Idiot with a library card podcast

Needful Things is a 1991 Stephen King horror novels. I think it's one of King's best and is a great book wether this is your first King novel or your 200th. In this episode I go through the plot and themes of this book and there are spoilers in this review.

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a great book written by a great man. I take a quick look into the bold and brave life the author lived. I then go over some of my favorite sections of the book and the message it has for modern christens.

The Smalcald Articles is the only confession in the book of Concord written by Martin Luther himself. It is my favorite document in the Book of Concord and I want to run through some of my favorite quotes from the work.

Lessons is the beautifully written 2022 novel by Ian McEwan. The novel follows Roland Baines through a life touched by the historic events that happen around him. A novel that examines many different aspects of the human condition.

The Better Sister by Alafair Burke is a mystery novel with a lot of twist and turns. It is a good book especially for an audience of the female persuasion.

Hell Fire is one of the worst books I've ever read. I hate this book and I genrally hate Nordic Noir. Come on this journey with me to see why. 

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith AKA J.K Rowling is the fifth installment of the Cormoran Strike series of novels. It's a well written mystery novel that is just a little too long.

Old Country is a 2022 horror novel written by Matt and Harrison Query. The Novel is based on an episodic story the bothers released on Reddit.

Espisode 3 of my series on the Book of Concord. This one is the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. This is a short show as I know I will be going back and doing a full series each article of this work.

The Final Detail is the sixth installment of the Myron Bolitar series of novels by Harlan Coben. No there are not five other shows missing, this episode covers this book only and the beauty of picking up a random installment in a series.

Target Acquired is at least an average to good spy thriller novel if it wasn't weighed down by its connection to a long standing book series not written by the author. The book is hurt by it's connection to the rest of the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan universe but this has become a trend in a lot of media.

The Augsburg Confession is one of the most revolutionary works in the history of the church. It is to Lutherans what The Declaration of Independence is to the Untied States. This episode looks at what the Confession has to say about the Christian faith, the impact it had at the time it was written and how it is still impacting and guiding the Lutheran Church today.

The Book of Concord is a collection of documents that form the basis of the Lutheran Church and it's beliefs. This episode introduces the book and goes over some of the opening writings of the version linked below.   https://www.cph.org/p-11428-Concordia-The-Lutheran-Confessions-A-Readers-Edition-of-the-Book-of-Concord-2nd-edition.aspx

The 1955 novel Moonraker by Ian Fleming and Moonraker the 1979 film starring Roger Moore may have the same name and are both James Bond stories, but that is where the similarities end. One is a great spy novel with excitement and intrigue. The other is a poorly made spy movie that becomes a Star Wars rip off in the third act.

A closer look at two scenes from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.

This episode looks at the Story of Cain and Abel.  More so it looks at two scenes in the John Steinbeck novel East of Eden in which the Cain and Abel story is discussed.

Riders Of The Purple Sage and True Grit are two American western novels, although they share a genre they share little else.  This episode is about how they are so different and what makes each great.

Maybe a book you've heard of, it's only the most published, read and written about book in the history of the world.  But have you read it? In this episode I tell why you should and how to get started.  It's a great book for people of all beliefs to read.  If you want to learn more about this great book there are a million great resources but if you are in the Philadelphia area check out The Philadelphia Bible Society.  There site is linked below.  https://philadelphiabiblesociety.org/    

One of the all time best American novels, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is a masterpiece and one of the best books I have ever read.  You should read it before you listen.  Hear why I like it some much and why it's such an interesting book.

I talk about one of my favorite podcasters Dan Carlin.  I also talk about a very interesting history book.  Dan's website and a link to the book are linked below. www.dancarlin.com https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415333172/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dancarlin-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0415333172&linkId=1f5d531207b77456cfa89d3c419bb59b    

This episode focuses on an under appreciated aspect of Jonathan Haidt’s books, and that is just how great of a writer he is. 

A review of Jonathan Haidt's 2006 book The Happiness Hypothesis.

