A Baker's Dozen of Bookish Podcasts...Do You Listen?

Book Fight! calls itself "a book podcast where writers talk honestly about books, writing, and the literary world," and it's hosted by writing professionals Mike Ingram and Tom McAllister. (Rated 4.4 with 233 review)

I've listened to Books and Authors for a long time and find this podcast to be one of the most consistently high-quality book podcasts out there. I've recently enjoyed episodes featuring Zadie Smith and Ann Patchett, and another titled "George Orwell Now." (Rated 4.3 with 321 reviews)

I seem to be introduced to more new-to-me writers via Simon Mayo's Books of the Year than from most of the other book podcasts I favor. I did, however, particularly enjoy two recent episodes featuring an old favorite of mine, Sebastian Faulks. (Rated 4.7 with 55 reviews)

This one from the New York Times can always be counted on to get interviews with the currently hottest writers of the moment. They've recently switched to a new host and tweaked the format a bit, so I'm still getting used to the new look. (Rated at 4.1 with 3,200+ reviews)

I don't listen to the London Review of Books podcast as often as I do some of the others because, frankly, it's often over my head or outside my area of interest. But it's a quality podcast that keeps me coming back. (Rated at 4.5 with 201 reviews)

Write-Minded bills itself as "Weekly Inspiration for Writers" but I've enjoyed many of the podcasts strictly from a reader's point of view. In fact, the most recent episode on telling stories via different points of view is fascinating. (Rated at 4.9 with 400 reviews)

So Many Damn Books has been around since 2014 but it's one of the more recent "discoveries" of mine. It seems to feature a lot of writers I'm unfamiliar with so it's been the source of several author discoveries for me. (Rated at 4.7 with 251 reviews)

Reading Through Life caught my attention because it self-describes this way: "a weekly podcast by two best friends who would love to live in a library. We believe that there is no better company than that towering pile of 73 unread novels you have sitting on the nightstand." It's like eavesdropping on two best friends at a coffee shop while they gush about the books they are reading. (Rated at 4.5 with 133 reviews)

This one is a bit different in that it features one author reading aloud the work of another and commenting on it in an interview format. Unlike most of these podcasts, The New Yorker Fiction podcast updates only monthly, but I particularly enjoyed the July episode that saw George Saunders reading Claire Keegan's short story "So Late in the Day." (Rated at 4.4 with 2,900+ reviews)

Just the Right Book is hosted by an indie bookstore owner and features a lot of nonfiction alternated with "What's New" podcasts. It's fun to hear things from a bookseller's point of view. (Rated 4.6 with 327 reviews)

Sarah and a guest discuss: "2 old books they love, 2 new books they love, 1 book they don't love, and 1 new release they're excited about." Always interesting. (Rated 4.8 with 655 reviews)

What Should I Read Next? is right at the top of my list because of the topics it covers and its presentation...not at all "bossy." I recently enjoyed, and learned a lot from, the episode that covered "how bestseller lists are compiled." (Rated 4.8 with 4,800+ reviews)

I particularly love the "Author Takeover" episodes from Fully Booked in which one author comes in to interview another about their work. Usually the two are friends so what they share is a good way to learn more about their everyday lives and how they work. (Rated 3.9 with 77 reviews)

So there you have my baker's dozen of favorite book podcasts - at least as of today because I keep discovering new ones every week or so. As you can see, all of these are highly rated, but I think their overall popularity is best gauged by the number of reviews they've harvested from listeners so I've included those numbers also. This barely scratches the surface of the world of book podcasting, so let me know if you have a particular favorite one yourselves. I'd love to check them out.

The World of Fiction Podcasts - Another Great Alternative

Because so many avid readers already regularly enjoy audiobooks, here's something a little different today.

Via a Times of London article of a couple of weeks ago, I discovered the world of fiction podcasting. The article mentioned several of the best productions from the last 5-6 years, and I can already vouch for one called Passenger List. According to the article - and it's certainly true for the one I'm listening to now - these are new productions that sound a little like some of the old radio dramas of yesterday...only better. 

Passenger List is about the loss of Atlantic Flight 702 which disappeared somewhere over the ocean between London and New York with 256 passengers and crew on board. One young woman, an American, refuses to believe that the plane that claimed her twin brother's life was knocked out of the sky by a flight of birds. She starts asking questions on both sides of the ocean, and not all the answers make sense, so she keeps digging. The story is pushed along by a series of recorded interviews, phone messages, and phone calls that the the skeptical woman persists in until, finally, she finds a helpful ally or two to help her pursue the truth.  The first season of Passenger List consists of eight episodes, each about thirty minutes in length. I'm listening to the seventh episode today, and starting to wonder if the mystery will be resolved in the current season, or if I'll have to wait for answers until the second season begins in a few weeks. (The photo, above, is of two of the podcast actors.)

Other fiction podcasts on my radar now include these - none of which I've more than briefly sampled at this point:

"Academy Award® winner Rami Malek stars in this apocalyptic thriller as a small-town radio DJ fighting to protect his family and community after the power grid goes down nationwide, upending modern civilization. BLACKOUT stars and is executive produced by Rami Malek."

"Limetown is a podcast fiction series created by Two-Up Productions that debuted on July 29, 2015 and became the number one US podcast on iTunes less than two months later. The show has drawn comparisons to the popular podcast Serial and the 1990s television show The X-Files. The series was written and directed by Zack Akers and produced by Skip Bronkie."

"WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. Turn on your radio and hide."

"Wooden Overcoats - Drama Podcast and Sitcom Best of iTunes | British Podcast Awards Winner RUDYARD FUNN runs a funeral home on the island of piffling. It used to be the only one."

These are just the tip of the iceberg, and I'm sure that some of you have been aware of the genre for a few years but, as usual, I'm a little late to discover the latest thing. Access is available via most of the usual podcast apps, so depending on your operating system, go to one of the apps to see what you think. As for me, I'm hooked, so please let me know about any good ones you find.