The Re-Enchantment Book Club

In this special 25th episode, Jordan and Brendan go head-to-head in a fantasy draft to assemble an elite team of titles from all of their previous episodes, selecting for categories that include best Narrator, Character, Setting, Style/Form, ‘Beach Read,’ ‘Desert Island Book,’ Most Enchanting, Most Light, and Most Heat. Feel free to vote for who assembled the better “team” via DMs on Instagram or...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan foray into the world of Russian lit to discuss the danger of categories, Death as the great equalizer, evaluation by the world’s economy, living & dying well, the paradoxical complexity of Tolstoy’s work, and whether stew is better on the second day.   What We’re Reading:   The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr Phantastes by George Macdonald...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan go through the wardrobe to discuss the deep magic of sacrificial love, the awakening of the imagination, Lewis’s iconic imagery, resurrection beauty, the renewing power of awe, the questionable allure of Turkish Delight, and their favorite “goosebump” moments. What We’re Reading: The Odyssey by Homer Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner The Haunting of Hill Hou...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss Great American novels, the desire for immutable justice, the inconsistency of moral judgment, the need for our immediate worlds to be put right, and the fact that on a map, small places add up to a big place.   What We’re Reading: The Word in the Wilderness by Malcolm Guite This is Happiness by Niall Williams A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Music by...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the power of music, the problem of pain, where we go to deal with suffering, the communal experience of lament, the cisterns we choose over the fountains of living water, showing up for the ones we love, and whether beer is in fact meant to be served cold.   What We’re Reading: The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Na...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss an abundance of rabbits, the power of myth, how the telling of stories shapes us, the value of ennobling tales, whether this book is actually for children, and an unfortunate excess of rollicking.   What We’re Reading: The Divided Soul by Heidi White The Unselected Journals of Emma Lion by Beth Brower Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë   Other Mentions: P...

In this special New Year episode, Jordan and Brendan examine the poems “Alive Together” by Liesel Mueller and “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” by Gerard Manley Hopkins. They discuss what it means to marvel, the power of providence, the possibility of “missing out”, struggling to be who we are called to be, the paradox of oneness with Christ, the lilting magic of sprung rhythm, and the playfulness of Go...

  In this episode, Jordan and Brendan board the Hogwarts Express to discuss the deep magic of God, worldbuilding, finding our place in a larger story, British sweets, and whether Americans find the word “Philosopher” archaic. All topped off with an irresponsible number of references to Stephen King for an episode about a children’s book.   What We’re Reading: For the Life of the World by Alexander...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan take up residence in Port William and discuss Membership, steadfast Love, what it means to live and die in the same place, visions of the Good Life, and the power of particular Fidelity. All of which is catfish optional.    What We’re Reading: A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest Gaines Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky Boone: A Biography by Robert Morgan Th...