The Righteous Mind By Jonathan Haidt, is a great book that everyone should read. This show is about the first part of this book, listen before you buy it to wet your appetite or if you have read the book let us know what you think.

Comedy genius Douglas Adams' first novel in a series of hilarious novels.  Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy put the number 42 on the map and gives you the answers to life, the universe and everything. A very funny book that you can read before or after you listen to this podcast.

The Mutiny On The Bounty is a Historical Novel about a Mutiny on a ship called the Bounty.  This episode contains spoilers so listen if you have read the book or wait until you have read the book or of course just listen and let your friends and family think that you read the book.

The conclusion of Idiot with a Library Card’s gripping and award winning Sherlock series. This show ranks the five short story collections from worst to best. Please listen to the other episodes in this series And make sure to check out some of the Arthur Conan Doyle’s works on the web or of course at your local library.

A review of The Valley of Fear, (to skip spoilers stop at 6 mins and join back at 10 mins).  Also an overview of all of the Author Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes novels. 

Quick show about the 2004 film Man on Fire.

There are some interesting themes that keep popping up in a lot of the Sherlock Holmes short stories. 

What most consider to be the best of the Sherlock Holmes novels, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a spooking, moody and all around fun novel.  I really loved this book, and this Sherlock project has been so much fun. 

My Ranking of the 12 short stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. 

This story truly establishes the Sherlock Holmes series and some of the themes in it. Plus cocaine and everybody loves cocaine.

I talk about the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study In Scarlet.  You may want to read the story before you listen as there are spoilers. 

Quick show about a Sherlock Holmes series I plan on doing and some tidbits.

Team Of Rivals:The Political Genius Of Abraham Lincoln by Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin, is part Lincoln biography and part political history of the civil war. This episode covers some of the topics written about in the first 200 pages of the 700 page masterpiece.

Whiteness as collections is an article written by Sofia Leung.  Here's the link to the article: https://sleung.wordpress.com/2019/04/15/whiteness-as-collections/ In this episode I analyze the article and give you may thoughts please read for yourself and Let me know what you think.

The most interesting and exciting show ever done on the topic of library late fees.  Maybe a low bar but I think it's an interesting topic and if you don't, you may be missing out on the most important debate of are time!!!

Drag Queen story time is a program for kids where a drag queen reads children books to little kids.  In February one took place at the Lansdale Library.  I talk about issues with drag queen story time in general and the drag queen named Annie Christ who did the story time at the Lansdale Library.  

An overview of Satanic Verses, themes recommendations and suggestion for how to read this controversial book.

A look into what made The Satanic Verses so controversial. The issues from the content of the book to the title itself. Why did this great work of fiction make Muslims murderously angry. Are there lessons we can learn from the book and the reaction to it.

Loved the first two chapters of this book I had to record a show.

It’s like a short chapter in Walden, but about a Journey I take in Conshohocken.

Sorry guys this one got away from me, but its about the Green New Deal.

One of the greatest and most infamous saints to have ever lived has a wonderful story to tell. This show is about Confessions of Saint Augustine but more specifically it is about how Saint Augustine came to Christ. This is an old story with a lot to offer to modern Christian and non-Christian alike.

I talk about Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow. I talk about the need for Criminal Justice reform and where I agree and disagree with the arguments laid out in the book.

I talk about the Greek statesman Solon, about his conversation with the Lydian King on what the good life is.   Note: I said Green Lantern I meant Green Goblin, calm down nerds.

I talked about Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.  The style and story

I talk about one of the funniest books ever Written. This is one of my favorite books it is great from beginning to end. If you don’t listen to this show that’s okay, as long as you go out and get A Confederacy of Dunces right now!!!

In this episode I talk about a book I will not name. This book does not name people who are President and I talk about why. Mostly this episode is about the current state of are republic and the major problem we are having; We hate each other, can we learn to Love?

Quick thoughts on Lord of the Rings and what makes it a great book.