Episodes

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!In this episode, we explore Michael Crichton’s Timeline—a fast, clever blend of historical detail, quantum theory, and medieval adventure. We walk through it as modern day turns into 14-century France. It's a great story for anyone who loves history mixed with action-adventure. Join us for a glimpse of one of Crichton’s most imaginative works.

https://www.pintswithjack.com/reading-day/year-3/In this special episode, we celebrate C. S. Lewis Reading Day 2025 by looking at Lewis' family and close relationships. He had a profound bond with his brother Warnie, showed love and loyalty to his friends throughout his life, and a wonderful love story later in his life, when he married Joy Davidman,

Join our Christmas 2025 Giveaway! Here's the link to enter: https://forms.gle/cegfhpT3eZhguqNe7The winner will be announced just before Christmas!Today’s story is Phantastes by George MacDonald—a wonderful tale of a young man’s journey through Fairyland. This one touches the heart with its mix of sorrow and joy, and it’s full of moments you can feel in your bones.

Enter our Christmas 2025 Giveaway here. We'll announce the winner on 12/23!Today’s episode is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. A bunch of troubled kids, a messy church pageant, and a beautiful reminder of what Christmas can mean to each of us personally.Merry Christmas!

You can still join our Christmas 2025 Giveaway here: https://forms.gle/Toh9oZNjd4z9t76JAIn this episode, we explore the wonderful story of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol—a timeless tale that shows how Christmas can soften heart the hardest of hearts and wake us up to things that truly matter. A classic so good, it bears repeating year after year. Merry Christmas!Want to hear all our shorts and episodes? Join our Patreon: https://patreon.com/goodstoriespodcast

A Christmas time episode filled with James Herriot’s Christmas Day stories, along with some favorite traditions. And the announcement of our giveaway winner!Merry Christmas!

This week we welcome the New Year with stories of endings and beginnings -- with Robert Burns’ familiar song Auld Lang Syne and Tolkien’s creation story, the Ainulindalë.Join us as we talk through music, memories, and the hope woven into new beginnings.

This week we begin the amazing epic tale of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan -- The Eye of the World. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills… and this is just the beginning.Interested in all our stuff? Check out our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/GoodStoriesPodcast

Continuing from last week -- the group splits apart -- and so does the story. The second half of the Eye of the World deepens our sense of wonder and adventure as new dangers arise and legends walk. Amazing worldbuilding continues -- and the Wheel continues to turn.You can find all our stuff on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/goodstoriespodcast

This episode is the original adventure to the Neverland—a place where make believe becomes real. And while everyone else eventually grows up, Peter Pan never does. This book was a delightful surprise as it's like the Peter Pan you've probably seen or heard about before but with so much more that adds so much to the story.Interested in our short stories or prelease episodes? Check out our Patreon: www.patreon.com/GoodStoriesPodcast

An old tale centered around King Arthur and Camelot in its prime. Chivalry, chastity, honor, purity, courage, magic - this one has it all.

A village with traditions, a Master Cook who makes a great cake, and the gift of FaeryThis story watches decades go by in a small town that appreciates good food and traditions. And then on a day of days, one boy unwittingly receives a great gift - a fay star.This is the last complete written story from the brilliant JRR Tolkien, and goes a long way in describing the indescribable.

In this episode, we jump into the bizarre yet insightful thinking of G.K. Chesterton with The Napoleon of Notting Hill. This one is sharp, funny, and even prophetic as it was published in 1904 but tells the story of 1984 London. Chesterton turns a local London neighborhood into a stage for heraldry, courage, and a clash between modernity and old ideals.

Visual Storytelling — In this episode of Good Stories Podcast, we sit down with Gary Hopf, co-founder of Tigatu, to explore modern storytelling through video, photography, and branded clothing.Gary’s work spans extreme sports, elite athletes, and visual storytelling, capturing moments beyond words—things like grit, athleticism, laughter, and the love of family. This episode demonstrates how modern digital storytelling continues the tradition of why stories matter -- stories that shape us, insp...

