What to Read When There's Nothing to Read: An Adventure into PODCASTS
- By Bethany Lamb // Edited by Emily Holtom
Featuring:
When You Need to Know What to Read Next
When You Need Some Entertainment
When You Need to Diversify Your Bookshelf
When You Need to Delve Deeper
When You Need to Know What to Read Next:
These four podcasts provide episodes with recommendations, reviews and author discussions. No matter which genre is your cup of tea, they've got you covered.
Presented by John Mitchinson and Andy Miller, Backlisted "gives life to old books". They are committed to giving older, less well-known books a wider audience. So, if you're looking to read something a little more obscure, give this podcast a try for some recommendations that stand the test of time. Find out more about Blacklisted here.
For the opinions of the biggest names in the reading world, listen to The Penguin Podcast. Made by publishing giant Penguin RandomHouse, this podcast gathers all of your dream dinner party guests and asks them about their inspirations, book recommendations and reviews. If classics and general fiction is your bag, then you cannot go wrong with The Penguin Podcast. Find out more about The Penguin Podcast here.
If you're a fan of romance fiction and all its wonderful tropes, then this one is for you. Smart Podcast, Trashy Books doesn't take itself too seriously and interviews a wide range of romance fiction lovers from all backgrounds. It is the go-to place for recommendations and reviews when you need to find a love story to madly fall in love with. Find out more about Smart podcast, Trashy Books here.
Don't make the mistake of believing Young Adult fiction is just for teenagers; this podcast will introduce you to the must-reads of the most angsty genre around. Covering brand new releases by upcoming authors and re-discovering YA fiction from another generation, this podcast has recommendations for everyone, young or not.
When You Need Some Entertainment:
Just when you thought there was nothing more comforting than a good book, these book podcasts came along and changed the game.
Hosts Craig Getting and Andrew Cunningham tackle all the books on their shelves they've been meaning to read, with great humour and unapologetic honesty. Classic literature, obscure plays, goofy children's books and murder mysteries; they'll read it all, one overdue book at a time. Find out more about Overdue here.
The self-proclaimed "podcast for literary nosey parkers", this one lets you have a look around the bookshelves of our favourite authors, and any aspiring authors surely cannot pass up the opportunity to learn what inspired those who inspire them. Daisy Buchanan's voice is always calming and so velvety soft - it's the comforting continuity we all need in our lives right now.
When You Need to Diversify Your Bookshelf:
These days it's more important than ever that we highlight marginalised voices, and these podcasts feature books not created for the masses - but that doesn't mean everyone shouldn't enjoy them.
The three female hosts of Black Chick Lit are having an undeniably good time making this podcast. With hefty doses of wine and laughter this one is not to be missed, and is described as focusing on books written by black women, for black women. Black Chick Lit is as important to society as it is hilarious - one for the top of your list. Find out more about Black Chick Lit here.
Banging Book Club is here for your open and honest discussions around sex and gender within literature. This podcast is like sitting down for a chat with old (and very woke) friends, and if gender politics or feminism interests you then this one is a must-listen.
Described as the podcast "for avid readers and passionate fans of gay romance fiction", this is a one-stop shop for romance recommendations featuring an LGBTQ+ romance. Wildly entertaining with an important message on inclusivity in literature, this one is for anyone obsessed with the brilliantly slushy world of romantic fiction and for anyone who needs some diverse protagonists in their life. Find out more about J&WBGFP here.
When You Need to Delve Deeper:
When an author creates a world so detailed and different from our own, it's natural to want to escape to it (or frankly, escape to anywhere in Lockdown). These podcasts discuss parts of their fictional worlds in detail, and so when the book wasn't quite enough, try one of these.
This show is every Potterhead's dream. Going back to 2005, the hosts have been entertaining Harry Potter fans with enthusiastic discussions on every part of the Wizarding World you can think of, and topics that you couldn't come up with in a million years (see: Horcrux hangover). Find out more about Mugglecast here.
If you've finished George RR Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series (and if you have, then good on you - that is no mean feat) and you're still aching for more, then join the hosts of the History of Westeros as they discuss every detail of the Game of Thrones universe. They tackle plot points of the books whilst theorising the distant past and future of Westeros, so there's plenty to get your teeth into. Find out more about History of Westeros here.
Hopefully at least one of these podcasts can provide a little entertainment for lockdown and beyond. They are a great, modern way of keeping in touch with what's new in literature and even the most traditional of readers (looking at you, kindle haters) will find something they love in this popular new medium of entertainment. And if your hunger for books still hasn't been sated, here's 26 other podcasts from Penguin that come highly recommended!
***All podcasts can be easily accessed through streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Sound Cloud
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