The Lamppost in the Woods
Episodes
Episode 6.2 - 2025 Reading Review
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team breaks down the best, worst, and the most surprising reads of 2025. Listen along to find out what books to avoid reading for...
Episode 6.1 - The Western Canon: What Makes a Story Great?
31 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back listeners to our first episode of 2026. In our search to discover the greatest stories ever told, we keep coming back to the question: wh...
Episode 5.12 - The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the team explores one of the most well-known stories of the Christmas season, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, by E.T.A. Hoffman. A ...
Episode 5.11 - The Lamppost in the Wood's Top Ten Books of All-Time
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the team does the impossible, agreeing on a Top Ten list ranking the best books of all time (that we've read). Join us as we debat...
Episode 5.10 - Evan's Choice: The Picture of Dorian Gray
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team contemplates the nature of beauty, vanity, and the curse of eternal youth as presented by Oscar Wilde's The Picture of D...
Episode 5.9 - Talking Animals: Charlotte’s Web & Animal Farm
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this month's episode, the team looks at two animalistic tales: E. B. White's Charlotte's Web and George Orwell's Animal Farm. While...
Episode 5.8 - Hamlet with Dr. Tony Perrello
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the team interviews Dr. Tony Perrello, Professor of Renaissance Literature at CSU (California State University Stanislaus), regarding ...
Episode 5.7 - Literature and History: The Grapes of Wrath
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team analyzes one of the most prolific novels of 20th-century American living, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. This exc...
Episode 5.6 - The Magical World of Harry Potter
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team explores the magical world of Harry Potter. Join us as we discuss our experiences with this literary universe, its cultural ...
Episode 5.5 - Moral Ambiguity in Literature
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the team discusses morality in literature. So often, our literary heroes are forced to make decisions that threaten to betray their he...
Episode 5.4 - Spotlight on Classics: Paradise Lost
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team takes on a story (and book) that is as old as time, John Milton's Paradise Lost. On the heels of our villains episode, w...
Episode 5.3 - The Fall from Grace: How Villains Are Made
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the age old question: What makes a villain? Join us as we explore the dark side of the equation, discuss why villains are ...
Episode 5.2 - 2024 Reading Review
23 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team breaks down the best, worst, and the most surprising reads of 2024. Listen along to find out what books to avoid reading for...
Episode 5.1 - Trapped with the Lamppost
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Listeners, welcome to Season 5 of the Lamppost in the Woods. In this episode, the team takes a look at all the books we've ever discussed on the p...
Episode 4.12 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Merry Christmas to all of our wonderful listeners! We hope that during this holiday season, you would take this podcast with you wherever you may be g...
Episode 4.11 - Airport Read: The Midnight Library
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team discusses the New York Times best-seller The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. We grabbed this book off of airport shelves to t...
Episode 4.10 - Evan's Choice: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team gets stuck with another one ofEvan's stranger reads, Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? on Hallowee...
Episode 4.9 - The Magician's Nephew
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we are joined by a very special guest and fried of the show Pastor Steven McDaniel to discuss the next book of the Chronicles of Narnia, The...
Episode 4.8 - Back to School: The Odyssey
24 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week the team looks at a staple of many our high school english courses, The Odyssey. Join us as we dissect this instant and ancient classic thro...
Episode 4.7 - Modern Fairy Tales: The Princess Bride & The Tale of Despereaux
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the team talks modern fairytales with The Princess Bride and The Tale of Despereaux. How do these modern stories measure up the classi...
Episode 4.6 - King Arthur: Legend, Literature, & Legacy
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team looks at a variety of tales from Arthurian legend, if King Arthur existed, and what these stories might be based on. In this...
Episode 4.5 - Jurassic Park & The Scarlet Letter: How Far is Too Far?
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dinosaurs and puritanical ministers? Jungle theme parks and pre-revolutionary America? What kind of juxtaposition is this? Join us as we compare two i...
Episode 4.4 - Spotlight on Classics: Frankenstein
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team discusses what many consider the birth of science fiction (and the birth of a monster), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the o...
Episode 4.3 - This Too Shall Pass: Job, Snow White, and the Literature of Suffering
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team talks about literature revolving around themes of pain, suffering and ultimately salvation. In this episode we discuss the B...
Episode 4.2 - 2023 Reading Review
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team breaks down the best, worst, and the most surprising reads of 2023. Listen along to find out what books to avoid reading for...
Episode 4.1 - Children's Classics
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the team reminisces about the childhood books and stories that inspired us and fueled our passion for literature at a young age. Stor...
Episode 3.12 - The Snow Queen
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's special Christmas episode, the team talks about Hans Christian Anderson's 7 part story, The Snow Queen. From its inspirations t...
Episode 3.11 - Spotlight on Classics: Shane
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team discusses what some would consider the definitive western, Shane, by Jack Shaefer. Sporting a multitude of adaptations, both...
Episode 3.10 - Evan's Choice: The Call of Cthulhu
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team get's stuck with another one of Evan's scary reads, on Halloween of all nights. A short story, the Call of Cthulhu b...
Episode 3.9 - Airport Read: Cloud Cuckoo Land
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team takes a look at a book you might find on airport bookshelves around the country: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. With co...
Episode 3.8 - Spotlight on Classics: The Screwtape Letters
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You knew we couldn’t stay away from Lewis for long! This episode, the team tackles our obligatory "one C.S. Lewis book per season" in the ...
