A Drink With a Friend
A Drink With a Friend
Tsh Oxenreider
Conversations with writer Tsh Oxenreider about books, travel, faith, and more—the things that make life lovely. thecommon.place
3 Desires & a 14th-Century Headstrong Norwegian
For the final episode of this season, Tsh chats with Abigail Favale, a fellow author and all-around great gal. She shares her childhood book—one Tsh has never heard of—and one she’s read as an adult that’s been on Tsh’s TBR list for absolute ever.* Abigail Favale’s new novel, Our Lady of the Sign* Abigail on Substack * The Farthest Away Mountain, by Lynne Reid Banks | Amazon* Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset | Amazon | Bookshop* Tsh Oxenreider’s newsletter, books, course, and trips Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
Dec 19, 2025
37 min
A 14th-Century Boys’ School & a Myth of Sacrificial Love
Annelise Roberts is a wife and mom of six kids whom she homeschools while raising animals on their homestead in North Carolina. She shares with Tsh a beloved childhood book (that’s very fitting for her life right now), as well as one of the most mind-blowing works of fiction from C.S. Lewis.* Annelise Roberts’ newsletter, Writing While Washing* Little Men, by Louisa May Alcott | Amazon | Bookshop* Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis | Amazon | Bookshop* Tsh Oxenreider’s newsletter, books, course, and trips Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
Dec 10, 2025
30 min
A Magical Wardrobe & A 1953 Foul Ball
Shawn Smucker co-owns an independent bookshop in his town with his wife, and is also a long-time author of several books. He shares with Tsh a classic, perennial favorite childhood book, as well as one of his go-tos from adulthood.* Shawn Smucker’s newsletter, The Courage to Live It* His bookshop, Nooks* The Lion, the Witch, & The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis* A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving* Tsh Oxenreider’s newsletter, books, course, and trips Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
Dec 4, 2025
31 min
Fighting Dementors & 19th-Century Parables
Autumn Kern is a mom of four who releases bookish videos in a space called, delightfully enough, The Commonplace, and also hosts Common House, a space for homeschooling moms to get their bearings in the classical Charlotte Mason world. She shares with Tsh a favorite childhood book (one of Tsh’s favorites, too, though not from her own childhood) and a recent one from her adulthood (it’s one Tsh has never heard of).* Autumn Kern’s video channel, The Commonplace* Autumn’s mom encouragement space, Common House* Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling* The Lost Princess + The Wise Woman: A Parable, by George MacDonald* Tsh Oxenreider’s newsletter, books, course, and trips Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
Nov 19, 2025
30 min
Farm Life & Poor with a Pearl
Hadden Turner writes the well-loved Substack newsletter Over the Field and lives in northern England among farmers and apples. He shares with Tsh his choice of a favorite book from childhood (one she’d never heard of before), as well as a recent read for his choice of favorites as an adult.* Hadden’s Newsletter, Over the Field* Out of the Ashes, by Michael Morpurgo* The Pearl, by John Steinbeck* Tsh Oxenreider’s newsletter, books, course, and trips Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
Nov 13, 2025
30 min
A Girl with Power & a Powerful Woman
Faith Moore is a writer and podcaster of the popular show Storytime for Grownups, as well as an avid reader. She shares with Tsh her choice of a favorite book from childhood, as well as one of her all-time favorites as an adult (it’s one of Tsh’s favorites, too).* Faith’s podcast, Storytime for Grownups* Matilda, by Roald Dahl* Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte* Tsh Oxenreider’s newsletter, books, course, and trips Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
Nov 5, 2025
24 min
A Vietnam Vet Legend & a 20th-Century Russian with Amnesia
Joel Miller is the writer of the popular newsletter Miller’s Book Review, chief content officer at Full Focus, author of the new book The Idea Machine, and an avid reader. He shares with Tsh a beloved book from his childhood and one from adulthood (as well as two extras from both).* Joel’s newsletter, Miller’s Book Review* Joel’s new book, The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future* Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs* First Blood, by David Morrell* The Road, by Cormac McCarthy* The Aviator, by Eugene Vodolazkin* Tsh Oxenreider’s newsletter, books, course, and trips Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
Oct 29, 2025
22 min
Childhood Mythology & the Greatest Medieval Epic
For a new season of this podcast, Tsh Oxenreider is talking with people about two books that changed them: one from childhood, one from adulthood. Who better to start with than her own daughter, Tatum?* the Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan* Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson* A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle* The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri* A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles* Tsh Oxenreider’s newsletter, books, course, and trips Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
Oct 24, 2025
33 min
Take a Regular Internet Hiatus (Yes, You!)
Tsh gives a short pitch for why you should do — in some way, before too long — what she does every summer: take a break from the internet. She explains why this break is so life-giving and necessary for her, her three reasons why she firmly believes EVERYONE needs to take regular breaks from the internet, as well as some encouragement that you, too, can do this. Yes, you! Really.The next season will return after a brief hiatus!* Tsh’s newsletter, books, trips, & Rule of Life* Recommended reads* Buy a round of drinks Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
May 30, 2025
10 min
Community Reaps Character
Tsh chats with her in-real-life local friend Rick Reynolds, whom she first got to know on one of her pilgrimages (he and his wife have since been on three with her!). Rick is a marriage therapist specializing in infidelity, so they get into what really holds marriages together, why community matters so much to ALL of us, what it means to affair-proof your relationship, how to heal from betrayals, and where hope is truly found in all of it. (Sounds like a potential downer, but it's actually a super encouraging conversation!)* Affair Recovery* Journey with Jesus: Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, by Larry Warner* Temecula Coffee Roasters* Tsh’s books, trips, & Rule of Life* Recommended reads* Buy a round of drinks Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe
May 16, 2025
55 min
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