The Lamppost in the Woods

Dinosaurs and puritanical ministers? Jungle theme parks and pre-revolutionary America? What kind of juxtaposition is this? Join us as we compare two incomparable novels and explore the consequences of fanatical devotion. To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/ or Head to https://www.thelamppostinthewoods.com/ Thanks for listening to the La...

In this episode, the team discusses what many consider the birth of science fiction (and the birth of a monster), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the original story of an overreaching scientist and his tragic creation. Through many cultural changes, retellings, and iterations, the source material is still the most unsettling version of the story. Join us as we explore the themes of ethics, morality,...

In this episode, the team talks about literature revolving around themes of pain, suffering and ultimately salvation. In this episode we discuss the Book of Job, the various retellings of Snow White, as well as a number of other works that inspired our attraction to this theme. To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/ or Head to https://www...

In this episode, the team breaks down the best, worst, and the most surprising reads of 2023. Listen along to find out what books to avoid reading for yourself as well as some books that are just too good to pass up! To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/ or Head to https://www.thelamppostinthewoods.com/ Thanks for listening to the Lamppo...

In this episode the team reminisces about the childhood books and stories that inspired us and fueled our passion for literature at a young age. Stories like Where the Red Fern Grows, Treasure Island, Little House on the Prairie, and the American Girl Doll books formed the way we look at books today. What inspired you growing up? To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.ins...

In this week's special Christmas episode, the team talks about Hans Christian Anderson's 7 part story, The Snow Queen. From its inspirations to its many retellings and everything that it has inspired over the years, The Snow Queen is sure to get you into the mood for the festivities of the season. So grab a cup of hot cocoa, light a fire, and settle for the final episode of season 3 of the...

In this episode, the team discusses what some would consider the definitive western, Shane, by Jack Shaefer. Sporting a multitude of adaptations, both classic and modern, as well as a series of influences played out in present-day film, Shane offers a pure look at life on the range, cowboys, and the tropes that this book made famous. To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www...

In this episode, the team get's stuck with another one of Evan's scary reads, on Halloween of all nights. A short story, the Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft represents our first foray into the realm of existential dread and fear of the unknown. Less jumpscare and more the unlimited expanse of space, we read to find just how true those whispered stories from far off places really are, an...

In this episode, the team takes a look at a book you might find on airport bookshelves around the country: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. With compelling characters and an interweaving narrative that spans 4 separate timelines, this book effectively balances a variety of themes without getting bogged down in the details, and while we may not agree with some of the themes presented, it is diff...

You knew we couldn’t stay away from Lewis for long! This episode, the team tackles our obligatory "one C.S. Lewis book per season" in the form of The Screwtape Letters . Join us as we study morality from the viewpoint of the diabolical demon uncle Screwtape and his bumbling nephew Wormwood. To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/...

This week the team dives into The Greatest Story Ever Told: The Bible to answer important questions like how does the Bible stack up against our other stories so far? How does it relate? Which authors were influenced by it? Where can we see that influence? How can we learn from the Bible on how to tell and write our own stories. From myths and legends to classic literature and popular retellings,...

This week, the team welcomes a very special guest, Dr. Jeremy Painter. Join us as we pick his brain about literature, the Bible, the Bible and literature, and all things Tolkien. Dr. Jeremy Painter works as the General Studies Program Director & the Assistant Professor of English at Urshan College. Dr. Painter has a Doctor of Letters from the University of Pretoria, a Doctor of Ministry from R...

What’s a podcast in the twenty-first century without a little gender-based disagreement? Today we split our fellowship down the middle as the girls pick one of their favorite books to go head-to-head with one of the guys' favorites. We hope you've read The Clockmaker’s Daughter and Ender’s Game because in this episode, there are no neutral parties. To get connected with us, check us out on...

We all deal with guilt, so it’s no surprise to find that many of the greatest stories in history portray a guilty conscience. This episode, the team takes on Shakespeare’s Macbeth and the Son of Perdition himself, Judas Iscariot as we discuss the portrayal of guilty characters in literature and try to give a little hope for dealing with guilt in real life. To get connected with us, check us out on...

Time to break out your scones and milky tea, because for this season's spotlight we’re doing that absolute classic of female romance fantasy written by a life-long spinster: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. No, but seriously, P & P is a classic, and we would be remiss in our duties as bibliophiles if we left it out. To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.inst...

In this episode, the team breaks down the best, worst, and the most surprising reads of 2022. Listen along to find out what books to avoid reading for yourself as well as some books that are just too good to pass up! To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/ Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 3 Episode 2.

The team is back this month to discuss: "What makes a book a flop?" Between familiar jabs of Catch 22 , we take a look at maligned literature and ask ourselves "what went wrong" with some of the most hated books of all time. To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/ Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 3 Episode 1.

The second-most famous Christmas character has become possibly the most legendary folk hero in world history. In this episode, the team interrogates the many faces of the "fat man in the red suit" while trying to answer that age-old question: Should you believe in Santa Claus? To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/ Thanks for listening to...

Join our fellowship as we dive into one of our very favorite classics: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (yes, it’s all one book). Get ready to laugh, cry, and fangirl as we ponder a burning question: who is the Lord of the Rings? To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/ Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Epis...

This episode, the team gets a spooky surprise as they review Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. This novel interweaves the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family’s past connect to an inconceivable evil and the dark history and folklore of Vlad Tepes, a 15th-century prince of Wallachia known as "Vlad the Impaler", and his fictional equivalent Count Dracula....

Finally. We told you it was coming, and here it is: our throw-down, knock-out, WWE-style wrestling match over Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. Is it the masterpiece so many believe it to be or is it a literary failure? Find out today as our team discusses the triumphs and shortcomings of this polarizing novel.  To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l...

This episode, the team digs into the listener's choice, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.  Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her. But even as she...

Motherhood may just be the toughest job of all, so join four non-mothers as we discuss the best (and worst) aspects of motherhood in literature. This episode contains references to An Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie , Rapunzel, and various other works over the last few hundred years. To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/ Thanks...

This episode we turn to the historical time period of World War I and the literature it spawned. Join with us as we discuss the events surrounding the war that informed a generation of writers and take the time to reflect on two classic novels: All Quiet on the Western Front and The Great Gatsby This episode includes references to The Sun Also Rises, Testament of Youth, and Rilla of Ingleside To g...

This week the team connects the dragon slayer themes of 2.4 to "Beauty and the Beast" as they explore the primal nature of mankind and the themes of sin, forgiveness, and redemption. To get connected with us, check us out on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamppostinthewoods/ Thanks for listening to the Lamppost in the Woods - Season 2 Episode 5.