When Someone Changes My Mind about a Book

Have you ever written off an unread book, thinking you were just never going to want to read it, and then had something change your mind? This has happened to me quite a few times lately--usually because I heard the book discussed on a podcast--and it's always a startling "Ooo, really?" moment where I feel my understanding of the book in question shifting. 

Some books I've shuffled back onto my mental TBR pile after thinking I was done with them include Dune, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Great Gastby, and Unsheltered. I had tried reading Dune and Owen Meany before and given up on them without getting terribly far. Then I heard a small piece of information about each of them that made me say, "What? I didn't know it was about that." In the case of Dune, it was the incorporation in the story of Arabic mythology and culture; for Owen Meany, it was its exploration of the Vietnam War. I imagine that these are not, like, well kept secrets about these books, but I hadn't picked up on them before hearing someone talk about why they enjoyed the stories. The Great Gatsby I have read before--twice--and just do not get. But hearing how much others have loved the book makes me want to try at least one more time. And Unsheltered, Barbara Kingsolver's latest novel, simply sounded not my kind of thing... until I heard it discussed on a podcast, and suddenly it sounded compelling and well worth my time.

For every one of these books, the thing that changed my mind about wanting to read them was hearing someone else talk about them--not reading reviews or seeing them on "best of" lists, but getting to hear the enthusiasm in another reader's voice. Some of them were discussed on PBS's The Great American Read; some came up on A Good Read, a BBC podcast featuring guests discussing a favorite read with host Harriet Gilbert; and some of them were a topic of discussion on the bookish podcast From the Front Porch. For inspiring me to read (or reconsider reading!) a book, nothing matches listening to someone who loves it talk about why.

What books have you reconsidered after hearing someone else love on them?

Laura Recommends...

...a podcast: The Anthropocene Reviewed
This podcast from author and Vlogbrother John Green is basically a series of spoken personal essays about things he finds interesting. He describes it as "reviews [of] facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale." Episodes consist of two "reviews," usually on unrelated topics. They are packed with interesting information about the topics and always consider them carefully. Past reviews have considered the penny, the weather, Hawaiian pizza, and the Lascaux paintings. The Anthropocene Reviewed never fails to make me pause and  reflect about an aspect of our world. 

...and another: Annotated
Annotated is a monthly Book Riot podcast which presents a radio documentary about a book-adjacent topic. Their tagline is "stories about books, reading, and language." I always learn something listening to Annotated, often about a subject I had never even heard of before. Past episodes have explored Louie Braille, Andrew Carnegie and the American public library, the workings of the New York Times bestseller list, and Truman Capote's short story that ended his career. New episodes come out on the first of the month.

...a TV show: Mars
Mars started its second season this week, and it's a television show unlike any I've ever seen. Part of each episode is a fictionalized story set in the 2030s about a group of scientists trying to establish a permanent research station on Mars. The rest of the program is a present-day documentary about how such a mission could be prepared for an accomplished. It's a unique and effective blend of fact and speculative fiction, the result of which is riveting TV. The first season is available on Blu-ray; the second is currently airing on the National Geographic Channel. The website (linked above) is also well worth checking out. Be warned that the while there's nothing particularly graphic about the show, the fictionalized portions can be intense--there's every reason to believe that life might be lost in such a mission, and the show does not shy away from that fact.

...a documentary: The Most Unknown
A science documentary with an unusual format, The Most Unknown follows nine scientists as they meet fellow scientists working in fields other than their own and learn about those  disciplines from their colleagues. The film starts by following one scientist, who then meets and learns from a colleague. Then that colleague meets and learns from someone else, and so on until the chain circles back around to the first scientist. This format allows for a fascinating glimpse into nine different fields--including psychology, marine biology, and particle physics--and showcases learning, science, and curiosity. This is one of the most enjoyable programs I've watched in a long time. The Most Unknown is available on Netflix. 


(Podcast links above take you to a web presence for each show, sometimes a website, sometimes a patreon, whevs, something associated directly with that podcast. Invariably, the best way to listen, however, is to subscribe through your podcatcher of choice. If you're looking for a new (or your first) podcatcher, your Googling skills should snag you some good recommendation lists for iphone and Android. I use Podcast Addict. It does the thing.)

Laura Recommends. . . .

