The Bookening

Murder on the Orient Express! Our heroes ponder whether it is ever acceptable to take the law into your own hands, answer questions from Schmoop, and solve their very own murder mystery. WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END WILL SHOCK YOU! Featuring MVP guest star, Dani McNeilly.Give a trillion dollars to the McNeilly's campus ministry to Indiana University. Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you! Music Credit: Undertale Remix - Megalovania (Chime Electro / Dubstep Remix) - GameChops Spotlight (Used by Creative Commons Attribution license) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Agatha Christie --  expert plot mechanic or good storyteller? Our heroes attempt to solve this mystery with a little help from their pal Dani McNeilly. Nathan is dubious about "good storyteller", until Dani points out some things which (it's easy to take for granted, but) Christie does really well. See if Dani will let you follow her on Instagram, then go and give a trillion dollars to the McNeilly's campus ministry to Indiana University. Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Our heroes invite a woman on the podcast and chaos ensues. Also they discuss Dame Agatha Christie and _Murder on the Orient Express. _Co-starring the wonderful Dani McNeilly.Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you!Here's something different for those of you who like different things. Our heroes conclude their discussion of _Heart of Darkness _by interviewing their good friend Pastor Lucas Weeks, who actually grew up in the Congo. He's played with monkeys, seen terrifying native tribal dances, and been escorted from his home by US Marines while machine gun fire echoed in the distance. So arguably he can bring more perspective to _Heart of Darkness _than even the Mysterious Phantom did. Next week Dame Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you!Let's face it. Nathan, Brandon, and Jake are probably the three bravest men ever to have walked the face of the earth. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that in this episode, our heroes delve fearlessly into the murky depths of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, asking tough questions like "was Marlowe wrong to lie to that lady at the end?" and "Is Joseph Conrad a 'bloody racist?'"It's also entirely possible that a very special guest shows up near the end of the episode, someone who has some very particular bones to pick with our heroes. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WILL SHOCK YOU!!!!!!!!!Next week more Joseph Conrad's_Heart of Darkness. _Coming thereafter Dame Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you!This week Nathan, Jake, and Brandon begin their journey into ... THE HEART OF DARKNESS! (Nolanesque musical sting). Our heroes discuss Joseph Conrad's journey from Polish orphan to French sailor to English novelist, why King Leopold of Belgium was a real jerk, and whether Jake's shoes glow in the dark. Next week more Joseph Conrad's_Heart of Darkness. _And soon thereafter Dame Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you!Kids certainly do say the darndest things, and given that 3 of our heros' kids had read N.D. Wilson's _Boys of Blur (_and what's more, loved _Boys of Blur), _we figured they'd have the darndest things to say about it. Spoiler: we weren't wrong.Special thanks to Elissa, Eliot, and Peter for a fun and fascinating ep! Tell all your friends and family to support us A.S.A.P, so they'll get their Skittles bribe.Yes, next week we're finally getting to Joseph Conrad's_Heart of Darkness. _ ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you!In today's episode, our heroes (sadly sans Brandon) continue their discussion from the Newbery ep about why reading is not some kind of big inherent virtue like so many educators and pundits make it out to be. As our heroes point out:Reading, like any discipline, requires actual work. Sometimes mundane work. It is not (merely) a glorious series of transcendent moments and discoveries, like, y'know _Reading Rainbow _kinda makes you think.Reading (or any art) is not the ultimate point of the well-lived god-honoring life.If you're one of those Christians who thinks he's going to redeem the culture through it engaging it with the arts, you're pretty dumb.CORRECTION: Nathan very well may be wrong at the end of the episode when he says that next week we start Joseph Conrad's_Heart of Darkness. _If all goes according  to plan, next week we hope to have a Very Special Episode to finish out our discussion of children's literature. After that, Conrad, baby! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

_Mr. Popper's Penguins. _Call It Courage.Maniac Mcgee._The Bridge to Taribithia. _Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.What do these books have in common you ask? They're Newbery Medal winners of course, and in this episode our heroes use Newbery as a springboard into a discussion of the invention of kids lit and young adult fiction, and whether kids should be taught to read what they enjoy ... or enjoy what they read.One thing is for sure. Everyone hates _Johnny Tremain. _Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you!Next week we begin Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness._ _Music Credit: "Loping Sting" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

If you love The Bookening, we really do need your help. Please click here to support The Bookening for a low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you!Here's a pretty pickle. Our heroes like N.D. Wilson and what he's doing in Boys of Blur. On the other hand, they did have some difficulties with the book that made for some interesting discussions about literature, writing, story, etc. Which, it turns out, is one of the primary functions of their podcast. Never ones to shirk their duty, our heroes solider on, discussing the weaknesses of a book they would 100% recommend for boys in the target demographic.Hey, we talked about Steinbeck's weaknesses, too.Click here to buy the book.Next week, we'll be discussing the Newbery Awards and kids lit in general_. _After that, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★