Snoozecast

Tonight, we’ll read the 5th chapter to “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel. Our last episode was the chapter titled “Domestic Experiences” in which Meg navigates her life as newlyweds with John. She also grapples with the expectations placed upon her (and which she places on herself) as a married woman, striving to embody the...

Tonight, we’ll read from “The Red House Mystery” by A. A. Milne, published in 1922. This episode is dedicated to Kerry, who first recommended the author Milne to us. It was Milne’s only mystery novel, and yet it was immensely popular. It falls into the “locked room” whodunnit category. The setting is an English country house, where Mark Ablett has been entertaining a house party. The black sheep o...

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “The Patagonia” a story written by Henry James and published in 1888. Like many of James’s other stories, its origins were inspired by an anecdote relayed to him over the dinner table. It features a young woman on a long sea voyage going to meet the man to whom she is betrothed. This story also exemplifies two themes James is well known for. One being the contras...

Tonight, we shall read the next part to “Persuasion”, the last novel fully completed by Jane Austen, and published in 1817. The story concerns Anne Elliot, a twenty-seven year old Englishwoman, whose family moves in order to lower their expenses and reduce their debt, by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife. In the last episode, Admiral and Mrs. Croft visit Kellynch to the great satisfact...

Tonight, we’ll read the classic Norwegian folk tale “Soria Moria Castle” originally written by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, and collected in “The Red Fairy Book”. In this story, a poor, lazy son named Halvor is offered the opportunity to go sailing at sea. A storm blows the ship far off course. Halvor eventually finds a mysterious land and starts his journey towards a castle. Accordin...

Tonight, we’ll read a section from “At Home In the Smokies”, a History Handbook for Great Smoky Mountains National Park produced by the National Park Service and written by Wilma Dykeman and James Stokely. The Great Smoky Mountains, a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, are renowned for their breathtaking beauty and rich history. Straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, they...

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. In the last episode, Arronax is puzzled over the direction in which the Nautilus is heading, wondering if Nemo is aiming to reach the South Pole. They are so far south that there are only a few hours of darkness per night. The Nautilus navigates thro...

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “The Bad Little Owls” from the “Told at Twilight” series by John Breck. It was published in 1923. This episode first aired in May of 2021. A group of owls is called a parliament. This term supposedly originates from C.S. Lewis’ description of a meeting of owls in “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Many of the avian collective nouns originate in an anonymously published...

Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast original tale about a furry friend. After 2 weeks of rain showers, Olive, the family’s “sassy senior” jack russell terrier takes it upon herself to bring an end to the ongoing downpour with the help of some other city creatures. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to  snoozecast.com/plus ! Learn more about your ad choice...

Tonight, we’ll read the 15th chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Anne’s Confession”. In the last episode, Marilla believes Anne lost Marilla’s special brooch and accuses her of lying. To punish her, Marilla disallows Anne to attend the much anticipated Sunday school picnic. Eventually, after much despair, Anne confesses for the...

Tonight, we’ll read “The Ugly Duckling”, a Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, originally published in 1843. Snoozecast originally aired this episode back in 2021. Unlike most fairy tales, this one is completely Andersen's invention and owes no debt to humanity’s vast cultural catalog of fairy tales or folklore. Apparently Andersen grew up awkward and tall, with a big nose and feet. Furt...

Tonight, we’ll read the second half to “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. The first half aired last week. In the first half, Holmes was hired by the débutante Lady Eva Blackwell to retrieve compromising letters from a blackmailer named Milverton. The accused was known as "the king of blackmailers" wher...

Tonight, we’ll read the 5th chapter to “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel. Originally, Alcott had it published as a second book but in later publishings the two were combined. Our last episode was the chapter titled “Literary Lessons” in which Jo, consumed by her writing fervor, neglects basic needs as she delves into her cr...

Tonight, we’ll read from “The Complete Herbal” written by Nicholas Culpeper, published in 1653. Culpeper was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer. This episode first aired in April of 2021. Culpeper cataloged hundreds of outdoor medicinal herbs. He attempted to make medical treatments more accessible to lay persons by educating them about maintaining their health. Ultimately hi...

Tonight, we’ll read the first half to “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. The second half will air next week. In this story, Holmes is hired by the débutante Lady Eva Blackwell to retrieve compromising letters from a blackmailer named Milverton. The accused was known as "the king of blackmailers" where...

Tonight, we shall read the next part to “Persuasion”, the last novel fully completed by Jane Austen, and published in 1817. The story concerns Anne Elliot, a twenty-seven year old Englishwoman, whose family moves in order to lower their expenses and reduce their debt, by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife. In the last episode, Sir Walter Elliot considers a Navy tenant for Kellynch Hall,...

Tonight, we’ll read the complete story of “The Velveteen Rabbit”, a British children's book written by Margery Williams in 1922. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner. Snoozecast first aired a version of this story that didn’t include the ending back in 2019. Many listeners requested the ending, so we rerecorded it in 2021, and are rebroa...

Tonight, we’ll read “Nibbles Poppelty-Poppett, The Story of a Mouse” written by Edith B. Davidson and published in 1911. In this story, Nibbles the mouse sets out to seek his fortune. Along the way, he encounters a peculiar inn run by guinea pigs, where he struggles to find food until he meets a sleepy but hospitable Salamander. After a hearty meal, the Salamander shares his love for coziness and...

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. In the last episode, the Nautilus passes through the Sargasso Sea, an underwater lake where currents meet, filled with aquatic plants. During this time, Aronnax wonders if Nemo will ever release them. He sees little of Nemo, and they spend much of th...

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “The House of Mirth,” a 1905 novel by American author Edith Wharton. Snoozecast first aired this story in 2021. It tells the story of Lily Bart, a beautiful but impoverished New York City socialite. The commercial and critical success of “The House of Mirth” solidified Wharton's reputation as a major novelist. The central theme of “The House of Mirth” is essentia...

Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast original about two sisters who experience the eclipse of 1918 as it passed over their part of Kansas. In a quiet prairie town, Alice and Pearl find themselves caught in the path of a total solar eclipse. Together, they lay on a quilt in the farm field as day turns momentarily to night. In this story, set in the year 1918, the sisters used “smoked glass” as a pruden...

Tonight, we’ll read the fourteenth chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Anne’s Confession”. In the last episode, titled “The Delights of Anticipation,” Anne excitedly shares with Marilla her plans for a Sunday school picnic. Eager for her first taste of ice cream, Anne persuades Marilla to let her attend, who agrees to prepare a...

Tonight, we’ll read the fairy tale “The Golden Mermaid” from the “Green Fairy Book”. In this story, three princes are sent on a quest by their father, to find who it is who steals the golden apples from the King's tree. The youngest son befriends a wolf who is in reality a magician. With the aid of the wolf, the prince sets out to attempt an impossible task. Snoozecast first aired this story back...

Tonight, we’ll read from the opening to “History of Charles XII” written by French writer and philosopher Voltaire. It was first published in 1731. In this first major historical biography from the author, Voltaire tells the story of a warrior king who was the embodiment of the archetypal ‘hero’. Voltaire’s Charles was a leader both admirably strong and unabashedly tyrannical. Charles XII, also kn...

Tonight, we’ll read the fourth chapter to “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel. Originally, Alcott had it published as a second book but in later publishings the two were combined.   Our last episode was the chapter titled “Artistic Attempts” In it, Amy grows serious in her undertaking to become a real artist. Aunt March has e...