Episode 3.7 - The Greatest Story Ever Told
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week the team dives into The Greatest Story Ever Told: The Bible to answer important questions like how does the Bible stack up against our other...
Episode 3.6 - Interview with Dr. Jeremy Painter
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, the team welcomes a very special guest, Dr. Jeremy Painter. Join us as we pick his brain about literature, the Bible, the Bible and literat...
Episode 3.5 - 2 on 2: Boys vs Girls
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What’s a podcast in the twenty-first century without a little gender-based disagreement? Today we split our fellowship down the middle as the girls...
Episode 3.4 - Bloody Hands: Macbeth, Judas Iscariot, and the Guilty Conscience
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all deal with guilt, so it’s no surprise to find that many of the greatest stories in history portray a guilty conscience. This episode, the team...
Episode 3.3 - Spotlight on Classics: Pride & Prejudice
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Time to break out your scones and milky tea, because for this season's spotlight we’re doing that absolute classic of female romance fantasy wri...
Episode 3.2 - 2022 Reading Review
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team breaks down the best, worst, and the most surprising reads of 2022. Listen along to find out what books to avoid reading for...
Episode 3.1 - What Makes a "Flop"
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The team is back this month to discuss: "What makes a book a flop?" Between familiar jabs of Catch 22, we take a look at maligned literature and ask o...
Episode 2.12 - Father Christmas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The second-most famous Christmas character has become possibly the most legendary folk hero in world history. In this episode, the team interrogates t...
Episode 2.11 - The Lord of the Rings
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Join our fellowship as we dive into one of our very favorite classics: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (yes, it’s all one book). Get ready ...
Episode 2.10 - Evan's Choice: The Historian
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, the team gets a spooky surprise as they review Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. This novel interweaves the story of a young woman plun...
Episode 2.9 - 3 on 1 Special: Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Finally. We told you it was coming, and here it is: our throw-down, knock-out, WWE-style wrestling match over Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. Is ...
Episode 2.8 - Book Club: Transcendent Kingdom
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode, the team digs into the listener's choice, Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi. Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience a...
Episode 2.7 - Mother Knows Best: Wicked Stepmothers vs. Fairy Godmothers
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Motherhood may just be the toughest job of all, so join four non-mothers as we discuss the best (and worst) aspects of motherhood in literature. This ...
Episode 2.6 - Literature and History of WWI
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This episode we turn to the historical time period of World War I and the literature it spawned. Join with us as we discuss the events surrounding the...
Episode 2.5 - The Beauty that Tames the Beast
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week the team connects the dragon slayer themes of 2.4 to "Beauty and the Beast" as they explore the primal nature of mankind and the themes of s...
Episode 2.4 - The Ultimate Dragon Slayer
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the team dives into the exciting world of the dragon slayer theme that we see across literature, legends, and pop culture. To get con...
Episode 2.3 - Spotlight on Classics: The Hobbit
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For our second spotlight episode, we’ve chosen another popular classic: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Join us as we follow Bilbo Baggins along his ...
Episode 2.2 - 2021 Reading Review
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we review our personal reading lists from 2021 to give you as many classics to read this year as possible. This episode includes refer...
Episode 2.1 - What Makes a Classic?
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
All our lives we’ve been told to “read the classics!” But why should we read the classics? Even more importantly, why are some books considered ...
Episode 1.10 - The Power of an Experience: Ebenezer Scrooge & The Apostle Paul
16 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the season 1 finale we take a look at the power of experience and the spiritual parallels that we see between the character of Ebenezer Scrooge and...
Episode 1.9 - Daddy Issues: Absalom, "Absalom, Absalom!", and Abi-Shalom
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we take a look at the not-so-kind portrayal of fathers in literature using Faulkner’s "Absalom, Absalom!" as well as the story of Da...
Episode 1.8 - Rabbis, Mentors, and Threshold Guardians
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we take a look at how mentors operate as a literary device that move the story along past a midpoint, and how mentors and teachers ali...
Episode 1.7 - Book Club: Till We Have Faces
16 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For our first Book Club episode, we dive into the C.S. Lewis's 1956 classic, Till We Have Faces, a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. Till We ...
Episode 1.6 - Literature and History of WWII
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode we turn to the historical time period of World War II and the literature it spawned. Join with us as we discuss the events surrounding th...
Episode 1.5 - Unvisited Tombs: Small Actions, Big Consequences
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What about the “little guys” in every story that do small things, but have a big impact? Today, we look at some those unsung literary heroes. This...
Episode 1.4 - Someday My Prince Will Come
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
So many stories start with a suffering hero who, at the end of his/her journey, is rewarded with your typical, fairytale happy ending. Why do we gravi...
Episode 1.3 - Fables, Parables, Fairy Tales, and Beyond
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes the simplest stories are the most important. In our effort to survey the greatest stories ever told, we turn to the simplest and earliest st...
Episode 1.2 - Spotlight on Classics: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In our first full episode, we wanted to cover a book that is very special to each of us; a book that represents our podcast, and one that we all love....
Episode 1.1 - Why Fiction?
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we introduce listeners to the purpose, background, and members of the podcast. Together we set out to answer why fiction is important ...
Trailer - The Lamppost in the Woods
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to The Lamppost in the Woods, the podcast that shines a light on the significance of the greatest stories ever told. From fairy tales to liter...