10 of the Best Bookish Podcasts
Are you concerned you don’t have enough bookish content in your life?
Are you desperately on the hunt to keep the written word on the forefront of your mind 24/7?
What better way to do that than with podcasts!
I’ve gone through my vast library of podcast subscriptions to find you content that you’ll love to grace your eardrums with, you bookish fiend, you!
Phoebe Reads a Mystery
If you’re a true crime nerd, you’ve definitely heard the calming voice of Phoebe Judge on her incredible podcast Criminal. But I bet you didn’t know that you wanted her to read you classic mysteries, too! Each episode has Phoebe reading a chapter of a classic mystery such as The Moonstone or Murder on the Links, which is ideal if you want to broaden your classics knowledge but find reading the words a bit tedious.
The Allusionist
Though not strictly about books, The Allusionist is all about words, where they came from, and how language can evolve. This is an ideal listen for anyone who is curious about how communication actually works in reality, and isn’t necessarily for the grammar fanatic. Hellen Zaltzman’s voice is incredibly soothing while simultaneously conveying her passion for linguistics.
American Girls
Ok, so maybe this isn’t for EVERYONE, but for those of you out there who remember American Girl dolls and books, this is 100% up your alley. Ever wondered how historically accurate the novels were? Allison and Mary started their podcast with the Felicity books and have been moving chronologically through the ages. Each episode brings tidbits of historical accuracy, and sometimes you’ll even find they’ve brought on a historian guest!
Audiobooks From Hell
Sean Duregger is a wildly talented audiobook narrator, and he’s using his networking skills to bring you some behind the scenes knowledge from your favorite indie authors and publishers. Each episode has him sitting down with the likes of Grady Hendrix and C.V. Hunt to talk about their processes, their goals, and, of course, their favorite paperbacks from hell. This is a must-listen for all horror book nerds out there!
Book Squad Goals
You know how the idea of a book club is always super appealing, but then you join one and it just becomes the same thing month in and month out? These ladies are here to change that! Emily, Kelli, Mary, and Susan are all crazed book nerds who bring fresh perspectives and levity to the books they’re discussing. Feel free to read along with the club list (or not, no judgement there!), but be sure to grab some tea and settle in for a cozy discussion.
Books and Boba
Looking to diversify your bookshelves but not sure where to begin? Fear not, for Books and Boba is here to supply you with fresh Asian authors you might have overlooked at the bookstore! Reera and Marvin assign a new book each month (October 2020 is Confessions by Kanae Minato, for example), giving you time to find the book and read it before the discussion episode drops. In the meantime, they bring you plenty of author chats and book news to keep your TBR nice and stacked.
The Classic Tales Podcast
This podcast is similar to Phoebe Reads a Mystery, with one major difference: BJ Harrison is INCREDIBLY good at doing voices. His version of Poirot is one of my favorites, and I’m always excitedly refreshing the feed for new Agatha Christie works. He does all genres, from classic scfi-fi to humor to true blue literature (even Bambi, which I had no idea was a novel!). The one catch, though, is that episodes older than 2 years go behind a paywall. Feel free to use the main feed to give some new classics a try, but definitely consider purchasing his works if you become a fan.
The Horror Show with Brian Keene
Brian Keene is a staple in the horror writing community. Even if you haven’t read his works, you most likely have come across the name in anthologies, articles, or even while scrolling through Twitter. Though his podcast has ended, it’s a wealth of knowledge that is invaluable to those both new and old hat to the horror community.
FBOL (Fuckbois of Literature)
If the title didn’t grab your attention, the topics FBOL (so named because that’s how you need to search for it in your podcatcher) explore certainly will titillate. Each episode sees Emily Edwards and a guest discussing novels through the ages and just how many fuckbois there are in the text. Spoiler alert: there are many, for the fuckboi well is deep. Pick an episode on a novel you like (or hate), and dive right in.
Reading Glasses
If none of the above podcasts have struck a chord, then give Reading Glasses a go. This is essential listening for any book lover, and each episode has a different topic on bookish culture that will help broaden and deepen your love and knowledge of these little bound dead trees. Brea and Mallory have an infectious passion that will kindle a love of genres you may have written off in the past.
Honorable Mentions: The Worst Bestsellers (they read them so you don’t have to!) and Goosebumps: Welcome to Deadcast (the terror twins deep dive into all the Goosebumps books in chronological order, cross-listed with my Halloween All Year podcast list
Article by Regi
