Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the seventeenth day of the month is "Method."
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I get comments all the time about how much I read, which is a fair amount. I read every day no matter what. I can listen to audiobooks and podcasts when I walk the dog, which I do for hours every day. I rarely listen to music or watch television or movies. So that's how I consume media. The question I get less often is how do I find these books and podcasts!
Here are my main sources for finding books:
1) You. I read a lot of blogs and some of these blogs talk about books they're reading. Sometimes people do regular monthly wrap-ups, sometimes they just offhandedly mention this awesome book they're reading, and sometimes they write up entire posts devoted to a single book. Whatever method, I'd say this is a popular way for me to find books. (If you've ever recommended a book on your blog and I didn't say thank you on my own blog, THANK YOU.)
2) Lists. I am always trying to complete a list. Right now, I'm trying to read all the Women's Prize for Fiction Winners (only three left!) and I'm verrrry slowly working my way through Reddit's Top Fantasy Books by Women. I don't really know what I'm going to do after I've completed the Women's Prize for Fiction list, but I have some ideas.
3) Challenges. I'm pretty dedicated to doing the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge and I've had some good luck with the Read Harder Challenge (although this year's prompts look...not great). With the prodding of some of these prompts, I read much more broadly than would be my natural tendency and I've discovered some real jewels I would otherwise not have read.
4) Friends. It is not uncommon for me to start a conversation with "what are you reading these days?" and I get fabulous recommendations this way. I also tend to eventually work my way to asking people if they have recommendations specifically for me. And, if you suggest a book to me, I promise to you that I will at least try to read it.
5) Podcasts. I basically only listen to one podcast that is exclusively about books (Sarah's Bookshelves Live), but I regularly get book titles from lots of other podcasts, including Pop Culture Happy Hour, Culture Gabfest, 99% Invisible, and Fresh Air.
Okay, great, you might be saying to yourself, but how do you know what podcasts to listen to? This is actually much harder. I have actually been listening to audiobooks more frequently these days because finding quality podcasts has become a bit of a challenge. Here are a handful of ways I find podcasts.
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| I'm an Android girl and Podcast Addict is my pod player of choice. |
1. Reddit. The podsnark thread in the blogsnark subreddit is where I've found the smartest talk of podcasts that is free online, but the vibe there is a little more music and pop-culture heavy than I am, so the frequent you must listen to Popcast or Who Weekly? recommendations do get repetitive. I am sure those are great podcasts for some listeners, but they don't really resonate much with me.
2. Newsletters. I'm subscribed to Nick Quah's 1.5x Speed newsletter, as well as Hot Pod (which Quah started before he left for Vulture). As far as I'm concerned Quah is the media's premiere podcast critic and I will continue to follow everything he writes. Quah's recommendations are hit or miss with me, but he's very clever in his selections.
3. Other podcasts. This is quite meta, I'm realizing. A lot of times podcast hosts will recommend other podcasts or a host will guest on a different podcast.
4. Reddit. There's a spreadsheet of true crime podcasts, but there's no evaluation of quality of the podcasts, so you never know what you're going to get when you download episodes. Bear Brook, a very good podcast, is given equal weight with Happy Face, a dismal podcast.
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What are you best sources for book and podcast suggestions?
I am like you, and rarely watch TV, although I do use YouTube to get inspiration about upcoming trips and locations and things like that, and I guess technically that is TV (?), but I digress. I also get a lot of my book recommendations from bloggers. I also often use the Goodreads Choice Awards. If you are not familiar, every year in the fall/winter, votes are cast for the best book in several genres (here is 2022: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2022?ref=nav_brws_gca) They are not always home runs (last year's top Science Fiction was Sea of Tranquility, which I did not love) but many of them are good (Carrie Soto is Back) and not just the number one pick, but I also enjoy reading the 2nd or 3rd place books.
ReplyDeleteIf I am desperate and I don't have hold coming due, I will just go to Libby and filter by Available Now. Sometimes those are good, sometimes they are just so-so. I also have used some lists, but often feel pressured to read every single book on the list and it makes it feel like work sometimes. I did do the Read Harder challenge one year but felt like a failure because there was one category I did not complete. I also like Bill Gates recommendations https://www.gatesnotes.com/Search?search=reading%20lists He reads a lot of non-fiction, but without him, I may not have read Bad Blood. Whew! That's a ramble! I will have to talk more about podcasts later...
