№ 183 Desert Island Books
· If you could only read 10 books for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Brian and Melissa give the definitive answers.
· If you could only read 10 books for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Brian and Melissa give the definitive answers.
· Brian read 14 books. Matt read 14 books. Ben read 14 books. They rank those books.
· Due to popular demand (both hosts) we consume another box of chocolates on air. Is this the worst podcast idea we've had? How is this a series? Why hasn't [company name withheld] sponsored this podcast? Ponder these questions and more and you listen to half an hour of chewing sounds. Happy Halloween!
· For this fall season, Melissa presents ten Bible stories that could have been adapted for The Twilight Zone.
· Brian makes a case for fewer sermon applications (and fewer morals at the end of the story).
· Brian and Melissa talk through Ambleside Online, a free Charlotte Mason curriculum, and what a normal homeschool day is like for the Kosers.
· Brian reveals secret goals he wanted to achieve by age 35.
· Brian puts on the piercing spectacles of literay criticism and reveals the true meaning of P. D. Eastman's masterpiece 'Go, Dog. Go!'
· Brian and Melissa compare their favorite films they saw for the first time last year, 2023.
· Brian and Melissa share their favorite reads and re-reads of 2023.
· Not quite New Year's resolutions, but Brian and Melissa discuss plans for the new year, the year of our Lord 2024.
· Brian and Melissa welcome back Ben De Bono and Matt Anderson to discuss some of our favorite Christmas films.
· Melissa shares ideas on how we can be less lonely, isolated, and fragmented.
· Brian is rejoined by his brother Matt for a discussion of baptism: credo or paedo? What does baptism do? What constitutes a valid baptism? No questions are answered, but a rousing time was, again, had.
· Brian attempts to explain Charlotte Mason's 20 principles that undergird her philosophy of education.
· Brian and Melissa explain why they homeschool
· Brian and his brother Matt discuss three Christian theological views of hell: infernalism, annihilationism, and universalism.
· Brian and Melissa discuss the present capabilities and future possibilities of ChatGPT and its artificial "intelligence" brethren, and how alarmists may be wrong with their predictions but right with their warnings.
· For the first time in recorded history, Aristotle's Poetics and Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel Sourcery are reviewed in a single podcast episode.
· For the first time, Brian and Melissa reveal their favorite Hollywood-style video movies!
· Brian's quick thoughts on the novel Mrs. Dalloway.
· Brian's fuller thoughts of the fourth Discworld novel, Mort.
· Brian tries reviewing a book. It went okay maybe? All spoilers for a 98-year-old book.
· You know what translates well to a podcast? Eating. Eating little pieces of chocolate from a box of chocolates from Melissa's brother Michael. Thanks Michael!
· Another year of books! Brian and Melissa share their top tens and bottom ones from 2022.
· Melissa and Brian discuss their favorite first-time-viewing films of 2022. Brian is now pretentious and calls them films instead of movies. Melissa has an unbelievable list; number 2 will shock you!
· Start the year with Brian and Melissa! They review 2022 and set some new goals for 2023!
· Our friends Ben and Matt have a book club, with which Brian has been reading along. Together they rank the 12 books they've read over the past couple years.
· Melissa's ten best tips for potty training your little tyke. Recorded on Maundy Thursday, but not posted until Easter because of a kidney stone attack! Pray Melissa passes it soon.
· Only one-third of the way through 2022 before we talk movies we saw in 2021! That's okay, we talked about most of these in November after we did our scary movie list. You can probably skip this one, to be honest. Unless you want to hear Brian's theory on how No Country for Old Men is a hopeful movie.
· Brian and special guest Colten Jernigan share their love of New Zealand comedy musical duo Flight of the Conchords by listening to their ten favorite songs.
· We didn't read 100, but we did read some books in 2021. Here are our favorites and least favorites.
· This year, Melissa and Brian are going to watch or rewatch 100 films, leading up to a top 10 films of all time list in 2023.
· Start the year with Brian and Melissa. They review 2021 and set some new goals for 2022!
· Brian and Melissa watched all the Muppet movies in 2021. What is the best Muppet movie, and more importantly, which is the worst?
· What is a Christmas carol? Melissa finds out, and so will you when Brian attacks sacred cows and splits the hairs of Christmas.
· Brian and Melissa and almost-regulars-at-this-point Matt Anderson and Ben De Bono rank the Halloween movies the Kosers watched in October.
· Brian and Melissa and guest Clint discuss the movie Dune, from the perspective of a book reader and a non-book reader.
