Literary Matchmaking and Anne Bogel

In my search for a new book-centric podcast when my beloved Books on the Nightstand ended its run, I came across What Should I Read Next, a podcast by Anne Bogel.

While still reeling from the end of BotN, Anne immediately caught my attention with her literary matchmaking. On the podcast, she talks with a reader, asking what they are currently reading, three books they love, and one book that didn't grab them.

See what I mean??! Brilliant!

With this, she then recommends three books to them. Almost always, each of the books discussed is new to me. I love hearing about the books, why they love them, why they didn't like them, and why Anne chooses the books she does for them. There is even a follow-up podcast (episode 46) in which she revisits seven of these readers to find out how well she did in her matchmaking picks.

Next time you are in the midst of your commute, or are sitting outside in the sun and breeze, pop in your earbuds and listen to a few of these. Be warned, though! Your TBR will more than likely grow.

Book Podcast Crisis Part 4: Adventures With Words

The next bookish podcast Ann and Michael of Books on the Nightstand recommended is Adventures with Words. This is a monthly podcast of books, sprinkled with reviews of film, tv, theater, and music. Hosted by Kate and Rob, it is based in the UK.

Looking at the description of their latest download, dated November 14, I am trepidatious. "It’s been an ‘interesting’ week in the world so Rob and Kate pick out some of the books they turn to for their comfort reads." Even though this is a British-based podcast, to have such a strong reference to the US Presidential election, and in a negative way, is off-putting for me. However, after listening, while both hosts are obviously liberal, they do restrain themselves from making political comments.

In choosing her first comfort read, Kate chooses ... a radio program. I forwarded through ten minutes of her talking about this daily 15-minute UK radio soap opera. To Rob's credit, he did choose a book, "Young Bond Strike Lightning" by Steve Cole. He gave a nice, succinct summary, as well as why he considers it a comfort read.

When it was time for Kate to talk about her next pick (would it actually be a book this time??), I felt my shoulders tense as she went on and on about buying the entire set of "The Murder Most Unladylike Mystery Series" by Robin Stevens. Can't stand the voice with her vocal fry.

Can't do this one.

Book Podcast Crisis Part 3: Literary Disco

Literary Disco is hosted by three people (one woman and two men) who are "good friends who also happen to be huge book nerds." They are all writers, with one recently on the NYTimes best seller list.

This podcast is actually pretty fun! Of course, my luck prevails. You see, the last time they posted a podcast was in July with the hosts discussing summer reads.

<sigh>

Looking at the podcast history, it seems that the usual rate is once per month, so the fact that there has not been another in several months means that something is up. So, I go to the Facebook page. There is a post in July, then one in October promising a new post soon, then a repost of an article on author Dan Brown on November 1.

I think it's safe to say that I can cross this one off my list.

Book Podcast Crisis Part 2: All The Books

BookRiot is a GREAT site for bibliophiles, so I have high hopes for this one!

Liberty Hardy and Rebecca Schinsky host All The Books book podcast. They are on Episode 79, which is clocked in at 36 minutes.

With just a touch of opening comments, the hosts jump right into book-talk. I was impressed! The first book discussed was Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce. Not only did I learn what it was about, but also why Rebecca loved it so much, commenting on the writing.

The second book was nicely segued into as the other host presented her first pick for the week, Virgin and Other Stories by April Ayers Lawson. Again, the host talked about the collection of short stories, as well as the undercurrents of the stories, and how they all come together to show the dark sides that all humans possess. A very nice commentary on the basics, with just enough to make the listening want more.

All said, fifteen books are discussed. If you visit the website of the podcast, you will find a link to each book, as well as a list of the books being read by each host, and books released in the current week.

The rapport of the hosts is good, and they do an excellent job of not going down rabbit holes and keeping the focus on books. Because I am a newbie, I couldn't tell with voice belong with which woman. However, one of them speaks in a breathless, almost whining voice that did not play well on my computer speakers. The content of her talk was more compelling than the downfall of her speech, so I am going to overlook it, for now.

All-in-all, this is a thumbs-up!

Book Podcast Crisis Part 1: The Readers

My Favorite book-conversation podcast, Books on the Nightstand, ended their several-year-run in July of this year.

Unfortunately, I had been listening only about six months, so I felt particularly disappointed they were ending, as well as robbed that I hadn't experienced more of them in the earlier years. The hosts were good enough to recommend a few other podcasts, which I decided to give a try. I was mostly left wanting.

Here is the problem: I don't care about the hosts' private lives. I don't care about their struggles, time constraints, or what their cat did last night. I don't want to know about their politics, a bumper sticker they saw, or what their kids are wearing for Halloween. I want to hear about books, authors, book events, and all things bookish. That's hard to find!

In an effort to spare you the pain, I am going to give you my take on several of the more popular bookish podcasts. Let me hear from you on your likes and dislikes!

The Readers podcast is up to episode 161 and is hosted by Simon and Thomas. Here is the summary of their Halloween episode: Thomas and Simon have a chat about what scares them, with a few spooky tales along the way, and which books they would recommend for other people to read as well as sharing the books that they would like to be reading this Halloween…

And therein lies the problem. I don't care what scares Simon and Thomas. I don't want to hear spooky tales. I do, however, want to know which books they would recommend for Halloween. In a podcast that is 45 minutes in length, there is not enough return on my investment of listening through rambling to get to the bookishness.

Here is another thing I didn't like: Thomas mentioned the novel "American Psycho". At the mention, Simon said, "Oooh, that's not scary, that's just vile." There are certainly books for which I didn't care, however, I would prefer not to have negative commentary to this extent. Especially about a book that is a violent commentary on how capitalism can create a monster. That alone garners a look.

So, I crossed this one off.

Next up: All The Books