1. We are book opposites because I really liked Sea of Tranquility, but thought Carrie Soto is Back was probably the worst of the TJR lot. I liked the female friendship plot, but otherwise thought it was a slog. I have learned that my book radar and Goodreads generally don't align. LOL.
Delete2. If I'm desperate, I'll look through the available Libby loans, too. It's not my favorite way of doing things, though, because it seems so willy-nilly.
3. Oh, you're not a failure because you don't finish or two things on a list! It's only really a failure if you don't find at least one book you really like or love from doing the list!
All of the above for books. Specifically I often use you to "vet" books that I'm on the fence about.
ReplyDeleteI don't have nearly the success rate with podcasts. When I stopped running I stopped listening to running podcasts, and I'm down to just a few non-running podcasts. That's why my audio book listening has taken off.
I DNF A LOT of podcasts. I might listen to 10 minutes and opt out or even give something an episode or two before I bail. I am really picky about podcasts and I can't always even put my finger on why I don't like something, but if I start avoiding listening to podcasts or keep bumping something down to the bottom of my list, I know I better just unsubscribe. I have an even worse DNF rate for audiobooks, though!
DeleteI get my recommendations from reading what some bloggers are reading, and I also read the NYT book reviews and what blurbs come across my Amazon page or the book review page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Oddly, my friends are not readers.
ReplyDeleteIt's weird that I don't like to listen to podcasts. Maybe I haven't found the right one.
I don't think podcasts are for everyone! Don't feel like you have to listen if you're happier listening to music or audiobooks or silence.
DeleteThese days I get almost all my book ideas from blogs! So many people post about books, I never have a shortage of ideas.
ReplyDeleteFor podcasts, I subscribe to a weekly newsletter called Find That Pod (https://findthatpod.com/)
To be honest, I usually stick to my usual running podcasts, but I enjoy reading the newsletter (he recommends five new ones each week.) I'm sure there's a ton of great podcasts I'm missing out on.
Well, I'm sure there are a lot of great podcasts we're all missing out on! Just like with movies and television, there's more of them than we could possibly listen to.
DeleteI've only recently begun to listen to podcasts this summer. The podcasts from The New York Times are very good. I just finished listening to Nice White Parents and The Retrievals. Both are excellent.
ReplyDeleteMy current reads serve as my source for book recommendations. (That is my soul homework practice) But I also enjoy looking at what some of my friends are reading on Goodreads.
I really should take more advantage of Goodreads and post more of my reviews there. It's just that when I read a book, I already have to log it on my blog and reading spreadsheet and I'm pretty sure I'm not interested in another place I have to put it! But it would be a good thing because then the Goodreads algorithm would be able to give me better recommendations, I bet. Hm. Something for me to think about.
DeleteMy best sources for books are generally social media related; I have a lot of friends who will post books on IG or FB and then I'll look into those books. Blogs too, but I generally have to get an idea of who likes what so I can gauge if it's something I want to read or not, because tastes differ. For podcasts, I often get recommendations from other podcasts too!
ReplyDeleteThe podcasting world of podcasts recommending podcasts is WILD. Imagine if at the end of books or movies, the makers just had a list of other media for you to consume!
DeleteI usually get my suggestions for books from friends and acquaintances on social media or from walking around a real bookstore and going with what grabs me. I get my podcast suggestions from Pop Culture Happy Hour or The Guardian.
ReplyDeleteWow! Going in to a REAL bookstore. I honestly can't even remember the last time I went into a bookstore! That's old skool cool!
DeleteI mostly get book ideas from blogs (but also, I look to see what's a new release or "trending" at my library).
ReplyDeletePodcasts - I used to listen to them regularly, but now I find the whole genre overwhelming and I basically listen to nothing. I feel major FOMO over this, but I've got to let it go. There is only so much time and I'm rarely by myself for long periods of time (for example, I do most of my walking WITH someone, not alone; I flit back and forth between tasks at home; I can't listen to a podcast and work - but I CAN listen to music and still concentrate, so I listen to a crap ton of music!)
Podcasts aren't for everyone! I kind of feel bad that I never watch movies or television (made up people: Have you watched "Barbie" yet? Me: Nope. MUP: Do you think you'll see it soon? Me: Um. Probably never, to be honest.), but guess what? Those are types of culture that don't appeal to me, so I don't have to consume them. You can just write off podcasts because they aren't your jam!
DeleteYou certainly read a lot and in a way I think of as "diligent." My reading for pleasure is quite lackadaisical by comparison and based off of Book Review lists and blogs (esp. you, Harry Times, and Girl in a Boy House!). Still haven't been able to get into podcasts--perhaps too late for me at this point? But I love a good audio book on my commute. I really like non fiction books to listen to as I always learn something even from books like A People's History I've read many times before.
