Bookish fun for the weekend

Lots to listen to in case you don't already have enough

Happy Friday!

I’ve been known to drive less than the speed limit on the back streets on my way to work early in the morning, so I can finish the podcast episode I’m listening to. I’ve volunteered to drive a few hours each way to pick up grandkids from summer camp, so I’ll have hours and hours to listen to podcasts. I’m an anxious flyer, so as soon as I find my seat on a flight, I put in my earbuds to listen to podcast episodes. Not only do I get to listen to something interesting to take my mind off flying, those earbuds help my introverted self signal to others that I’m not interested in a conversation. Many people use cleaning and laundry time to listen to podcasts, but since I live alone in a small apartment, I don’t spend a lot of time doing either of those things. So, I have to get my podcast listening time in any way that I can, and those are ways that work for me.

I started by listening to one self-help podcast, and very soon, I discovered many bookish-related podcasts. One podcast led to the next; some I really enjoy, and others just aren’t to my tastes. However, there are a few that I listen to without fail every time a new episode drops. I wanted to share those with you today in case you had laundry and house cleaning to do this weekend.

• What Should I Read Next by Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy. WSIRN is her original podcast, with almost 300 episodes available to binge. She has interesting guests, asks questions specific to each guest, and always has excellent recommendations. There has never been an episode that I haven’t found at least one book to add to my TBR.

• One Great Book is Anne’s short-form podcast now on Volume V, with 30+ episodes to listen to. She pulls a book from her bookshelf and tells you why she likes it in 15 minutes or less. The episode length is just right for short drives around town. There have been several books that I’ve added to my TBR from this podcast.

• Strong Sense of Place by Dave Humphreys and Mel Joulwan. They started this podcast in January 2020, and I listened to the first episode shortly after that. I’ve been hooked ever since. The amount of work that goes into each episode is evident with the number of books they read for each episode. The fun facts and information about places you never knew you wanted to learn more about are what makes this podcast so unique and interesting. They have a content-rich website and information about dozens of places in the world, along with a Patreon that ties everything together.

• Novel Pairings by Sara and Chelsey. Novel Pairings is a delightful and entertaining podcast about pairing a classic with one or more contemporary books. I haven’t read many classics, but I’ve learned so much about the classics from listening to them and reading the modern books they pair with the classic book. They each have their own newsletters, and the podcast has a newsletter that goes hand in hand with it. In addition, they have a Patreon of the same name, and I have enjoyed it as it has taught me to look at the classics differently than I have in the past.

• A Bookish Home by Laura Kopinski. Laura has produced this podcast since 2018 and has 80+ episodes of chats with an author or about something related to the industry. She is a thoughtful hostess, she asks intelligent and insightful questions, and she does this in usually 30-40 minutes. I like that her episodes are shorter as my attention span wanes after about this amount of time.

As we come out of the life we have all known the last 16 months because of the pandemic, I’d suggest Strong Sense of Place as the podcast to start listening to first. It will take you around the world to learn about places to travel to as soon as you can travel. So take a trip to their website and sign up for the weekly newsletters. When I see one of those in my inbox, my heart smiles. I save it for later to savor when I relax in the evening.

I listen to so many other bookish podcasts; these are just my favorites. Hopefully, these will give you some new listens. I’ll do another episode in the future with more bookish podcasts to make the laundry and house cleaning a breeze.

What are some of the things you do when you listen to podcasts? Do you have any favorite bookish podcasts you listen to every time a new episode drops? I’d love to know more about those so I can add more to my list of favorites.