Literary-themed listens for lockdown
More time at home means more time to check out the dusty books on the shelves. Or, in my case, more time to listen to books or variations on storytelling via podcasts.
Author and advice columnist Cheryl Strayed has a new podcast, Sugar Calling. The Wild author is well known as a person to turn to for advice, and here, Strayed – whose nickname is Sugar – calls up influential authors to ask them about their world at this moment.
In the context of the world pandemic, Strayed’s questions focus on how writers can help make sense of our new normal, and how they can document and interpret this time.
Episode two is an interview with prolific author Margaret Atwood, who has written so powerfully about people in incredibly difficult circumstances, so she’s a perfect subject for this.
Atwood talks about how she is filling her time at home, how she is sewing masks, and provides a recommended reading list to help survive quarantine.
If you’re missing trips to the library, then a podcast made in New York’s Brooklyn Public Library can help fill the void.
Borrowed tells the stories of the neighbourhood and beyond through the library and the people who use it.
It’s hosted by Krissa Corbett Cavouras, director of marketing and engagement at Brooklyn Public Library, and librarian Adwoa Adusei.
The episodes are varied, going back to the era of Andrew Carnegie, who helped build more than 2500 libraries worldwide. You can hear some creative ways libraries are helping to engage with kids, and each episode has a list of book matches for listeners.
Old titles are reimagined in the podcast Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Before you accuse me of recommending an audiobook, be advised that Phoebe Judge is podcast royalty. She has a unique voice and is the host of podcasts Criminal and This is Love.
In the first series, she reads a chapter a day from Agatha Christie’s first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. There are 13 episodes before she rolls into a chapter a day of Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. Her voice is luxurious to listen to, and she’s measured and paced in her delivery. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these classic titles, and being able to listen while I walk or prepare meals.
Meanwhile, there are a number of good book review podcasts out there.
One of the best is the weekly Guardian Books, which delves into the world of writing, and features author interviews, trends and retrospectives on classic works.
Finally, Simon Mayo’s Books of the Year is a ripper of a listen, thanks to hosts Simon Mayo and Matt Williams. Recent episodes have featured author interviews with crime writer Matt Billingham and Ariana Neumann, author of When Time Stopped. There’s also a great Q & A section, which makes it worth a listen for that alone.