? Or maybe it was a food that you were just convinced you wouldn't like. Or a place y

Black Beauty

May 13th, 2020 12m 6s

This book has come up in discussions several times in the past, but I've never covered the introduction, so I figured this was as good a way as any to wrap up our classics series.When I'm under pressure or when I'm feeling stressed, I'll often

Where the Red Fern Grows

May 6th, 2020 13m 36s

Or perhaps I should have called this one "where the red fern groans." Suffice to say I don't like this introduction at all, and I have very little objectivity to spare for this one. XP My biased opinions are going to get me in trouble one of th

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Apr 29th, 2020 12m 32s

We have finally reached the long-awaited series, though we're not digging in just yet. I intent to come back and do a mini-series on all seven books and how they contrast, but that's still on my to-do list. For now, we're just dipping our toes

A Little Princess

Apr 22nd, 2020 13m 1s

When I was a kid, a movie based on this book was in my collection. I loved it, even though there were parts of it that honestly made me uncomfortable. Looking back at it, I think that movie actually helped me through losing my own father later

The Jungle Book

Apr 15th, 2020 13m 26s

I discovered and read The Jungle Book... I want to say the year that I graduated college? Somewhere around there. If you're not aware, I'm happy to inform you that one of my favorite audiobook narrators, Ralph Cosham, has recorded a version of

Old Yeller

Apr 8th, 2020 13m 26s

This book is definitely going into my top 10 list for this year (so far - dun dun DUN!) just because I enjoyed all that interaction and action in the beginning, not to mention the narrative voice.I've got a couple more books on the list for th

David Copperfield

Apr 1st, 2020 13m

I won't say this is one of my favorite classics, but I will say that the introduction inspired a topic that I've wanted to talk about for quite some time. I've also decided to extend this run of classic books a little, if only because it's been

Treasure Island

Mar 25th, 2020 13m 35s

Ho there and well come, my Inklings! We're continuing our digging into classics of the sort I avoided as a young thing with RL Stevenson's Treasure Island, which I must say I had a lot of fun with. If you have any suggestions for more books (cl

To Kill a Mockingbird

Mar 18th, 2020 13m 40s

I was biased going into this one, so I don't think I was very fair in how I rated it. I'd love to hear from you lot about what you thought of the intro to this book and how engaging it was (or wasn't).Also, if you have any suggestions on what

Celeborn and Galadriel

Mar 11th, 2020 11m 39s

I've finally come to terms with the fact that I can't maintain accents consistently. Hopefully the voices are still distinct enough that you know who's who. :)This wraps up our Tolkien miniseries, which I thoroughly enjoyed. At some point I wo

Moria and Lothlorien

Mar 4th, 2020 14m 36s

I have developed a theory! I think (and I could be wrong) that Tolkien describes places in ways that reflect the people that interact with it, rather than in terms of the place itself. I haven't been able to thoroughly test this theory, but I f

Strider

Feb 26th, 2020 12m 59s

I've been looking forward to this episode for a couple weeks, and I think you can probably tell by how much time I spent talking about narrative shortcuts, because this intro is just full of them!I also want to apologize for the accent quality

Frodo and Gandalf

Feb 19th, 2020 14m 35s

Do you want to know a secret? Come closer.I don't like listening to myself sing.I actually like the sound of my voice when I'm talking, and I can happily listen to my own podcast without feeling like cringing like so many people do - even tho

The Long Expected Party

Feb 12th, 2020 13m 57s

Welcome to Part 2 in our series on the introductions and beginnings in The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. I can easily foresee 3 or 4 more episodes, concerning Frodo and his friends, Gandalf, and Aragorn at the very least. I'd also l

Concerning Hobbits

Feb 5th, 2020 11m 20s

By request from one of you marvelous Inklings, we're doing a deep dive over the next few weeks into the beginnings and introductions in J.R.R. Tolkein's The Fellowship of the Ring. I'm having a lot of fun digging into this book, which isn't at

Acorna the Unicorn Girl

Jan 30th, 2020 13m 20s

This is one of my favorites from way back when, in high school when I had time to read a ton of books without resorting to audiobooks. :) Back then, I actually thought listening to an audiobook didn't count as "reading," but I've outgrown that

A Game of Thrones

Jan 23rd, 2020 14m 45s

I've been hanging on to this book for a while, because I wanted to give it the attention it deserves. Then I went and squandered it on a day like today when I didn't have quite the time to give it the attention I'd hoped. Oh, well. We'll come

The Book of Three

Jan 15th, 2020 12m 58s

A quick peek at a story based on Welsh mythology, with a pinch of literary criticism on the side for flavor. Hope you liked it!I have no idea what I'm going to do next week, but I'm sure it'll be something brilliant. Just... don't quote me on