The Listener by Sheena Wilkinson

I have always been a lover of audio content. When I was ten, I used my first cassette recorder to make my own radio programmes, Cherry’s Chat (I can still remember the jingle, written and performed by me of course, and aren’t you lucky there isn’t an audio facility on this blog?) and Arthur’s Book Reviews (I was going through an Arthur Ransome phase) as well as numerous phone-ins where I did all the voices -- though I have absolutely no memory of what the conversations were about, my interests at the time being mostly reading and animals. (So maybe things haven't changed much.)  

I love music too – I remember travelling by bus to Prague in 1992 with my Sony Walkman and five cassettes – but I prefer to be distracted and entertained by the spoken word, so when podcasts and BBC Sounds became a thing I was an enthusiastic adopter. I’ve always liked to read while cleaning my teeth/doing the hoovering/ cooking the dinner etc but it’s amazing how much more productive I am with a podcast or audio book on instead and both hands free.

I walk for miles every day and having something to listen makes me walk further and more joyfully – and yes, I know I should be appreciating nature and thinking beautiful thoughts but I can do all three; as a freelance writer I’m an inveterate multi-tasker.

So what do I listen to? Well, it depends on my mood and what else I'm doing, but at any one time I will tend to have on the go –

An audio book in the car – a physical CD from the local library. I often to listen things which are a little more romantic/saga-ish than the books I read with my eyes, simply because the library’s stock of physical audio books is probably geared towards an older demographic (though in fairness I am 56).

An audio book on my phone, again from the local library service, borrowed through the Libby or Borrowbox apps. If you don’t know these apps, they are wonderful: all you need is a library card and you have access to thousands of books. I have heard people say that audiobooks don’t count as reading: I think this is nonsense. Of course it’s a different reading experience than reading the words with your eyes, but I don’t see how it’s any less valid. 

From BBC Sounds: episodes of The Archers, plus The Archers podcast; Brain of Britain or Round Britain Quiz according to the season, and lots of drama content. I have exhausted the archive of Desert Island Discs, but I thoroughly recommend it, especially for listening to favourite (long-dead) writers. 

From my podcast app: whatever takes my fancy, and I go through phases, but some podcasts I have been loyal to, and which might be of interest to ABBA followers are: 

Writer's Routine, with Dan Simpson, is the ultimate podcast for writers who are interested in other writers' routines. Dan interviews a wide variety of writers, some very well known, others less so, and the conversation is always insightful. I often find myself talking back (which must look and sound odd, but luckily I am usually walking in lonely places), saying 'Yes! I do that!' or, 'Gosh, that's a funny way to do it,' or, 'Hmm, I might try that.' Definitely a writer's podcast. 

I am also very fond of the eclectic Tea or Books, which has introduced me to many books I might not otherwise have known. 

About to celebrate its tenth anniversary, this jolly, friendly podcast involves friends and book bloggers Simon (Stuck in a Book) and Rachel (Book Snob) talking about -- yes, books. There's a preponderance for the mid-century, which is why it appeals so much to me, but they do cover a wide range of reading. A typical episode will include a dilemma/ question -- for example, Can literary fiction be a comfort read?; Resolved or unresolved endings?; Do we care about authors' personal lives? followed by a comparison of two books. I have been listening for so long that it feels like eavesdropping on two pals chatting about books I'm likely to enjoy. 

Finally, because I haven't mentioned the Chalet School for, oh, it must be a couple of months, the exuberant Tophole! Hosted by Chalet Fan Deborah Lofts, and often featuring a chat with her sister Wendy, this too is a friendly, knowledgable chat about the Chalet School and related matters. 

These are only a few of my regular podast listens -- I am also very fond of Sheduunit, How to Fail, Off Air, and pretty much anything which features an interview with writers I like. I don't seem to like switching off from words, but listening to podcasts or audio books, or radio shows, at least stops me talking and gets me listening. 

I'm sure many readers have their own recommendations!