The Bookening

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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.

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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. _

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:

1. 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.
2. Reading (or any art) is not the ultimate point of the well-lived god-honoring life.
3. 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!

_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/

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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.

If you love The Bookening, we really do need your help. Please click here to support The Bookening for a very low monthly amount and help us continue making the podcast. Thank you!

In episode 40, our heroes talk about N.D. Wilson's young adult horror/fantasy/action novel _Boys of Blur. _For such a slim volume, this book packs a lot in, and our heroes find themselves with plenty to discuss, including small towns, football rivalries, race relations, C.S. Lewis-wannabees, useless clichés, useful tropes, extravagant character names that are good, and one character name that they weren't such a huge fan of. 

By the way, here's some footage from the event that Jake mentions involving Nate's dad Doug.

Click here to buy the book.

Next week, more _Boys of Blur. _After that, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

 'My father's relationships were always between equals, however old or young, distinguished or undistinguished the other person. Once, when I was quite little, he came up to the nursery while I was having my lunch. And while he was talking I paused between mouthfuls, resting my hands on the table, knife and fork pointing upwards. "You oughtn't really to sit like that," he said, gently. "Why not?" I asked, surprised. "Well..." He hunted around for a reason he could give. Because it's considered bad manners? Because you mustn't? Because... "Well," he said, looking in the direction my fork was pointing, "Suppose somebody suddenly fell through the ceiling. They might land on your fork and that would be very painful."'

-Christopher (Robin) Milne on his father

It's another episode of _The Bookening _and this time our heroes are discussing _Winnie the Pooh _and _The House of Pooh Corner. _This proves to be a more delicate task than expected, as our heroes realize that while there are many things to admire and love about A. A. Milne and his creations, there are things to be wary of, too.

There's something weird about these stories. Something sort of off. They're not quite children's stories. And the cumulative effect is a little different than just some silly stories a humble father made up for his kid. Plus, there's the matter of Milne's own history, and his relationship with his son Christopher, which wasn't half as magical as the stories make it out to be.

Will our heroes get to the bottom of this Heffalump pit? Or will this journey into the 100-acre woods prove to be their undoing????????????????

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Next time _Boys of Blur _by ND Wilson!

If you like episodes about literary theory and how literature works, this one is for you, as Brandon and Nathan go deep-diving, trying to figure out what on earth William Faulkner was trying to accomplish with As I Lay Dying and whether it was a good thing. 

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Click here to buy the book from Amazon. 

Next we're reading The Complete Winnie the Pooh ... and after that _Boys of Blur _by ND Wilson 

As I Lay Dying part 2 is still coming tomorrow.  But today we have a BONUS EPISODE about three ABSOLUTE LITERARY CLASSICS that are all on TV or coming to movie screens soon. We've got our hot take on the books they are based on. 

Also ... Give us money!!! Please and thank you. 

This right here is an episode about William Faulkner's _As I Lay Dying. _Sadly, our heroes had to record this episode with Jake M.I.A. So that was weird, and is hopefully a rare occurrence.

Left to their own devices, Nathan and Brandon ladle on the context, talking about everything from Faulkner's life to the Southern Renaissance in American literature to early Hollywood's penchant for misusing great writers.

Cormac McCarthy and Flannery O'Connor keep coming up, possibly because both our heroes love Cormac McCarthy and Flannery O'Connor. Plus, with Jake gone, Nathan and Brandon are finally free to reveal his secret shame to the world. IT WILL SHOCK YOU!

Give us money here.

Click here to buy the book from Amazon. 

Next we're reading The Complete Winnie the Pooh ... and after that _Boys of Blur _by ND Wilson (we switched the schedule around in order to do our (very very tiny) part for Wilson, given his recent severe medical troubles. We encourage everybody to buy a copy and read along.)