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What I Read, Watch & Hear (Sorted by What I Need)
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items What I read, watch, and listen to depends entirely on what I need in that hour. A book for the low-mood day is not the same as audio for the chore hour. This list sorts the rest of it by the moment, not the format. Books, podcasts, audiobooks, Substa...
Sections
8
For the Low-Mood Days
For the Chore Hour
For Workouts
For Me-Time / Solo Saturday
For When I Dont Know What I Want
For After-Bedtime Wind-Down
For the Low-Mood Days
Mood lifters. The books and podcasts that meet you where you are and pull you slightly up. Not toxic positivity, not heavy either.
Matt Haig narrates his own memoir about depression and recovery. Honest without being heavy; the kind of book that makes a low day feel less lonely.
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
A novel about getting to live all the lives you didn't choose. The ending earns every page; the audiobook adds an extra layer.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (audiobook)
Fearne Cotton interviews people about what happiness actually means to them in real life. Warm, never preachy, good for a long bath or a drive with nowhere urgent to be.
Happy Place podcast by Fearne Cotton
Yale professor who runs the most popular university course ever recorded, on the science of what actually makes humans happy. Evidence-backed without feeling clinical.
The Happiness Lab podcast by Dr. Laurie Santos
The science of why modern women are perpetually exhausted and the specific things that actually complete the stress cycle. The chapter on emotions alone is worth the whole book.
Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski (audiobook)
For the Chore Hour
What I put on while I do the dishes, fold laundry, prep meals. Episodes I can pause mid-thought and come back to.
Trevor Noah's memoir about growing up in apartheid South Africa, narrated by Trevor himself in all the accents the book references. In our house, this is the audiobook I recommend to anyone starting with audiobooks; the narration is so good it's a di...
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (narrated by author)
Michelle Obama's memoir from Chicago South Side to the White House and after, narrated in her own voice. In our house, this is the 19-hour audiobook I finished while reorganizing the kids' room; her storytelling is even better when you hear it in her...
Becoming by Michelle Obama
A novel structured as an oral history of a fictional 70s rock band; the audiobook has a full cast (different actors voice each band member). In our house, this is the audiobook that made me forget I was listening, not reading; the full-cast format su...
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (full cast)
A novel about an aging Hollywood star telling her life story to a journalist; about fame, identity, and the cost of both. In our house, this is the audiobook that made an unexpected 4-hour airport delay disappear; the narrator's voice carries the ent...
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Michelle Obama's second book, focused on her own toolkit for getting through difficult times; narrated by her in the same voice as Becoming. In our house, this is the audiobook I returned to twice; it's part memoir, part practical advice. Shorter tha...
The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama
For Workouts
Cardio-paced content that makes the workout disappear. High-energy podcasts, intense audiobooks, the rare music that does the job.
30-minute true crime case per episode. The short format means I finish one story per session; the pacing keeps me moving without noticing.
Crime Junkie podcast
David Goggins narrates his own story about mental toughness and pushing past perceived limits. The extended edition has conversation chapters; play during any hard training session.
Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins (audiobook)
The podcast that invented the true crime genre, still the best. 12 episodes, one per workout; the cliffhangers make you want to get back to the gym.
Serial: Season One
Two founders riffing on business ideas, spotting trends, and calling out nonsense. High-energy and opinionated; makes the treadmill feel productive.
My First Million Podcast
Stanford neuroscientist on the science of the brain, body, sleep, and performance. Long episodes (2-3 hours) but each one is a master class; use workout sessions to chip through them.
Huberman Lab Podcast by Dr. Andrew Huberman
For Me-Time / Solo Saturday
The deep listens. The long books. The slow-burn fiction. When I have an hour and want it to count.
A practical book about behavior change: how to build small habits that compound into big results. In our house (and life), this is the book I quote most often, both to myself and to the kid; the 1% better daily framing is the only self-help concept t...
Atomic Habits by James Clear
A memoir-meets-manifesto about getting un-domesticated, written by a woman who left a marriage and built a new one. In our house, this is the book I read in 2 sittings and then re-read with a highlighter; some chapters land like permission slips you ...
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
A book on trauma, the brain, and the body, written by a psychiatrist who's been studying both for 40 years. In our house, this is the book that explained things I'd felt but couldn't articulate; it's heavy but worth the weight. Read it slowly; chapte...
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
A novel set in 1960s California about a brilliant chemist who becomes a TV cooking show host; funny, sharp, and quietly furious about gender roles. In our house, this is the fiction I recommended to every mom I know; it's the rare bestseller that hol...
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A novel about three friends who design video games together over 30 years; less about gaming, more about friendship, creativity, and the people you spend decades next to. In our house, this is the book that pulled me back into fiction after a year of...
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Zevin
A subscription to 200+ video courses taught by experts (Gordon Ramsay on cooking, Annie Leibovitz on photography, Margaret Atwood on writing, etc.). In our house, this is the annual subscription I actually use; one course per quarter is enough to jus...
MasterClass
A subscription to thousands of creative-skill courses (graphic design, illustration, photography, writing, social media) taught by working creators. In our house, this is what I sign up for when I have a hobby I want to take seriously; the project-ba...
Skillshare Premium Annual
A meditation and sleep app with guided meditations, Sleep Stories, and breathing exercises. In our house, this is the app I use for the kid's bedtime (the Sleep Stories knock her out in 10 minutes) and for myself when the day refuses to end. Annual i...
Calm App Annual Subscription
Adriene Mishler's membership offers structured yoga programs, exclusive classes, and a community; her free YouTube channel is also excellent and is what most people start with. In our house, this is the yoga I actually do because there's no studio co...