· Melissa and Brian make a list live! I mean, you're listening to a recording, but we recorded it live. We didn't make the list ahead of time, is what I'm saying. No, it was on purpose, not a lack of planning. Jeez. It's scary movies we're going to watch in October.
· We're moving! The audio quality is terrible, so if you want to skip this one: we're moving to Huntsville, Alabama at the end of June. For the fresh start, adventure, challenge, more moderate climate, more outdoor activities, etc. We're super busy now but will probably be podcasting again in August.
· Brian introduces a new series: Stuff I Learned on Wikipedia. Which article related to books is the most interesting? Is the answer, "None of them"?
· Melissa and Brian share their favorite Dr. Seuss books. How many of Seuss's Sinful Six made it onto their lists?!
· Our Wheel of Time series keeps spinning as we cover Book 7 with Ben and Matt on The Sci-Fi Christian podcast.
· Listen in while Melissa and Brian decide which of their children's books they can discard. Don't tell Lydia, Amber, or Penny.
· For the first time, Brian and Melissa suss out their favorite books of all time.
· Brian and Melissa share their favorite love songs. Their lists are set and never change.
· Brian and Melissa cobble together a top 10 list of movies they saw in 2020. Let's just say book year didn't leave much time for watching good movies.
· Brian and Melissa put a bow on Book Year by sharing their favorite books that were new reads in 2020.
· Melissa and Brian return for a new year with their annual new goals!
· We continue the Wheel of Time series with Matt Anderson and Ben De Bono on The Sci-Fi Christian podcast, discussing "The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time", aka "The Big White Book".
· We join Matt Anderson and Ben De Bono on The Sci-Fi Christian podcast to discuss Lord of Chaos, book six in the Wheel of Time series.
· Once again, Matt Anderson and Ben De Bono from The Sci-Fi Christian podcast stop by, this time with book recommendations.
· The first cereals episode is justifiably a classic, but this time we're doing it right. Lots of research went into this one, but don't worry; there are still a lot of incorrect choices.
· Do you live in Mobile, Alabama and need sushi restaurant recommendations? No? Probably skip this one then.
· Melissa finally hosted a cheese party. Brian got a new favorite cheese.
· Brian and Melissa wrap up the conspiracy theory discussion. Melissa reveals the theory she believed until this year and Brian reveals the one theory he believes.
· Melissa and Brian discuss conspiracy theories in general, and start the list of their favorites. Part 2 will follow in a couple week, unless they get to us.
· Brian and Melissa update an old favorite: top ten reasons for their future congestive heart failure.
· Melissa turns the tables and puts Brian on the hot seat with another list of ten moral dilemmas.
· Brian and Melissa redo their list of favorite podcasts.
· No, not cute names for each other: the best names to give a pet. Or a working animal. Or a plant. Or anything, really, who knows what will show up on this list.
· Brian and Melissa share news, make predictions, have a story time...all the normal things. Yep, nothing unusual here. Happy April 1st!
· For the first time, we reveal our favorite TV shows of all time!
· We keep it low-key this year, although one of us has a new favorite board game...
· Melissa and Brian share their favorite and least favorite movies they first viewed in 2019.
· Brian selfishly recorded a podcast for himself and Melissa. And Ben De Bono of The Sci-Fi Christian. And maybe Matt Anderson of The Sci-Fi Christian. Only for fans of the podcast 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back, anyway.
· Melissa and Brian discuss their favorite books read from 2019. And their least favorite.
· Melissa and Brian revisit last year's resolutions, then reveal their big 2020 goal (and a few small ones).
· Melissa joined Seth Heasley on his podcast, Hugos There, to discuss N. K. Jemisin's 2005 Hugo winner, The Fifth Season.
· Brian joined Seth Heasley on his podcast, Hugos There, to discuss Susanna Clarke's 2005 Hugo winner, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
· Brian and Melissa share their top simple pleasures.
· Melissa gives 10 tips for mothers trying to train their children to sleep through the night.
· For the first time, Brian and Melissa revisit a topic. And they did it with returning guest Megan Hutt, and first-time guest Josh Hutt! Listen as they discuss their favorite actors. How much did Brian and Melissa's list change? It's a mega-sized episode after the unplanned summer hiatus.
· After some grueling research, Melissa and Brian are joined again by Tim Binzel to discuss their favorite candy bars.
· Teaching Facebook a lesson! The ethics of whistling at work! The moon landing! Oh, and our favorite movies released before 1960. Just some of the topics Brian and Melissa discuss with Matt Anderson and Ben De Bono, hosts of The Sci-Fi Christian podcast.
