Podcast Appreciation: What I'm Listening To

Do you listen to podcasts? Tell me I'm not the only one. I love listening to them while working as an alternative to music. They can be informative or comedic or entertaining. Podcasts are great because they are for everyone. No matter what you are passionate about or what you may enjoy, I'm sure there is a podcast out there for you. I thought it would be fun to share just a few of my favorites with you, because if you read my blog we may have similar interests and you may just enjoy them too!

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For Comedy: The Bugle
Powerhosing Premium-Calibre Satirical Hogwash Over Planet Earth Since 2007

source / source

Hosted by John Oliver (of The Daily Show fame) and Andy Zaltzman (a Britist comedian), The Bugle is full of political satire, comedic rants, and deep insights gained casually while laughing. You often catch yourself going "Yes, exactly" and "But really, though." Their recent episodes discussing the government shutdown and various members of congress's (mostly talking about Ted Cruz and Boehner here, obvi) shenanigans during it were so spot on,  and a billion times more worth listening to than any news coverage of the shutdown. But the U.S isn't the only political system these two Brits critique. No world power is left untouched. The Bugle is worth a listen if you like to laugh while also being told how terrible the world is.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For Sci-fi/Fantasy: Sword & Laser
A science fiction and fantasy-themed book club, video show and podcast.

source / source

Started by Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt, Sword and Laser is a great place for both Science Fiction and Fantasy lovers. The pair talks about the latest in Science Fiction and Fantasy news, bring up the latest topics from their goodreads fourm, and discus their book of the month (the book this month is Boneshaker by Cherie Priest). This podcast is fairly new to me, but I've been familiar with Frogpants Studios a while and knew this was right up my ally immediately. I was hooked after the first episade I listened to. Veronica and Tim both are insightful, hilarious, and excited about all topics they discus. They begin every episode with a drink (which I love), and feature authors and interesting topics regularly. This isn't your typical book club! The only downside is that my "to-read" book list has gotten rather long since listening.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For Something Completely Different: Welcome to Night Vale
Community radio updates for the small desert (fictional) town of Night Vale.

source / source

Featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events from the seemingly supernatural town of Night Vale. There are many strange goings-on. The community radio reporter, Cecil Baldwin likely has a third eye as he has the ability to report the news precisely as it is happening. Some of these strange goings-on include Old Lady Josie and the angels that certainly don't exist (but affect the plot),  an ancient civilization underneath lane five at the bowling alley that is preparing to do war against the town, the town's children disappearing and reappearing unharmed and well-behaved, the dog park where dogs and humans aren’t allowed but mysterious hooded figures are... Cecil never finds these events or happenings to be particularly strange or out of the ordinary, but the scientist Carlos does. Each episode is unique and exciting as a listener trying to figure out the events that are happening or how a mystery will unfold. I am obsessed with Night Vale and I don't see it stopping anytime soon.


You can download the latest episodes of all these podcast in the iTunes App Store or listen to them on the podcast's website. If you give any of them a try, be sure to let me know what you think! Are you a podcast listener? Share your favorites with me in the comments!