Yoga with Adriene Membership (Find What Feels Good)
A personal development platform with deep-dive courses called Quests, taught by various experts on meditation, parenting, business, relationships, etc. In our house, this is the platform I use when I want to commit to a 30-day program on something sp...
Mindvalley Membership
A meditation and sleep app with guided meditations, Sleep Stories, and breathing exercises. In our house, this is the app I use for the kid's bedtime (the Sleep Stories knock her out in 10 minutes) and for myself when the day refuses to end. Annual i...
Calm App Annual Subscription
For When I Dont Know What I Want
The dealer's choice section. When everything feels wrong, these are the safe-bet returns.
Famous people choose the 8 records they'd take to a desert island and explain why. Any episode, any guest, always surprising; the format is the formula.
Desert Island Discs
Founders and entrepreneurs tell the origin stories of companies they built. Standalone episodes, always interesting regardless of the company; the entrepreneurship genre at its most listenable.
How I Built This with Guy Raz
Malcolm Gladwell revisits misunderstood or overlooked moments in history. Standalone episodes, no prior knowledge needed, always makes you reconsider something.
Revisionist History - Apple Podcasts
Weekly radio anthology covering one theme per episode across multiple reported stories. Any episode from any year works; the writing is the standard for long-form audio journalism.
This American Life
Bill Bryson explains how the universe and everything in it actually works, for people who failed physics. Dip in anywhere; each chapter is self-contained.
Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (audiobook)
For After-Bedtime Wind-Down
Quiet stuff. No news, no work, no stress. The 20 minutes before sleep.
Stories specifically designed to slow the mind for sleep: gentle, sensory, nothing happens. The premise sounds too simple until the third episode puts you out in 12 minutes.
Nothing Much Happens Podcast
Deliberately boring, meandering bedtime stories told by a host who never gets to the point. Designed to give the anxious brain just enough to follow without engaging fully.
Sleep with Me podcast
Real people telling true personal stories on stage, unscripted. The range is funny to devastating; a single 20-minute story is perfect before sleep.
The Moth Radio Hour
A Russian count under house arrest in a Moscow hotel for 30 years. The prose is unhurried, the world fully contained; the ideal wind-down audiobook for its pace alone.
A Gentleman in Moscow Audiobook by Amor Towles - Audible
The Roman emperor's private journal, written to himself on how to live. Short entries; read five minutes, put it down. The original wind-down reading.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (audiobook)
Books for the Kids
The kid books my 7-year-old returns to, the ones I don't dread re-reading at bedtime, the ones that earn shelf space instead of getting boxed up by the next birthday.
A graphic novel series about a half-dog half-cop hero; combines silly humor with surprisingly good lessons about friendship and growing up. In our house, this is the only series my 7-year-old reads for an hour at a stretch without me asking; the cart...
Dog Man Boxed Set by Dav Pilkey
Chapter book series where Jack and Annie travel through time via a magic tree house; each book teaches a different period in history without feeling like teaching. In our house, this was the series that took my 7-year-old from picture books to chapte...
Magic Tree House Starter Boxed Set
A trilogy about a robot stranded on an island who learns to live with wild animals; gorgeous illustrations, themes of belonging and environment. In our house, this is the book series we read aloud and my 7-year-old asked for again; the writing is bea...
The Wild Robot Trilogy by Peter Brown
The classic Roald Dahl novels (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, etc.) in one collection. In our house, these are the books I read as a kid that my 7-year-old now reads on her own; the dark h...
Roald Dahl Collection Boxed Set
A graphic novel series about supposedly-bad animals (a wolf, a shark, a piranha, a snake) trying to be good guys. In our house, this is the series my 7-year-old reads twice: once for the story, once aloud to me because she wants to do all the voices....
The Bad Guys Boxed Set by Aaron Blabey
Stephen Fry narrates all seven books with distinct voices for every character. Better than the film; better than reading alone; the Sunday morning ritual.
Harry Potter audiobooks narrated by Stephen Fry
Full-cast BBC audio dramas with music and sound effects. Different from the printed books; the production makes both of us stop and listen.
Roald Dahl BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisations
NPR science podcast for kids covering surprising discoveries. Short 20 to 30 minute episodes she can listen to independently or with me in the car.
Wow in the World podcast (NPR)
Science questions answered for kids, co-hosted by a child and an adult each episode. She picks the topic, we both genuinely learn things.
Brains On! Science podcast for kids
Kids send in story ideas and professional comedians perform them. Consistently funny; she listens independently and quotes it back at dinner.
Story Pirates Podcast
For the School Run
20 to 30 minute episodes that fit between pickup and unpacking. The ones I actually look forward to.
A 20- to 30-minute daily news podcast that picks one story and goes deep. In our life, this is the only news I keep up with anymore; the format lets me feel informed without doomscrolling. The pickup-to-home commute fits one episode perfectly.
The Daily (New York Times)
A conversation podcast about the human stuff: grief, friendship, motherhood, mental health, body. In our life, this is the podcast I listen to on the longer drives; episodes are 40-60 minutes and the topics range from heavy to deeply funny. Skip the ...
We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle
Three friends interview a fourth (usually someone famous) without knowing who it is in advance. In our life, this is the comedy break: zero stress, 60-minute episodes, the kind of laugh-out-loud podcast that makes the school traffic bearable. The gue...
SmartLess with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
A behavioral psychology podcast that explores why humans do what we do; 50-minute episodes with academic guests, accessibly translated. In our life, this is the podcast that ends with me feeling smarter and a little more compassionate. Each episode s...
Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam
A podcast that debunks wellness, weight loss, and diet culture myths with research and dark humor. In our life, this is the podcast that reframed how I think about health, food, and the marketing around both; after a few episodes you'll never trust a...
Maintenance Phase