Our hosts chat about a new book, Tom Racine's "Doomed to Die: An A-to-Z of Death in Tolkein" and then discuss Tolkien's own assertion that all human stories are about one thing...the inevitability of death.

One episode in volume 2 was not enough! We needed a few more minutes to talk about some of the great stuff we found in the second part of the new poetry collection.

After taking a few weeks away from Tolkien's Collected Poetry, our hosts return to the collection and share some of their favorites from Volume 2.

Join our hosts and they think back over the last year of podcasting and look forward to a new year full of fun new discussions to be had! What were your favorite episodes this year? What would you like to hear us talk about next?

Have you ever wondered which Middle-Earth location corresponds to which modern Holiday? Have you ever thought about how New Years Day might be celebrated around Middle-Earth? No? Well, you're about to!! Join us for our unhinged end-of-the-year special!

Within the recently published poetry collection, we look at a beautiful Christmas poem first published by Tolkien in 1936 and at a silly poem sent to his children at Christmastime in 1938.

Our hosts spend more time with the first volume of Tolkien's collected poems (spanning 1910-1919), looking at how his experience in war comes out in these works, as well as how the beginings of Middle-Earth begin to peak through.

Far from being experts on Tolkien's early poems, our hosts spend some time talking about what were the early stand-outs in Volume 1. Greek myths. Shadows of war. And hints at a Middle-Earth to come.

We've finally got our hands on the recently published collection of Tolkien's poetry! What are our first impressions of this impressive, 3-volume collection? Tune in to find out!

After the darker subject matter of the last two weeks, we decided to do something a little more light-hearted. Can Ron and Jasmine determine what quotes are authentic Tolkien and which ones are not? Can you? Join in the game and let us know how you did!