· Melissa and Brian are joined by their first returning guest, Zach Koser, to talk about their favorite animated TV shows. Yay cartoons!
· Brian and Melissa recently got into rapster music. They each list their ten favorite rapsters.
· Melissa and Brian list their favorite videos from the sketch comedy group Studio C.
· Brian and Melissa wrap up the board game talk by running through the games they played on the cruise and explaining why certain games fell off their top 10 lists.
· Special guests Joe and Heather Wiggins join to discuss their favorite board games of all time. That's forty board games, plus honorable mentions, crammed into our longest episode yet!
· Brian and Melissa discuss the books they read in 2018 in this super-size episode: the best, the worst, and plenty of stats. Plus feedback from Megan and Joshua!
· Melissa and Brian run through all the movies they saw in 2018. Hear about the best and the worst!
· Brian and Melissa reveal how well they followed last year's resolutions, and pick 5 new resolutions for 2019.
· Melissa and Brian celebrate themselves! For the 100th episode they take a look back at all the episodes that came before, covering the best and worst of the past two and a half years.
· Brian reviews the fantasy football players that excited him. How many did he hit on, and how many were misses?
· Melissa and Brian share their favorite Christmas songs, just in time for the holidays.
· Melissa and Brian make a list of games they want to play on the upcoming Dice Tower Cruise.
· Brian and Melissa list their ten favorite TV show intros. Both theme songs and visuals are considered.
· Melissa gives words of wisdom for pregnancy and post-partum mothers. Brian shares president trivia and plays Guess That Medication.
· Melissa and Brian share the movies they find funniest.
· Brian and Melissa share the words that make them laugh the most.
· Melissa lists the items you should pick up for your kitchen after you have the essentials.
· Brian and Melissa enter The Twilight Zone, with a list of their favorite episodes.
· Melissa and Brian list the low-quality movies, TV shows, songs, comics, games, websites, and foods that they enjoy.
· Melissa and Brian give the brand name products they prefer over other brands or generic.
· Melissa and Brian list their favorite Bible stories.
· On the day the Eagles start off the 2018 NFL season, Brian talks up 10 players that excite him for fantasy football.
· Brian and Melissa try to get as many songs stuck in your head as possible!
· Melissa lists her essentials items to own for parents. Brian nods along.
· Brian and Melissa finish the trilogy they started with Accomplishments and Experiences by listing the skills they want to download to their brains.
· Melissa and Brian ate a lot of frozen pizzas in order to tell you which are the tastiest and best-priced.
· Brian and Melissa list reasons why you should read books and end with a challenge to the listeners!
· Melissa and Brian decide to be super frugal for the month of July. Listen to them brainstorm on how, then stick around for some listener feedback!
· Melissa and Brian check an item off their bucket lists by appearing on The Sci-Fi Christian Episode 657! Check their podcast out at thescifichristian.com.
· Brian and Melissa took an epic road trip through the Midwest, and they brought their microphone! They recorded at ten different locations (shoehorn!) and then endured the editing process to celebrate their most ambitious trip yet.
· Melissa and Brian play their favorite cartoon theme songs. How much of a role will nostalgia play?
· Brian and Melissa hosted a root beer party. Now they've made a list of their favorite root beers.
· Brian and Melissa wrap up Doctor Who Month with a discussion of their favorite series (seasons!) ...series from the show.
· Melissa and Brian continue Doctor Who month by discussing their favorite moments from Doctor Who.
· Melissa and Brian continue Doctor Who month by sharing their favorite Doctor Who aliens.
· Brian and Melissa list their favorite Doctor Who aliens.
· Melissa and Brian kick off Doctor Who Month with a list of their favorite characters.
· Melissa and Brian list all the reasons they're planning to start a diet.
· Brian and Melissa rank their favorite stand-up comedians, and share a joke or two from each.
· Melissa and Brian share their funniest Bible names.
· Brian and Melissa reveal the best (and worst) book titles.
· Brian and Melissa list the new foods they are most interested in trying.
· Melissa and Brian list their ten favorite proberbs from the biblical book of Proverbs.
· Brian talks about the 2017 NFL season and why he's proud to be an Eagles fan.
· Brian and Melissa choose their favorite songs from The Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
· Brian, Melissa, and special guest Clint Patterson discuss their favorite board games as of the end of 2017.
· Melissa and Brian list their favorite (and least favorite) books that they read for the first time in 2017.
· Brian and Melissa list their favorite (and least favorite) movies that they saw for the first time in 2017.
· Melissa and Brian review their new year’s resolutions from 2017 and present their new resolutions for 2018.
