The Bookening

Yessir, we're talking about The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham, that classic touchstone that everybody loves and has definitely heard of. Actually this is an interesting book, and Brandon gives an interesting context, discussing the idea of the artist as cultural high-priest, negative capability, and all kinds of fun stuff. Give it a listen. Would you be reading this if you were not going to? Support us here!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Um, what a weird book. The Bookening wraps their head around The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White. Or tries to. As usual (it seems) when we come to children's literature, we're a little unsure of what to say. What a weird book.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We tried to get far in this episode. In fact, we got all the way from Tom Bombadil to the Council of Elrond. But there's still plenty of Fellowship of the Ring left to talk about, and we are not sad about this, as it is an awesome book! Yay! WHAT'S WITH THE BARROW WIGHTS? How did we like dem elves? What about the introduction of Strider? SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT!SUPPORT US HERE!SIGN UP FOR OUR EVANSVILLE NEWSLETTER HERE! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Bookening is talkin' Lord of the Rings, namely The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1) by J.R.R. Tolkien, a book that, in their opinion, holds up quite well. Subjects include: that fey, suggestive feeling Tolkien is able to inspire, the condescension or lack thereof with which Tolkien approaches the hobbits, whether the story takes too long to get going, the potency of the ring as a literary conceit, and whether Tom Bobadil is a good section or not. SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT. Support us here! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. A book that every parent or teacher assigns and no kid likes. Well, The Bookening decided to actually read it as adults, and it turns out it may not be half bad. At least one of us is prepared to argue pretty staunchly for it. That's the topic of today's episode. LISTEN TO IT AND YOU WILL BENEFIT GREATLY. Next week, more Tolkien. Support us here! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Yes, it's the one where we really get into Sense and Sensibility. Is this one of Jane Austen's less mature works? Does it show any signs of being a first novel? Or is it completely perfect? How does it rank in the Austen oeuvre? How did Austen grow as a writer in her later novels? These are just SOME of the questions that our heroes answer in this AMAZING podcast. Frailty, thy name is Brandon. Support us here! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Just a little check in. We're not going anywhere. Love ya all.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this second episode about Sense and Sensibility, our heroes spend some time talking about their various histories with Jane Austen (this is their fifth time doing that but somehow they have a lot of new things to say). Plus they talk abut Jane Austen's style and why it's so compelling. Plus some of the differences between this relatively early Austen work and some of the later ones. (S&S is great, but Austen also got better as she went, and our heroes talk about some of the days that is true. Plus they repeatedly play a clip from the Sense and Sensibility movie that bears on the character of one of the three podcasters.  Support us here! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

But you know that Sense and Sensibility was not originally published under Jane Austen's name? The title page just said "By a Lady." She was indeed a lady. And also a good novelist. And this is The Bookening's first episode on her first novel Sense and Sensibility. Brandon provides much needed context. Nathan attempts to rush through the intro. Jake sings Goo Goo Dolls. Listen today! Support us here! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Oh boy, our heroes had to record this one late at night, after recording another episode, and their brains were fried. So if you like that kind of Bookening, this is The Bookening for you. But we got in some good talk about Mirkwood, the power of forests and woods, Smaug the dragon, how to make a good villain, and other Hobbity things. Next week, we'll finally get to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. By the way, Nathan says something confusing about episode order at the end of the episode. What he means is not that Sense and Sensibility Part 2 is coming up next (skipping Part 1). But that we recorded out of order, so Part 2 will contain more compliments. If that makes sense. Support us here!  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★