Entertainment

my favorite podcasts and a few recent audiobooks I’ve enjoyed!

11.10

The Best Podcasts | My Favorite Murder, On Heir, Armchair Expert and More!

MY CURRENT FAVORITE PODCASTS

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve likely heard me talk about my love of Podcasts! I listen to them all. the. time. They keep me company on walks, I listen when I’m getting ready in the morning, when I’m flying somewhere new, lying by the pool, and really anywhere else I might want some solo entertainment. I’ve listened to A LOT of podcasts, but below are my favorites. And yes, I’ve listened to Serial, Up & Vanished, Dirty John, Dr. Death and liked them all – I’ve found I just prefer true crime podcasts that cover a new case in each episode, vs one case spanning many episodes. With that said, I’m super excited for Dirty John the TV show – it’s based on the true story and podcast, and will star Connie Britton and Eric Bana… amazing!

MY FAVORITE MURDER

I was introduced to this podcast by my friend Mallory, and it was the first podcast that got me hooked on podcasts! It’s a true crime/comedy podcast by two women, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. They’ve built an empire from this show, and for good reason! It’s really entertaining. Although the subject matter can be dark at times, these two always find a way to put a light, humorous spin on it. Each episode starts with about 30 minutes of banter – they catch up, talk about what’s going on that week, etc. Not everyone loves that, but I enjoy it! Then both women are in charge of covering one case each, so you hear two cases per episode. A new full episode is released every Thursday! They also have “minisodes” which are short episodes every Monday featuring listener’s hometown murders and other creepy stories people send in.

ARMCHAIR EXPERT

This podcast is a newer one on my radar, but I’ve LOVED it so far! It’s hosted by Dax Shepherd, who is so funny, charming, and seems just like a rad dude. Plus, he’s married to Kristen Bell… so he’s gotta be great, right? Each week he releases at least one (sometimes more!) interview with a fellow actor, writer, comedian or other celebrity. They talk about everything, from how they grew up, some of their insecurities and demons, their biggest successes, and everything in between. He’s had some pretty amazing people on, but so far my favorite interviews have been with his old Parenthood co-stars (Lauren Graham, Mae Whitman, Erica Christensen), Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Ellen Degeneres, Amy Schumer, Matthew Lillard, and Lena Dunham. There are LOTS! Honestly, they’re all pretty funny and fascinating.

ON HEIR

Want the inside scoop on the royals? Subscribe to On Heir. The hosts are royal reporters (and experts!) Omid Scobie and Emily Andrews. They both live in London and are actual royal commentators (as opposed to just fans), so I feel like of all the royal podcasts theirs is likely the most accurate! They’ve got a great energy and I always feel like I’m learning something new when they dish on the latest royal gossip, news and events.

CRIME JUNKIE

If you’re into true crime but not into the banter that My Favorite Murder does each episode, check out this podcast! The episodes are shorter, usually around 45 minutes and jump straight into the case. Each week features a different case and they deep dive into it. This one is also not true crime/comedy, but just true crime. The female hosts are lighthearted about it though, so it’s not just doom and gloom!

IN THE LIMELIGHT

Another great podcast to follow if you enjoy celebrity and royal gossip is In the Limelight! It’s run by Vanity Fair’s Josh Duboff and Julie Miller, who cover entertainment for the magazine. In The Limelight’s approach is definitely more gossip-oriented as opposed to On Heir which seems a bit more like serious reporting, but I’m here for all of it nonetheless. They’ve got great commentary about royal style, Markle family drama, supposed altercations within the royal family, etc. Definitely entertaining!

SMALL TOWN DICKS

This is another true crime podcast I LOVE! I wish they did more episodes. The hosts are Yeardley Smith (the voice of Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons!), and Zibby Allen (an actress with various roles over the years, but I remember her recurring on Grey’s Anatomy a bunch!!), as well as their two friends who happen to be twins and both are detectives in small town USA (Detective Dan and Dave). Similar to Crime Junkie, Small Town Dicks covers a new case each episode and they jump right in. The cases are all real, mostly recent and ones you’ve likely never heard of. They cover murders, sex crimes, interesting burglary cases, and more. I love that they aren’t cases that have been done before a million times, so it really is new each and every episode! They also invite guests on the show depending on who worked on what case, so that’s fun too. Highly recommend!

ROYALLY OBSESSED

The last royal podcast I want to recommend is Royally Obsessed! These girls are more like me… aka fan-girling over the royals, sharing commentary on their outfits, gossip and more. The hosts both write about the royals for their jobs too (for Cosmo, NY Mag, and more!), so I feel like they also have a good sense of what’s up. It’s a cute, lighthearted podcast that’ll give you the 45 minute royal briefing you need each week!

CASEFILE

This podcast is a great true crime one too! The major difference about this one is the host is Australian and a majority of the cases are based over there. I’m into that though, because like I said, the well-known US cases have already been done (and done, and done)! Each episode is about an hour long and focuses on one specific case each time. I really enjoy the stories and his accent – although I know that’s been tricky for some people to get past. I’ve heard it from a few that he’s hard to understand, but I think if you just get past a few episodes you’ll get used to it. It’s never bothered me!

