It's summertime and the living is easy! Lately I've been slacking on the blog and favouring a more leisurely pace of life—taking extra long weekends, tending to my herb garden, going to barre, seeing Bard on the Beach with Hubs, reading books, and listening to podcasts. I love podcasts because they make commutes and mindless tasks like cleaning go by that much faster, and if I can learn something new all the better. Some of my faves have been must-listens for years, while others are more recent discoveries. Here they are, in no particular order!
SMNTY kicked off my obsession with podcasts, and although it's been a couple of years and they've cycled through different hosts I'm still a fan. SMNTY tackles various topics through a feminist lens, from politics and pop culture to women's health and relationships. My all-time fave episodes: Endometriosis, Romantic Comedy's Working Girls, and A Practical Wedding.
2. Happier with Gretchen Rubin
If you're always looking for ways to make your life happier and more organized and productive, this is the podcast for you! Co-hosts and sisters Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft present a weekly Try This At Home tip, run down their own lists of "happiness gold stars" and "happiness demerits" (things they did well and didn't do so well in promoting their own happiness), and life hacks submitted by listeners. I love their cheerful and infectious rapport.
3. Overdue
Once a week, co-hosts Andrew and Craig read a book "that you really should have read a long time ago" and tell the other person about it. Even if you've already read the book (and especially if you've already read the book), there are enough quips and wisecracks and snarky takes on popular characters and plotlines to keep you listening for more. The books they tackle run the gamut from legitimate classics to children's literature and popular bestsellers, so there's something for everyone. My most recent listens? Their episodes about Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar and Brian Jacques's Redwall.
The only scripted podcast on this list is a satirical and truly hilarious take on true crime podcasts, produced right here in Vancouver. My coworker and I listened to this at our desks and were literally laughing out loud.
5. Dear Sugars
This podcast has some serious credentials: it's produced by the New York Times; it's based on the much-loved advice column of the same name; and it's co-hosted by Dear Sugar columnists Cheryl Strayed (of Wild fame) and Steve Almond. Expect to hear Strayed and Almond tackle a wide range of emotional and relationship questions from readers with the utmost empathy and sensitivity.
Another advice column, but raunchier, snarkier, and more LOL-hilarious in tone than Dear Sugars. There's a lot of swearing and sex talk and a lot of tough love, but what else would you expect of a podcast produced by Lainey Gossip?
7. Dressed: A History of Fashion
A fascinating look into the history of fashion and specific terms that goes beyond the major twentieth century couturiers, rounded out by informative interviews with historians and academics.
Hosts Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins are beauty writers who've been around the block and collected many fascinating origin stories along the way. In this podcast, they take a look at the founders behind many of the biggest beauty brands today and how these brands and their flagship products came to be.
What podcasts do you enjoy listening to? I'm always looking for new recommendations!
I know they are like so Canonical Podcasty, and are actually NPR radio shows, but I can never give up Radiolab and This American Life.
ReplyDeleteYes to This American Life! It's not a good "background listening" selection for me though because I get too interested in the stories.
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