Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Fitting Podcasts into Your Life

Whenever I talk about podcasts to friends and family, I inevitably hear from someone that they’re interested in checking some out but just don’t know how they could possibly fit them into their lives. Occasionally I suspect that’s just polite speak for “Ug, *again* with this. We’re changing the subject.” But for those who really are interested but aren’t sure how to do yet. another. thing, I am here to help. Read on!

Make 'Em Portable
Many podcasts can be listened to on the web (and therefore through your computer), but if you’re having trouble levering them into your routine, your best bet is to make podcasts as portable as possible. Find you a podcatcher (the app that will let you download, listen, and subscribe to podcasts--Google “podcatcher recs” and find the one that is right for you and your device) for your phone. Great! Now you have access to your podcasts pretty much anywhere. How you get the soundwaves into your earballs is the next step. I honestly just turn the sound up decently high on my phone and put my phone in my back pocket, speaker up. The phone (and the podcast) go with me wherever I go as I’m going about household things, and I can hear perfectly well over everything except the vacuum cleaner. Headphones are also an option (maybe a wireless pair if you could join me in the Impossibly Tangled Up in My Headphone Wires Club), especially if you need to be considerate of other humans sharing your space. Should you just need bigger sound than your phone can produce, there are any number of small, portable, affordable Bluetooth speakers on the market that can help you with that. Bottom line is: make it easy for you to take your podcasts anywhere and hear them wherever you go. Then you can start slotting them into your routine whenever you have the chance.

Make Car Time Fly
If you can connect your phone to your car’s stereo system through Bluetooth, it’s easy to listen to podcasts in the car. Turn your commute into your favorite time of day by catching up with your favorite podcasts while you get all the places you need to be.

Listen Whenever Your Ears Are Free
Remember Mary Poppins’s spoonful of sugar and how it helped the medicine go down? Podcasts are the sugar that helps me get the chores done. Cooking? Dishes? Cleaning? Bill paying? Laundry folding? Organizing books? All a little more fun with the latest episode of my favorite podcast playing in the background. They help the time pass, and if you’re like me, the carrot of the podcast might actually help you get to some chores you’d otherwise let slide. Think outside the box here, too. Maybe listen in the shower. (If I turn the volume up all the way and put the phone down on the shelf just outside the shower, I can hear just fine unless my actual ears are completely under the actual stream of water. Probably there are more high-tech, water proofy ways to accomplish this too.) Listen when you take the dog out. (I listened to the entire backlog of a podcast by turning it on every time I took our new puppy out last summer.) Listen while you get ready for bed. (A nice, soothing podcast helps me wind down as I do the handful of small things that have to happen before lights out—checking the front door is locked, giving the cat fresh water, turning on the dishwasher, brushing my teeth, etc.)

Make Them an Excuse to Do a Handsy Thing
Do you have a knitting project languishing in your basket? Is your sewing machine gathering dust? Is there a half-assembled model ship in your basement? Podcasts are excellent “background” for any kind of project you do with your hands, especially if you’re like me and the constant changing of focus if you try to watch TV while doing handwork gives you a headache.  

Sweat!
If you’re exercising already, consider listening to a podcast while you do it. Cycle them in with your music or audiobooks. If you aren’t exercising already, use the podcasts as a bribe to get yourself to do it. Walk around the block until you’ve got through a whole episode. VoilĂ ! Thirty minutes or an hour of exercise under your belt!

Listen with a Buddy or a Boo
Pick a podcast that you’d enjoy with a good friend or your significant other and make listening to it a date. Make an event out of it—have a living room picnic or snuggle on the couch or listen on the way to a favorite restaurant and then discuss the ep over your favorite meal together.

Give Yourself Permission to Do Nothing Else for a Few Minutes a Day
You work too hard. (Oh yes you do.) Take fifteen minutes for yourself. Shut the door. Sit down. Put your feet up. Do nothing else but listen. Ahhhh. And remember: you don’t have to listen to a whole podcast episode in one go. Your catcher will remember your place. If you only have fifteen minutes, just listen for fifteen minutes. Catch the rest of it next time.

All right, what are you waiting for? Go forth and listen to your heart’s content!






Wednesday, October 4, 2017

So You Want to Read a Romance Novel

Recently an article appeared in The New York Times Book Review rounding up romance novels being released this fall, and the romance community reacted with disappointment, disgust, and bewilderment to its tone and stance. (See some of the best reactions pieces from Ron HoganSarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books; and Amanda Diehl at BookRiot.) The editorial director of the books section at NYTBR has responded, and readers are even more annoyed at that tone-deaf, condescending response (see the comments section of that article). I thought about writing about my own reaction to the piece, but it would largely be repeating what so many have already said so well. So, instead, I give you a handful of recommendations for romance reads, selected from among my favorites. While each of these is a particular favorite of mine, they also provide a small sample of the variety of scenarios and issues romance novels examine. Follow the title links to Amazon for plot descriptions and the author links for more about each author. 

Contemporary, m/m
Explores a BDSM relationship between two men with a significant age difference. Exquisite writing and a story that turns stereotypes about BDSM on their head.

Contemporary, m/m
Centers around two young men navigating mental health issues as well as their budding relationship. Considered representation of depression, anxiety, and autism.

Contemporary m/f
Explores class and race issues and spotlights eating disorders in men.

Fantasy, m/m
Lush world building and a slow-burn examination of hatred, loyalty, and love.


Regency, m/f
Fascinating interactions between hero and heroine within the confines of regency-era society coupled with feminist sensibilities and a lot of wit.

Of course, these recommendations are limited to my own experience with romance and lack the full breadth of what the genre has to offer. For even more variety to explore, check out these lists:

Romance Reviews by Genre, Archetype, and Theme (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books)

Happy reading!