Podcasts

Are you looking for some information about how past events relate to current events? What You Missed In History Class: The Spanish Flu is a great example of the past teaching about today. 

Reading about a pandemic right not is not something I care to do. Grace recently read Pale Rider which about The Spanish Flu and the history of the flu.  She enjoyed the book, but admitted that it might not have been the best time to read it.

I agree with her. Reading a several hundred page book about a pandemic is not really what I need right now. However, listening to a podcast is something that I can definitely do right now.

A podcast is short and condensed information that is perfect for learning without being overwhelmed.

One of the podcasts that I love and listen to often is Stuff You Missed In History Class. I have listened to quite a few of their episodes over the last couple of years. 

When I saw that they replayed an episode from 2014 on the Spanish Flu, I knew that I needed to listen to it. It was only thirty five minutes long, so I knew I could totally handle the information without being overwhelmed. 

The Spanish Flu killed over 20 million people and infected over 500 million. There was no cure and no way to really treat it.

There were so many unknowns at this time. Many of the things we now know about the Spanish Flu were learned after the pandemic. 

We are currently living through historic times. There is so much about our current situation that is new. But there is also so much that has happened in past pandemics. 

What I loved about this episode of What You Missed In History Class is that it was a reminder that other generations have survived a similar thing. It was also a good reminder that much about a pandemic is learned after the pandemic is over. 

Much of the medical advice given during the Spanish Flu was not the best medical advice. You can’t have all the facts and information while you are living the event. 

It was also a reminder that many things haven’t changed. Did you know that many areas required face coverings during the Spanish Flu? You couldn’t go out in public without your face covered. 

Did you also know that after the Spanish Flu was over there was a lot of debate on whether or not those face covering helped? 

I am not trying to say a face mask doesn’t work. But it does makes you think about the fact that there are so many unknowns when you are living through an event like the Spanish Flu or any other pandemic. 

One of the great things about knowing your history is that you can learn from it. It can also be an encouragement that we can get through this just like past generations have. 

If you want some basic facts about The Spanish Flu and how it relates to current events, I highly recommend What You Missed In History Class: The Flu of 1918.

It is time to share another favorite podcast with you! Today’s favorite podcast is all about books and reading.

Not only do I love reading, I love to learn new things. Podcasts helps me do that. I like listening to audio books, but I find myself listening to podcasts even more.

An audio book is a big commitment time wise, but podcasts are usual short and don’t take as much time. I can easily listen to a whole podcast episode while exercising or cleaning house. 

Some of my favorite podcasts involve books and reading. That is probably not a big surprise.

A few weeks ago, I discovered a podcast called Nonfiction 4 Life. As soon as I read what the podcast was about, I knew I had to listen to a few episodes. It is a podcast all about nonfiction books. 

It is no secret that we love nonfiction. Most of our favorite books are nonfiction books, so a podcast all about nonfiction books is one that I thought we would love. 

This week I listened to the Becoming Dr. Seuss episode 103 and loved it. The host of Nonfiction 4 Life interviewed the author of the book Becoming Dr. Seuss.

Most of us grew up reading Dr. Seuss books, but I do not think that most of us know much about the man who wrote these children’s books. 

I found this podcast episode fascinating.  It was a look into how Theodor Geisel went from writing ads to a children’s author. It shared a look into his education, his family life, and a look at how some of his most popular book came to be. 

If you love biographies and learning behind the scenes things, I think you will love this episode of Nonfiction 4 Life. I really enjoyed this short look into Dr. Seuss’s life. I can’t wait to read the book Becoming Dr. Suess, so that I can learn even more about his life. If you have read the book, I would love to hear what you thought of it. 

If you love nonfiction books, I think you will enjoy Nonfiction 4 Life podcast. I have listened to the episodes below and enjoyed them all. 

Episode 103 interview with the author of Becoming Dr. Seuss

Episode 107 interview with the author of Born Survivors

Episode 109 interview with the author of Living Well Despite Adversity

It is time to share another favorite podcast with you! Today’s favorite podcast is all about books and reading. Have you heard of He Read She Read? 

I have had this post ready in draft for several weeks, but hadn’t published it yet. I was able to meet Chelsey and Curtis, the hosts of He Read She Read, when I attended Anne Bogels book event at Magic City Books. The event was great and meeting Chelsey and Curtis was a nice surprise. They were just like they are on the podcast and Curtis even recommended a book, which I ended up buying. After meeting them, I knew it was time to finally hit publish on this post.

Not only do I love reading, I love to learn new things. Podcasts helps me do that. I like listening to audio books, but I find myself listening to podcasts even more.

An audio book is a big commitment time wise, but podcasts are usual short. I can easily listen to a whole podcast episode while exercising or cleaning house. 

Some of my favorite podcasts involve books and reading. That is probably not a big surprise.

One of the podcasts that I have been enjoying recently is He Read She Read. It is a podcast about reading hosted by a husband and wife.

I really enjoy the podcast in general and the interactions and conversations of Chelsey and Curtis. But one of the things I love the most about the podcast is hearing what the husband is reading. He loves nonfiction and history and has great book recommendations. 

We love books and we love reading, but the majority of what we read are non-fiction or older books. So I love hearing the book reviews from Curtis of He Read She Read. He has great book recommendations that are similar to what our family reads. 

