Thursday, August 08, 2024

Podcast Roundup August 2024: The International Edition

Look, I need to be honest with you. I'm watching too much Olympics and I'm drowning trying to keep up with everything. I'm also going to be out of town this weekend and have no idea when I'm going to read the CBBC book, let alone do a post. Oh, well. What I'm saying is that I'm going to throw this post up for today and take a couple of days off to try and regroup. 

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I want to talk about two investigative podcasts from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and one podcast episode from the UK today. Nothing from the US! I'm growing.

First up, have you all heard about Broomgate? It's about a controversy in the sport of curling. CURLING! Oddly riveting, although all the dudes are Canadians who speak and sound exactly the same and the narrator didn't do the best job of reminding us who was who, so if that's going to drive you batty, maybe stay away. If you're mostly just interested in how a podcast about curling could be interesting, then please listen! 

(I have a colleague from grad school who has been a curling champion for his national team FOUR times, has a gold medal in a European championship, and still coaches award-winning junior teams, ALONG WITH BEING A GREAT SCHOLAR as his full-time job. Sometimes I wonder what I'm even doing with my life. I don't want to out my colleague, but if you want to know, yes, he does have a curling podcast and if you email me, I'll send it to you.)


Up next is another CBC podcast called Come By Chance. A rural hospital primarily for childbirth in Newfoundland just mixes up the babies. As you do. And the consequences are about as terrible as you might think. I didn't expect to be quite so upset as I was by the end. 
And then! Today in Focus had an episode called "Inside the Biggest Art Fraud in US History" and I was legitimately blown away by the whole thing because I'd never heard of any of it! Good stuff. 


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Quick reminder to CBBC folks to send in an image of your book. Even if you're reading it on your Kindle, you can maybe show me a photo of what cozy spot you're reading that Kindle. :) 

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I have a bit of a road trip coming up. What should I be listening to with my ears?



18 comments:

  1. I mostly listen to financial and adventure podcasts, so I don't think you would like them, and then my others are old standbys like The Moth and This American Life, which still amuse me. However, as you know, I also listen to a lot of audiobooks, and some are really good read out loud. You can even Google specific narrators and listen to ones they read. For example, Reese Witherspoon does a good job, and so do Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. Also many comedians narrate their own memoirs and some of those are pretty funny (others are really bad though!) I guess if you liked a specific comedian, you may like their audiobook.

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    1. Ha ha ha. We're going to have to disagree on celebrities narrating audiobooks. I listened to The Dutch House with Tom Hanks and was so distracted by his narration! I'd prefer to just have it be someone I know nothing about so it's a blank slate. I do have preferred narrators, though. Julia Whelan turns meh books into great ones!

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  2. Hi Engie! I am actually almost done reading ICTC because it's a library book and it has to go back soon. I missed the convo on Monday so I'll have to go back and look to see what everyone thought. I don't love reading ahead for the CBBC but what can you do. Hopefully I'll send you a photo today. Good luck on your road trip, I had one this past week as well.
    I know about those podcasts but have never listened to them. I have been enjoying the Dear Prudence podcast, which is an advice column.

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    1. Dear Prudence is a podcast! I'll have to check it out!

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  3. One minute ago I did not know about the curling podcast but now that I do...how can I not listen to it?

    My latest podcast crush is one that I got from Nicole. Glamorous Trash recaps celebrity memoirs.

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    1. You MUST listen to the curling podcast. It is not mandatory homework.

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  4. I have tried curling twice in my life. The sport and I did not get aLONG VERY WELL. (CASLOCK)

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    1. You've tried it twice more than I have then.

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  5. I am behind on ICTC because I did not request it early enough and was surprised to find there is a wait list for the ebook. So now I am waiting for the physical book to come in. I read the first 3 chapters via a sample on Libby. I will catch up eventually, though!

    I mostly listen to book-related podcasts and then a hodge podge of other stuff, but nothing I would strongly recommend!

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    1. There's a copy of ICTC on Archive. You can search it and read it on your phone/computer. It's not ideal, but then you can keep up until your copy comes in.
      https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.5223

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  6. I love podcasts and will be checking these out. The art one sounds particularly interesting to me. I hope you have a lovely road trip!

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    1. The art one was so fascinating. How are these giant crimes happening and I've never heard of them?!

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  7. Well I can recommend "The Rest is History" which my son and I listened to on our car trip. We listened to all four episodes on the murder of archduke Franz Ferdinand, and then I went on to listen to all six episodes of "The Road to the Great War." It was fascinating, especially since it was the perfect companion to Fall of Giants, which i was reading at the same time.

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    1. We have a course called "The Great War" at my university and my dean and I have a joke about whether or not students know that the Great War is WWI. Maybe those podcasts should be prerequisite listening for them!

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  8. Podcasts are fun to listen to, though I admit it's been a little bit since I have listened to one. I'm curious about that curling one though. Hmmm.

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    1. Podcasts aren't everyone's jam. I can see how they might not fit into everyone's life, but they really work in mine.

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  9. I like podcasts. I usually listening to freelance business and female business podcasts as well as creative/artist podcasts. But lately I am lacking in this department. Then I listen to some book podcasts and the one from my husband.
    I rarely listen to news or true crime or such things.

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    1. I actually deleted the podcast app from my phone because it was taking up too much space, so I'm not listening to them very much, either! But someday podcasts will come back into my life, I'm sure.

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