Podcasts are great. They're great things to listen to when driving, cooking, cleaning, working, and getting ready in the mornings. They're also my go-to at work when I don't have a current Audiobook.
I've added and deleted podcasts for various reasons, but these are the eight I'm currently listening to. Some have been around since day one (My Favorite Murder and Professional Book Nerds) and some are new favorites (Tales and Female Criminals).
*Descriptions pulled from each podcast's website
Female Criminals
Category: Society & CultureFirst Episode: "Cocaine Godmother" - Griselda Blanco (March 23, 2018)Latest Episode: "Bonnie & Clyde" Pt. 2 - Bonnie Parker (April 11, 2018)The true crime podcast where women aren�t just the victims. Every week, we examine the psychology, motivations, and atrocities of female felons. New episodes come out every Wednesday. Female Criminals is a production of Cutler Media and part of the Parcast Network. (Website)
Parcast has a great library of podcasts, but this is the newest one they've sucked me in to. Vanessa and Claire delve deep into the histories of well-known, and some not so well-known, female criminals. They're only six episodes in, but I can tell they're already enabling the true crime obsession within me. I loved their episodes on Bonnie Parker and I'm anxiously awaiting more episodes!
Haunted Places
Category: ArtsFirst Episode: The Cecil Hotel (October 12, 2017)Latest Episode: Winchester Mystery House (April 12, 2018) You�ve heard of haunted houses, haunted cemeteries, haunted islands...but do you know how a normal place can become a paranormal minefield? Every haunted place on earth has a frightening, real backstory. Greg (Co-Host of Serial Killers and Cults) takes you on an audio tour of a new haunted place, and it�s haunted history, every episode. Spooky legends, weird histories, and tales of the supernatural... Listen at your own risk. Haunted Places is a production of Cutler Media and part of the Parcast Network. New episodes released every Thursday. (Website)
Originally Haunted Places had new episodes every other Thursday, but grew so popular new episodes now come out every Thursday. Greg tells the history of these haunted places in a mixture of story telling and facts, which creates for an interesting listening experience. His voice also adds a creepy element to his narrative - in a good way! This is definitely more of a "listen during daylight hours" podcast.
My Favorite Murder
Category: ComedyFirst Episode: My Firstest Murder (January 13, 2016) Latest Episode: MFM Minisode 66 (April 16, 2018) My Favorite Murder is the hit true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Since its inception in early 2016, the show has broken download records and sparked an enthusiastic, interactive �Murderino� fan base who came out in droves this spring for the sold-out nationwide tour.
A top 10 regular on iTunes� comedy podcast chart, My Favorite Murder has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, The Atlantic, Nylon and Rolling Stone magazine. Aside from being avid true crime enthusiasts, Karen Kilgariff is a stand-up comedian and television writer and Georgia Hardstark is a writer and host for the Cooking Channel. (Website)
This is probably my favorite podcast on the list - so much for alphabetical order to avoid that. I have listened to My Favorite Murder since their day one. This podcast is not for everyone, but it is for a lot of people. I was lucky enough to see them when they most recently went on tour and it was so much better in person.
Karen and Georgia are not making light of murder, but are allowing us true crime buffs to know we are not alone. Listening to them feels like I'm sitting with two of my best friends and just talking . . . about murder. Their minisodes have turned from home town murder to just weird things that people have found, ghosts stories, and "I was almost murdered" stories. They end their episodes with positive things that have happened recently so you're not left completely bummed.
Professional Book Nerds
Category: LiteratureFirst Episode: Jill, Emma, and Rachel K (OverDrive Chat - December 10, 2015) Latest Episode: Tricia Levenseller, author of the Daughter of the Pirate King duology (Author Interview - April 16, 2018) We're not just book nerds. We're professional book nerds! We are staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks from public libraries and schools. It's our job to discuss books all day long so we thought, "Why not share the conversation!" Hear about the best books we've read, get recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming out that we can't wait to dive into. Titles discussed are available to borrow through public libraries. Get started reading at overdrive.com and subscribe to our podcast today! (Website)
Looking for a new read? Look no further than OverDrive's Professional Book Nerds. Adam and Jill post two episodes a week: an author interview and a themed episode with various colleagues. They have a wide variety of theme and authors, which is sure to provide a listening experience and to help that every growing TBR pile grow all the more.
