The Library Police

This week, Josh and Dietrich respond to a listener's email to review the best storytelling across genres from 2010 to today. In film, the pair discuss the heartbreaking film The Florida Project, and the unparalleled mayhem of Mad Max: Fury Road. A novel about a grieving president and another about a detective in hell join the list, alongside two television shows that tackle grief and philosophy in completely different, but equally brilliant ways. They touch on their favorite games of the last ten years, and wrap up with an iconic album and a family that's grown a podcasting empire. You can send your suggestions for the best storytelling of the decade, as well as any other questions, to [email protected].

This week, Josh and Dietrich look at the extraordinary films of Jordan Peele, and attempt to build a playlist of stories that demonstrate that remarkable blending of genre and racial commentary. Josh talks about the film District 9, while Dietrich raves about Saladin Ahmed's Black Bolt. They discuss the haunting ending of horror classic Night of the Living Dead, as well as the exceptional work done by author Victor LaValle in adapting the writings of a bigot to reflect the brutal treatment of black Americans. Finally, the pair break their rule of only including established works by including the staggering debut of HBO's Watchmen. In addition, the pair talk about what's been good to them, including a podcast about one of the most problematic films in the Disney canon, a brilliantly designed mobile game, and a stunningly comprehensive book about how to rebuild civilization from the ground up. You can send questions or comments to [email protected].

This week, Josh and Dietrich take a frequent punching bag of theirs and build a playlist off of The Walking Dead. From a quietly devastating book about the end of all living things, to one of the finest examples of narrative storytelling in video games, to a novel about spontaneous combustion, the pair will provide you five new storytelling experiences in which to immerse yourself. This week's playlist includes: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Walking Dead video game by TellTale Games, The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, the cooperative board game Dead of Winter, and The Fireman by Joe Hill. In addition, Dietrich finishes up Brian Staveley's excellent fantasy trilogy, Josh is surprised by a book he never expected to enjoy, and the pair discuss The Adventure Zone: Amnesty podcast coming to an end. You can submit questions or suggestions at our website, http://www.theplaylistshow.com.

On the first ever episode of The Playlist podcast, Josh Mauthe (an English teacher with over a decade of book and film criticism under his belt) and Dietrich Stogner (a former journalist and author) assemble a playlist of movies, television, books, and even a video game for those who fell in love with the intrigue of Westeros. If you loved the political games and machinations, you can find your own in a complex and innovative PC game that simulates the legacy of a royal family through the ages. Did Game of Thrones sweep you away with its complex characters? The Sopranos did it first, and in many ways, did it better. By the end of this episode, you'll have a laundry list of incredible stories to experience in a wide range of media. Next week, Josh and Dietrich help those who fell in love with the innovative and fascinating podcast Serial find their next obsession. We'd like to thank Hazard to ya Booty for the use of our theme song, Funk Me Out off of the album Putcha Hand On It. Check them out, people. They're fantastic.

This week, Josh Mauthe and Dietrich Stogner say farewell to the Library Police Podcast, bringing over ten years of nerding out about books to a close. A listener asks for tips on how to fit in more reading. Josh discovers a cluster of extraordinary novellas by one of the most talented fantasy authors alive. Dietrich raves about the Tor free ebook program. Finally, they look at the challenge of bringing something to a close, looking at how authors from across genres have wrapped up long running series, complex novels, and more. They wrap up with a discussion of a rebooted noir series that comes back in spectacular fashion, and the outstanding new film by Quentin Tarentino. Finally, they take a bit to talk about ending the Library Police, and how excited they are to move on to the next challenge with the forthcoming podcast The Playlist. From every person who ever helped work on the Library Police podcast to every person who ever listened: Thank you all so much. 

This week, Josh and Dietrich continue their timed exploration of topics from years past. After acknowledging that ragging on Ayn Rand is the only acceptable reason to abuse the lightning round timer, they dive into calling an authors bluff when they threaten main characters, a bewildering topic with excellent episode art, and explore the best relationships in literary history. In addition, Dietrich raves about the astonishing followup to podcast favorite Dark Matter, Josh talks about a novella collection featuring outstanding works by LGBTQ authors, and they both talk about the best book on writing ever written. Finally, they wrap up with the horrors of Chernobyl, a look back at the finest fantasy trilogy ever made, and talk a bit about next week's Library Police finale, and what comes next. You can send questions or comments to [email protected]

This week, Josh and Dietrich reach back through their catalog to revisit topics from the decade they've been doing this show. With only four minutes per topic, the pair are able to touch on nearly a dozen different topics, exploring how their answers have changed (or not) in regards to young adult as a genre, overdone tropes, gifts for readers, genre blending, and much more. It's a segment that demonstrates their bizarre ability to wrap up sentences mere seconds before the timer goes off. In addition, Josh raves about a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, as well as one of the best science fiction books he's read in years, while Dietrich revisits Pratchett. Finally, they wrap up with Chernobyl, The Deuce, and the disappointments of Dark Phoenix and Jessica Jones. You can send questions or comments to [email protected]. 

This week, Josh and Dietrich take a look at the end of one of the biggest storytelling accomplishments of all time, the adaptation of George RR Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones. From an idea most considered a poor gamble at best in the beginning came a pop culture phenomenon, and one of the last great appointment viewing television shows. However, with the controversial and maligned final season, Josh and Dietrich look at the challenges of adapting an unfinished work, the choices made by the showrunners and the assumption of what made the best of the show work, and talk about what lessons those who want to follow in Game of Thrones' footsteps can learn. In addition, Josh reads the first Thomas Harris book in a long, long time, Dietrich discusses both the book and television adaptation of a satirical masterpiece, and they wrap up with a discussion of the film neither ever thought would happen, Deadwood. You can send questions or comments to [email protected].

This week, Josh and Dietrich look at how much the book industry has changed since they began rambling into cheap microphones for their tens of listeners a decade ago. They look at the staggering growth of Amazon, with the good (the Kindle and self publishing) alongside the bad (nearly everything else). They talk about the shift towards diversity, with women and minority authors making their voices heard more than ever, even in traditionally closed genres such as science fiction and fantasy. Josh discusses the fall of the big box bookstores, but the subsequent rise of independent bookstores, and Dietrich looks at the revolution of young adult fiction heralded by Rowling, Meyer, and Collins. In addition, the pair discuss the reaction to the last episode's announcement, and get emails about getting back into a reading groove and self help books. Finally, they wrap up with discussing a show about a nuclear meltdown, and a show about modern politics, and remain fairly ambivalent about which is the more horrifying disaster. You can send questions or comments to [email protected].

This week, Josh and Dietrich discuss the way that authors portray violence in fiction. From the operatic gore of Hannibal to the restrained suggestion made by authors like Janet Evanovich, every author has to choose how best to depict the violence that so often drives plot threads. The two of them debate whether or not the over-the-top violence of The Gone World help or hurt that book, look at those authors that embrace the most extreme versions of violence and the reasons they choose to do so, and discuss how books like The Walking Dead often stumble so badly when it comes to bloodshed. In addition, Josh discusses a remarkable fantasy series set in China, Dietrich revisits the most influential fantasy book of the last thirty years, and they wrap up with a major announcement about the future of the podcast. Seriously, it's huge. DO NOT SKIP THE END. You can send questions or comments to [email protected].