My Favorite Podcasts

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!

So, I love podcasts. I think they're just as well as audiobooks, in terms of finding something hands-free to occupy your time. You can find podcasts on any topic your little heart desires: books, movies, sports, talk shoes. Hell, there are knitting podcasts. And some pretty good ones, might I add (my sister used to run one with her friends. She thinks I never knew about it, but I would listen to them recording from outside her bedroom). Whether you want a story-time podcast or a reality-TV type podcast, you can find something to suit your fancy, I guarantee it.

Today I thought I would share some of my favorite podcasts with you. Please keep in mind that this is not sponsored by any podcast-makers or apps, nor do the creators of these podcasts know that I am doing this. This is exactly the same as a book recommendations post, only a different form of entertainment.

Let's get on with it, then!

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1. Welcome to Night Vale

I had to go with a cult-classic to start this off with. If you're unaware, Welcome to Night Vale is a fictional-creation podcast in the form of a radio show, where the hosts talk about the strange occurrences in their town, the titular Night Vale. It's fun and quirky and a little spoopy, if you're in to that kind of thing. Actually, Radio Silence by Alice Oseman reminds me strongly of Welcome to Night Vale. I have a feeling that Oseman got the idea from this podcast, as it's been running since 2012.

Anyway, I listen to Welcome to Night Vale when I want a movie, but I'm not in the mood to watch anything. This is a perfect thing to plug in your headphones and close your eyes and allow yourself to drift off into their voices and whatever shenanigans are occurring in Night Vale that week.

2. Be the Serpent

This is a recent discovery of mine, thanks to my sister. She's a much more avid listener of podcasts than I am and is always pointing me to new (and old) things I might like. Be The Serpent is a writing podcast run by three hilarious women, as they go through writing tropes, academic mythology, and yes, it is lewd and wonderful. This is an explicit podcast, so be careful who you play it around, but it never fails to make me laugh.

I like to listen to Be the Serpent while I'm doing chores, such as dishes or vacuuming or even organizing my bookshelves. It takes my mind off of whatever tedious task I'm doing and reminds me why I love writing in the first place. Their latest episode "The Serpents School of Witchcraft and Wizzzardry" was all about magic systems, something that I've always struggled to establish in my own writing. I found that this episode helped me understand how to write magic systems a lot easier now.

3. My Roommate's a Witch

This is a hilarious witchy podcast that isn't fiction, how great is that! My Roommate's a Witch is a podcast run by, you guessed it, two roommates. One is a modern-day witch (like me) and one is a skeptic, so this podcast was created in order to explain modern witchcraft to people who think that witches maybe don't exist. It's funny, it's real, and it explains a lot of witchcraft terminology in case you're interested in it but maybe are not sure how it works, or if you're a beginner witch who doesn't know where to look for help.

4. Star Talk Radio

This was the first podcast I ever really listened to. I've been an avid listener of Star Talk Radio for about four years now, though it's been going on much longer. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is one of the world's leading experts on astrophysics and astronomy, and he talks with special guests about these things and explains them for people who might not know how astrophysics works, people who are aspiring astrophysicists themselves, or people who just think space is cool. It's full of scientific jargon and silly banter, and is definitely one of my favorites.

I was heavily listening to this podcast when I was in school for astrophysics, as it helped me understand my homework from time to time and also just helped reaffirmed my love for space. I still listen to it now for fun every once in a while, but I do have to admit it makes me sad to listen to it because I know I won't be an astrophysicist like Tyson. Stupid math. If it weren't for being naturally good at math, I would've had this degree in the bag.

5. David Tennant Does a Podcast With

Is anyone really surprised by this one? I absolutely adore David Tennant, so when I found out that he hosted a podcast (from Victoria Schwab no less!!) I immediately jumped on the train. David Tennant Does a Podcast With is a podcast that has superstar special guests, and David Tennant just sits down with them and talks to them about their lives, acting careers, working together, etc. etc. 

The most recent episode I listened to (but not the most recent episode) was the one with Michael Sheen. I played it for my best friend Angela, as she is obsessed with Good Omens and I knew that they were going to cover that in this episode. But it was super cool to learn about Michael Sheen's life and how he got started in acting, because I didn't know any of that!

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Okay, those are five podcasts that I love to listen to! I hope you guys liked getting a glimpse into what I do outside of book blogging and booktube, and maybe you've found a good podcast recommendation too!

Until next time!