The Lottery In this episode, Jordan and Brendan debate what defines a Dystopia; they also discuss the day they’ll beat their swords into plowshares, the shadow side of redemptive reality, the human capacity for violence, the “what the heck is going on here” feeling, an ill-fated cupcake, and the counter-catachesis of the Christian life.     What We’re Reading: So We Read On by Maureen Corrigan Tha...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the nature of dignity, the soul-crushing need to justify your existence, the cost of disordered loves, ambiguous epiphanies, the inherent value of humanity, the classist admiration for English lords, and whether or not they would have made good butlers.   What We’re Reading: The Cost of the Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer  The Chosen by Chaim Potok T...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan gush over the scarcity of admirable literary heroes, the value of patient writing, the struggle to understand the world, the tension between perishable beauty and the far side of eternity, the power of sacramental blessing, and the art of peeling onion layers.   What We’re Reading: A River Runs Through It by Norman McLean Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart by Russ Rams...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the reintegrated life in a disintegrated world, the law of the jungle vs. the ministry of reconciliation, what’s caught instead of taught, seeking peace by loving people instead of ideas, the paradox of love & power, and the good earthiness of vegetables.   What We’re Reading: The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula LeGuin Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott The Book...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the role of college professors in book enjoyment, the profundity of childlike faith, the need for unconditional connection, the loneliness and heartache of the world, the power of simple acts of kindness, feelings too big for our bodies, and the sweet tartness of a Florida staple.    What We’re Reading: Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford The Yiddish Police...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan travel to Middle Earth to discuss the role of the common man in the fight against evil, worlds born from words, the emboldening of virtue, the imminent approach of glory, the purpose of silly hobbit songs, and what makes a story timeless.   Other Mentions: Beowulf    Next episode we will be discussing The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R Tolkien. We hope you join...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the “If Only” feeling, beauty in the midst of bleakness, the call to adventure, the cost of idealism, director’s cut conspiracies, and the idiocy of semicolons.   What We’re Reading: Letters to a Diminished Church by Dorothy L. Sayers Present Concerns: Journalistic Essays by C.S. Lewis Perelandra by C.S. Lewis   Other Mentions: “All the Pretty Little Hor...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the scandal of grace, beautifully hyperlinked symbolism, the cosmic story arc, the nature of true value, the power of chocolate kisses, and the polite consumption of buttermilk.   What We’re Reading: Stoner by John Williams The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder The Iliad by Homer Other Mentions: Psalm 131   Next episode we will be discussing All...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the duality of man, the gamble of letting Death narrate your story, the power of words to bring life or death, picking a good Pilsner, and cologne ads.   What we’re reading: All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren The Great Passion by James Runcie How God Became King by N.T. Wright Recapturing the Wonder by Mike Cosper A Theory of Everything (That Matte...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss our thought-tormented age, early 20th century Irish politics, the polarizing Modernist legacy of James Joyce, the magic of Thin Places, the tension between a blaze of passion and a life of long fidelity, and whether or not it’s ok to bake a little baby Jesus into your King Cake for this year’s Epiphany Feast.   Mentioned in this episode:   In Defense of...

In this special Yuletide episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the supremacy of It’s a Wonderful Life, the clash of Two Kingdoms, Dickens’s delight in language, the role of repentance & remembrance in true conversion, the call for a renaissance in heartfelt sentiment, and the coziness of mulled wine.   Mentioned in this episode: It’s a Wonderful Life (dir. Frank Capra) Adaptations of A Christmas...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the difficulty of the short story form, O’Connor’s punishment of hypocrites & use of the grotesque, Nietzsche’s view of monsters, the dreadful irony of grace, and gas-station snacks. What we’re reading: The Cross of Christ by John Stott The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin Jr. The Christian Imagination ed. by Leland Ryken   Next episode we will...

In this special Halloween episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss their favorite spooky stories, Bradbury’s polarizing prose, the struggle with time & mortality, evil’s inexplicable mystery, and the importance of avoiding carnivals. Scary Story Picks: The Bear & the Nightingale by Katherine Arden “Click-clack the Rattle Bag” by Neil Gaiman Other Mentions: John Mark McMillan - “God is Young” Ne...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss the complex & bittersweet relationship with Home, the pronunciation of “Kunstlerroman,” getting to know your neighbors, the line between poetry & prose, Mexican street food, and whether this book is technically even a novel. What we’re reading: Trust by Hernan Diaz 100 Poems by Seamus Heaney The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis The Amazing Adventure...

In this episode, Jordan and Brendan acknowledge their limited perspective; they also discuss the slow & frustrating work of justice, the effects of dehumanization, Gaines’s use of seemingly futile repetition, and the power of southern comfort food. What we’re reading: A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane The Great Tradition ed. by Richard Gamble Creator S...

In this debut episode, Jordan and Brendan discuss homesickness, pretentious German words, Lewis’s profound love of horses, the “around the corner” feeling, cockney accents, and the absurdity of adulthood. What we’re reading: The Need to be Whole by Wendell Berry A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders Other Mentions: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien “ Sehnsucht ”   Music by Brendan Mic...