If you’re anything like me, when you’re not reading, you’re listening to a podcast. I love to listen to podcasts while going on walks, driving, or cleaning up around the house. It’s a great way to learn random useless facts, whether it be long-forgotten historical lore, fun facts about an endangered species, or a hot girl’s guide to summer. And what could be better to help you hyperfixate than pairing your next read with a podcast?
Here are a variety of podcast and book pairings that span across genres. There’s sure to be something for everyone that will keep you interested and learning all kinds of new random things.
To Help You Reinvent Yourself
First up is one of my favorite podcasts, Trying Not To Care, hosted by Ashley Corbo. It is a self-help podcast meant for those who care too much about what others think or are constantly comparing themselves with others. Corbo talks about her experiences with bad relationships, friendship breakups, and pursuing her dreams. She gives advice just like an older sister might, and tries to inspire her listeners, but also herself, as she is right there figuring it all out with you.
If older sister’s advice is the vibe you are looking for, pair this podcast with Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton. This book is a memoir filled with Alderton’s advice and reflections on how she made it through her twenties. This book matches the lighthearted advice of Trying Not To Care, giving us the stories, mistakes, and lessons learned, not to mention a delicious hangover mac and cheese recipe.
Discovering Dark Legends and Myths Reimagined
The next podcast pick is Myths and Legends, hosted by Jason Weiser and Carissa Weiser. They share multicultural myths, legends, and folklore. The Weisers give a comical and modern retelling of legends, like King Arthur, Hercules, and others that are lesser known. They highlight the satirical nature of these stories and how they have shaped the history and culture of the world we know today.
Keeping with the theme of myths and legends, Rebecca Stott’s Dark Earth transports readers to a little-known world in A.D. 500. This is an imaginative story of two sisters exiled when their father is accused of using dark magic. It weaves together many mythological themes to create a tale all of its own, which takes place in the abandoned ruins of the historic Roman settlement of Londinium. It’s an unusual portrait of the past and the myths that shape it.
History Through a Female Gaze
Sue Monk Kidd’s The Book of Longings is a book that tells the radically reimagined story of the New Testament. The story follows Ana, who fights against the repressive society of the first century to have her voice heard. While it is entirely fictional, it serves as a reminder of the forgotten historical impact of women throughout the centuries and leaves room to imagine women’s place in history.
If you are interested in a more factual account of history and you like the idea of history reimagined through the female point of view, the podcast The History Chicks is a great pairing. Hosts Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider get into all the unknown stories of women throughout history that people have overlooked for centuries. There are innumerable historical figures to learn about like Pocahontas, Mrs. Claus (that’s right, Santa Claus’s wife), Barbie, and so many more.
To See the Natural World in a New Light
If you have a fascination with National Geographic or Animal Planet, then you will love the podcast Nerdy About Nature. Ross Reid, the host of Nerdy About Nature, chats with experts from all different ecosystems to educate listeners on the importance and interconnectedness of our natural systems. From orca whales and climate change to how to protect our forests and indigenous teachings, Reid captures everything you could want to know about nature.
The book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer serves as a great pairing to Nerdy About Nature. Similar to Reid, one of Kimmerer’s missions with Braiding Sweetgrass is to highlight the interconnectedness of the natural world. It emphasizes humans’ relationship with nature and the relationship and understanding indigenous people have of the sacred cycles of nature.
For Those With a Way With Words
The Idiot by Elif Batuman is a fascinating and intellectual take on linguistics and intercultural communication, coupled with romance and a dry, witty humor. The book follows Selin, a Turkish-American student in her first year at Harvard. Selin is fascinated with language and meaning, and as she studies Russian and Hungarian, she also learns about her place in the world. It will make you think about the world in a way you had never considered before.
A great podcast pairing that will have you analyzing cultural phrases and words we often take for granted, just like Selin, is A Way With Words, hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. This podcast takes callers and explores slang, expressions, and sayings old and new. It also gets into the history of words, linguistics, and grammar, so you will have a new understanding of language and become an unstoppable Scrabble player.
Tap Into Your Wild Side
The Rewilding Podcast is hosted by Peter Michael Bauer, an anthropologist who is interested in how we can reconnect with the natural world and our ancient wild human ancestors to combat the problems arising in contemporary society. He chats with guests in related fields to uncover what we can do to “rewild” ourselves and live the lives that the earth intended for us.
The book The Salt Path by Raynor Winn takes on a similar message. It is a memoir about Raynor Winn and her husband, Moth Winn, as they decide to walk the South West Coast Path in England and reconnect with nature after humans let them down. Moth Winn is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and they lose their home and most of their money. They decide to embark on this journey, leaving society behind for a simpler way of life, ready to learn all that nature can teach them.
Editor’s Note: Since this article’s publication, The Observer has released a piece challenging the veracity of claims made by The Salt Path and its author, Raynor Winn. We encourage readers to exercise their own judgement before purchasing.
It’s always fun to dive a little deeper into the topics you find interesting, whether it be through reading about it in a book or listening to a podcast. Now you can spend endless hours becoming an expert on the topics of these intriguing pairs.
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Find these books and more on our Bookstr Team Recommendations bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