The books I got my husband for Christmas and birthday were from He Read She Read recommendations. 

Many books can be read and enjoyed by either men or women, but the reality is that many modern day books, especially fiction, are geared and marketed for women. I decided that I am probably not the only one wanting more book recommendations geared toward men. Or at least more recommendations from a history and science point of view that men would enjoy. 

Chelsey always has some great book recommendations and overall tips for your reading life too. She reads more fiction, which is another reason that I love He Read She Read. It always includes a wide range of books, both fiction and nonfiction. 

If you love nonfiction books and books in general as much as we do, or need some book recommendations for guys, be sure to check out He Read She Read. 

Do you have a favorite podcasts? We love finding new podcasts so leave a comment letting us know what your favorite podcast is to listen to. 

Audio books and podcasts are some of our favorite things to listen to. They are a great way to use your time and learn something while doing everyday tasks. They are also a great way for both kids and adults to learn.

You can often find us listening to them in the car, while doing housework, while exercising, and many other times.

It has been awhile since we shared podcasts that we are loving, so today I wanted to share a podcast that I recently found.

Have you listened to Mike Rowe’s podcast The Way I Heard It?

I discovered The Way I Heard It podcast a few months ago, and I love it.

I have never watched his T.V. show Dirty Jobs, but I know who Mike Rowe is and thought his podcast sounded interesting. After listening to a couple episodes, I knew I had a new podcasts to add to my playlist.

Why Is The Way I Heard It so good?

It is short. Most of the episodes are ten minutes or under. I love this about it. Many of the podcasts I listen to are longer ones. Some of my favorites are over an hour long. So I love having one that I can listen to in just a few minutes. It is great for shorter car trips or while working in the kitchen.

This morning I listened to episodes 119 and 122 while exercising, and I enjoyed them both. They were both about ten minutes long so it was perfect for the twenty minutes I spent on the elliptical exercising today, and they were both stories that I had never heard before.

It also keeps you guessing. Multiple times when I have been listening to the podcasts I think I know exactly who or what he is talking about, and I end up being totally wrong. It is fun to try to figure it out as I listen to it. Even if I am usually wrong.

It teaches you interesting and odd facts. I have learned something every time I have listened to one. The facts are lesser known or odd type of facts, so it is a great way to learn new things.

I also love Mike Rowe’s voice. Not everyone has a great voice for podcasts or audio in general, but Mike Rowe does. A great voice makes all the difference in a podcast. The content can be great, but if the voice isn’t good I wont’ listen to it.

Do you have a favorite podcast? I am always looking for new ones, so please leave a comment letting me know your favorites.

For more information about The Way I Heard It click here. 

Have a long car trip planned this week? We have some ideas for filling up that time in the car!

Our family has made a lot of car trips over the years. My family all lives in Oregon, and for years my in-laws lived in California.

Over the last twenty-four years that we have lived in Oklahoma, we have probably made at least twelve car trips to the West Coast. Yes, we often drive instead of fly.

We don’t usually drive this time of year. We usually take trips during the summer, but they are still long car trips, close to thirty hours in the car type of trips.

How do we fill our time? Audio books and podcasts.

I will admit that we also do some movie watching, but we have always had the rule that some of the time will be used for learning.

When you are in a car with nothing to do for hours, it is a great time to take advantage of it. Spend some time learning something new.

Since it is a holiday week and a lot of people will be traveling, I thought I would share a few podcasts that I listened to recently and really enjoyed.

The Same Page Podcast

• I shared about The Same Page Podcast a couple of months ago, but I wanted to mention it again because it is great for kids. Not all people have a great audio voice, especially when it comes to kids stuff, but she does. Both kids and adults will enjoy this one.

Stuff You Missed In History Class

I love the podcast Stuff You Missed In History Class. It is one of my favorite podcasts. I love that the episodes include enough information without being too long.

I have pretty much enjoyed all the ones that I have listened to so far, but here are a few of the episodes that I listened to recently and really enjoyed.

• The Radium Girls – The book on The Radium Girls has been in my to read pile for quite awhile. After listening to this, I decided that I need to move it up my list.
• Anne Byrn’s American Cookie– It is no secret that I love talking food. I do share all kinds of recipes and cooking tips over on Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures. This episode all about cookies in American was a fun one to listen to.
• Condensed History of Air Conditioning– I know that it is cold right now and most of us won’t be using our air conditioner anytime soon, but this was fascinating to listen to. I learned a lot from this one.
• The Georgia Gold Rush– I had not idea about this gold rush. I am guessing that unless you have lived in Georgia, you probably have never heard of it either.
• Levi Strauss– This was interesting if you love business type stories.
• Here Kitty Kitty, The Domestication of the Cat– I am not an animal lover. I like them, but I can’t say that I love them. However, this was very interesting on the history of cats.
• 3 Reformation Women: Katharina, Marguerite, and Jeanne– I have heard and read quite a lot about one of these women, but the other two I knew very little about.

From the Front Porch

• The Great American Read Revisited– I posted about The Great American Read this summer. My thoughts haven’t really changed on it, but I still enjoyed listening to Chris and Annie’s thoughts though. I don’t agree with them on everything about The Great American Read, but it was nice to hear that they agree with me on a lot of the books on the list.

Podcasts About Food

• A few months ago I shared a few of my favorite podcasts about food and food brands. You can find that list here.