Stitching while Mike reads aloud is one of my all-time favorite things to do. I could spend (and have spent) hours absorbed in this activity. During those hours, all is right in my world.

Unfortunately, if we’re not caretaking in the bush, other activities compete for our time, and we don’t do as much of it as we would like. However, as part of the Needle & Th*READ* initiative, I’m trying to make a commitment to spend time reading and stitching. (I really must get the explanatory Needle & Th*READ* page together. The origin of this idea can be found in The Needlework Nutshell archives, November 2006 issue.)

What happens when Mike isn’t here, or is not available to be my reading slave? Hrmph! One answer: books on tape. Another answer: podcasts about authors and books. I don’t know much about what podcasts are, exactly (I intend to find out), but I have learned that I don’t need an i-pod to use them. If I need a “podcatcher,” my computer came with one preinstalled, because I’ve never purchased or installed one. All I know is that when I click on the “play” button on a podcast, and turn on my speakers (that’s important, it turns out), I get cool audio programs.

In searching for Book Stuff to listen to while I stitch (and, I admit, while I exercise and make dinner), I stumbled upon Authors on Tour–Live! The Tattered Cover Book Store in Colorado records their visiting-author events and shares them over the interenet. Yippee! Some authors read from their books, some talk about writing the book, or their lives in general.

I don’t select just the authors I think I’ll like, or books that are “my cup of chai,” but rather listen to each and every one of them. Most of the time, if not every single time, I am sucked into whatever is being read or discussed. Plus, it’s an adventure, and I discover things I wouldn’t otherwise.

I’m thrilled to have discovered these podcasts, and hope you like them, too. If you know of other interesting book things available on the internet, please let us know!