PODCAST · arts
The Library Police
by Dietrich Stogner and Josh Mauthe
Please follow our new show, The Playlist: A podcast designed to help you find the very best stories in every form of media, The Playlist is hosted by Dietrich Stogner and Josh Mauthe. Each week, they build a playlist of books, movies, television, video games, and so much more, all based off the stories you already love.
Episodes
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Episode 5: The Best Storytelling of the Decade
This week, Josh and Dietrich respond to a listener's email to review the best storytelling across genres from 2010 to today. In film, the pair discuss the heartbreaking film The Florida Project, and the unparalleled mayhem of Mad Max: Fury Road. A novel about a grieving president and another…
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Episode 4: A Jordan Peele Playlist
This week, Josh and Dietrich look at the extraordinary films of Jordan Peele, and attempt to build a playlist of stories that demonstrate that remarkable blending of genre and racial commentary. Josh talks about the film District 9, while Dietrich raves about Saladin Ahmed's Black Bolt. They...
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Episode 3: The Walking Dead Playlist
This week, Josh and Dietrich take a frequent punching bag of theirs and build a playlist off of The Walking Dead. From a quietly devastating book about the end of all living things, to one of the finest examples of narrative storytelling in video games, to a novel about spontaneous combustion…
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Episode 2, The Playlist: Serial
This week's playlist includes the books The Innocent Man by John Grisham and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, everything by David Simon, the Netflix series American Vandal, and the film All The President's Men. Next episode: A playlist based on The Walking Dead.
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Episode 1: A Game of Thrones Playlist
On the first ever episode of The Playlist podcast, Josh Mauthe (an English teacher with over a decade of book and film criticism under his belt) and Dietrich Stogner (a former journalist and author) assemble a playlist of movies, television, books, and even a video game for those who fell in love...
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Episode 250: Endings
This week, Josh Mauthe and Dietrich Stogner say farewell to the Library Police Podcast, bringing over ten years of nerding out about books to a close. A listener asks for tips on how to fit in more reading. Josh discovers a cluster of extraordinary novellas by one of the most talented fantasy...
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Episode 249: The Lightning Round Returns!
This week, Josh and Dietrich continue their timed exploration of topics from years past. After acknowledging that ragging on Ayn Rand is the only acceptable reason to abuse the lightning round timer, they dive into calling an authors bluff when they threaten main characters, a bewildering topic...
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Episode 247: The Lightning Round!
This week, Josh and Dietrich reach back through their catalog to revisit topics from the decade they've been doing this show. With only four minutes per topic, the pair are able to touch on nearly a dozen different topics, exploring how their answers have changed (or not) in regards to young…
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Episode 247: Game of Thrones
This week, Josh and Dietrich take a look at the end of one of the biggest storytelling accomplishments of all time, the adaptation of George RR Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones. From an idea most considered a poor gamble at best in the beginning came a pop culture...
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Episode 246: A Decade of Changes
This week, Josh and Dietrich look at how much the book industry has changed since they began rambling into cheap microphones for their tens of listeners a decade ago. They look at the staggering growth of Amazon, with the good (the Kindle and self publishing) alongside the bad (nearly everything...
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Episode 245: Crafting Violence in Fiction
This week, Josh and Dietrich discuss the way that authors portray violence in fiction. From the operatic gore of Hannibal to the restrained suggestion made by authors like Janet Evanovich, every author has to choose how best to depict the violence that so often drives plot threads. The two of…
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Episode 244: Books to Cheer You Up
This week, Josh and Dietrich look at the books that perk them up when they're having a bad day. Josh talks about the satisfying mayhem of Joe Lansdale, Dietrich discusses the pure joy pouring from every page of Terry Pratchett's novels, and they both agree that Calvin and Hobbes should be part of...
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Episode 243: How To Read Gooder
This week, Josh and Dietrich discuss how to become a more critical and analytical reader in the way you consume books of every type and genre. Josh comes at this challenge from the perspective of a teacher who's made a career out of trying to get students to see the depth and symbolism buried in...
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Episode 242: Romance in Fiction
This week, Josh and Dietrich examine how authors craft believable romantic relationships, and the potential pitfalls. They look at the idea of crafting a relationship in service to the story, instead of the other way around. They look at how authors develop characters before bringing them…
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Episode 241: The Past Looms Large
This week, Josh and Dietrich explore the pitfalls and challenges of opening up those old classics, particularly when those books delve into issues that are far more uncomfortable now. Does the excuse that a book is simply a product of its time excuse racism, sexism, homophobia, and more? Do…
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Episode 240: How We've Changed as Readers
This week, Josh and Dietrich take a long look at how they've changed as readers, going all the way back to the first books that sparked their love of the written word. They look at Hardy Boys, Piers Anthony, and other books from their childhood, and how those starting points informed which books...
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Episode 239: Black Bolt by Saladin Ahmed
This week, Josh and Dietrich dive into the run of Black Bolt by author Saladin Ahmed. This obscure comic book character is not one that either Josh or Dietrich had heard of before, but this series blew them both away, combining vivid storytelling with a surprisingly nuanced view of comic book...
