I’ve mentioned a few times lately that when I work on my home-related projects, I keep myself entertained by listening to podcasts and audio books. Every time I mention that, I have a few people request a post where I share what I’ve been listening to. Since I just finished up a good audio book last night, I thought this would be a great day to share!
I thought it might be fun to make this a regular thing (maybe monthly), so I can share what I’ve been listening to, and y’all can give me suggestions for the next month. My favorite genre of podcasts is true crime, but I don’t like the gory stuff. So white collar crime, scammers, and those types of things are my favorites. As far as audio books, I’m pretty open, but I do like suspenseful stories, stories with an unexpected twist at the end, etc. I’m a bit harder to please with audio books than I am with podcasts. For some reason, I find podcasts so much more enjoyable. So here’s what I’ve been listening to over the last few weeks.
Podcasts
The Moth podcast is one of my all-time regular favorites. If I’m between podcasts or audio books, I’ll always go back to The Moth and listen to episodes I’ve missed. It’s a podcast where people tell their personal stories in front of live audiences. Some people are born storytellers and know instinctively how to captivate a crowd. For others, it may be their first time speaking in front of a crowd, so you can tell they’re nervous. Some stories are funny, some are heartwarming, and some are real tear-jerkers. But I just love hearing real people’s real stories from their lives. The one starting at the 20-minute mark in this episode is one of the most memorable stories I’ve ever heard. I have a weakness for true crime shows, podcasts, and stories, and this story was a good one. At the end, my jaw was on the floor. If you listen to it, listen all the way to the end.
Scamanda a fascinating podcast about a woman who scammed people not only in her own church and community, but also online. After allegedly being diagnosed with cancer, she started a blog to share her journey of living with cancer, cancer treatments, etc. Her blog was being read by people all over the country, and also throughout the world. She regularly asked for money to help with medical costs and related costs, and people generously gave to help meet her needs. She went on unchallenged until an investigative reporter received an anonymous tip urging her to look into this woman’s claims. You can probably see where this is going, and it’s just unimaginable that she was able to keep this scam going for as long as she did.
Agent of Betrayal: The Double Life of Robert Hanssen is a podcast about FBI special agent Robert Hanssen who became a spy for the Soviets during the Cold War, and then for Russian intelligence after the fall of the Soviet Union, handing over classified documents from the late 1970s until he was caught in 2001. The Department of Justice called his actions “possibly the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history,” and his espionage led directly to the torture and deaths of many people, including many assets in Russia. How he evaded suspicion for so long is amazing and fascinating and infuriating, especially when there were signs, as well as people trying to bring attention to some of his questionable behavior. One of those people included his own wife.
Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down A Drug Lord is about identical twins Jay and Pete Flores who worked directly for El Chapo and were the biggest drug traffickers in North America until they decided they wanted out of the cartel, out of that lifestyle, and wanted to turn themselves in to the American government and cooperate to bring down their employer and associates. This podcast isn’t just about them, but it’s done in an interview style with these two men and their wives. They not only tell about their lives as drug traffickers, but also about their years (a decade) of working with the government, their incarceration, and their post-incarceration life. Listening to them tell about the moment they escaped Mexico (especially the wives and family members, who did not have the help of the American government to escape) was one of the most interesting, hair-raising, edge-of-my-seat moments of the podcast.
Books
Wrong Place Wrong Time: A Novel by Gillian McAllister is about a woman who helplessly watches through the window of her house on Halloween night as she sees her 18-year-old son murder a man on the street who she believes to be a complete stranger, and the journey back in time that she goes on to right this wrong. It has time travel, mystery, and intrigue. It’s a very good book, definitely worth the read (or listen).
The Women by Kristin Hannah (affiliate link) is my favorite book that I’ve listened to in the last few weeks. It takes place during the Vietnam War, and the story focuses on one woman in particular. Francis “Frankie” McGrath was raised by wealthy parents in Southern California, but when her brother went to fight in Vietnam, she decided that she also wanted to serve her country by going to Vietnam as a nurse. The story follows her time in Vietnam, as well as her very rocky transition back into civilian life after her service, and the aftermath of how all of that affected her mind, her life, her decisions, etc. It’s a very real, raw, emotional story, and although it’s fictions, it was apparent to me that the author did a lot of research in writing the story.
That’s what I’ve been listening to lately. How about you? Do you have any book or podcast recommendations for a gal who loves true (non gory) crime and stories with intrigue and surprise twist endings?
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.