Sleepy Time Tales - Bedtime Stories for Sleep and Relaxation

*Hey friends, hopefully this is the last of my reposts as life settles down from an unexpected move, enjoy this one from the achives* Welcome to our latest podcast for those who struggle with insomnia or simply need a calming and relaxing activity before drifting off to dreamland. In today's episode of "Soothing Bedtime Stories," we feature some of the most inspiring and empowering sto...

REPOST: Birds and their nests by Mary Howitt *Hey all, I’m super busy with a move so nothing fresh for you this week, for which I’m sorry, but I won’t leave you sleepless, so here’s this lovely introduction to Birds and Their Nests which has been popular with listeners Next week will probably also be a repost as I get settled in and wait for internet, but normal service should resume around mid-au...

A History of Art for Beginners and Students: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture As you get ready to sleep tonight, find yourself engrossed in the stories of some of the great Florentine master of renaissance art. We pick up the story of the great Leonardo Da Vinci and he moves from patron to patron. Then as you doze off in your bed we move on to the cranky Michealangelo who denied his families desi...

A Mysterious Tale for Bedtime The Wood Beyond the World by William Morris In this week's episode of "Sleepy Time Tales," close your eyes and listen along to the tale of Golden Walter as he travels across the mysterious new world and encounters a strange Dwarf, a beautiful maiden with whom he promptly falls in love and the beautiful and intimidating Lady. Feel the call of sleep come as...

Sleep time - Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies by David P. Todd – Telescopes, Spectrographs and Altitude In this week's episode of "Sleepy Time Tales," we dive into the mesmerizing world of astronomy with a soothing exploration of "Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies" by David P. Todd. We'll discuss the invaluable role of the spectroscope in unravellin...

The Republic by Plato Philosophy seems the ideal thing to listen to to help you sleep. I recorded this in the middle of the day and completely zoned out and nearly dozed off so I can barely tell you what the conversation between Socrates and his friends was about. So I’m confident that the discussion of whether God can create evil, whether children should learn from false fables and ummmm, other s...

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen For this week’s bedtime story for all ages, drift off to sleep amidst tales of romantic shenanigans, manipulation, and gossip from the world of Jane Austen. Join us as we recount the latest entanglements in Meryton: Jane's romance seems doomed, Lizzy's cousin shifts his attention to a neighbor, and Mrs. Bennet is as insufferable as ever. With a soothing n...

The ethics of rhetoric by Richard M. Weaver Ever wondered about the differences between rhetoric and dialectic? Or the moral obligations of the rhetorician? Probably not, and I’m not sure if you will learn anything here because this is truly the most boring thing to read to you at bed time. I make very few guarantees, but this *will* help you sleep. Story (02:43)    Find The Ethics of Rhetoric by...

Bellarion the Fortunate – Historical Adventures to Help You Sleep We pick up out classic bedtime tale as Bellarion and the strange friar accept the hospitality of a family of peasants. The friar nearly leaves Bellarion behind and his strange behaviour becomes stranger until they get a ride with some mules. After lunch, and hopefully after you’ve fallen asleep, though the truth of the identity of t...

A Series of Letters to Help You Sleep Elizabeth Montagu was a power player in politics and women’s suffrage later in life, and her earlier letters are a fascinating insight into the precocious mind and attitudes of a woman of her day. But if like me the appeal of gossip is limited, I’m sure this will help you fall asleep. Story (03:04)    Find Elizabeth Montagu, the Queen of the Bluestockings, Vol...

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery – Heartbreak and Hope at Bedtime We return to this popular classic bedtime story as Matthew Cuthbert is bringing home his unexpected new family member. While he was expecting a boy for manual labour he finds himself charmed by the lively and gregarious Anne. But as you start to fall asleep, they get to Green Gables and the forbidding Marilla is less charmed...

 The Dark Ages, 476-918 by Charles Oman – The Eastern Emperors This week’s sleepy episode sees us return to the ‘dark ages.’ When the mighty Roman Empire split in half the western half, the part actually based in Italy, was ruled by a succession of barbarian kings. But in the East, based in Constantinople, the empire was ruled by a number of Emperors who considered themselves Roman and had a perio...