ReplyDeleteDiligent makes it sound like reading is homework for me. It really isn't! It's what I love doing and would be doing every second of the day if I could!
DeleteSimilar to you, I get a lot of book suggestions from other bloggers. But I would say my main source of books is Sarah's Bookshelves Live. My reading tastes tend to be very similar to her, so if she loves a book, I'm likely to love it as well. I also get book ideas from a couple other podcasts (currently reading and From the front porch). Otherwise I get them from friends. I used to get book suggestions from goodreads but now I am rarely on there except to mark a book as read. I don't keep my to read lists there anymore - instead I have a TBR list in Libby that I go to when I have a hold available.
ReplyDeleteI very rarely add new podcasts to my feed unless they are a shorter series like The Retrievals. I am woefully behind on podcast listening! So I am not looking to add something unless someone really really raves about it. Like Stephany raved about The Podcast and I finally started listening last winter and it is such a delight. I am not really someone that laughs out loud much but that podcast really makes me laugh or at least smile aggressively! That happened on a run on Sunday right when I was meeting another runner on the path. he probably thought i was aggressively grinning at him.
I'm on the fence about most book podcasts. It seems like it should be a perfect fit for me since it combines two things I really like, but I think that a lot of book podcasts focus more on literary fiction and I'm a genre girl. But, I am grateful for your Sarah's Bookshelves Live rec because that has been a handy source of recommendations and there's a wealth of old episodes to listen to!
DeleteI read every day, but I don't listen to audiobooks except very occasionally on drives (I prefer music then) and I don't listen to podcasts - I always mean to, but I think I might have audio processing issues. I've been on Goodreads since my kids were little and asked me if I knew how many books I'd read, and I get a lot of suggestions from there, in the 'if you liked this you might like this'. I also find books just looking around at my library ebooks at whatever comes up along with what I'm specifically searching. I love Book Riot's newsletters, especially for horror and diversity reads, and diversity horror reads. I'm in a Book Bingo Facebook group that, as you said, broadens my reading scope, or sometimes just focuses it. I find it a bit amusing that we're all still hunting for new titles even though I assume everyone, like me, has a To Be Read list that would circle the globe several times over.
ReplyDeleteI do think it's funny that I'm actively looking to expand my TBR. I mean, as you say, it's already out of control. But I LOVE the process of researching what books to read, too. It's all part of the joy of the hunt for me. What book will be perfect?
DeleteBlogs are a great source of book recommendations. I have gotten so many good reads from reading blogs! I also like "bookstagram" a lot, although I haven't been as tuned in lately; the algorithm seems to think that if I like a post about a specific book, I only want to see posts about that exact same book. My husband is a great source of book ideas, too -- he reads all the lists about what's hot and what's new, and he always keeps an eye out for books he thinks I would like.
ReplyDeleteI am not a good podcast listener! I feel like all my free ear time is devoted to books.
I struggle a lot more with audiobooks than I do with podcasts, but I feel like I'm in the minority on that in bloglandia. It's one of the reasons why I generally listen to series on audiobook because if I read one book in a series and I can enjoy it, I'll probably be able to enjoy others. I always feel like listening to a book is a commitment (even short books are 5-6 hours), but a podcast is SHORT. That appeals to me.
DeleteI love this topic!
ReplyDeleteFor books, I get the majority of my recommendations from podcasts (Sarah's Book Shelves Live and Currently Reading are my go-to's) and use other bloggers to vet books for me. For example, Lisa and I are fairly similar in our reading tastes so I trust her opinion on books that I would like! I also get a daily Goodreads digest of what books my friends on GR are reading/rating, so sometimes I may put a book on my TBR if a friend is raving about it.
For podcasts, I get most of my recommendations from blogsnark, too! They have rarely steered me wrong, but I don't think I am AS picky about my podcasts as you are.
I am very picky about podcasts and I wish I could be more articulate about what bothers me about some and not others. I should probably do some interrogating my feelings about this, but I don't really want to. LOL. I'll just talk up good podcasts and basically ignore bad podcasts (although Happy Face was REALLY bad).
DeleteI love hearing where people get their recs! Most of my book and podcast recommendations are from friends. I also get book recs from podcasts, and look a the Available Now section on Libby.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the Available Now section in Libby is trying to get me to read the same three dozen books! LOL.
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