As much as we all want several hours on end to read that massive epic novel, it’s not always realistic. Especially when the laundry needs folding and sometimes (only sometimes) you need to sleep.

I’ve found it to be a great way to ignore the fact I’m doing chores or to relax when I just don’t have the attention span is to read something longer.  Here are some of my favorite places to get them.

SUMMER SHORTS from New York Public Library

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Twelve staff members here at the library selected a short story. We recorded them each reading the story and talking about the reason behind their selections. We will release one story per week for the entire summer.

Source: Summer Shorts | The New York Public Library

 

FUTILITY CLOSET

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Not strictly about literature, this engaging blog and podcast explore weird, unlikely and forgotten moments in human culture. The banter of the hosts make easy work of explaining mysterious disappearances, scientific conundrums and amusing tidbits. You will forget you have to split all those peas.

THE MOTH PODCAST

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Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide.

Moth shows are renowned for the great range of human experience they showcase. Each show starts with a theme, and the storytellers explore it, often in unexpected ways. Since each story is true and every voice authentic, the shows dance between documentary and theater.

These shows are recorded and edited together for a weekly podcast.

THE CLASSIC TALES

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A free podcast (with paid downloadable options), this has been a mainstay for years. Harrison bring lively narration and chooses interesting stories to read. He chooses stories (and sometimes longer works) from the public domain and records them — often with different voices for each character.