The Re-Enchantment Book Club

Watership Down by Richard Adams

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:
Psalm 104
 
Next episode we will be discussing Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin. We hope you join us!
Music by Brendan Michael and Will Berry
Podcast Graphic designed by Alex Morra

Poetry Swap!

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 God.
 
What We’re Reading:
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
The Rise & Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman
 
Other Mentions:
Poetry 180 by Billy Collins
Jordan’s poets: Mary Oliver, Jane Kenyon, Ted Kooser, Li Young Lee, Denise Levertov, Jim Harrison
Brendan’s poets: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Emily Barrett Browning, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Richard Wilbur
George Macdonald - “The New Name” (from Unspoken Sermons)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

 
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 Schmemann 
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
 
Other Mentions:
John Calvin’s sensus divinitatis
 
Music by Brendan Michael and Will Berry
Podcast Graphic designed by Alex Morra

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

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
The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought by Marilynne Robinson
 
Next episode we will be discussing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. We hope you join us!
Music by Brendan Michael and Will Berry
Podcast Graphic designed by Alex Morra

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

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
That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
 
Other Mentions:
The Twilight Zone
Black Mirror
Dystopian Fiction
 
Next episode we will be discussing Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. We hope you join us!
 
Music by Brendan Michael and Will Berry
Podcast Graphic designed by Alex Morra

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

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
The Second Coming by Walker Percy
 
Other Mentions:
Tom Waits - “Ruby’s Arms”
Luke 11, Matthew 23
Unreliable Narrators
Foils
 
Next episode we will be discussing The Lottery  by Shirley Jackson. We hope you join us!
Music by Brendan Michael and Will Berry
Podcast Graphic designed by Alex Morra

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

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 Ramsey
True Grit by Charles Portis
Other Mentions:
John Calvin - Institutes of the Christian Religion 
Epistolary Novel Form 
Romans 7:18-20
 
Next episode we will be discussing The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. We hope you join us!
 
Music by Brendan Michael and Will Berry
Podcast Graphic designed by Alex Morra

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

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 of Hours by Rainer Maria Rilke
 
Next episode we will be discussing Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. We hope you join us! 
 
Music by Brendan Michael and Will Berry
Podcast Graphic designed by Alex Morra

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

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 Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon 
The Last Gentleman by Walker Percy
Providence by John Piper
Other Mentions:
Song Exploder Podcast
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 
Rich Mullins - "We're Not as Strong as We Think We Are"
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
 
Next episode we will be discussing Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. We hope you join us! 
 
Music by Brendan Michael and Will Berry
Podcast Graphic designed by Alex Morra

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

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 us! 
 
Music by Brendan Michael and Will Berry
Podcast Graphic designed by Alex Morra