9 episodes
All Books Aloud Elizabeth Brookbank & Martha Brookbank
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- Arts
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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Elizabeth and Martha are two sisters who love reading in all of its forms. Elizabeth is an academic librarian by day and fiction writer by night with a lifelong obsession with all things reading and books. Martha is a busy professional who came to her love of reading later in life, but now she’s an audiobook power user. Every two weeks we chat about the books we’re reading and delve a little deeper into a topic related to reading or publishing. We ask questions like, “Does listening to a book count as reading?” “Are genres a good or bad thing?” and “Do you finish every book you start?” If you love reading, nerding out about books, and sassy millennial hot takes, this podcast is for you!
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Are books good holiday gifts?
We say yes! But there's a way to do it well. As with any type of gift-giving, there are some pitfalls to avoid... For example, arbitrarily giving a book to someone because you like it, or because you've latched on to one detail about them and thus neglected the bigger picture. But never fear! We’ll help you match the right book to the right person using reading doorways. (If you haven't listened to our bonus episode about reading doorways...what are you waiting for?!)
Bonus: we’re offering a bookish holiday gift guide as a supplement to this episode. Check it out on our website at: allbooksaloudpod.com/giftguide
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Books we're reading in this episode:
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keech
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
Main Character Energy by Jamie Varon
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Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves.
Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at allbooksaloudpod@gmail.com. And if you want to learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com.
If you liked this episode, please consider leaving us a review to help us reach more listeners.
And if you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.
Read on! -
How do you read so much?
If you're a reader, you've probably had someone ask you this question. We unpack what this question sometimes really means (How do you have so much free time? Must be nice having no obligations! I'm so busy I could never find time to read. You must be some kind of a superhero!) and explore the roots of some of these false beliefs about reading. We then talk about tips and tricks for reading more if you or someone you know is asking this question in earnest. Part sass, part research, and part practical suggestions - this episode has it all!
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Books we're reading in this episode:
And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi with Bruce Henderson
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
In Love with George Eliot by Kathy O'Shaughnessy
Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women series book #3) by Evie Dunmore
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Sources listed in the order they appear in the episode:
Quote Investigator®. 2010. “Time You Enjoy Wasting Is Not Wasted Time.” June 11, 2010. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/06/11/time-you-enjoy/. Tucker, Ian. 2011. “The Shallows by Nicholas Carr – Review.” The Guardian, July 2 2011. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jul/03/shallows-nicholas-carr-internet-neurology.Mills, Kim. 2023. “Why Our Attention Spans Are Shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD.” American Psychological Association, February 2023. https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/attention-spans.-----------------------
Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves.
Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at allbooksaloudpod@gmail.com. And if you want to learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com.
If you liked this episode, please consider leaving us a review to help us reach more listeners.
And if you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.
Read on! -
BONUS: Could reading doorways be a substitute for genres?
In this bonus episode, we talk about something that didn't come up in the genres episode but should have. It’s a concept called the four reading doorways. Could it be an alternative to genres? Nancy Pearl thinks so! Join as we talk about what the four reading doorways are, learn how they're useful when recommending books to others, and explore how they show up in our own reading.
Sources:
Pearl, Nancy. “Check It Out with Nancy Pearl: Finding That Next Good Book.” March 16, 2012. Publishers Weekly. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/nancy-pearl/article/51109-check-it-out-with-nancy-pearl-finding-that-next-good-book.html. Childs, Tera Lynn. “Nancy Pearl’s Four Doors to Reading.” February 20, 2014. https://teralynnchilds.com/nancy-pearls-four-doors-reading/. -----------------------
Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves.
Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at allbooksaloudpod@gmail.com. And if you want to learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com.
If you liked this episode, please consider leaving us a review to help us reach more listeners.
And if you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.
Read on! -
Can you separate the book from the author?
CW: discussions of sexual assault and other crimes, racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bigotry, as well as Zionism (all in reference to books and authors from the 19th/20th centuries, rather than to current news).
Can you separate the book from the author? The art from the artist? What do we do with books that were written by people with views that we disagree with or who have done things we find morally objectionable? Can we entirely put these scruples aside and appreciate art on it's aesthetic merits alone? If not, and we stop consuming all art created by people who have done or said things we don't like, will there be any art left? Can we make some kind of rule or sliding scale (severity of crime vs. greatness of art...?) that will work for every situation? What about when the art was formative for us and holds a very important place in our life? What about when the art is based on something that really happened? What about when the offense the artist committed is something that we have personally survived?