When a thing strikes me as particularly amusing or lovely or informative, I want other people to find it and be amused or love it or learn from it too. So in that spirit, recommendations for things I think will warp your starship (as it were). Onward!

Laura Recommends...

...a podcast: A Good Read

A production of the BBC, this show is hosted by Harriet Gilbert, who every week sits down with two guests to discuss the three books (one chosen by each of the guests and one by Gilbert) all three have read for the program. As far as I can see, the only criteria for the books is that the person who chooses it thinks it is "a good read," and as such there's a wonderful variety of kinds of books featured. Guests on the show also tend to be of diverse backgrounds, which is a delight. The show is on hiatus at the moment (I believe it comes back in June), but the archives contain years of episodes for your very much listening pleasure right now.

...a short, deep dive: Pantsuit Politics interviews a dairy farmer

I've recommended the podcast Pantsuit Politics before, but today I'm suggesting a segment of a particular episode. In the most recent episode, Beth interviewed Carilynn Coombs, who owns a dairy farm with her husband. They discuss how a dairy farm works--both the hands-on farming parts and the business, administrative side--and the state of milk production and distribution in the US and why so many small dairies are in trouble. It's fascinating and important. Start at minute 24:05 to hear just the interview. It runs for about forty minutes.

...a TV show: Chef's Table

Chef's Table is a documentary Netflix original. Each episode (about an hour long) is a portrait of a world-renowned chef. These are absolutely fascinating and deeply compelling investigations of creativity, genius, ambition, and set-back. (As the chefs are from all over the world, there is often some wonderful photography of various landscapes, street markets, etc.) While the style of the show remains consistent from episode to episode (it's easy to tell you're watching Chef's Table and not some other show), beyond that there's little in the way of format to the way the episodes are presented. Usually there are some brief "talking heads" snippets with people who know the chef who is the subject of the episode and there are always a few close-ups of some signature dishes, but otherwise each episode's structure is dictated by the life and interests of the chef in the episode. All the episodes seem to go together, but no two feel alike. This distinction keeps the show fresh. I've never seen an installment that wasn't good, but I particularly recommend Volume 1, episode 3, and Volume 2, episode 1 and episode 5. Be aware that Volume 2, episode 1, contains some potentially upsetting/triggering discussion of cancer.

...an audiobook: The Uncommon Reader

This 2007 novella about Queen Elizabeth II discovering the joys of reading is a delight in print, but the audio book, which the author, Alan Bennett, reads himself, is just superb. It's funny and insightful and will make you think about reading and life and duty. I've both read and listened to the book, and Bennett's narration definitely adds a little something to the experience. At just under two and a half hours, it's perfect for listening to in one go, perhaps during an afternoon lie-about in the hammock or a car trip. 

...a curiosity in the publishing world: Romance Author Trademarks "Cocky", Romance Community Responds 

Recently a romance author trademarked the word "cocky," claiming other authors' use of the word was infringing on her brand, a series of books using "cocky" in the series title. The romance community is... not happy. This is amusing from the outside, but it's causing a good deal of anxiety and loss of sales (and thus money, obviously) for several independently published romance authors who have received cease and desist letters. That the author received the trademark is also a fairly concerning precedent. This story is continuing to develop, so if you're, like, *super* interested, follow the hashtag #cockygate on Twitter.

Gratitude and Joy: Podcasts and the RSO Holiday Pops Concert

Gratitude and Joy: Day 9

I am grateful for:

Podcasts
I debated with myself about whether this was a cheat since so many of the podcasts I listen to are part of the bookternet, and well, I already talked about that. But not all of the podcasts I listen to are about books, and what I get out of podcasts specifically isn't the same as what I get out of the bookternet generally, so here we are. Four years ago I had never listened to a podcast. Now I subscribe to a bunch, and I anticipate the days of the week based on which podcast drops on that day. My favorites are little daily treats, little highlights to my day, and they often help me get through my morning routine (and driving time) and prepare for the rest of the day. Like a favorite TV program or book, they become like friends I look forward to hanging out with once a week. In addition to entertaining me, they've also allowed me to easily expand my horizons in ways I might never have done without this format. I'm better informed about politics, science, and (definitely) the book world than I was before I started listening to them, and that's always a thing to be grateful for. 

