At Books and Sensibility, we don’t just listen to audiobooks, we listen to tons and tons of podcasts. So, After listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour’s “Favorite Podcast of 2016” episode, we started thinking about all great podcasts we heard this year. Here are our favorite episodes from 2016
1. “When A Tamale Determines The Presidency”
The Sporkful
In this podcast all about eating Dan Pashman explores the intricacies and complications that arise when it comes to food on the campaign trail.
2. “Stuff That Happens in Books But Would Not Fly in Real Life”
Scandalicious and The Nerd Herd
Scandal and her panel of romance novel loving nerds discuss the tropes they love in their romance novels, but would never allow in real life. This panel is always hilarious together and I think we’d have 50% less think pieces on romance if non-romance readers listened to this episode.
3. “Flying Food”
99% Invisible
Once you listen to this episode you won’t be able to unsee all the “flying food” used in fast food advertisements. Roman Mars and his production crew make this very visual topic ready for your ears.
4. “Debatable”
RadioLab
If you think a podcast about science can’t tell the compelling story of how a pair of queer black men shook up the very white world of college debate, then you would be wrong.
5. “What’s So Funny About The Indian Accent”
Code Switch
A podcast about race and culture, this thoughtful and funny episode has a group of Indians and Indian-Americans sit down to figure out what’s so funny about the Indian accent. And yes, they talk about Apu from the Simpsons
6. “Fantasy, Movies, Shows and Books”
Pop Rocket
This episode was recorded after the shootings in Orlando and other tragedies around the world . The host come together over the realities of what’s happening IRL, while still talking about the function of fantasy in popular culture. Also, I still kind of lol’d over one of Wynter Mitchell’s thoughts on why there aren’t more black people in fantasy. Basically it’s: ain’t nobody got time for that.
7. “Disappeared”
Reply All (2nd story)
When the host of this podcast learns that he completely misrepresented the origins of the phrase ‘Yas, Queen’ he apologizes and then reports a story on the origin of the phrase in drag balls in the 1980s and the often erased people the phrase belongs to.
8. “Gaming the System”
Start Up
A two part episode about a group of friends in a struggling Internet start up in the early 2000s that has had billion-dollar success in recent years. Can you guess the startup before it’s revealed at the end ?
9. “Put Some Respeck on Self Publishing’s Name“
Girl, Have You Read
Self-publishing gets a lot of judgment, but for may romance writers it’s their way to a new career. In this episode two indie authors give a transparent look into what it means financially to self-publish…including giving real numbers. It is fascinating.
10. “Couples Who Read Together”
Smart Podcast, Trashy Books
Who said men don’t read romance ? In this round table, two married couples talk about how they started reading romance together, their shared love of romance novels, and the men dish on what does and doesn’t work for them in romance.
11. “Kittens Kick The Giggly Blue Robot All Summer”
More Perfect
What starts out as a podcast about the origins of the Supreme Court’s power divulges into an account of rogue politicians, feuding cousins and…80’s movie tropes ? Seriously, Lin Manuel Miranda, where you at ?
12. “Diana Guerrero on Debt and Deportation”
Death, Sex and Money
Orange Is the New Black star Diana Guerrero gives an intimate look at her life as a first generation Colombian immigrant and what happens after her parents are deported.
13. “Are We There Yet ?” and “Don’t Have To Live Like A Refugee”
This American Life
Speaking of intimate looks at broad issues, the This American Life team did two episodes on what it is like at Syrian refugee camps in Greece. Stories of people who are tying to survive and also maybe find a cell phone charger.
14. “The Election”
Read it and Weep
This comedy podcast reviews bad books movies and TV but sometimes they get a little meta and this year they reviewed. . . the election. Everyone is having conversations following this year’s elections so why not eavesdrop on a group of friends talking it out amongst themselves with some laughs along the way.
15. “Spring of Success Jennifer Weiner (Tour of Duty)”
Book Fight
This spring, the thoughtful but sometimes bawdy pair of writers went back to read a successful author’s first piece of published work and examine that author’s path to success. This is the last episode in the series and they come to some interesting conclusions about success in the literary world.
16.”Covering 2016 As A Muslim”
NPR Politics
NPR Politics usually features weekly political break downs or updates on breaking news, but in this episode Asma Khalid sheds her reporter role to discuss what it was like being a Muslim woman covering the 2016 campaign.