You might not be surprised to learn that we were not able to answer all these questions and solve the world's problems in this episode! But, we did grapple mightily with these questions and ended up in a place we both feel comfortable with. Will you feel the same? Listen to find out!
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Books we're reading in this episode:
In Love with George Eliot by Kathy O'Shaughnessy
Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women series book #3) by Evie Dunmore
Babel by R.F. Kuang
The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood And Ash Series Book #3) by Jennifer L Armentrout
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Sources listed in the order they appear in the ep:
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/11/20/art-monstrous-men/ https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/feb/10/zionism-deronda-george-eliothttps://www.bl.uk/collection-items/silly-novels-by-lady-novelists-essay-by-george-eliothttps://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-edition-september-9-2018-1.4806985/the-forgotten-real-life-story-behind-lolita-1.4807124 https://hazlitt.net/longreads/real-lolita https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/roald-dahl-children-books-offensive-b2284965.htmlhttps://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/can-you-love-the-art-and-hate-the-artist-----------------------
Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves.
Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at allbooksaloudpod@gmail.com. And if you want to learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com.
If you liked this episode, please consider leaving us a review to help us reach more listeners.
And if you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.
Read on! -
What makes a good audiobook narrator?
What makes a good audiobook narrator? Is it enough to have a good voice? To be a good reader? A good actor? Something else? What about on the side of the reader? There are certainly things that make the experience of listening to an audiobook narrator better or worse for people. But are some of these things objective and common to everyone? Or is this a totally subjective preference? Join us as we dive into this topic!
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Books we're reading in this episode:
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Blame It On The Brontes by Annie Sereno
Adam Bede by George Eliot
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Sources:
Luis Daniel Gonzalez, How to Become an Audiobook Narrator, audible blog, August 23, 2021, https://www.audible.com/blog/article-how-to-become-an-audiobook-narrator.-----------------------
Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves.
Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at allbooksaloudpod@gmail.com. And if you want to learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com.
If you liked this episode, please consider leaving us a review to help us reach more listeners.
And if you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.
Read on! -
Do genres help or hinder your reading?
Do genres help or hinder your reading? Some people are very loyal to their genres of choice. Genres can be a way to connect with other readers, provide a language to talk about books you love using tropes, and help steer you in the direction of books you may like when you visit a bookstore. Genres can also help narrow down the world of reading choices. But do they narrow that world too much? Do genres keep you from reading books and discovering new types of stories you may enjoy? Do you enjoy different genres when you're reading in different formats? Are some genres objectively better or more beneficial than others? And what about books that fit into multiple genres?
Whether you only read certain genres or you read without reference to genre - or you're somewhere in between! - this conversation will give you something to think about. Join us as we wade into the world of genres.
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Books we're reading in this episode:
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Under the Henfluence by Tove Danovich
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Throne of Glass series and Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas
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Sources (links provided when available and citations shortened to fit) listed in the order they appear in the episode:
Dwyer, Meredyth, and Sandra Martin‐Chang. 2023. “Fact from Fiction: The Learning Benefits of Listening to Historical Fiction.” https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2177.Fong, Katrina, Justin B Mullin, and Raymond A Mar. 2013. “What You Read Matters: The Role of Fiction Genre in Predicting Interpersonal Sensitivity.” https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034084.Jensen, Jakob D., et al. 2016. “Narrative Transportability, Leisure Reading, and Genre Preference in Children 9-13 Years Old.” https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1034351.Kidd, David Comer, and Emanuele Castano. 2013. “Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind.”https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239918.Mar, Raymond A., et al. 2006. “Bookworms Versus Nerds: Exposure to Fiction Versus Non-Fiction, Divergent Associations with Social Ability, and the Simulation of Fictional Social Worlds.” https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2005.08.002.Mar, Raymond A., Keith Oatley, and Jordan B. Peterson. 2009. “Exploring the Link Between Reading Fiction and Empathy: Ruling Out Individual Differences and Examining Outcomes.” https://doi.org/10.1515/COMM.2009.025.Panero, Maria Eugenia, et al. 2016. “Does Reading a Single Passage of Literary Fiction Really Improve Theory of Mind? An Attempt at Replication.” https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000064.-----------------------
Intro and outro music: "The Chase," by Aves.
Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas for future episodes? Email us at allbooksaloudpod@gmail.com. And if you want to learn more about the podcast, visit our website at allbooksaloudpod.com.
If you liked this episode, please consider leaving us a review to help us reach more listeners.
And if you'd like to see more bookish content from Martha & Elizabeth, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @allbooksaloudpod.
Read on!