Liberary

In which an old man is at last saved from deadly peril and the Bastables discover the terrible wonders of a good, nutty bouquet that is an excellent value for its price, although they also discover sherry only tastes good if you add sugar to it. If you are listening with your child, it may be important to discuss the grieving process and why the adults in chapter 11 react the way they do to learning about the Bastables' mother, because from a child's perspective, adult sympathy is a mystery. Like any good book, this one contains a kernel of truth...only I suspect it's a much bigger kernel than is included in most fantasy stories today. Join me next week for more kernels and more shenanigans!

In which the Bastables write a newspaper and I speak French very poorly. If neighborhood children produced this newspaper, you would definitely purchase a copy because it's really something.

In which poems are published and white witch bears meet and marry REAL PRINCESSES. Oh, and Albert-next-door is utterly ungrateful. Good words to look up: "impenitent", "draughty", "guinea", "sovereign", "bob" (slang for money), and "brigand". Join me again next week for more treasure-seeking!

In which Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book plays a significant part and the siblings must put off answering that very dodgy newspaper advertisement, much to their sorrow. I am taking a brief break due to some personal issues next week. Do not fear, I will pick up on the Treasureseekers and Liberary again soon!

In which we learn of the Bastables and their plight with money, only not in that boring way where you don't know what happens because the author is being dramatic, and the pertinent information isn't put in the preface which everyone ignores when they read because what else are prefaces for, really. Join me next week for some jolly good treasure seeking!

Short story time! Next week: The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit

In which someone is put on trial, several someones are poisoned, and there is much snout-bending and flip-flapping of hat-topperers, which is quite illegal if people in said top-hats are not engaged in puddin'-stealing at the time. Join me next week for a random short story that I haven't picked out just yet! Aren't surprises the best?

In which the puddin' thieves are tricksier than ever! Next week, someone goes to trial over puddin' thievery...but what? How could it be? What will become of poor Albert? What's a puddin' to do?

Those puddin' thieves are at it again, and sneakier than ever this time! Bunyip Bluegum is a wealth of vocabulary this episode. Interesting words of note are: "exigencies", "verisimilitude", "skite" (Aussie slang for 'braggart'), "nincompoop", "poltroon". Join me next week for more puddin-ventures!

In which we meet Bunyip Bluegum and his new friends Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff! We also learn of a chef named Curry and Rice, and that penguins do flipper-stands on the snouts of walruses. Join me next week for the second slice of this story!

In which we learn all the details as A Study In Scarlet draws to a close. This episode's list of vocabulary: 'jocosely', 'ejaculated', 'ascertain', 'brougham', 'alkaloid'. Join me next week for my next selection, The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay!

In which we learn more about the plight of John and Lucy Ferrier, and what Jefferson Hope has decided to do about it. At the end I also discuss (read: babble about) some of the nuances of Doyle's representation of Mormons, Jefferson Hope, and Native Americans. Today's list of interesting words includes the following: "expostulation", "Gentile", "electro-telegraphs" (also semaphore telegraphs - by the way, despite my joke about people waving flags at each other from the tops of hills, these actually looked more like giant specialized windmills), "Washoe", "shingly", and "despotism".

In which we are introduced to John and Lucy Ferrier, as well as a young Jefferson Hope. I also discuss the representation of Mormon settlers in the beginning. This episode's list of interesting vocabulary: 'genius' (not the meaning you were expecting!), 'penitently', 'diffidently', 'visage', 'indefatigable' (which I evidently cannot pronounce), 'bullocks', 'demurely', and 'halcyon days'. Join me next week to learn more of Hope's back story!

In which our stalwart Scotland Yarders discover there is more to this case than meets their eyes, and Sherlock Holmes enjoys normal activities like going to violin concerts. I also prove to be terrible yet again at accents from other countries. This episode's interesting vocabulary includes the following: "outre'" "sententiously", "portmanteau", "instante mense", "paroxysm", "antecedents", "cudgel", "draught", "conjecture", and "supposition". Join me next week to travel briefly to the land of the saints and see what all these darn Americans have been up to!

In which Watson and Holmes discover that murder is afoot in London and I prove to be a miserable failure at any type of accent from the United Kingdom. This episode's list of interesting words include the following: "hansom", "in statu quo", "disquisition", "minatory", "prognathous", "simious", "florid", and "Parthian shot". Join me next week for chapters 5 and 6, when we finally see some action and Tobias Gregson gets a glorious half chapter all to himself until Lestrade shows up.

In which Dr. John Watson meets Mr. Sherlock Holmes and discovers The Most Interesting Flatmate In The World. This episode's list of interesting words include the following: 'desultory', 'ineffable', 'row' (which I mispronounced), 'Mendelssohn's Lieder' (also mispronounced, probably), 'piquant', 'querulously', 'chimerical', and 'commissionaire'. Join me next week for chapters 3 and 4, when we finally get to the real mystery!

An introductory episode explaining the purpose of the podcast and what to expect.