listening to: podcasts

I’m still struggling a bit with reading, although I’ve read a few great YA’s recently – that, unfortunately, I can’t review yet. Sooooon though!

One reason reading is getting tougher for me, is that my tastes are changing. I’m much more interested in non-fiction these days and that’s rough when you have 150-something YA/romance books on your shelf!

I’ve wanted to give audio books a try since so many of you love that format but man do I struggle! I get distracted so easily. I use music and TV as background noise so audio doesn’t tend to keep my attention.

I’ve decided to try podcasts since they’re a bit shorter, the subject matter is varied and I can dabble in the non-fiction world without spending money on MORE books!

So here are a few I’ve been listening to – feel free to suggest any that you enjoy!



Presidential - the Washington Post

Jen from YA Romantics is the one who got me interested in Podcasts and this was one she recently blogged about so I’m giving it a go. 44 episodes cover the legacy of each American President. It’s kind of American President *light*. It isn’t a deep exploration of their presidency – more of a look a their personality traits and how that shaped their decision making during pivotal points in history. I’m only up to John Adams but I kind of like it. Ok – so I DID get distracted several times but some facts did manage to permeate my brain since I could answer several trivia questions Kevin asked me afterwards. lol




Get Smart - Amazon Audible Channels

Daily playlist of fun facts. This one is kind of fun and great for my short attention span. So far I’ve learned how naked mole rats evolved to feel no pain, how frogs tongues can go from sticky to slimy and why most people consider themselves to be morally superior. It’s basically a collection of facts from different sources like science magazines, newspapers etc in soundbite form.



Rewind – Amazon Audible Channels

Pivotal moments in history and insight into people you may or may not heard of before.

I really like this one! The subjects are really varied. There’s a 6 minute podcast “Letters from Jacqueline Kennedy to the man she didn’t marry”, “The Tyranny of George III (30 minutes) and my favorite so far, “The Henry Ford of Literature” ( 41 minutes) about Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, publisher of Little Blue books. A small, 3 1/2” x 5”, 50 page book that introduced literature, philosophy, sex, birth control, racism, homosexuality to the working class in the 1920’s, a time when that was very controversial. Fascinating – flawed man.

* The Amazon  podcasts are all free for Amazon Prime members.

So what else should I be trying? I wouldn't mind a little more humor added to the mix.