Tales
Category: ArtsFirst Episode: Birth of a Beast (February 14, 2018) and Birth of a Beauty (February 14, 2018)Latest Episode: Mulan (April 14, 2018) You think you know the story�But do you really? Every other Saturday, Tales presents ancient fairy tales the way they were originally told: orally, and unadulterated. Tales is part of the Parcast Network and is a Cutler Media production. (Website)
A new addition to my list, also from the Parcast Network, Tales is all about the original fairy tales. Not the watered down for children versions, but the versions with sex, drugs, incest, murder, etc. (Vanessa warns to use caution with children under the age of 13.) I love hearing the original tales! Vanessa first dove in the Beauty and the Beast and I learned there is so much more to the tale than I had originally thought. If you're a big fan of fairy tales and myths, you definitely need to give Tales a listen.
The Dollop
Category: ComedyFirst Episode: Cliven Bundy (April 25, 2014) Latest Episode: Denis Kearney (April 16, 2018) The Dollop is a bi-weekly* American History Podcast. Every week, Dave Anthony reads a story to his friend, Gareth Reynolds, who has no idea what the topic is going to be about.
(bi-weekly means whatever Dave wants it to mean) (Website)
I have learned a lot of America's history from Dave and Gareth. A lot. And not all of it is good. They delve into history of America in way you would never learn in school. They cover a range of topics from Harriet Tubman to the creation of Uber. It's definitely worth the listen, even if there are episodes that hurt your heart.
The History Chicks
Category: HistoryFirst Episode: Marie Antoinette (January 30, 2011)Latest Episode: Louisa May Alcott (April 8, 2018) You want the facts. Simple enough.
You want to know how the women are remembered, how their legacies live on and how you can learn more. We can do that!
You want a show that is interesting to adults, but appropriate if kids are in the room and listening. Gotcha.
And you like to get your information in a unique, smart, and conversational style. Done, done and done.
We are just like you. And you. (And even you-yeah, you- the one Googling our names.) We think that women, females, dames,�chicks in history is a perfect topic to sit down and chat about. We don�t claim to know it all, but really? All of it would take more time than any of us have right now. And it would be kinda boring.
In 2011 we sat down in front of a mic at a big dinner table in Beckett�s house (which we lovingly refer to as The House of Wood) and started talking. We�re still sitting at that very table and still talking.
We like to talk. A lot. (Website)
I love Beckett and Susan! Much like Karen and Georgia, listening to The History Chicks is just like sitting and chatting with some girlfriends. Only there's a lot less murder. Beckett and Susan do thorough research and each woman they discuss and pull from various sources, all of which they detail at the end. Not only do they speak on the woman in question, but briefly touch on her parents, their history, and the time period so there is a full understanding of they whys. I have a small love-hate relationship with the episodes that are broken up into two (or more!) parts because these woman all led such fascinating and interesting lives!
The Strange and Unusual
Category: HistoryFirst Episode: Speak of the Devil (December 31, 2016)Latest Episode: The Affair of the Poisons, Part 1 (April 8, 2018) The unknown. It lies at the root of all fear, and has inspired legends, superstition, folklore, customs, hysteria, and even murder throughout history. Still today we feel the shadowy presence of our ancestors' struggles to explain the mysterious in almost every facet of our lives. Whether it be in the form of religion, urban legends, pop culture, ghost stories, superstitious rituals, and so much more we are still just fighting to keep our monsters in the dark. Welcome to The Strange and Unusual Podcast. (Website)
Alyson doesn't release episodes as frequently as the podcasts mentioned above, but that doesn't make them any less interesting! The stories she tells are always interesting, fully of mystery and of course strange and unusual aspects. She's touched on exorcism, Jack the Ripper in America, Edgar Allan Poe, and more.
What are some of your favorite podcasts? Let me know in the comments below and I'll check them out!
