Better Than The Book? The Podcast Edition

If there are two things i do consistently, they are read and listen to podcasts. Which is why I love it when a book crosses over into the podcast realm. Yeah, like books that get made into movies, mini-series or TV shows – only better.

I can really only think of two examples where this has been done really well. In fact, i prefer the podcasts to the books!

• Freakonomics Radio based on the book of the same title.
• Happier with Gretchen Rubin, which I guess is based on Better Than Before but combines elements of all her books.

Are there other podcasts out there based on books? Which ones do you recommend?

Maya by C.W. Huntington

I am a sucker for stories of expat academics in India, because for a time, that was my life too. I was even more drawn to Maya by C.W. Huntington because it is largely set in Banaras (or Varanasi, depending on where you sit on that divide), where i did my research. But i do not know how broad the appeal of Maya will be to those who live outside this rarefied crowd.

The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango

I was on a bit of a reading slump when I came to The Truth and Other Lies by German screenwriter Sascha Arango, and it fed my slump to the dogs. That means it was good. The story was crazy, but crazy good.

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

To start off, I am an unabashed fan of Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, aka the brains behind Go Fug Yourself. I am also intrigued by all things royal, a trait common among Canadians but not so much here in Scotland. So it should come as no surprise that I loved – LOVED – The Royal We.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Reading List

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

Ah, summer. It doesn’t feel like summer in Scotland these days, but according to the calendar, it is indeed summer. The program for the Edinburgh Book Festival has come out, so that means most of my summer will be dedicated to reading in preparation for it, with a few others thrown in for good measure.

UK edition

1. Villa America by Liza Klaussman. It’s Klaussman, so I’m going to read it anyways, but she’s also coming to Edinburgh! I’ve been waiting to read this for a while, and for once it is available in the UK before it comes out in North America.
2. In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume. Enough said. And she’s not coming to Edinburgh.
3. Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman. It’s described as a campus murder for fans of Tartt, Eugenides and Wolitzer. Yes please!
4. The Way Things Were by Aatish Taseer. He’s coming to EdBookFest and I’m interested. Besides, he learned Sanskrit to write this book and I love me some Sanskrit.
5. The Mark and the Void by Paul Murray. Loved Skippy Dies and he’ll be at EdBookFest.
   

   

   

   

    

6. Man on Fire by Stephen Kelman. Will be appearing at EdBookFest with Paul Murray. And I will likely read Pigeon English as well because it’s already on my desk.
7. The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan. Big buzz in India and I’m so glad it’s also being published in the UK.
8. The Incarnations by Susan Barker. She’ll be at EdBookFest and I think this book is going to be BIG.
9. The Ecliptic by Benjamin Wood. I saw him at EdBookFest when he was promoting his last novel, The Bellweather Revivals. Loved him, loved the book and he’ll be back in Edinburgh this summer.
10. This is my wild card. Let’s keep it a mystery for now.

Without You, There is No Us by Suki Kim (audio)

I don’t listen to audio books very frequently. So often they just don’t ‘sound’ right to me. But I’ve had a head cold and a massive headache and did not read for 5 days. This is almost unheard of in my life. The one thing that saved me was the audio version of Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim.

The House of Hidden Mothers by Meera Syal

I have so many thoughts and feelings about The House of Hidden Mothers by Meera Syal that it is hard to know where to begin. First, I’ll say that I really enjoyed this novel, more than I expected to. It is a triumph that tackles so many different issues faced by women in today’s world. As always, Syal writes with humour and grace that never belittles the experiences of her characters.

What Blume are you?

After 12 long years, Judy Blume has come out with another novel for adults, In the Unlikely Event. This has created a lot of conversation about the books of Blume’s that we all grew up with. It’s hard to find anyone who’s awkward years were not impacted in a positive way by at least one of Judy Blume’s many books. For me, Blubber is my all time favorite, with Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret and Then Again Maybe I Won’t following closely behind. I’m always surprised when one of these books does not rank with other fans.

The Unfortunates by Sophie McManus

I had such high hopes for The Unfortunates by Sophie McManus, but unfortunately …

Mislaid by Nell Zink

I was in a bit of a reading funk, and then Mislaid by Nell Zink came along and rocked my world. Somehow Zink manages to take on the establishment (read Old White Guys) in every way AND tell a good story without being preachy or too agenda oriented.