The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories by Lord Dunsany – The Fall of Babbelkund Lord Dunsany can be relied on for something whimsical and mystical, and this week’s reading of The Fall of Babbelkund, an ancient and wondrous city. As you try to doze off the protagonist meets several people telling of the wonders and mysteries of the city carved from a mountain. Will you still be awake when they mee...

Rides on Railways by Samuel Sidney   - A Tour To Help You Sleep Hop aboard for a soothing journey from the bustling town of Woburn to the historic spires of Oxford in this special episode of our podcast. We'll be taking a leisurely ride on the railways, exploring the picturesque landscapes and charming towns along the way.   But beware, dear listeners! As we delve into Samuel Sidney's &#34...

The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley I was worried picking what was supposedly the first post apocalyptic novel for this podcast, but it’s taking forever to get there and we pick up this week with out protagonist returning home with his sick friend, and a budding romance with the distractingly named young woman Idris. But Idris and Adrian’s noble mother does not approve of the match up and...

Birds and their nests by Mary Howitt – Nightingales, Larks and More Oh My! We pick up with this listener favourite and learn the mating and nesting habits of several birds, including beloved songbirds like Nightingales, Skylarks and more. We learn how they migrate, about attempts to introduce some of the birds to new areas and the parenting habits of birds like plovers. A lot of cute stories in he...

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald   Pt 03 – Sleepy Stories of Parties and Scandal This week’s bedtime story for all ages picks up with our protagonist at a party at the house of his cousin’s husband’s mistress, and it is every bit as awkward as you expect. The story then moves to another party that’s awkward in its own way as he receives an invite to Gatsby’s house and is immersed in the mid...

The book of the ancient Greeks by Dorothy Mills – Part 06. Athens and the Greek Colonies We pick up in this week’s boring episode with Solon establishing the new rules of what we might call democracy in Athens, the resistance to the new way and the founding of the Greek colonies in Asia Minor. It’s a fascinating period of history, but as always I’m confident that the way I’m telling it will see yo...

Night and Day by Virginia Woolf This is a meditative reading from Viginia Woolf’s classic novel at Katharine Hilbery and her mother are going through the process of compiling the letters and information for the biography of their great ancestor. We learn a lot about the family, but I’m sure I won’t keep you awake as we discuss Katheirne’s methods for organising paperwork and keeping her mother in...

Old Glass and How to Collect it by J. Sydney Lewis We return to the popular non-fiction work, Old Glass and How to Collect it by J. Sydney Lewis which is just the recipe to help you sleep. We pick up learning about the glass produced in Ireland, the taxes and levies that wiped out the Irish glass industry, then move on to learning about novelty glasses, including popular yard glasses, which you ca...

Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne We continue this classic adventure on the frigate Abraham Lincoln as it passes from the Atlantic through the Straits of Magellan and into the Pacific Ocean. As we meet legendary harpooner Ned Land the ship searches for the mysterious and dangerous ‘Narwal’ only to find nothing. The ocean shows know sign of the ‘Unicorn’ as the crew searches from...

Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions by Charles Mackay We pick up this week learning about how private enterprise came up with the plan to save the English economy by exploiting the new frontiers of South America through forming the South Sea Company in 1711. Driven by the promise of ships full of gold coming from the native tribes of the New World a frenzy of speculation in stocks in the co...

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett   In this sleepy time reading of The Secret Garden we pick up with Dickon and Mary in the garden, deciding whether poor Colin will be helped by some fresh air and sunshine. They decide to try persuade him to come out with them, but events take a turn when she’s too busy to visit Colin and the two of them have a fight. Events get tense in a funny way and...

The Elements of Geology by William Harmon Norton For this week’s sleepy story we return to the popular Elements of Geology. Learning about the formation of rivers valleys and geological deposits will definitely not keep your attention as you lie down to sleep. I recorded this yesterday and I can barely remember the specifics, but learn about how deposits form the curves in rivers, salt lakes and m...

Discussions With Spirits And Worms Will Help You Sleep The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World by The Duchess of Newcastle This novel is supposedly one of the first science fiction novels, and it’s certainly an artifact of its time, even if not exactly a rollicking story. The Empress, from out world, is still investigating the nature of the place she finds herself in. and Summons...