Best First Time Lord Of The Rings Podcasts (2025)

1
Frodo is Much Tougher in the Book 10:14

Play Pause

2d ago10:14

10:14

Everything after Weathertop is SO DIFFERENT! I cannot believe how much changed from the book to the movie and this is going to just be a long rant on it and then I want to talk all about Frodo at the end and his courage which the movies don’t show.By Jonathan Minnema

1
Tolkien is a MASTER of Foreshadowing 9:27

3d ago9:27

9:27

So I am reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time and I just finished the chapter where Frodo gets stabbed at Weathertop. And I have to say…everyone should have seen it coming in this chapter. The foreshadowing is right there…as well as for a few other things in this book too that I want to talk about.…

1
Imperfect Paradise: Trading in the American Dream for the Mexican Dream 26:30

4d ago26:30

26:30

For decades, there’s been a persistent story about Mexican immigrants crossing the border for a better life in the United States. But there’s a new trend emerging: Mexicans and Mexican Americans, disillusioned with American politics, moving to Mexico for a more fulfilling life. In the second episode of a three-part collaboration with Latino USA, Im…

1
Strider is such a Strange Character 12:37

4d ago12:37

12:37

So I am reading Lord of the Rings for the first time and I am on the Fellowship of the Ring where we FIRST get introduced to Strider. And as soon as I finished that chapter I was a bit shocked and actually had to reread it. Because the whole chapter was confusing to me with how Aragorn was acting.By Jonathan Minnema

1
Nicolas Cage could have been an AMAZING Aragorn 23:05

6d ago23:05

23:05

In the Lord of the Rings community, there has always been this funny rumor that Nicholas Cage was offered the role of Aragorn, and had to refuse. And luckily we got Viggo Mortensen and the rest is History.By Jonathan Minnema

1
The Four Hobbits are SO DIFFERENT in the Book 8:42

7d ago8:42

8:42

So I just finished chapter 9 of The Fellowship of the Ring, and I’ve got to say, the Hobbits are so different from the book to the movie.By Jonathan Minnema

1
The creepiest section of the Fellowship of the Ring 8:03

8d ago8:03

8:03

I just came to the creepiest chapter maybe in the whole book so far. Fog on the Barrow Downs. And I have to say again, I’ve never had so many questions about a chapter.By Jonathan Minnema

1
Who is Tom Bombadil?! 14:18

9d ago14:18

14:18

I just have one question…who the $%!# is Tom Bombadil…Don’t even get me STARTED on Goldberry...how the river can have a DAUGHTER!?By Jonathan Minnema

1
Chapter 6: Why the Worst Chapter of LOTR is Actually the Best Written 7:00

10d ago7:00

7:00

I have never hated a chapter more in any of Tolkien’s work than The Old Forest, but I have to admit, I think it’s actually his best written chapter (so far).By Jonathan Minnema

1
The Two Towers: Ch 9-10 1:29:18

10d ago1:29:18

1:29:18

Jon, Lizzy, Danny, and Jenn talk over how exactly to say Flotsam, and their favorite chapters as well. These chapters were good!By Lizzy, Jon, Jenn, Danny

1
Chapter 5 - Merry and Pippin are Incredible in the Book 9:47

11d ago9:47

9:47

Merry and Pippen just are intensely good friends. Especially in the Conspiracy Unmasked chapter.By Jonathan Minnema

1
Imperfect Paradise: Getting lost in Latina trad wife TikTok 28:25

11d ago28:25

28:25

During a flurry of election-related anxiety, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido re-downloaded TikTok and fell down a very specific rabbit hole: Latina trad wife content. Videos of women waking up at three in the morning, making “lonche” for their husbands and espousing traditional lifestyles – have become popular and gone viral on social med…

1
Chapter 4 - Farmer Maggot is INCREDIBLE 6:25

12d ago6:25

6:25

If you’ve seen Lord of the Rings, you know this man. Farmer Maggot. The one and the only. And I am astounded that the Hobbits actually eat in the home of Farmer Maggot.By Jon

