Podcasting
Paperback Readers is the podcast about books that my husband and I record together. We talk about the books we have each finished, and we discuss one or two books we have recently both read, and it is so much fun.
Right now we record every two weeks, and while we have always talked about books together, we spend those two weeks talking even more, with more focus. We run through the books we will discuss, and we make sure we have read something together. We share ideas for what might be up next. I jot ideas sometimes in my book journal to hang onto thoughts about what I’ve been reading so I don’t forget things I want to say.
I’m reminded of what I used to tell my students about reading: you’ve got to have a purpose beyond the-teacher-said-I-have-to. What is motivating you? What gets you excited? Joe and I have always been avid readers, but I am interested in the ways I see our reading shifting as we narrow down those two weeks, how we toss the phones aside and make sure we are finishing books, how we debate over what we want to say, how we share snippets of favorite parts and their impacts.
Having a purpose in reading sharpens everything, and having someone to share it heightens the impact. My students and I always talked about how our interpretation of what we read is is more fully developed when we hear what others thought, that good reading is a true conversation--you listen well to what the author says and what others say, and the two work together with your own experiences to inform your thoughts about the text. Everyone is enriched when we talk about how we read and the connections we made, because sharing our interpretations help us all develop empathy and wider ways of seeing a world that, left on our own, can sometimes just reinforce our own ideas. Consuming books is a sweet, delicious treat, but sharing them leads to a healthy perception and an expanded view of life
That’s what we’re trying to do with our podcast! If you’re interested, the newest episode came out Sunday night. You can listen on Apple, Google, or Stitcher, or you can click here for my podcast page. This week, we talked about Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom, which I also wrote about here. Please feel free to join in the conversation about books through email or comment. We would love to hear from you and have you be a part of the discussion.