Tag: NPR

Link Love

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Here are some of my favorite things I found around the internet this week:

  • If you are a fan of Bravo and a fan of podcasts, you’ve probably heard of “Watch What Crappens.” If not, this interview provides a nice introduction. I do a happy dance every time a new episode is released and it makes me laugh out loud in public (never a good idea on the quiet car of the MARC train) and watch more Bravo shows than I already did just to get the context of their jokes. I like it so much that I recently became a patron via Patreon for the very first time to show support and get access to the bonus content. It’s hilarious.
  • I actually found this last week, but I have a feeling I will be revisiting it for a while. Each year, NPR puts out their best-of lists, and they are always chock full of excellent recommendations. If the library revokes my card for placing too many holds at once, this list is to blame.
  • I really enjoyed this article about Jane and Kurt Vonnegut and how she helped his writing ambitions come to fruition.
  • Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple weeks, you’ve likely heard of the Netflix documentary series, Making a Murderer. If you haven’t watched it, here is a nice intro and I seriously recommend that you check it out. I won’t go into where I landed on Steven Avery’s guilt, but I will say that it literally kept me on the edge of my seat and I’ve thought about it every day since.

Happy perusing and happy weekend!

Link Love

KelleyLeave a comment

Here are some of my favorite things I found around the internet this week:

  • I’m struggling this winter. I struggle with SAD every winter, but this winter feels more never ending than usual. Most of the DC region had a snow day on Monday and it both helped and hurt. So, I related to NPR’s Linda Holmes’ Monkey See article on Making Peace with Snow Days and Seasons.
  • Megan Amram, prolific Tweeter, writer for Parks and Recreation, and all around funny gal, wrote a book that I’m super excited to read! But in the meantime, I enjoyed this illustrated interview with her on The Rumpus.
  • BookRiot posted a fun article on Literary/Pop Culture mashups.
  • This American Life has done two fantastic shows about the issue of policing and race in America. Part one is here and part two is here.
  • This American Life also did a fascinating episode where they replayed a BBC documentary about William Burroughs (author of Naked Lunch.)
  • Time posted an interview with the wonderful Rainbow Rowell, where she discusses her upcoming novel, Carry On, which will be released in October!  Is it too early to start squeeing?
  • I recently discovered the podcast, Watch What Crappens, where Ben “B-side” Mandelker and Ronnie Karam discuss Bravo reality shows, and I’m SO glad I did. I’ve been a fan of B-Side ever since his TVgasm recaps of Laguna Beach routinely made me laugh until I cried, and Ronnie’s recaps of Real Housewives shows do the same. This podcast is snarky and hilarious and if you like Bravo shows, you will love it.

Happy perusing and happy weekend!

Link Love

KelleyLeave a comment

Here are some of my favorite things I found around the internet this week:

Happy perusing and happy weekend!

Podcasts I Love: Pop Culture Happy Hour

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NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour Podcast

I was perusing podcasts late last year, and found Pop Culture Happy Hour. My interest was immediately piqued. It’s an NPR podcast featuring NPR employees discussing the wide spanning miscellany of pop culture, so I assumed the discussions would be interesting and smart.  It’s hosted by Linda Holmes, who used to write for Television Without Pity (RIP), and I will follow the writers of that site anywhere (and its creators to previously.tv!)

So I gave it a listen, and am so glad I did. The discussions are even smarter than I’d hoped, and I appreciate the thought-provoking analysis (even if they sometimes go over a little over my head and make me do homework so that I can keep up.) I’ve added countless books to my TBR list thanks to recommendations, and countless songs to my Spotify playlist thanks to Stephen Thompson’s boundless enthusiasm for music. I’ve been introduced to movies, books and shows that I probably never would have considered, the most recent being Saga based on the unanimous proclamation that it’s worth reading.

So if you’re a fan of pop culture and great discussions, you should definitely check out Pop Culture Happy Hour. New episodes are posted every Friday and small batch episodes are posted throughout the week.

And if you’re so inclined, you should check out NPR’s Monkey See blog, where Linda and various contributors write about all things pop culture.

Link Love

KelleyLeave a comment

Here are my favorite things I found around the internet this week:

  • Unless you were hanging out under a rock yesterday, you are probably aware that the much anticipated trailer for Fifty Shades of Grey made its debut:
  • Entertainment Weekly had a fun article comparing the trailer to the book. Not gonna lie, my interest is piqued.
  • Ira Glass discussed how he works in an article on Lifehacker. I really liked this bit:

    Is there anything else you’d like to add that might be interesting to readers/fans?

    I’d just say to aspiring journalists or writers—who I meet a lot of—do it now. Don’t wait for permission to make something that’s interesting or amusing to you. Just do it now. Don’t wait. Find a story idea, start making it, give yourself a deadline, show it to people who’ll give you notes to make it better. Don’t wait till you’re older, or in some better job than you have now. Don’t wait for anything. Don’t wait till some magical story idea drops into your lap. That’s not where ideas come from. Go looking for an idea and it’ll show up. Begin now. Be a fucking soldier about it and be tough.

  • A friend shared this article about book hoarding and I found it really relateable and interesting.
  • NPR had an interesting piece on the increasing profitability of self-publishing.
  • Why readers, scientifically, are the best people to fall in love with.
  • I really liked this BookRiot article on “How Reading Out Loud Almost Saved My Marriage.” I love reading to people and being read to. It’s probably part of why I loved Fangirl so much.
  • This week’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast features a really interesting conversation about geography (specifically the middle of the continental U.S.) and a few of my favorite authors.
  • The Rumpus featured an interesting take on the romance fiction genre & feminism.

Happy perusing and happy weekend!