Thursday, August 29, 2013

Where do you get reading ideas? Podcast Edition


A friend asked me yesterday which podcasts I listened to, or what other ways am I getting ideas of books to read.  I started listing them and thought hey, this would make a great post!  In fact I had so much to say, I'm only going to talk about podcasts this time around.
  • KCRW Bookworm - absolute favorite.  I want to be Michael Silverblatt or just hang out with his brain.  My only problem is that I don't like to listen to the episodes until I've read the book they're discussing, so seeing the new interviews keeps me adding to my list.  If you aren't a person who subscribes to podcasts, you can also keep up with them in Facebook.
  • New York Review of Books - okay I'm a bit of a podcast fraud because I've only listened to this once or twice BUT I have friends who think it is great.
  • NPR Books - I'm more likely to read the website than listen, but that's just because I have a short commute.
  • NY Times Book Review - Great stuff here!
  • SFBRP (Science Fiction Book Review Podcast) - Luke Burrage listens to or reads science fiction books and then reviews them.  I save these for after I've read the book too.  He also has a group in GoodReads.
  • SFF Audio - I end up reading so many books I wouldn't have read otherwise because of my involvement with SFF Audio.  This can span from "hurry up you have 24 hours to read a 400 page book and discuss it on the air" to "nobody wanted this review audiobook and it sounds slightly interesting."  Since I coordinate reviews there, I'm always getting ideas from other people of even more books to read.  
  • Sword and Laser - I've been a dedicated follower of Tom and Veronica for years and years.  I love their author guides and they often talk about upcoming releases.  I also end up reading books with the group that I never would have picked.  Memoirs Found in a Bathtub, anyone?
  • Others - from time to time I listen to SF Signal, Geek's Guide to the Galaxy, and some very specific topical podcasts like Re:Joyce
How about you?  Which podcasts send you off to read a book?

5 comments:

  1. You're right, this is a nice idea for a post, thanks!

    I'm quite limited in my range of podcasts because I have a poor internet connection (living in Ethiopia) and I struggle to download podcast-sized files, but I try to get as many Clarkesworld and Lightspeed stories as I can. They don't typically send me looking for books, but if I come across a novel by a writer whose short stories I enjoyed I'm more likely to check it out.

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  2. I, too, listen to Sword and Laser. I think I tried out SFBRP a couple of times, but wasn't fond of it. I keep telling myself I'm going to start my own short book-review podcast to go along with my blog, but I'm too lazy to commit to the time requirement.

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    1. I feel like if a podcast replicates something, it isn't as useful as if it adds to it. SFBRP can be an acquired taste, and I don't listen to him all the time, only when I've read a book he's reviewed.

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  3. I often read books related to things discussed on Radiolab.

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  4. For non book related podcasts, but good stories, I love Moth Podcast, This American Life, Snap Judgement, Radiolab.

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