1
Chapter 3 - Gildor makes me like Elves 5:10

13d ago5:10

5:10

So, I am reading through Lord of the Rings for the first time and publishing my thoughts on the chapters as I read them. But I just finished chapter three and I have to say: Gildor makes me like elves.By Jonathan Minnema

1
Chapter 2 - Gollum is Complex 13:01

14d ago13:01

13:01

I am reading through Lord of the Rings for the first time, and I’m in chapter two. And I have to say, out of everything I have seen so far in this book, one of the things that surprised me the most was the sadness, hopeless, possessed story of Gollum.By Jonathan Minnema

1
Chapter 1 - The Invisibility and Loneliness of Bilbo Baggins 13:32

15d ago13:32

13:32

I am reading Lord of the Rings for the first time and something struck me as sad and depressing in the first chapter. It seems like it’s more subtext than it is anything else, but the invisibility and loneliness of Bilbo Baggins is terribly sad.By Jon

1
Imperfect Paradise: Did the cellphone ban in high schools work? 46:11

22d ago46:11

46:11

On February 18th, 2025, the LA Unified School District, the second largest public school district in the country, implemented an all-day cell phone ban for its students. Now that it’s the end of the school year, we head to Venice High School to see how the ban actually went. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dolla…

1
Imperfect Paradise: On the ground for LA's historic ICE protests 38:30

27d ago38:30

38:30

ICE raids began last Friday across Southern California. People have been detained and there have been confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. What exactly went down and where does Los Angeles go from here? We hear from family members of people detained by ICE and talk with LAist Civics and Democracy Correspondent Frank Stoltze about …

1
Imperfect Paradise: Return from Mexico 39:42

1M ago39:42

39:42

In 2009, Gloria Arellano de la Rosa was banned from re-entering the U.S. for ten years, finding herself separated from her four children and husband. But unlike Daniel Zamora, she didn’t remake her life in Mexico. Every day she waited to go home to the U.S. Fernanda Echavarri tells the story of what happens when Gloria finally returns to the States…

1
The Two Towers: Ch 7-8 1:09:06

1M ago1:09:06

1:09:06

Chapter 7 - Helm’s Deep Q1 - Who is your favorite character so far in the whole story? Q2 - Can you guys help me walk through this whole chapter? They turned and ran. At that moment some dozen Orcs that had lain motionless among the slain leaped to their feet, and came silently and swiftly behind. Two flung themselves to the ground at Eomer’s ´ hee…

1
Inheriting: Nicole & the Third World Liberation Front 46:54

2M ago46:54

46:54

Nicole Salaver’s uncle, Patrick Salaver, was one of the leaders of the Third World Liberation Front at San Francisco State University in the late 1960s. This movement not only led to the recognition of the term “Asian American,” but also brought ethnic studies to colleges nationwide. Pat made a difference in the world as a Filipino civil rights lea…

1
The Two Towers: Ch 4-6 1:51:10

2M ago1:51:10

1:51:10

Chapter 4 - Treebeard Q1 - Do you think the God of Middle Earth is causing all these things to happen? ‘Hm, but you are hasty folk, I see,’ said Treebeard. ‘I am honoured by your confidence; but you should not be too free all at once. There are Ents and Ents, you know; or there are Ents and things that look like Ents but ain’t, as you might say. I’…

1
Imperfect Paradise: How the Rent Brigade took on LA’s landlords 39:27

2M ago39:27

39:27

In the days after LA’s early-January wildfires, tenant advocate Chelsea Kirk noticed a trend: rent gouging. Rents were shooting up past their legal limit. In the wake of the fires, as natural disaster collided with LA’s severe housing shortage, we trace how a collective of volunteers organized themselves to bring rent gouging to light in LA County.…

1
Imperfect Paradise: From ranchers with guns to gurus with crystals: How extremism in the American West has evolved 26:03

2M ago26:03

26:03

When Portland, Oregon-based reporter Leah Sottile began covering extremism in the American West a decade ago, she was interviewing ranchers, fundamentalist Mormons and “sovereign citizens” who did not believe the federal government should own land. During the pandemic, she began noticing that New Age wellness leaders were talking about many of the …