· Brian and Melissa discuss their favorite brands of soda.
· Melissa and Brian list some crazy baby names they found on BabyNames.com, then reveal the name of their second child!
· Brian and Melissa are joined by special guests Justin and Charity Tolbert to share their favorite jokes.
· Melissa and Brian complain about the things that annoy them the most.
· Brian and Melissa discuss their favorite historical time periods.
· Melissa and Brian are joined by Melissa’s brother Tim Binzel to discuss their favorite animated Disney movie songs. Melissa says at the beginning, “I’m probably going to get flak for my list.” Tune in to find out how much she gets!
· Brian and Melissa are joined by special guest Micah Bucy to talk about their top ten choices for a pet (if money were no object and they had servants to actually take care of the pet).
· Melissa and Brian are joined by Aaron and Rachel Smith to discuss some of the worst things you can say to your spouse.
· Brian and Melissa list some games that will teach children (or anyone!) some important skills.
· Brian and Melissa answer questions from you, the listeners.
· Melissa and Brian discuss what they think every human should do (yes, it’s very broad).
· Brian and Melissa talk about what things hook them into the world of a story.
· Melissa and Brian list their personal favorite Bible verses.
· Brian and Melissa discuss the breakfast cereals they find the tastiest.
· Melissa and Brian imagine what each other would be like as a superhero or supervillain.
· Brian and Melissa share the pop cultures lines that they most often quote.
· Melissa shares her essential kitchen items for recent college graduates.
· Brian presents financial advice for college graduates.
· Melissa talks about ten movie and TV moments that made her cry. Brian talks about ten movie and TV moments that were sad but didn't necessarily make him cry.
· Brian met his 1000 book goal, so he discusses the books he's read, highlighting every hundredth book.
· Brian and guest host Matt Koser discuss their favorite sports to play and watch.
· Brian shares his ten favorite grunts with Melissa and the world.
· Melissa and Brian discuss their favorite moments from the TV show LOST.
· Brian and Melissa choose their favorite episodes from the TV show LOST.
· Melissa and Brian list their favorite characters from the TV show LOST.
· Brian and Melissa discuss the television show LOST, with full spoilers.
· Melissa and Brian list their favorite food and flavor combinations.
· Brian submits ten moral dilemmas to Melissa.
· Brian and Melissa discuss their favorite Bible characters.
· Brian, Melissa, and special guest Megan Koser discuss their favorite characters from animated movies.
· Melissa, Brian, and special guest Jay Champagne discuss their favorite board games as of the end of 2016.
· Brian and Melissa discuss their favorite books that they read for the first time in 2016.
· Melissa and Brian discuss their favorite movies that they watched for the first time in 2016.
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· Melissa and Brian give ten pieces of marriage advice after celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary.
· Brian and Melissa talk about their favorite characters from speculative fiction.
· Melissa, Brian, and Zach Koser discuss their favorite characters from comic books.
· Brian and Melissa salivate over their favorite fast food restaurants.
· Melissa and Brian share the top ten things they’d like to experience.
· Brian and Melissa are joined by Brian’s brother Luke as they discuss their favorite fictional creatures.
· Brian and Melissa remember their favorite memories.
· Melissa and Brian sing their ten favorite Christian hymns.
· Brian and Melissa list their favorite animated movies.
· Melissa and Brian discuss their favorite board game names. The word “evocative” is used a lot.
· Brian and Melissa reveal their favorite catchphrases of their friend Shane.
· Melissa and Brian list their favorite animals, with fun facts galore.
· For unlucky number 13, Brian and Melissa reveal the top ten lists that will never appear on the podcast.
· Melissa and Brian make their own personal improvements to ten common English idioms and proverbs.
· Brian and Melissa list ten authors who work they’re excited to check out.
· Melissa and Brian each tell the ten worst things they’ve swallowed.
· Brian and Melissa list ten goals they’d like to accomplish.
· Melissa and Brian discuss which actors work they're most interested in watching.
· Brian and Melissa find ten books, movies, and TV shows that they think each other would like.
· Melissa and Brian tell (and maybe sing a little of) their favorite Veggietales songs.
· Melissa and Brian take turns telling stories from the Bible that make them laugh.
· Melissa and Brian discuss the ten villains they love to hate (or just plain hate).
· Brian and Melissa talk through their top ten podcasts.
· Melissa and Brian each pick their top ten movie musicals.
· This week Brian and Melissa each invent ten lame superheroes with lame superpowers. These characters would be right at home on The Tick or Mystery Men.