Do you ever find yourself tempted to do something bad? Do you ever know it's bad, but then you do it anyway? It's probably Wormwood's fault. And yours, of course--it's always your fault--but it's also Wormwood's. In today's book (as Holly and Rebecca return from hiatus to record another podcast), C. S. Lewis lays out all the best advice a senior devil (Screwtape) has for teaching his nephew Wormwood to tempt those pesky humans away from God and safely into Hell. It's about as insightful and disturbing as it is entertaining--in short, just what you'd expect from Lewis. And the episode is about what you'd expect from Holly and Rebecca too: extensive favorite quotes, reflections on humility, and praise for humanity's greatest heroes (such as Genghis Khan...the Emperor Nero...you know, heroic people).

Thanks for listening! Subscribe, share, whatever. Definitely read this book; it's a good one. And make sure to take the Goldilocks approach with thinking about devils: not too much, not too little, but juuuuust the right amount.

So do you really need to read The Silmarillion? Will Aragorn's reign of capturing every woman's heart ever end? Are the films or books better? "Are we even asking that question?" asks Rebecca.

"Yes," says Holly.

Since returning from our hiatus (we will neither confirm nor deny whether we were recruited by Gandalf for an adventure during this time), we have successfully conned a genuine non-relative guest, Samantha, into joining us as we relive the final lap of an unforgettable journey. Return of the King both moved us and made us laugh in ways only Tolkien could determine. In today's episode, Sam critically analyses the character of Eowyn, Rebecca protests how the movies did Denethor dirty, and Holly won't stop seizing every opportunity to extol Peter Jackson's genius. Join us as we delve into this third part of a very long masterpiece--discovering the last leg of suffering and sacrifice required to rescue Middle Earth, and the happiness that follows. 

We have the perfect candidate for reading material as you sit over your daily second breakfast! Our guest, who is among the ranks of Tolkien's impressively extensive and crazy dedicated fanbase, has a blog you can find at: https://samsbookshire.blogspot.com/

This episode is available on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. We'd love to read your thoughts when you email them to tworetiredhomeschoolers@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @tworetiredhomeschoolers.

Is it octopuses or octopi? Do these strange sea creatures really have a unique color of blood and number of hearts? Is Sy Montgomery really all she's cracked up to be as an author? For once, you can listen to your co-hosts agree on how much they liked a book, along with some writing tips, cool octopus facts, and a recap on what a year’s worth of content has done for the podcast. Thanks so much for your support these past 21 episodes! We’ll see you (hopefully) in three months.

Email: tworetiredhomeschoolers@gmail.com

Instagram: @tworetiredhomeschoolers

Music Credit: “March of the Pods” by Howling Mad H

Once upon a time, three nerds got together to talk about Lord of the Rings. The way to Mordor was long and fraught with technical difficulties, but at last they emerged from the depths of Fangorn to bring you this episode, wherein Holly ponders dark things, Itzhak is Treebeard, and I guess Rebecca must be Gandalf (she's pretty testy in this episode). Mostly it's just three nerds rambling about all the stuff they liked, though. Thanks for listening! You can find our episodes (past and future) on Spotify, Youtube, and Apple Podcasts, follow our Instagram @tworetiredhomeschoolers, and email us with comments or book suggestions at tworetiredhomeschoolers@gmail.com. Link to our guest's blog: Echoes of the Republic

https://itzhakbenelkabbed.wixsite.com/echoesoftherepublic

Between Rebecca's habit of sinking cars and Holly's obsession with the Plateau of Latent Potential, this episode sure made for an interesting conversation. This week, your hosts toil away to explain and summarize all the charts, graphs, laws, and systems that make up this book, including: how to not let your happiness become dependent on accomplishing your goals, why motivation is overrated, and prioritizing maintaining a habit over progress. Return in three weeks when we review The Two Towers with who would have been our very first guest whom neither of us is related to. 

Were you inspired to start some new good habits, but don't know where to begin in your personal life? Say no more! You can start with these:

Habit #1- Always like and comment on our videos

Habit #2- Email us your thoughts or book suggestions at tworetiredhomeschoolers@gmail.com

Habit #3- Check out our cool Instagram account @tworetiredhomeschoolers

Bonus: If you wanna go the extra mile, we suggest you break the bad habit of not sharing this podcast with your friends and family. 

Music Credit: "March of the Pods" by Howling Mad H

Today's episode is about two sisters: one beautiful and the other ugly, and serves as a multi-layered tale winding together many threads of ambiguous meaning. With special guest Virginia Matthews, your hosts embark to uncover the significance of this book by discussing the old and new man within every Christian, a case against the divine for the injustice of human suffering, and Lewis' intent in reinventing this ancient Greek story. Come back in three weeks to get in on all the golden nuggets we're sure to gather from Atomic Habits by James Clear. 

Platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts

Email: tworetiredhomeschoolers@gmail.com

Instagram: @tworetiredhomeschoolers 

Music Credit: "March of the Pods" by Howling Mad H

Did you know that Thursday is a person? That throwing wads of paper with nonsense written on them is a tactic of escape? That it can be surprisingly difficult to tell the difference between an anarchist and a detective? If none of that made sense to you, then don't expect it to be clarified. In an episode where your hosts were sure they had little of insight to say, we still managed to discuss this perplexing book for about an hour. Holly may or may not have enjoyed this book, and Rebecca develops a warm regard for over-the-top characters. Join us as we draw this novel's allegory back to the book of Job and decide the meaning behind suffering is better felt than explained. 

This episode is available Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and ESPECIALLY Sundays on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. Admission to the council of improving this podcast with comments, book suggestions, and general opinions requires no experience or skill, and participation is encouraged by emailing us at tworetiredhomeschoolers@gmail.com. You don't have to be a detective to find our Instagram @tworetiredhomeschoolers. Our next meeting occurs in three weeks to talk about Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.

Music Credit: "March of the Pods" by Howling Mad H

What made Agatha Christie the world's second-best selling author, and what draws us to creepiness in the first place? In today's review of By the Pricking of My Thumbs, your hosts discuss these curiosities while considering mystery's worth as a genre, how to write suspense convincingly, and the horrors of the villain in this book. Holly appreciates the imagination it takes to hop off the murder train while Rebecca rejoices over the charm and compatibility of Tommy and Tuppence. 

Did you enjoy this episode so much that you now look at any dolls you come across with suspicion, or did you despise it to the extent that you'd burn any painting of a house that was given to you? We have a wonderful solution to expressing your passionate emotion: rate/review or like/comment! Also, follow us on Instagram to get a clue to every upcoming episode @tworetiredhomeschoolers. You can email us your opinions and book suggestions at tworetiredhomeschoolers@gmail.com. This podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts (have you heard of spotify?), and YouTube. Join us in three weeks to hear about The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton.

Music Credit: "March of the Pods" by Howling Mad H