I feel joyful at:

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops Concert
Like many local symphonies, ours has an annual pops concert in December devoted to Christmas music. We almost always go, and I can't express how much I love it. In addition to the orchestra, it always features several area choirs, and that may be part of why I love it so much. I was in choir from seventh grade through the end of college, and it was one of the single best things I ever did. I have great memories from those years, and I am always thrilled to see any choir perform. But the whole evening is always a delight: the symphony is excellent, the conductor is a hoot, and there's a bit at the end where the audience sings along through a medley of well-known carols and songs. This is the official start to the season for me, and it never fails to get me in the right spirit for Christmas.

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. Voilà! 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!

More (Less Bookish) Podcasts for Your Earballs

A few months back (it was five months back; it was in April; the older I get, the less I understand how time works), I recommended some of my favorite bookish podcasts. I've been meaning to do a follow-up post about other podcasts I love, podcasts that might not be so closely tied up in books in reading. *clutches pearls* And here it is! Other podcasts I put in my ears weekly, recommended for your very much listening pleasure:

Dear Hank and John, weekly, Tuesdays 

Hank and John are Hank Green and John Green, that is the VlogBrothers. Also, yes, that John Green, who wrote The Fault in Our Stars and has a new book coming out in a couple of weeks. They describe their show as "a comedy podcast about death where two brothers answer your questions, give you dubious advice, and bring you the week's news from Mars and AFC Wimbledon." Listeners write in with questions, sometimes silly, sometimes quite serious, and Hank and John give answers, often both silly and serious. It's funny, it's sometimes informative, it's often thoughtful, and it's just a great time. Also: news from Mars and AFC Wimbledon. Where else are you going to get that all in one package? 

Pantsuit Politics, varies, ~2x per week

Two women talk about the most pressing national political topics of recent days (and sometimes their local politics), often interviewing expert guests. They do a great job representing both the right and the left, and this is one of my go-to places to get thoughtful, careful discussion of all the news that's carving a hole in my gut. Their tag-line is "Sarah from the left. Beth from the right. No shouting. No insults. Plenty of nuance." No echo chamber here, folks.

From the Front Porch, weekly, Thursdays

Hosted by Annie Jones, the owner of independent bookstore The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia, and Chris Jensen, a Bookshelf staffer, From the Front Porch provides "conversations on books, small business, and life in the South." Episode formats vary, sometimes comprising recaps of the books Annie and Chris have read in the past month, sometimes taking the form of a round-table discussion ("Love It or Loathe It") involving several staffers from the shop about a particular book, and sometimes featuring discussion and recommendations about books on a certain topic. Whatever the format, it's always a thoughtful, delightful half hour of book and bookstore talk. 

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, weekly, Tuesdays

Hosts Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile, both graduates of Harvard Divinity School, discuss the Harry Potter novels as sacred texts, looking at one chapter a week and reading that chapter through a chosen theme and through one of several spiritual practices drawn from various spiritual traditions. The podcast is a perfect blend of fun, serious, and spiritual, with most episodes calling on listeners to examine their lives and choices through the lens of the week's theme. They've gotten through HP3 at this point; I recommend starting at the beginning. I usually listen to this podcast as I'm getting ready for bed, and I find it a lovely way to close out the day.

The West Wing Weekly, weekly, Tuesdays

This is a recap and discussion show about The West Wing, hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina (who played Will Bailey on The West Wing from season four on). They go episode by episode, discussing each as viewers and fans, with some behind-the-scenes stuff from Malina, as well. They also frequently interview former cast and crew members. Fascinating stuff.

(Podcast links above take you to a web presence for each show, sometimes a website, sometimes a patreon, whevs, something associated directly with that podcast. Invariably, the best way to listen, however, is to subscribe through your podcatcher of choice. If you're looking for a new (or your first) podcatcher, your Google-fu should snag you some good recommendation lists for Iphone and Android. I use Podcast Addict. It does the thing.)

Bookish Podcasts for Your Earballs

I first started listening to podcasts a few years ago when Husbeast was away at a conference for work. It was just a few months after we'd moved into our house, and I was surprised by how unsettling I found being alone in such a big space, especially as I love alone time and lived alone myself for five years before we married. But I needed something to put in my ears to disrupt some of the overwhelming quiet, and voila! a podcast listener was born. Since then I have become quite a fan of the podcast, and I subscribe to something like a trillion of them. (I listen to slightly fewer than I subscribe to.) My favorites are ones that focus on books and reading (natch). I'm always on the lookout for more good ones to stick into my listening rotation, but today I share with you my favorites.

