Tag: podcasts

So Many Books . . . So Little Time

I have always loved to read. I’m pretty sure it started when I was about 8 or so and I binge read every Nancy Drew mystery I could get my hands on. Summer Bookmobile and visits to the Library were always a highlight .

During my adult life, it has been a bit different. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to read; however, there are so many more things to distract me from it. Including Candy Crush and Podcasts.

In the last couple years though, I have been able to delve back into the literary world and started reading in earnest again.  I have also been able to combine my long-held love of reading with my new-found love of podcasts. I have found a couple book/literary podcasts I absolutely love (check them out here:  What Should I Read Next, Literary Disco, and  Book Riot The Podcast).

So, this blog is for my fellow bookies who like me follow the latest literary news. No, not the fact that there will not be a Nobel Prize in literature this year. I am speaking of The Great American Read. It is a list if 100 books that are deemed “most loved”. I’ve read about 19 of them and probably remember details from only about 10 of them  

“THE GREAT AMERICAN READ is an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved novels (as chosen in a national survey).  It investigates how and why writers create their fictional worlds, how we as readers are affected by these stories, and what these 100 different books have to say about our diverse nation and our shared human experience.  “

Wondering how the top 100 books were chosen? Well let me tell you:

“PBS and the producers worked with the public opinion polling service “YouG”ov” to conduct a demographically and statistically representative survey asking Americans to name their most-loved novel. Approximately 7,200 people participated.

So, in honor of this cool event . . . I am featuring some book reviews from some of my most favorite people to share books with.  Enjoy the first installment – The Outsiders.

5 Podcasts I Love

Podcasts – I like to call them Stories on my Phone.

A podcast is an episodic series of digital media files which a user can set up so that new episodes are automatically downloaded via web syndication to the user’s own local computer or portable media player. It’s a mouthful, so I just call them “stories on my phone.”

I am relative newbie to the podcast world.  In the past couple years, there were a few local ones I listened to (Fresh Air and Radio Times).  But only lately have I dipped my toes into the ever expanding sea of podcasts.  And let me tell you, it is not only a sea but nearly a tidal wave of podcasts.

Now I don’t need to just rely on a constant stream of audio books to keep me entertained, I can also get fascinating stories, science updates, current event discussions, and all around pop culture anytime I want.  Even Cheyenne loves to listen to podcasts with me (can’t you tell).

podcast-and-cheyenne

Top 5 Podcasts

Ever the fan of the top 5 or 10 or 20 lists, here are the top 5 podcasts that I am totally loving right now:

5.  TWiT (This Week in Tech) – Since a sizeable portion of my job involves tech and website upkeep, I decided to try to keep up with things in the news on this topic.  This is a thought-provoking discussion not only of new tech but also how technology touches every aspect of our lives and what it means for the future.

4.  Hidden Brain – Anything that discusses our magnificent brains and how they work completely fascinates me.  Combine it with great storytelling and I’m totally hooked.

3.  What I Missed in History Class – This is a fun little podcast that reveals interesting nuggets in history that are not often covered.  It covers people, events, and mysteries.  If you love history you will love this too.  Plus it has been out there for a number of years so there are tons of back episodes you can search through to find the history you most want to hear about.

2.  The Story Collider – This is one I just found but is right up at the top of the ones I love.  It explores personal stories of science and everyday life.  It is great!

1. What Should I Read Next –  My absolute favorite right now.  Thanks to my niece Tara for turning me on to this.  For anyone one who loves to read and struggles with finding the right book this is the podcast for you.

A couple honorable mentions are Sword and Scale, This Week in Feakanomics, This American Life, and the TED Radio Hour.

There really is so much out there.  Take a look, explore, enjoy!