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For the distracted among us

Graphic headphones around books
Sites and Casts

My reading these past few months has gone in fits and starts as life and world events have had a major impact on just what can grab and hold my attention. And when nothing can hold my attention for longer stretches of time, I turn to writing and podcasts about books rather than to the books themselves. If you're like me, then I offer some options for your shorter reading attention needs.

Literary Hub - According to their website "Literary Hub is an organizing principle in the service of literary culture, a single, trusted, daily source for all the news, ideas and richness of contemporary literary life. There is more great literary content online than ever before, but it is scattered, easily lost—with the help of its editorial partners, Lit Hub is a site readers can rely on for smart, engaged, entertaining writing about all things books." A great description, but one that doesn't capture the depth of material you'll find here. Take a look at recent articles or take a deep dive, there's plenty for you to browse.

CrimeReads is an offshoot of Lithub that offers all of the same kind of content, but about crime writing!

Lithub Radio, also an offshoot but this one is the full set of their podcasts about books and writing. So if listening is your preference at the moment, it's all here.

Well-Read Podcast is one that I discovered a couple years ago and just as quickly lost as they went on hiatus. But they came back. The hosts are libarians who pick a topic to read around or on for each cast. The nice thing is it's not all new books, so you'll find some older treasures that just may be available if you request them on hold.

Bookriot also keeps me in book news week to week (as well as producing some other of my regular podcast, Read or Dead, All the Books to name a couple).

None of this is hard and fast. I am still reading books but these are just a few of the places that I visit or listen to when my brain needs something smart and engaging and not book-length - with the added bonus of giving me titles to read for when I'm back to wanting to reading book-length.

 

Aug 10, 2020