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Episode 238: A Hannibal Playlist
This week, it's all about operatic violence and questionable dining choices, and the duo put together a reading playlist based on Bryan Fuller's masterpiece television series Hannibal. It's a daunting task, as Fuller maintains his reputation for uniquely dazzling visuals and over-the-top…
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Episode 237: The Mini-Primers
This week, Josh and Dietrich put together a list of mini-primers, giving quick starting points on half a dozen authors. Where should you start your exploration of Philip K Dick? Why is David Mitchell's best book the worst place to start? How is it possible that one book can be an amazing starting...
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Episode 236: Revenge of the MiniTopics
This week, Josh and Dietrich tackle a host of minitopics provided by our listeners. The pair discuss which books will accompany them to their future desert island prison, which Kindle should be your first, and their favorite new genre authors of the last few years. They talk about the difference...
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Episode 235: Flawed Books We Still Adore
This week, Josh and Dietrich look at some of their favorite books that succeed despite some very blatant flaws. They discuss the absurd premise of The Guns of the South, the despicable protagonist of Point of Impact, the stumbles of Raylan, and more, discussing what it is that these books do to...
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Episode 234: Episodes and Entitlement
This week, Josh and Dietrich sit down to discuss the impact of our expectations on the media we consume, and what we're owed on the part of those who create that media. They talk about how expecting a book to be terrible can actually help our impressions, while describing a book as "one of the...
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Episode 233: The Literary Canon
This week, Josh and Dietrich discuss a New York Times article asking about how books enter and leave the literary canon. Who decides what books are added, and how is it decided? Does the general acceptance of a book's addition to the canon grant it a permanent spot, or can revelations about the...
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Episode 232: Playlist - The Marvel Cinematic Universe
This week, Josh and Dietrich build another reading playlist, and because Dietrich was feeling diabolical, he selected the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the inspiration. The pair briefly discuss the good and the bad of this juggernaut success story before jumping into suggestions. Josh looks at a...
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Episode 231: The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani
This week, Josh and Dietrich sit down to discuss the amazing novel The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. The pair discuss the unusual structure of the book, and how it eschews the expected murder mystery, instead conducting a post mortem on a horrifying crime. Josh discusses the character…
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Episode 230: Fantasy V. SciFi
This week, Josh and Dietrich look at a pair of genres nearly always bundled together, and discuss the commonalities and differences between science fiction and fantasy. They talk about why the complex and elaborate world building of fantasy doesn't often make an appearance in scifi, and why…
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Episode 229: Playlist - Legion
After having fun assembling a reading playlist in the last episode, Josh and Dietrich decide to do it again, trading in a thoughtful and tense spy thriller as inspiration for a surreal nightmare of a superhero story. Using Noah Hawley's visual masterpiece Legion, the pair come up with books that...
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Episode 228: Playlist - The Americans
This week, Josh and Dietrich try something new, creating a type of reader's playlist inspired by the astonishing and chilling television drama The Americans. Dietrich talks about a pair of books exploring Cold War espionage and Russian politics with the astounding Cardinal of the Kremlin and...
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Episode 227: Should You Read YA Books?
This week, Josh and Dietrich sit down to respond to a listener's email in which they confess to a hesitation in reading young adult fiction. The pair discuss where they suspect much of this hesitation comes from, but quickly agree that missing out on young adult fiction means missing out on...
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Episode 226: The Dark Tower, Books 5-7
Now that Dietrich has returned uneaten by bayou alligators from his trip to New Orleans, the duo return to discuss the last three books of Stephen King's magnum opus, The Dark Tower. It's a mixed discussion, with one book being an unqualified joy, one being kind of a mess, and the finale being…
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Episode 225: A Fantasy Primer
This week, Josh and Dietrich discuss how you can begin exploring the fantasy genre. Full of multi-volume epics and thousand-page long tomes, this is a daunting genre to get into, and as the pair discuss, it's just as important that you don't start at the wrong place as it is to find the right...
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Episode 224: Media for Non-Readers
This week, Josh and Dietrich take a bit of a detour, combining their earlier topics of books for people who hate to read, and media for readers, and work to come up with some non-book media that can act as a bridge for non-bibliophiles to get into reading. They talk about some of the more…
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Episode 223: Get Back Into The Groove
Have you made New Year's Resolutions to lose weight, double your pay, and read more books? Well, we can't help you with two of those, but Josh and Dietrich are here with some suggestions on how to jump start your reading habits for the year. The duo dismiss the idea of "guilty pleasures",...
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Episode 222: 2017 Gift Giving Guide
This week, Josh and Dietrich throw out some unusual gift ideas for the book lovers in your life. Instead of rattling off some titles, they talk about various ideas that may not occur to your favorite bibliophile, including a miniaturized neighborhood library, a collection to a stunningly literate...
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Episode 221: Dark Tower, Books 1-4
After a long delay, Dietrich and Josh finally sit down for the first big chunk of filling in Dietrich's gap in his Stephen King education: the Dark Tower series. The pair dig into the first four books, warts and all. Josh talks about the discovery of The Gunslinger on the shelves of a bookstore,...
