Bookish Podcasts and Podcasty Reads
Yes, I just made up the word "podcasty"
Just as there are connections between movies and books, there also links between podcasts and books. Many of the titles on my TBR list come from podcasts, but the connection is deeper. Some podcasts sound like books and some audio books sound like podcasts. Podcasters are writing books and books are being written around fictional podcasts.
Take the true crime hit “I’ll Be Gone In the Dark”: first Michelle McNamara created a podcast around her search for the Golden State Killer, then wrote a book, which was turned into an HBO series. [By the way, her story is fascinating and tragic on many levels].
Bookish Podcast Recommendations:
What Should I Read Next - Guests tell Anne three books they love, one book they hate, and what they have been reading lately and she will recommend three titles to try.
From the Front Porch - Annie B Jones owns a charming bookshop in Thomasville, GA and reports weekly on bookish topics. I am a long-time fan (and patreon member) of her show and visiting her bookshop is on my bucket list!
Currently Reading - Kaytee and Meridith are voracious readers. Each week they talk about what they have been reading as well as taking a deep dive into readerly topics.
10 Things To Tell You - Not strictly a book podcast, but Laura Tremaine loves books and reading and has some great bookish episodes. She also has episodes on journaling and the writing/publishing process. She is lovely to listen to and I review Laura’s new book below. Some of her recent book-related episodes are #s 90, 96, & 108.
Strong Sense of Place - Each show features one destination and five book recommendations. Hosts Melissa and Dave provide fun background information and I always learn something new. Unlike many other podcasts, they discuss a lot of great backlist titles here. Highly recommend if you love armchair traveling.
foBooks that feature Podcasts:
I’ve read two mystery-thriller books that center around podcasts. The first is Six Stories by Matt Wesoloski. This was his debut novel but there are now eight books in this series. Written like a true crime podcast, an investigative journalist interviews witnesses of a crime to find out what happened on a camping trip long ago.
I also read Conviction by Denise Mina last fall and enjoyed this fast paced action-packed book. Anna, whose husband has just left her, goes on the run to discover the truth behind a mysterious crime. As she over turns the stones of her past, people want to end her investigation. She starts podcasting live as a means of uncovering the truth and keeping herself alive.
I Joined BOM This Year!
Book of the Month (BOM) is a subscription service that offers a choice from five new titles every month for $14.99 per book, including shipping. The titles are released at the very start of each month and it’s fun to see what is on the list. You can skip a month and not be charged. You can also add books each month for an extra $9.99 - this can be a new title, or one from their backlist (that means two titles for $25). I skipped March but added two titles in April. What made me sign up is my love for Jane Harper. Her latest book: The Survivors, was available as an early release in January. I just finished February’s book, The Lost Apothecary, which is an excellent novel with dual time-lines set in London. I rarely buy new titles, and especially not hardcovers, so this is a treat. The BOM club would also make a great gift (they offer gift options for 3, 6 and 12 months).
If you are interested in finding out more or joining here is my special referral code. They are absolutely not paying me, but I may receive some book emoji pins and extra credits! Here are some titles from 2020:
Here is a fun tool: The Literature Map
Type in an author you love and it will suggest other authors you may like.
Recent Reads
I can see why Deacon King Kong received such high praise last year. This quirky story is steeped in a strong sense of place (housing projects in South Brooklyn, 1969) and filled with slightly odd, definitely flawed, but ultimately loveable characters. McBride creates a story that is in motion without being predictable, which means it continually surprised me - in a good way. A church deacon walks across the courtyard and shoots a young drug dealer one afternoon. Nobody in the neighborhood can understand why. There are church women, drug dealers, mafia members, janitors, a police officer near retirement, lost treasure, missing money, and famous art involved in the going-ons. A few scenes reach Shaksperian comic hysterics. I am thankful for the good reviews it received or I would never have picked it up.
Share Your Stuff: I’ll Go First is the debut book by one of my favorite podcasters. Laura Tremaine is interesting and insightful on her podcast as she shares the things she loves (lots about books) and things she struggles with (anxiety, fear, work & family life). This book is an invitation to look back and share moments of your life, by journaling and talking to friends. Divided into 10 broad questions, she asks what broke you? When did you feel a sense of belonging? Who taught you how to be? In each part, she shares her answers first. Tremaine’s openness and vulnerability are gifts, and she happens to be a terrific writer. You can’t read this book without flashing through your own life and seeing it in new and deeper ways. Click here to a free listen to a chapter of the book.
Beach Read was a big hit last summer and it strikes all the right chords for a spring-summer read. Set by a lake in Michigan, our two protagonists are accomplished novelists struggling with writer’s block. Of course they are attractive and of course they can’t stand each other. She writes romance and he writes serious literary fiction. They challenge each other to write in the other’s genre which sets up a number of field trips they take together. Beach Read strikes a good balance of entertaining while still tackling some heavy issues. Both of the main characters are dealing with some significant grief and trauma and eventually they become close friends.
Between Two Kingdoms is a 2021 memoir about life after cancer. Suleika is just out of college and ready to take on the world when she is diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. Life as she knows it stops and she spends the next few years very ill and unable to take care of herself. This leads to dependence on those she loves most. Her story chronicles both her journey as a young patient and her struggle to get her life on track afterwards.
The section of the book detailing her life post-treatment is fascinating. She connects with people who reached out to her during her illness and she tries to find meaning in her suffering and how to start her life again. This is well written and I found it hard to put down.
And lastly, we said goodbye to Prince Phillip this past week. Last month, I highlighted some Royal adjacent books but did not list any about His Highness. If you want to dive deeper into his fascinating life, here is a starting place. This has to be my favorite photo that I’ve seen in recent days:
