Snoozecast

Tonight, we’ll read an 1886 short story titled “Kashtanka” by Anton Chekhov, and adapted by Snoozecast. It is a sincere and simple story about loyalty, about a dog named Kashtanka who experiences life with two very different masters. It has been speculated that the story is a veiled biography of the author himself. This episode first aired in August of 2021. — read by V — Sign up for Snoozecast+ t...

Tonight, we’ll read another excerpt from Dorothy Wordsworth’s personal journal, which she kept the year 1798. It was published a century later in 1897. Wordsworth was an English author, poet, and diarist. She was the sister of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and the two were close all their adult lives. Modern readers often perceive Dorothy as a first-rank nature writer. In her assumption of...

Tonight, we shall read the next part to “Pride and Prejudice”, written by Jane Austen. In the last episode, Mrs. Gardiner sent a detailed reply to Elizabeth explaining how Darcy worked on the situation with Lydia and Wickham. Wickham had been planning on dumping Lydia the first chance he could get, which would have ruined Elizabeth’s reputation along with her family’s. So Wickham paid Wickham a fo...

Tonight, we’ll read the German fairy tale “Rapunzel” lightly adapted by us from “The Red Fairy Book,” and attributed to The Brothers Grimm. Some researchers have proposed that the earliest possible inspiration for the “Maiden in the Tower” archetype is to the pre-Christian European (or proto-Indo-European) sun or dawn goddess myths, in which a “light deity” is trapped and then rescued. If you are...

Tonight, we’ll read the second half to “The Adventure of the Dancing Men” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. If you haven’t listened to the first part, it aired just last week. This story is considered one of the detective's most famous and memorable cases. In the previous episode, Hilton Cubitt arrives at Baker Street and tells Holmes and Watson...

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, Nemo invites the captives on another underwater expedition, this time, it is to The Coral Kingdom. Also, Aronnax starts to think that the captain does not just love being away from humanity by being underwater- he may seek reveng...

Tonight, we’ll read selected poems from Emily Dickinson, starting with a collection about nature. Little-known during her life, Dickinson has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Evidence suggests that Dickinson lived much of her life in isolation. Considered an eccentric by locals, she developed a penchant for white clothing and was known for her reluctance...

Tonight, we’ll read the first half to “The Adventure of the Dancing Men” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. The second half will air next week. This was one of Doyle’s favorites- he ranked it third in his “top 12” list of Holmes stories, out of 56 total stories. In this story, Holmes has to decipher the code hidden in what appears to be a child’s...

Tonight, we’ll read the fifth chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Anne’s History” Written for all ages, this book recounts the adventures of an eleven year old orphan named Anne Shirley on Prince Edward Island, Canada. In the last episode, Anne relishes the picturesque beauty of Green Gables, even while bracing herself for the p...

Tonight, we’ll read excerpts from “Emily of New Moon” written by L. M. Montgomery. Similar to the author’s other series “Anne of Green Gables,” this is the first in a series of novels about an orphan girl growing up on Prince Edward Island.  Emily is a heroine with a love for the beauty in nature and art, loyalty to her friends, a thirst for knowledge, and a passionate dedication to her writing. T...

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “Woodcraft” published by George Washington “Nessmuk” Sears. Sears was a sportswriter for Forest and Stream magazine in the 1880s and an early conservationist. His stories popularized self-guided canoe camping and what is today called ultralight camping or ultralight backpacking. Growing up in Massachusetts, he took his pen name from a Native American who had befr...

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “The Boxcar Children” written by school teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner and published in 1924. The Boxcar Children tells the story of four orphaned children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. They create a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar in the forest. In the last episode, Jess and the children start fixing up their new boxcar home and exploring the...

Tonight, we’ll read from Grimms' Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm titled “The Valiant Little Tailor.” This episode originally aired in July of 2021. In this story, the tailor starts out having achieved a very small feat and ends up a hero. — read by V — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to  snoozecast.com/plus ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

Tonight, we’ll read from “The New Royal Cook Book by Royal Baking Powder Co.” published in 1920. When the first truly American cookbook was published in 1792, the recipes included used three possible types of leavening: baker's yeast, emptins (from the leavings of brewing beer), and pearlash. The effectiveness of such leavenings varied widely. At that time, reliable commercial products were not av...

Tonight, we shall read the next part to “Pride and Prejudice”, written by Jane Austen. In the last episode, Lydia and Wickham arrive at Longbourn. Lydia is giddy over her marriage, mocking her older sisters for failing to get married before she did. While gloating about the details of her wedding, Lydia reveals to Elizabeth that Darcy attended the ceremony. Lydia quickly apologizes: it was suppose...

Tonight, we’ll read an excerpt from “The Great Gatsby,” a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, the novel depicts narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. This episode first aired in June of 2021. The novel was inspired by youthful romance an...

Tonight, we’ll read from Dorothy Wordsworth’s personal journal, which she kept the year 1798. It was published a century later in 1897. Wordsworth was an English author, poet, and diarist. She was the sister of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and the two were close all their adult lives. Dorothy Wordsworth had no ambitions to be a public author, yet she left behind numerous letters, diary en...

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, electricity temporarily fails on the submarine, and the captives onboard are enchanted at the view of bioluminescent marine life surrounding them in the dark. Later, Captain Nemo spies something that disturbs him at a distance. I...

Tonight, we’ll read a story called “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” from “The Arabian Nights: Their Best-known Tales” by Smith, Wiggin, and Parrish. It has become one of the most familiar of the "Arabian Nights" tales, and is where the phrase “Open, Sesame!” comes from. This folk tale was added to the “One Thousand and One Nights” anthology in the 18th century by its French translator. This transl...

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to the humorous short story “An Experiment in Gyro-Hats” written by Ellis Parker Butler and published in 1910. Butler was a prolific American writer, although his writing was mostly a part-time endeavor for him as he was also a banker. Butler was also known as an always-present force in the New York City literary scene. A gyroscope is a device used for measuring or...

Tonight, we’ll read the fourth chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Morning at Green Gables.” Written for all ages, this book recounts the adventures of an eleven year old orphan named Anne Shirley on Prince Edward Island, Canada. In the last episode, we learn that Marilla, unlike her brother Matthew, does not shrink from voicing...

Tonight, for our 700th episode, we’ll read excerpts from “The Myrtle Reed Cook Book” written by Myrtle Reed and published in 1916. Reed was an American author, poet, journalist, and philanthropist. She was a diagnosed insomniac with prescribed sleeping potions, called sleeping drafts in her day. This episode originally aired in June of 2021. — read by V — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, a...

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “The Clue of the Silken Ladder” part of the “Penny Parker” anthology written by Mildred Wirt, also known by Mildred Benson. This series of stories aren’t consecutive so don’t worry if you didn’t hear the first episode. You can pick up on this one just fine! Penny Parker was a high school student turned sleuth who also sporadically worked as a reporter for her fat...

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “The Boxcar Children” written by first grade school teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner and published in 1924. The Boxcar Children tells the story of four orphaned children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. They create a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar in the forest. In the last episode, we explore the children’s new boxcar home in the woods, and they...

Tonight, we’ll read "A Retrieved Reformation", a short story by American author O. Henry first published in 1903. This episode first aired in June of 2021. The story we will read shows how love can change anyone for the better. It describes the events which lead up to the reformation of an ex-convicted burglar. As usual, the ending of this O. Henry is worth hearing for the twist. — read by N — Sig...