GENERATION WHY

The reason I enjoy this podcast is because on top of covering murders, they cover a lot of missing persons cases, mysteries and other unsolved crimes. I’ve found I haven’t heard of quite a few of the cases they cover, so I don’t like I’m listening to the same stuff over and over again. The only thing that annoys me about this podcast is the hosts tend to mess up with grammatical errors pretty often. I’m just a stickler for it, so maybe it just bothers me!! Give it a shot though… I still listen to it regardless!

A FEW RECENT AUDIOBOOKS I’VE ENJOYED

I’m ashamed to admit I don’t read very often, mostly because I spend so much of my day reading, writing, editing and skimming articles for my blog. By the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is read one more thing… so I usually turn to TV. It’s so mindless and easy for me to unwind! With that said, I LOVE to read.. and apparently love to listen! Most walks I go on, flights I take, minutes I’m cooking in the kitchen are spent with a podcast playing in the background. So when I ran out of new episodes earlier this year, I decided to download Audible and start listening to books on tape. Best decision ever! It takes me awhile to get through each book because I only listen from 30 minutes to an hour every day (or every other day). Only when I’m traveling am I really able to make a huge dent! Regardless, now I always have something to listen to and I can finally read the long list of books that’s been on my list for ages now.

THE ALICE NETWORK

This is the most recent audiobook I finished! I actually finished it yesterday while I was getting ready. A bunch of my followers on InstaStories recommended I read this, as it is similar to Lilac Girls. A bunch of people said it was better, but I’m not sure I agree. Both were great reads, but I think I enjoyed Lilac Girls better – not entirely sure why, but I think it’s because we also heard the story from the perspective of one of the villains. Anyway, The Alice Network follows the story of American Charlie who is looking for her French cousin after World War II, and flashes back to World War II to follow the story of undercover spy, Eve. Similar to Lilac Girls, the two stories come together. Great read!

LILAC GIRLS

If you love reading about WWII or the Holocaust (history OR historical fiction!), you will enjoy this book. Lilac Girls follows the stories of three very different women before, during and after World War II, and how their lives become entangled and intersect because of it. There were parts of the book that seemed a little cheesy to me, but I’d mostly blame the narrators accents for that. The storyline itself wasn’t cheesy whatsoever! I really enjoyed it and it didn’t take me long to finish. I have also downloaded The Nightingale, which I’ve heard is similar to Lilac Girls and The Alice Network. Stay tuned for my feedback!

BORN A CRIME

To be honest, I didn’t know much about Trevor Noah until I read this book. I knew he hosted The Daily Show, but other than that I was in the dark. I saw so many awesome reviews for his self-narrated audio book on Audible, so I decided to download it. MAN, is this book/his life story interesting! He was born to a black mother and white father in apartheid South Africa (which forbade people of different races from procreating/being together), so he literally was Born a Crime. His tales of childhood and family life, making friends, various jobs he had growing up, and tidbits about the politics at the time are all so eye-opening. Trevor Noah is charming, witty, hilarious, relatable and honest – such a great autobiography. This book is one you need to listen to and not read… TRUST.

WHOEVER FIGHTS MONSTERS

If you’re a true crime junkie like I am, this one is worth a read. This book was written by Robert Ressler, the FBI agent who coined the term “Serial Killer” and created the system the agency uses to profile such criminals. His stories are at times scary and dark, but definitely more matter of fact. The book isn’t meant to scare you, but it’s more of Ressler just talking about the interviews he did with various killers, how he was able to identify certain characteristics and begin profiling. The only major con to this audiobook is I really didn’t love the narrator’s voice – it sort of irked me the whole time!! This might be a book to read instead of listen to…

BEFORE WE WERE YOURS

To be honest, when I read the book description I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. It had so many great reviews though, so I decided to give it a shot! I’m so glad I did, because I ended up loving it. It follows the story of a few children in the 30’s and a 30’s something woman in present day, and how their lives are connected. It’s a mystery of sorts, as it takes awhile to discover the connection between the two… and with that comes the revelation of more secrets and lies. Definitely a page-turner!

SOMETHING IN THE WATER

This was another book I was a little hesitant about, because I’d read a couple others like it right before and didn’t end up loving them. This story was pretty great though! I felt like once you got there, the ending was pretty predictable. BUT, I really didn’t know what was going to happen up until the last chapter or so. An exciting story with a little love, money, danger, death, etc. All the makings of a good read!

THE LAST BLACK UNICORN

Narrated by Tiffany Haddish herself, this audio book was both hilarious and fascinating. Her life has been full of so many ups and downs, and she tells her story in a way only she could. I loved absolutely every minute of listening to this! There are some darker moments, but Haddish comes out on top. I’m pretty I sure I finished this one in just a few days.


PS: there are a number of other books I listened to that I didn’t love as much… just in case you are wondering, those were The Couple Next Door, The Secrets She Keeps, Sometimes I Lie, and a few others. I’ve also been trying to listen to Little Fires Everywhere for the last few months and just can’t seem to get into it!

What are you guys reading at the moment? Anything you think I should add to my list?

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