On the trails, in silence of an adoration chapel, in the practice of shrugging our shoulders, in the dirt of the earth, in art, bread, a feast with our friends. In other words: practice. This is where Seth and his wife Amber have learned to search for signs of hope, even during a season of recovery, pandemic chaos, political turmoil. Tsh talks with Seth about this idea — looking for hope in the midst of a world that tips toward despair — and why doing so changes everything. Seth and Amber recorded their experience in a book, and they didn’t hold back.

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Pick up a round of drinks

* Our recommended reads

* Come to Ireland with Tsh!

* Pre-order The Deep Down Things here, here, or here!

* Seth’s announcement

* Amber’s announcement

* Olga Karlovac on Instagram

* East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

C.S. Lewis wrote a newspaper column as a series of letters from a demon writing to his nephew training for his role as …well, a demon. Screwtape advises Wormwood how to best attack his “patient” — an unassuming young man — and his tactics aren’t what we’d expect. Tsh shares with Seth why she loves this book so much, why it’s still relevant (perhaps more?) today than it was when it was first published during the height of World War II, and why all of us need to read it. In fact, if you’re new to Lewis and want to give him a whirl, The Screwtape Letters is a great place to start.

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Pick up a round of drinks

* Our recommended reads

* Come to Ireland with Tsh!

* Sing Hat Co.

* Wilson Knives

* Catechism in a Year podcast

Isn’t it weird to travel with people you’ve never met? Tsh thought so, too, until she started leading pilgrimages. Now it’s one of her favorite things she does. She chats with her friend Bond Strong, who went on Tsh’s 2022 pilgrimage to Italy. They talk about why travel makes them love their home even more, how their love for travel only grew once they became parents, what they loved most about their time in Italy, and why you — yes, YOU — should go on Tsh’s 2023 pilgrimage to Ireland. There’s still time, but there are only a few spots left!

* Join Tsh in Ireland!

* Tsh’s Newsletter & Website

* Pick up a round of drinks

* Recommended reads

* Saint Stories for Kids podcast

* The Awakening of Miss Prim, by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera

Aren’t old books too hard for kids to understand? Maybe. Or maybe not. Tsh chats with her new friend Noah Tyler about his challenge of reading aloud from the original Harvard Classics set (also known as “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books”). They talk about how books have the proclivity to form our minds and hearts, what it looks like to homeschool in an urban setting, and how any parent can shape their home environment in small ways to help the family better order their loves.

(Seth will be back in the next episode!)

* CLT Exam: get 25% off any registration with the code COMMONPLACE

* CLT’s Author Bank

* Anchored Podcast

* The original Harvard Classics

* CLT’s Great Ideas series (based on the Syntopicon)

* Gillian Cross’ Iliad & Odyssey

* Philosophy for Kids, by David White

* The Way of Perfection, by St. Teresa of Avila

* Bitter & Sweet playlist for Lent

* Tsh’s Newsletter & Website

* Pick up a round of drinks

* Our recommended reads

* Join Tsh in Ireland!

You always remember your first. ...Get your mind out of the gutter, we're talking about first BOOK loves — you know, the stories that captured us and wouldn't let us go. In this episode, Seth and Tsh talk about the books that first drew them to the magic of good storytelling and word-weaving — beyond childish trinket stories, these were the books that first taught them the sacramental beauty of telling a story well. What about you? What were your first story loves? They go beyond books — these stories tell us more about ourselves as co-creators, made by God to bring beauty into the world.

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Pick up a round of drinks

* Our recommended reads

* Join Tsh in Ireland!

* A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle

* The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway

* The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

* The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

* Catholic Lofi on Spotify

Lex orandi lex credendi lex vivendi. What does this old Latin phrase mean? And what does it have to do with actual life? Lots, actually. These words represent an idea that’s not only time-tested, but it affects more of your life than you think. Seth and Tsh unpack why this concept matters, and what it has to do with topics like faith, education, work, and more. (In fact, you’ll hear more about this idea in upcoming episodes this season!)

* Seth: Newsletter | Website

* Tsh: Newsletter | Website

* Pick up a round of drinks

* Our recommended reads

* Join Tsh in Ireland!

* At Home in the World, by Tsh

* You Are What You Love, by James K.A. Smith

* Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, read by Luke Thompson

* Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, read by Ethan Hawke

* Future Home of the Living God, by Louise Erdrich

The new year kicks off with Seth in bed with the flu, so even though he musters up the strength to chat, in this episode it's mostly Tsh. Last year they each gave themselves a six-month challenge, so she shares her plan for this year: ten challenges in ten months! Why? How? And what are they? Tsh gets into all that with Seth. 

• Seth: Newsletter | Website


• Tsh: Newsletter | Website


• Pick up a round of drinks


• Our recommended reads


• Join Tsh in Ireland!


• Big Thief's new album, Dragon New Mountain I Believe in You


• Season 3 of All Creatures Great and Small

Seth and Tsh are offline for the next couple of weeks, but the show will pick back up in January. In the meantime, they've got a few thoughts for you — by way of other people's thoughts. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

• Seth's newsletter + website


• Tsh's newsletter + website
  


• Pick up a round of drinks!

Bonus! Tsh recently talked with Sam Smith and his teenage son, Josiah, about the fine art of writing a book together. Sam, often known as S.D., is the author of the beloved Green Ember series, and his son came up with an idea for his own story. So, he took him under his wing and together they published the first in a new book series! Sam and Josiah share with Tsh what it’s like to write together and how to cultivate a home life that loves good stories.

• S.D. and J.C. Smith's new book, Jack Zulu


• S.D. Smith


• Tsh's newsletter + website


• Listen to all the episodes

With Advent in full force and Christmas on its way, Seth and Tsh keep it lighter-hearted in this episode. They share what's adding more joy to their days in the categories of movies/TV series, music, books, and habits. Bookmark this episode's show notes for your upcoming holiday downtime!

• Seth's newsletter + website


• Tsh's newsletter + website


• Tsh's 2022 Gift Guide


• Pick up a round of drinks!


• Our recommended reads


• Onyx Coffee


• Spirited


• Naughty or Nice


• Every Hallmark Christmas Movie


• The Man Who Invented Christmas


• All Creatures Great & Small, Seasons 1 & 2


• In the Bleak Midwinter, by John Van Deusen


• Hark! A podcast about Christmas carols from America Media


• If On a Winter's Night, by Sting


• The Gospel of Luke


• The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories


• The Word is Murder, The Sentence is Death, & A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz