My Favorite Fiction Podcast and Book Pairings: Spooky Edition

My family and I have been so busy lately that finding time to read has been extremely difficult. As someone who always has an earbud in and a podcast playing, I’ve come across a few fiction podcast gems that have completely sucked me into their worlds and made me slightly obsessed. I have always enjoyed audiobooks and still listen to several a month, but there is just something different about a story in podcast form. Maybe it’s all the time I spent watching soap operas growing up, but the short episodes filled with a wide range of characters and multiple concurrent storylines has always been the best way to keep my attention and interest.

Some of these podcasts are no longer active, but all their episodes are available for listening. Some have some pretty intense content warnings so definitely check their websites for details.

Because I loved:

I listened to:

Old Gods of Appalachia. Created by Steve Shell and Cam Collins, this horror anthology podcast is set in an alternate Appalachia and features dark gods, magical people, and intricate storytelling. Steve Shell’s voice is almost disturbingly perfect for the narration of these stories and the full cast episodes are absolutely haunting. It’s highly recommended that you begin with episode 1 and continue in episode order. This is one of my absolute favorite podcasts.

Unwell: A Midwestern Gothic Mystery is a fabulous full cast fiction podcast. Lillian Harper returns home to care for her estranged mother and discovers that there is so much more to the small town of Mt. Absalom. Centered around the boarding house her mother runs, Unwell is full of ghosts, creepy mysteries, and disturbing happenings in the woods.

Because I loved:

I listened to:

After losing his job, Nate moves across the country with his precious dog Bella and discovers a disturbing stash of letters in the cellar of his rental house. As Nate tries to uncover the mystery of his new house, he documents it all in podcast form with some….mixed results. I really love this one and luckily, the third season is coming soon!

I’m pretty sure I was the last person on earth to discover this fantastic podcast. Jonathon Sims is the new head archivist of the mysterious Magnus Institute. As Jonathon begins the overwhelming task of organizing and recording disturbing witness statements that were left in disarray from the previous archivist, Jonathan uncovers a disturbingly dark side of the Institute. Full cast, completely engrossing and horrifying, it’s no wonder it has won ALL the awards.

What are your favorite spooky podcasts?

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Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley

Available Now

This cover is so cute!

Readers, this book is so much fun! It’s a super light and funny rom-com that will be a perfect book for a day at the beach or reading in the park. I found myself laughing out loud and the banter between characters is *chef’s kiss*! 

Kara is a romance writer on a strict deadline for her next book. Frustrated by writer’s block, Kara is pouring her focus into being the best maid of honor her best friend could ask for. At the pre-wedding party, Kara runs into her college ex Ryan, the man who broke her heart and inspired her career as a romance novelist. Of course, Ryan just happens to be the best friend of the groom, a fact that no one knew about until that night. And wouldn’t you know it, fate keeps pushing Kara and Ryan together in unexpected ways, causing the two to rehash their past and try to move on as friends for the sake of the wedding. 

And guess what? Sparks fly and Kara is suddenly inspired to write her novel! That’s right, Ryan is the breakthrough that Kara needed to get her novel done on time and before her long awaited trip to Italy. But how can a man who has so thoroughly broken her heart inspire such a steamy historical romance novel? How can the two maintain a civil relationship while also spending so much time together for the wedding? Why is he still so handsome and funny? Can you love a man’s dog more than him?

That’s right, there’s not just a complicated and super hot romance developing between Kara and Ryan. There’s also an adorable and loveable pooch who just wants to sleep on your bathroom floor and listen to Celine Dion. 

I loved this book! It’s such a fun and light read that was entertaining from start to finish. The chemistry between Kara and Ryan was electric and their banter was beyond anything I’ve read before. As a booklover, I loved how much Kara loved her books and was completely unapologetic about her love of romance novels. Duke, our loveable goofball pooch, was a delight in this book. It’s quite possible that I loved Duke more than Ryan and I don’t feel bad about it at all. The final conflict in this book was such that I didn’t know how the author was going to be able to bring them back together but she really pulled it off. This is a great second-chance romance and I couldn’t recommend it more!

Interested in owning a copy for yourself? You can find ordering information here:

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are definitely my own. 

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Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker

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Around the time that Seanan McGuire won the Locus Award for her amazing novel Middlegame, I was able to scoop it up on a great ebook deal and fell in love with the story of Roger and Dodger. Combining alchemy, secret organizations, and a powerful friendship, Middlegame is a complex and action filled story with an absolutely explosive ending. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading this one, I highly, highly recommend you read it before picking up Over the Woodward Wall.

Now, why all the fuss about Middlegame? The alchemical lore found throughout Middlegame is told through the children's book series about an impossible city in the Up-and-Under found in the book Over the Woodward Wall. We know from Middlegame that A. Deborah Baker was a powerful alchemist who used the books to slowly influence readers into believing the principles required for bringing the Doctrine into the world. Roger and Dodger both grew up reading the books and slowly begin to see the connections between their story and that of Zib and Avery.

Readers-it's the book from the book! I love a book from a book.

In Over the Woodward Wall, we learn the full story of how Avery and Zib meet, through a strange series of events, and discover a large wall that mysteriously appears in their neighborhood. Avery and Zib can't be more different in their views on the wall what course of action they should pursue. As the two children cross the wall and enter the land of the Up-and-Under, they meet unlikely creatures and hear tales of a Queen of Wands who will give the children the ending of their story's adventure and return them home. Finding the Impossible City via the improbable road is far more challenging than the children expect and their very different ways of thinking and solving puzzles often puts them at odds. But the children discover they have a connection and a shared goal and sometimes, that is the most important thing you need in an unlikely adventure.

I loved this story. It's such a fast paced adventure packed with interesting characters. Avery and Zib felt incredibly real and had genuine reactions to every obstacle and puzzle. I'm a big fan of the book within a book and after reading this, went back and reread Middlegame to find all the connections between the two stories. The Up-and-Under felt like a twisted combination of the worlds found in The Wizard of Oz and Wonderland. There were talking owls, a Crow Girl, and a deep understanding that everything made sense to everyone except for Avery and Zib.

Over the Woodward Wall is another excellent book from Seanan McGuire and is a must read for those who enjoyed Middlegame.

Want to add this title to your collection? Click on the cover for ordering information.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.