Back before telecommuting changed everything, I was a devoted audiobook fan. Whether I was driving that long slog on Ga. 400 between my home in East Atlanta and the AJC office in Dunwoody or taking MARTA, I occupied myself every commute by listening to a book.
I recall listening to some life-altering books during that time, too: John Irving’s “A Prayer for Owen Meany,” Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me Go,” Junot Diaz’s “The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao.” And I listened to popular thrillers like Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” and Paula Hawkins’ “The Girl on the Train.” They had me circling blocks, loathe to press pause because I’d arrived at my destination.
Today my lifestyle doesn’t require long commutes so my audiobook consumption has fallen by the wayside. Now podcasts fill the void, providing entertainment and enlightenment on my short jaunts around town. Generally, my tastes run to true crime or celebrity talk shows like “Smartless” and “Wiser Than Me,” but that’s about to change since I recently discovered some new-to-me podcasts about books and authors.
First on my radar: “Alabama Aloud” with Don Noble. Troy University Public Radio, which serves its home state of Alabama as well as western Georgia, has launched its second season of this podcast that features the reading of a short story by an Alabama author in its entirety.
The host and narrator is Don Noble ― host of the Alabama Public Television’s author interview program “Bookmark,” a book reviewer for Alabama Public Radio and professor emeritus of English at the University of Alabama ― who does an outstanding job bringing the stories to life. His telling of Lee Smith’s 1990 short story “Me and My Baby View the Eclipse,” about a small-town affair between mismatched lovers, is pure delight.
Previously featured stories were written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Truman Capote, Daniel Wallace and Tom Franklin. Upcoming stories this season, which has already begun, will highlight the works of Anthony Grooms, Anita Garner and Ravi Howard, among others.
Is there any better way to mitigate the frustrations of Atlanta traffic than listening to a spellbinding story by a master of the craft? I can’t think of one. It’s a brilliant idea that should be replicated.
To my knowledge, there’s no Georgia equivalent to “Alabama Aloud,” but in my search for one, I came across “From the Front Porch,” which describes itself as “a podcast about books, small business and life in the South.”
The host is Annie B. Jones, the charming owner of The Bookshelf bookstore in “beautiful downtown Thomasville.” The slickly produced show is a clever marketing tool for the store, but that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining and informative. It’s a great way to stay current on new releases.
Every week Jones drops a chatty, freewheeling episode featuring guests like her mom, Susie, or staff members Olivia Schaffer and Erin Fielding, who join her to talk about new releases or to recap the books they read the previous month. Speaking of which, Jones is a prodigious reader, having read an impressive 13 books in June.
Earlier this month Jones produced an episode called “Best Books of the Year (So Far) with Hunter,” featuring bookstagrammer Hunter McLendon. Among the titles Jones highlighted were “James” by Percival Everett, “Long Island Compromise” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner and “Grief Is for People” by Sloane Crosley, all of which goes to show that she has really good taste.
“From the Front Porch” is just one of many ways Jones engages with her patrons. She also offers bonus podcasts and video Q&As for paying members, a Shelf Subscription book-a-month club, Was the Book Better? movie watch parties, silent reading hours with wine, children’s story time and more. Next time I’m in that part of the state, I’m definitely stopping by to check it out.
For something a little closer to home and more Georgia-centric, GPB produces “Narrative Edge,” hosted by Peter Biello and Orlando Montoya, who are also hosts of “All Things Considered.” In bimonthly segments that run from 12 to 20 minutes, the self-described “book nerds” discuss a select book by a local author. They also incorporate prerecorded clips of commentary from the writer.
Recent episodes take a deep dive into “One Blood” by Denene Millner, “The Curators” by Maggie Nye and “Bomb Island” by Stephen Hundley.
It’s a great way to stay abreast of local authors on the literary scene.
Suzanne Van Atten is a book critic and contributing editor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She may be reached at Suzanne.VanAtten@ajc.com.
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