Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Things To Listen To

Good morning! Or afternoon, or evening depending on what time you’re reading this! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is an audio freebie so I’m sharing some of the music, audio books and podcasts that I love to listen to!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Audio Freebie

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No Such Thing As A Fish – Podcast

I can’t really remember how I first stumbled across this podcast but it’s become a staple and I look forward to every Friday when a new episode appears. Four of the QI researchers (or elves) gather around a microphone and talk about their four favourite facts from the week. If you enjoy random facts and some banter this is definitely the podcast for you! I keep meaning to get along to one of their live recordings as I think it would be brilliant to hear the unedited version.

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Inspector McLean Series by James Oswald – Audiobook

I go through phases of loving audiobooks and them just not working for me. I stumbled across this one day years ago as part of an Audible promotion and that was it, every credit was used on these until I was up to date with the series. Although crime fiction with a hint of magic may sound like a strange and unusual combination it just works here! Ian Hanmore narrates the novels and he just brings Tony McLean, Grumpy Bob and friends to life. These get pre-ordered as soon as I spot them online!

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Rivers of London Series by Ben Aaronovitch – Audiobook

One minute I’m here telling you about a strange and unusual combination of crime fiction and magic and now here I am telling you about a second series that I love based on the exact same combination! Peter Grant starts the first novel as a newly qualified PC when he discovers an affinity for magic and soon finds himself with a new assignment, in training as a wizard and investigating crimes with a supernatural element. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith does such an incredible job with these audiobooks I don’t even own any of the series in traditional book form, they’re an instant Audible download instead.

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The News Quiz – Podcast

Of the three programs that make up Radio Four’s Friday Night Comedy The News Quiz is by far my favourite. As a former Politics student I do still love my current affairs and The News Quiz being a panel show based on that week’s news means it’s right up my street. Sandi Toksvig was the host when I first started listening and Miles Jupp has since taken over but the weeks where The News Quiz pops up in my podcast app are still highlights!

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Mark Steel’s In Town – Radio Show

This was another Audible discovery, although a radio show the BBC have made compilations available to buy online. Mark Steel travels around the UK and occasionally further afield visiting towns and discussing some of each places unique landmarks and strange quirks, often with input from the locals in the audience. It appeals to the part of me who loves a weird fact!

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Maroon 5’s Songs About Jane – Album

I love the way music can transport you back in time in an instant, Songs About Jane will always take me back to my A Level years and a French exchange where this and The Killers Hot Fuss became the soundtrack of that summer. Many (too many) years have passed since that summer but the album still sits on my phone and Shiver will never not have me singing along!

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Jess Glynn’s Always In Between –  Album

This is a recent release which I downloaded basically on the strength of Jess’s collaboration with Rudimental and Macklemore. I adore These Days and the rest of the album didn’t disappoint heartbreak and strength it’s stunning!

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Be Prepared From The Lion King – Song

Without a doubt Be Prepared is my favourite Disney song, although some recent Disney films have had songs which have come close to toppling it. Yes it probably worried my parents slightly that my favourite song was the villain plotting to murder his brother and take over the kingdom, and yes being older I now recognise a lot of the Nazi imagery in the animation, with the Hyenas goose stepping etc but I still love it!

My next favourite Disney track is probably How Far I’ll Go which is much more innocent!

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90s Pop – Music Genre

Spice Girls, S Club 7, Steps, 5ive… These groups form the soundtrack of my childhood, eight year old Sarah was simply blown away when the Spice Girls burst onto the scene, I loved them, and I think I had a special affinity with them as seeing Mel B on Top of the Pops was the first time I truly remember someone who looked like me being famous and well known amongst my age group. I don’t listen to this music that often these days but if a few of us are having a few drinks together at some point something along these lines will end up on Spotify!

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Radio Show – Podcast

I don’t really listen to the radio that much however I do subscribe to a few radio show podcasts. Jason Manford, Frank Skinner and Rhod Gilbert all do weekend shows and their podcasts contain all the chat but doesn’t feature any of the music that gets played, it has the benefit of condensing down the shows to about an hour or so, I can download them and listen to them on my commute which is better for my mobile data than streaming live radio!

Those are ten of the things I love listening to, what do you love to listen to? Let me know in the comments!