The SleepyTime Braacast

The Velveteen Rabbit is a British children's book written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner. The book was first published in 1922 and has been republished many times since.   Can't sleep? Let the dulcet voice of Erik Braa reading the classics take over for jumping sheep. These...

Pride and Prejudice is an 1813 novel of manners written by Jane Austen . The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet , the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness. Mr. Bennet, owner of the Longbourn estate in Hertfordshire , has five daughters, b...

Winnie the Pooh, the fictional teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne , is one of the most popular characters adapted for film and television by The Walt Disney Company . Disney first received certain licensing rights to the Winnie the Pooh stories, characters, and trademarks from Stephen Slesinger, Inc. and the estate of A. A. Milne in 1961. All Rights are Reserved to the Holders. This...

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. Can't sleep? Let the dulcet voice of Erik Braa reading the classics take over for jumping...

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens David Copperfield is the story of a young man's adventures on his journey from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters he encounters are his tyrannical stepfather, Mr Murdstone; his brilliant, but ultimately unworthy school-friend James Steerforth; his formida...

The Wind in the Willows is a children's book by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame , first published in 1908. Alternatingly slow-moving and fast-paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphized animals: Mole , Rat (a European water vole ), Toad , and Badger . They live in a pastoral version of Edwardian England . This time just the story of "Mole" Chapter 1 Can't sleep? Let the dulcet voice of Erik B...

The Yosemite by John Muir. Illustrated Edition. John Muir (1838–1914) was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. John Muir was the first modern preservationist and founder of the Sierra Club. He helped save the Yosemite Valley and wilderness areas in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Muir wrote essays and books whose relevance...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (commonly shortened to Alice in Wonderland) is an 1865 novel by English author Lewis Carroll (the pseudonym of Charles Dodgson). It tells of a young girl named Alice, who falls through a rabbit hole into a subterranean fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre. The...

The Prophet is a book of 26 prose poetry fables written in English by the Lebanese-American poet and writer Kahlil Gibran. It was originally published in 1923 by Alfred A. Knopf. It is Gibran's best-known work.  Can't sleep? Let the dulcet voice of Erik Braa reading the classics take over for jumping sheep. These tales, narrated in a soothing, calm voice are designed to turn sleeplessness into som...

Classical Mythology by Thomas Bullfinch is a complete telling of the great stories of the past. The beliefs, the gods and godesses, and the explanation for natural and scientific phenomena. Specifically the Norse Mythology. Read in a slow and soothing way to get you to sleep. This was a bit of an experiment, due to the nature of the content.    Can't sleep? Let the dulcet voice of Erik Braa readin...

Moby Dick, 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. Can't sleep? Let the dulcet voice of Erik Braa reading the classics take over for jumping sheep. These tales,...

The First 2 Chapters of Ozma of OZ: On an ocean voyage with her uncle Henry to Australia, Dorothy is blown into the sea by a storm. She takes refuge on a floating chicken-coop, which washes ashore, along with the coop and a hen in it. The hen is able to speak; Dorothy gives it the name "Billina".  Excerpt from  Ozma of OZ by Frank Baum    

Oliver Twist: A Charles Dickens Classic. The story centers on orphan Oliver Twist born in a workhouse and sold into apprenticeship with an undertaker. The 1st 2 Chapters. Can't sleep? Let the dulcet voice of Erik Braa reading the classics take over for jumping sheep. These tales, narrated in a soothing, calm voice are designed to turn sleeplessness to somnolence. Tune in, zonk out. Sweet Dreams!