1
Imperfect Paradise: Can Oakland point the way for the future of liberal cities 34:50

3M ago34:50

34:50

Journalist Alexis Madrigal is obsessed with the port of Oakland. He even has a tattoo of a shipping container! In his new book, The Pacific Circuit, he makes the case that Oakland is where the real-world impacts of globalization are felt, and serves as a warning for other port communities. He documents the impact that the tech/logistics industry ha…

1
The Two Towers: Ch 1-3 1:35:43

3M ago1:35:43

1:35:43

Chapter 1 - The Departure of Boromir He turned from the North back again to North, and saw nothing save the distant hills, unless it were that far away he could see again a great bird like an eagle high in the air, descending slowly in wide circles down towards the earth. Q1 - What, if any, symbolism is there with the Eagles? Q2 - Why does Aragorn …

1
Imperfect Paradise: The fallout over LAFD funding: Bass vs. Crowley 36:13

3M ago36:13

36:13

Amid the devastating Palisades and Eaton Fires that killed more than two dozen people, a political conflict came sharply into focus surrounding the funding of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). Finger-pointing as to who was to blame included former LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and LA Mayor Karen Bass. The two women would be lambasted for thei…

1
Imperfect Paradise: Rebuild or leave? One Black family in Altadena decides their future after Eaton Fire 40:25

3M ago40:25

40:25

The biggest question hanging over most people in Los Angeles who lost homes in the Palisades and Eaton Fires is whether to rebuild or leave -- a question that's especially fraught for Altadena's Black community, who faced a long history of redlining. Charel Bailey’s parents have lived in Altadena since 1977, and she desperately wants them to rebuil…

1
Imperfect Paradise: When the disinformation machine comes for you 39:40

3M ago39:40

39:40

Renée DiResta joined the Stanford Internet Observatory to analyze how propaganda spreads online. But in 2023, she went from studying the online disinformation machine to becoming its target. We dive into what happened when a right-wing conspiracy made Renée its villain, as well as how disinformation has changed over the last three presidential elec…

1
Between the Books 3:20

3M ago3:20

3:20

https://www.youtube.com/@firsttimereadersBy Jonathan Minnema

1
Imperfect Paradise: ‘Free the Tee’ Redux: Fighting back against LA golf course scalpers 43:49

4M ago43:49

43:49

This episode originally aired on June 12, 2024. LA was rocked on March 4 when Dave Fink, a golf influencer, posted a viral video on Instagram detailing how brokers - largely using a Korean messenger app- were snatching up prime time tees at Los Angeles’ public golf courses and reselling them. Here’s how an unlikely crew of golf enthusiasts’ fight t…

1
Imperfect Paradise: Meet the filmmakers who love AI 34:04

4M ago34:04

34:04

It’s hard to find people in Hollywood who are willing to speak publicly about their enthusiasm for AI, for fear of being seen as “siding with the machines.” And yet, many people are quietly using the technology already. In this episode, we interview two enthusiastic early adopters of AI in filmmaking about how they’re using it, its strengths and li…

1
Imperfect Paradise: How AI became a Hollywood villain – especially for animators 35:31

4M ago35:31

35:31

Hollywood taught us to be afraid of a super powerful artificial intelligence that will one day conquer humanity. So not surprisingly, many screenwriters and actors are very skeptical of AI, and concerns about AI were central to the Hollywood labor strikes in 2023. But animators may actually be the most at risk of losing their jobs to AI. In this ep…

1
Imperfect Paradise: Highland Park: Land of the snake 36:32

4M ago36:32

36:32

Tucked away in Highland Park - a neighborhood that’s been dubbed “ground zero” for gentrification - sits a small park dotted with native plants and spiraling mosaic sculptures. La Tierra de la Culebra Park was established in the early 90s by guerilla artist Tricia Ward. In the decades since, the neighborhood has transformed massively and a battle h…