Another COVID-19 Podcast Listening Post

As you know, I am a bit of a podcast addict. I do love listening to audiobooks and listening to the radio, but there’s something about podcasts I have a soft spot for. While I liked podcasts before the COVID-19 lockdown, the lockdown rammed up my love for the podcasts. Whenever I feel a little low and need something quick and fun to listen to, I go to my podcast app more than my audiobook apps (most of my audiobooks are over 10 hours with several near/over 24 hours. I still have to finish A Promised Land by Barack Obama [I will finish this! But it’s a tad dense for me ATM] and I want to do the second audiobook in Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens, which looks into Anne Boleyn). 

I know I chatted about some of the podcasts I listened to during lockdown last year (I talked about My Dad Wrote A Porno, ARDEN, Shedunnit and F***bois of Literature and touched on some others). But I wanted to talk about a few other things other than books for the first few weeks back from my blog holiday but I feel very “meh” lately energy-wise, and I want to shake myself up a little and write new things.

And where best to start is to talk podcasts and TV shows I listened/watched during the crazy times known as COVID-19 lockdowns. So, let me chat podcasts and hopefully, will write COVID TV Binging (writing that up as we speak!). You might sense a theme with some of my choices and recommendations. 

Podcasts I've Listened To During COVID-19 Lockdown

As you guys knows, I love a good podcast! And with me listening to a heck more podcasts and audiobooks the past few months (one of the only few pros of lockdown and self-isolation), I thought I would talk about a few podcasts I relistened to as well as new podcasts I discovered and became obsessed with!

One podcast I kept relistening to (or a handful of episodes that made me chuckle dirtily in one room while my Other Half is in the other room, trying to work from home) is My Dad Wrote a Porno. If you're not sure on this popular, basically the host discovered his dad wrote an erotic novel and, horrified, told two of his friends and they decide to podcast their reactions to each chapter. The episodes I seem to listen to contains the lines "She likes her women like she likes her wine: ice cold", "Belinda gave into nature, not once but twice before the inevitable blue ejaculation cut across her dreams" and " [Spoiler Removed] And I am the Special One"! 

Ok, so I relistened to a ton of podcasts, but tlet's chat about one or two podcasts I discovered and loved!

The first new podcast I only just discovered a week or so ago and, over a space of one weekend, I binged the entire first season and the first few episodes of season 2 that have been released. Arden (click here to go to their website) is a comedy murder mystery drama (they describe themselves as Serial or My Favourite Murder meets 80s TV show, Moonlighting) where Bea, a journalist, and Brenda, a former cop, join (reluct) forces to attempt to solve the 10 year old mystery of disappearance of Hollywood starlet, Julie Capsom. She vanished in the middle of nowhere and her car has a torso in the boot. Is this the torso of her former boyfriend and possible stalker, Ralph Montgomery?

In the second season, the pair go to Montana to investigate a possible murder of a rancher, only to find themselves getting a little too close to the case and the rancher's daughter, Dana Hamill, who can't help but think her uncle is involved... (I emailed the podcast for a possible guest post and, while they declined, they let me listened to the first 6 episodes of season 2 and guys! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON! Hopefully, it won't be a long wait before the cast and crew can, safely, record the resolution).

The second is a crime literary podcast, Shedunnit. This podcast with short episode looks into the genre of crime and the authors who wrote them. I discovered this by fluke after trying to learn more info on Agatha Christie and Josehine Fey (I still need to read Daughter of Time, that everyone says is great if you are a fan of the Golden Age of Crime). So, a non-fiction podcast that is doing awful things to my TBR and credit card (thanks for that, Caroline!)

One more podcast? Ok, where do I go? OH! Let's do F***bois of Literature (here's the twitter)! Basically, the host and a guest read a novel or series and chat about whether or not the character in question is a f***boi. I came in quite late to this podcast, around the time the show talked about Lord Asriel from His Dark Materials, Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series, Edmund from Narnia and, my fave at the moment, BATMAN!

I do have some honourable mentions of some old faves and new shows: My Favourite Murder, Spirits, You're Dead To Me, Wheels on Fire: An Absolutely Fabulous Podcast, The Villain Was Right, The Archers (oh yes, am back on that. WHO HAVE I BECOME?!). 

And as you know, I love discovering new podcasts so, here I am, begging you to tell me what podcasts I must put on my radar and listen to ASAP! I would love to hear them!!! 

Who's Potterless About Potter?

I have a random surprise for you!

Ok, back storytime! A week or so ago, I was at work, playing around with their Spotify, trying to figure out if I wanted to listen to music or podcasts as I didn't want to listen to one of my many audiobooks (oh, the joys of being a book blogger in a reading slump), when I randomly came across a image that catch my eye. This is the image you are probably seeing now. I clicked on it, read the first few lines of the write up - excuse the paraphrasing but it was "Twenty-something reads Harry Potter for the first time and podcasts about it". And you know, I am a bit of a Potterhead so dived straight in.

I cackled and went "Just you wait till book 5...!" at it and, on impulse, I tweeted the show, saying I discovered it, and was enjoying myself hugely. I, then, tweeted cheekily "Do you want to do something on my tiny pathetic blog?". And the show went yes. ... ah. So, next few days were a whirlwind of packing, thinking of questions, trying to listen to this and other podcasts (I went on an "Discover New Podcasts" Binge and I discovered some good'un. Might do blog post about them in the future if I want - you know, to share the love!) and here we are! I was going to post this next week sometime, but I wanna share this!

So, Potterless is a podcast where we follow Mike, a twenty-six year old man reading the Harry Potter series. Come as we see him sip the tea over plot holes, rant over Quidditch, and puts a fun, funny twist on the whole Harry Potter experience. I am thrilled that Mike agree to come on the Pewter Wolf so for that, I thank him hugely!

Now, before I hand it over to Q&A, the boring stuff. If you want to listen to Potterless, check out potterlesspodcast.com or jump over to Twitter and Instagram (both can be found at potterlesspodcast.com/social-media). Or, if you want to say hi to Mike, check out his Twitter at @Schubes17! And oh, heads-up, there is adult language in the podcast so you have been warned! And now, as they say in the wizard world, WIZARD ON!