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Thanksgiving Throwback: Merchant, Merriment, and What We're Thankful For
As you might guess from the dated references and the significantly poorer audio quality, this is not a new episode. With the Thanksgiving holiday, we weren't able to schedule a recording this week, so instead, we're rereleasing one of our Thanksgiving favorites: Episode 128, in which Christopher...
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Episode 220: The Taboo Topics
This week, Josh and Dietrich look at how books handle troubling or difficult topics. Josh talks about a book that tried unsuccessfully to fold spousal abuse into a soap-opera style story, and Dietrich discusses the jarring moment in which threats of violent sexual assault were brought into Janet...
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Episode 217: SCBWI 2017!
This week, it's time again for Dietrich and Josh to sit down with a trio of authors from the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Conference here in Nashville, getting a chance to speak with some really fascinating authors. Laurent Linn started his career working with Jim Henson's...
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Episode 218: Classics vs. Modern
This week, Josh and Dietrich tackle the topic of school reading, focusing on the question of whether it's time for the classics to take a back seat for more modern authors. Josh approaches this from the perspective of an English high school teacher who's spent years working to find ways to make…
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Episode 217: A Primer for Thrillers
After some technical gremlins tried to take down Dietrich's computer, he's rallied and brought out this new episode, in which the pair tackle the surprisingly difficult challenge of a primer for thrillers. Immediately, Josh and Dietrich run headfirst into the definition of a thriller, debating…
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Episode 216: The Adventure Zone Balance Arc
Josh and Dietrich started The Library Police based on their love of stories, and every once in a while, they decide to take some time to highlight extraordinary storytelling outside of the written word. This week, they're joined by Quentin White to discuss the recently completed Balance Arc of…
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Episode 215: Young Adult Book Fight
In a spiritual successor to the last episode, Josh and Dietrich move from an author's debt to their readers and representation in fiction, and sit down to discuss the dramatic role that social media has played in giving readers a voice, for better or for worse. The pair discuss a recent article...
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Episode 214: What Does an Author Owe You?
This week, Josh and Dietrich discuss what, if anything, an author owes their readers, and discover that their answer is much more complicated than the last time they debated this. Josh points out the challenge of addressing the demands of a rabid fan base, and makes a somewhat depressing…
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Episode 213: Adaptations
This week, Josh and Dietrich are joined by special guest Quentin White to discuss adaptations. A topic that they've touched on several times, the trio dig deep into some of the more recent adaptations, looking on what makes the jump from page to screen a successful one. They look at the surreal...
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Episode 212: Beach Reading
Turn on the Jimmy Buffett, grab the sunblock, and head for those sandy shores. This week, Josh and Dietrich look at what makes a book that perfect beach read. Josh talks about the challenge of finding a horror novel that works well for vacation reading, and Dietrich discusses the value of a…
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Episode 211: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
This week, the pair sits down for their discussion of one of the most famous dystopia novels ever written. Nineteen Eighty-Four introduced phrases and concepts such as Big Brother, doublespeak, and more to our culture, and is a depressingly relevant today as it was when it was written. Josh...
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Episode 210: Interactive Storytelling
Following up last week's discussion of audio storytelling, Josh and Dietrich continue to explore different ways of storytelling by exploring interactive fiction, and the ways that new forms of media are exploring narratives, particularly video games. They discuss the brilliant game based on "The...
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Episode 209: Audiobooks and Audio Storytelling
This week, Josh and Dietrich obey the mad whims of their listeners and sit down to discuss audiobooks. But as the beginning of the discussion focuses on why they don't actually listen to audiobooks, they also decide to wrap the newer developments in audio storytelling into the discussion. Josh...
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Episode 208: What Comes Next? After the Apocalypse, I Mean
This week, Josh and Dietrich sit down to discuss postapocalyptic fiction. They begin by highlighting the critical differences between postapocalyptic and dystopian fiction, separating novels like 1984 from I Am Legend. Josh discusses the importance of recognizing that postapocalyptic books still...
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Episode 207: Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
This week, Josh and Dietrich finally tackle Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead. The two discuss the similarities that this alternate history book has with earlier favorites Big Machine and Lovecraft Country, and how Whitehead uses fictional portrayals of life in the slave south to…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Please follow our new show, The Playlist: A podcast designed to help you find the very best stories in every form of media, The Playlist is hosted by Dietrich Stogner and Josh Mauthe. Each week, they build a playlist of books, movies, television, video games, and so much more, all based off the stories you already love.
HOSTED BY
Dietrich Stogner and Josh Mauthe
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Library Police have?
The Library Police currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Library Police about?
Please follow our new show, The Playlist: A podcast designed to help you find the very best stories in every form of media, The Playlist is hosted by Dietrich Stogner and Josh Mauthe. Each week, they build a playlist of books, movies, television, video games, and so much more, all based off the...
How often does The Library Police release new episodes?
The Library Police has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Library Police?
You can listen to The Library Police on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Library Police?
The Library Police is created and hosted by Dietrich Stogner and Josh Mauthe.
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