Get Booked, Weekly, Thursdays
This podcast is a book recommendation show from Book Riot, hosted by Amanda Nelson and Jenn Northington. Listeners submit recommendation requests detailing the kind of read they are looking for, and Amanda and Jenn provide recommendations and discuss why they think each rec suits the request. This show is my favorite source of book recs with reasons why the books are worth checking out. I always feel like I have a really good sense of whether I'll want to read a book after listening to Amanda or Jenn talk about it, rather than just gathering that someone thinks it's good.

What Should I Read Next?, Weekly, Tuesdays
Hosted by Anne Bogel of the blog Modern Mrs. Darcy, this show is another book recommendation show, but the format differs quite a bit from that of Get Booked. Anne interviews her guests on the show (guests are always big readers, and often have their toe in the book world in some other way as well, as book bloggers, or librarians, or book sellers or what have you), and asks each of them to tell her three books they love, one book they hate, and what they're reading at the moment. She then recommends three books for the guest based on what they tell her. I love this format, and while it's always fun to hear what Anne recommends (and I've added some things to my TBR based on those recs), the best part of this show for me is listening to other readers talk about what they love (and don't love) about books they've read.

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books, Weekly, Fridays
This romance-themed podcast is hosted by Sarah Wendell of the romance review site Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. The show typically features an interview with a romance writer, conducted by Sarah. Occasionally an episode will be in discussion format with several of the "bitches" from the website and focus on a topic of interest to romance readers. I think of this as a sure-thing dose of smart, interesting women to look forward to each week, and listening to this podcast has solidified my slow but steady transmogrification into a romance reader over the past few years (about which, more in a forthcoming blog post).

The Book Riot Podcast, Weekly, Mondays
A bookish news podcast hosted by Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky of Book Riot, their tagline is "a weekly news and talk show about what's new, cool, and worth talking about in the world of books and reading," and that sums it up pretty well. Every week Jeff and Rebecca talk about the handful of news stories from the book world that strike them as the most interesting, relevant, fun, or upsetting. This is my absolute favorite source for news about what's going on bookishly. If you tune in, it won't be long before you hear a "Jeff Rant." They are the best.

The Librarian Is In, Weekly (newly!), Thursdays
Hosted by two New York Public Library librarians, Gwen Glazer and Frank Collierius, this show is perhaps the least consistent in its format of my favorites, but it is consistent in its delivery of entertaining and fascinating book and book-adjacent content. Sometimes Gwen and Frank interview a guest (often someone involved in the NYPL system), and sometimes they just chat about books, often recommending one book and one non-book thing to each other. They also play a game where guests read them a passage from a book and Gwen and Frank try to guess where it came from. I always think that section is going to be dull, but then I get really into it, often yelling at my phone what my guess is!

The Tolkien Professor, Drop days of new content varies
Professor Corey Olsen, medievalist and Tolkien scholar, records lectures about all things Tolkien and makes them available through his podcast. There are numerous off-shoot shows (all available by subscribing to The Tolkien Professor podcast) about a range of topics, from the adaptation of The Hobbit into film to Middle Earth-based online games. By far the best content as far as I'm concerned are the lectures about The Lord of the Rings. Those lectures are complete, so if you're interested, you can just go binge them all right now. (What are you waiting for? Go!)

Witch, Please, Drop days of new content varies
Hannah and Marcelle, the hosts of Witch, Please, discuss Harry Potter, largely from a feminist perspective. Over the course of the show, they talk about each of the books and all eight movies (and occasionally something else related to HP, such as real-life Quidditch leagues). The discussion generally has a fairly academic bent, but they do a great job of keeping non-academic listeners up to speed. Hannah and Marcelle always seem to be having an excellent time doing the episodes, and a great deal of humor shines through. Production of new episodes has dropped off significantly, but all the HP primary sources are covered in the available material, so when you get to the end of the eps, you may feel like you wish there were more (like I do), but you won't feel like you've been left hanging.


(Podcast links above take you to the web presence for each show. Invariably, the best way to listen, however, is to subscribe through your podcatcher of choice. If you're looking for a new (or your first) podcatcher, your Google-fu should snag you some good recommendation lists for Iphone and Android. I use Podcast Addict. It does the thing.)