Step into the world of the Norse gods as we explore the Younger Edda by Snorri Sturluson. Written between 1200 and 1300 AD, these stories trace the mythic beginnings of creation—from the Frost Giants to the world shaped from Ymir’s body. Meet Odin, Frigg, Thor, and Loki, and uncover the origins of Norse beliefs, legendary tales, and the prophecies of their ultimate fate at Ragnarok.Want all our stuff? Check out our Patreon page https://patreon.com/goodstoriespodcast

Continuing the stories of the Norse gods and mythology from the Younger Edda by Snorri Sturluson. In this episode, we meet Bragi — the Mead-Tongued Bard, the word-smith of Valhalla, the keeper of the poetry-mead’s flame.Here we learn the story behind the kennings — why gold is “Ægir’s fire,” why the sea is the “whale-road,” why poetry itself is “Odin’s stolen mead.” This is more than a list of clever nicknames.The Skáldskaparmál tells the stories behind the kennings of the gods and the earth...

This one's for the parents out there, trying to their best to raise good kids.Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house, smells faintly of sugar cookies, and has an earnest love of children. When parents are at their wits’ end, she offers up creative (and often hilarious) cures for kid problems like "I thought you said"ers or "won't go to bed" or "won't take a bath."This warm and sweet children's classic by Betty MacDonald reminds us that kids grow best with a whole lot of love, some ...

In this episode, we trace the extraordinary true story of St. Patrick — from Roman Britain to slavery in Ireland, from lonely shepherd to bold missionary bishop. Captured at sixteen, Patrick spent six years tending sheep, where his hardship became the backdrop for deep faith in a loving God. Years later and after a miraculous escape, he could have stayed safely at home.He didn’t.Instead, he returned to the very people who enslaved him and not with revenge, but with the Gospel.This is the s...

Unexpected and wonderful characters with immense impact on the lives of those around them. We're happy to be celebrating Tolkien Reading Day, discussing some of the best unlikely heroes in the work of JRR Tolkien. If you're already a Tolkien fan or want to learn more about why so many people love the works of Tolkien so deeply, join us!

Yes, it's a book! AND one of the best movies of all time.If you're familiar with the 1987 movie, the book has everything you love about the film but add in back story for several of the characters, including both the Spanish swordsman Inigo and the rhyming giant, Fezzik.This one has something for everyone with true love, adventure, sword play, intrigue, pirates, revenge, a wedding, and even some tongue in cheek sarcasm provided by William Goldman who abridged the original story, among other ...

What makes a man “great”—his victories or his character?In this episode, we step into Plutarch’s account of Alexander the Great. And not just the conqueror of the known world at the time, but the complex, driven, and often contradictory actions of the man himself. From taming the wild horse Bucephalus as a boy to win after win after win in conquering tribes and nations, Alexander’s life is a story of brilliance and ambition.Plutarch isn’t just reciting history but describing the character of...

A strange and charming fairy tale about a giant who keeps his heart hidden outside his body.This tale has all the classic fairytale elements along with the bigger question of why would someone even want to keep their heart elsewhere?

In the wonderful book, The Giver by Lois Lowry, a young male named Jonas is Eleven, about to become a Twelve. And all seems well. There's structure, there's system, and he knows the rules. But when he's chosen to be the Receiver of Memory, he learns the wonder and the cost of things that extend beyond the safety of his upbringing.This is a powerful story about what it means to remember, to feel, and to truly live.

A boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb (yes, really!) gets dragged into a world he doesn’t believe in....and it doesn’t go well at first. Alongside his cousins, Lucy and Edmund, as well as the valiant Reepicheep, and King Caspian of Narnia, the Dawn Treader sails east into unknown waters, looking for lost friends and perhaps, the very end of the world.And no one is the same by the end of the voyage.Interested in getting your own copy? Use our affiliate link and get 10% off. Thank you for suppor...