Stay With Me by Ayòbámi Adébáyò.

Today’s book review is of  Stay with Me, a debut novel by Ayòbámi Adébáyò which was shortlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Yejide and Akin have been married since they met and fell in love at university. Though many expected Akin to take several wives, he and Yejide have always agreed: polygamy is not for them. But four years into their marriage–after consulting fertility doctors and healers, trying strange teas and unlikely cures–Yejide is still not pregnant. She assumes she still has time–until her family arrives on her doorstep with a young woman they introduce as Akin’s second wife. Furious, shocked, and livid with jealousy, Yejide knows the only way to save her marriage is to get pregnant, which, finally, she does, but at a cost far greater than she could have dared to imagine. An electrifying novel of enormous emotional power, Stay With Measks how much we can sacrifice for the sake of  family. (Goodreads)

My favourite podcasts.

Greetings fellow earthlings!

Something which isn’t exactly book related today. Today I am going to be talking about podcasts; more specifically, my favourites ones to listen to.

Why I like podcasts:

Podcasts are fantastic! I like them for similar reasons to why I like audiobooks; they’re entertaining, diverse, good for listening to when doing other things and they help me combat my insomnia by giving me something to listen to before going to sleep.

There are thousands of podcasts on the iTunes podcast app and these cater to all interests; comedy, factual, fictional and otherwise. I listen to a variety of podcasts, and have different ones for different moods. I often use them as a study tool at university, which is an excellent source! I study sociology and psychology, and if there is a certain sociologist or psychologist or a concept I need a bit of extra help with, I simply type that into the podcast app and can normally find some hidden gem that helps me understand and helps me process what I’ve learned. There are podcasts for everyone, whatever you are looking for! And here are a few of my favourites:

Coffee with Chrachel:

This podcast is the first podcast I ever listened to, and it never fails to make me laugh! This podcast is run by YouTuber Rachel Whitehurst (who I have watched for  years) and her boyfriend, Chris. On this podcast they discuss their cats, their day to day lives, video games, cooking programmes, current events and most importantly…coffee! I love Coffee with Chrachel because I have a very similar humour to the Chrachel duo (nonsensical and meme motivated), and it often makes me laugh out loud. As well as this however, Rachel and Chris discuss some very stigmatised topics (such as sexuality and mental health) and share what they go through on a day to day basis, while keeping things light and funny. They answer questions from listeners and each episode is different from the next. As well as this, after having watched Rachel on YouTube for such a long time I love to see her and Chris doing something they are clearly so happy and motivated to do, and I will continue to be a faithful listener and Binch. There are about 90 episodes for you to binge, so get on it!  Do me a favour and brew yourself a cup of Joe, grab a cat to cuddle and head straight to Flavourtown with the dynamic duo and their two adorable chunks, Squeezie and Lila.

Okay, but what if?

This is another comedy podcast run by two YouTubers, Nicola Foti and Ava Gordy. Nicola Foti was one of the first people I subscribed to on YouTube back in the day (Soundlyawake) and I discovered Ava Gordy at the end of last year. Together they discuss all numbers of random topics, answer questions from listeners and try and fail continuously to read iTunes reviews. This podcast is truly hilarious and I find it hard to listen to  in public without looking truly insane as I laugh out loud. I listen to old episodes time and time again and they always cheer me up. Ava and Nic are hilarious, genuine and brilliantly insane! I love them, and this podcast is definitely for you if you enjoy a whacky time.

Serial:

For the fans of the Netflix show Making a Murderer out there, this podcast is for you. This podcast currently has two series with several episodes in each, about ‘mysteries’ and unsolved or suspiciously solved crimes. I have only listened to the first season, which was comprised of several episodes consisting of information about a real life murder case and a possibly wrongly accused murderer. Serial is full of meticulous detail, and snippets from court cases, interviews with witnesses and much more. It is addicting, and draws you in as you want answers. I would recommend this to anyone who loves watching crime shows, loves a mystery, or a conspiracy.

Desert Island Discs:

An age old BBC Radio 4 show created in 1942, Desert Island Discs is an interview show with a twist. Celebrities such as Judi Dench, Tom Hanks, Paul Hollywood, Whoopi Goldberg and countless other big names sit down to talk about the 8 records they would take with them to listen to on a desert Island, as well as books and one freebie item. In between giving their answers and hearing snippets of the songs they choose,  celebrities will answer questions about their choices as well as their careers and any number of other things. It is a great show if there are certain celebrities you want to know more about, and it shows the diversity of music taste and I think helps you get to know them on a more personal level. There are hundreds of episodes for you to choose from, it is definitely an interesting listen!

Witch, Please:

This is a new found enjoyment for me, and it is a Harry Potter podcast! It is run by two super women, who are rereading the entire Harry Potter series and re-watching the movies. While doing this they are delving deep into the themes of the books, analysing certain areas, discussing unanswered questions and basically just geeking out about the Potter fandom. What could be better?! I have only listened to the first two episodes in this Podcast, but I love what I have heard so far. These women exert confidence and intelligence and I admire them. Such a great Podcast, get on it guys!

In Our Time:

Another BBC Radio 4 podcast, these podcasts are educational and informative, while still being accessible to everyone. Melvyn Bragg and guests inform and discuss various topics such as history, philosophy, science, culture and religion. My favourite ones in particular are the ones on culture and philosophy. Bragg consults scholars and relevant guests from the topic’s field to debate and discuss events or theories. This is one of the podcasts that I have often utilised to help me with university as there are podcasts on key figures such as Karl Marx, Descartes and many more. This is both interesting and factual and is great if you want to know more about a certain topic.

There you have it guys! 6 very different podcasts to satisfy any need or mood. I would recommend that if you are interested in podcasts, you have a root around on the podcast portion of iTunes, as there really is something there for everyone. I hope you enjoy and find the perfect podcast for you!

Pip pip!

Doric poetry II

Fit like iday, lads and lassies? (How are you today, boys and girls?)

Hello everyone 🙂

Some of you may remember my post about the books of Doric Poetry that I own, titled ‘Fit Like, Yer Majesty’, where I discussed Doric and how it played a part in my cultural upbringing as a Scot from the North East of Scotland. In that post I also wrote out one of the poems from this book in the original Doric, and purely for my own enjoyment, I translated it into proper English. Some people commented that they had enjoyed this post, and so I thought I might post the occasional poem every once in a while! Without further ado, here we go!

A Sailor Caad Danny by Jim Bremner

There eence wis a sailor caad Danny, 

There once was a sailor called Danny,

Fas skill at the helm wis uncanny;

Whose skill at the helm was uncanny;

Wi his captain in fear.

With his captain in fear.

He approached the Broch Pier,

So the mannie said, “Danny, ca canny!”

So the man said, “Danny, take it easy!”

 

It’s not that bad, see? That is quite an easy poem to translate, but some of the ones in this book I even struggle with! Comment and let me know if you enjoy these posts, as I am loving giving you guys a taste of my heritage! 🙂