Podcasts about joan aiken

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2021 26:12

Fleur Hitchcock talks about the book that made her realise not all heroines needed to be nice. Night Birds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken is the third in a series that began with the Wolves of Willoughby Chase and the first to feature sparky street urchin Dido Twite as it's protagonist. We also discuss the book's influence on her Clifftoppers series whose characters draw on Dido's pluck, invention and kindness. Explore Joan Aiken's books at bookshop.org Read the accompanying blog post at tygertale.comSupport the show (http://patreon.com/tygertale)

S02E46 The Lodgers by Joan Aiken

Classic Ghost Stories

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2021 61:01

Joan Aiken Joan Delano Aiken was the daughter of Conrad Aiken, whose story Mr Arcularis we read out on The Classic Ghost Stories Podcast. Her elder sister Jane was a writer and her brother John was a chemist. Her father, being a poet presumably appreciated the para-rhyming of their names. Joan was born while her father was domiciled in England, on Mermaid Street in Rye in East Sussex in 1924. She died in Petworth West Sussex in 2004. She went to a private school in Oxford but did not go to University. Instead she wrote stories. Her first story appeared on the BBC Children's Hour in 1941 when she was seventeen. After the death of her first husband she went to work as an editor on magazines. She is most famous for her children's fiction, notably The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Black Hearts in Battersea. Her stories have almost a magical realism feel (a term which of course really belongs to South American literature) in that she uses what appear to be genuine historical settings subtly twisted to become fantasy. Many of her novels have supernatural themes, such as the Shadow Guests and the Haunting of Lamb House. She won many awards for her fiction during her lifetime. The Lodgers is in her collection of short supernatural stories A Touch of Chill. Not knowing what to make of it, I went on Good Reads and found it got an average of three stars out of five with most reviewers not being clear about what the story is about. The best I can do is to suggest that this is a mid-20th Century story where small town life is subverted into the weird as people like Robert Aickman were doing. I wonder whether the deliberate cultivation of the irrational is taking place here where the weird is not meant to be understood rationally, but there to create atmosphere. The weird slovenly, drunken Colegates come from the Middle East. They have odd paraphernalia such as the 'collecting jar' which seems to be vaguely occult. The reference to the Egyptians and the black and white pillars put me in mid of the ritual magic of the Order of the Golden Dawn. It seems that the Colegates collect the souls of children. In the end, I think young Bob's soul flies out of the window and Desmond Colegate pursues it like a butterfly hunter into the graveyard where the exertion gives him a stroke of a heart attack. But I may be wrong. The boy, and the vet's boy who the Colegate also taught games of cards to (the cards seem important -- Tarot???) both die of natural causes. Are the Colegates then a drunken version of the Grim Reaper? They don't cause the death, they are just around to harvest the souls? If you know, tell me! If You Appreciate The Work I've Put In Here [Become A Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/barcud (https://www.patreon.com/barcud)) For Bonus Stories Or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/tonywalker (https://ko-fi.com/tonywalker)) , if you'd like to keep me working. [Music](https://bit.ly/somecomeback (https://bit.ly/somecomeback)) by The Heartwood Institute Support this podcast

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A Necklace of Raindrops

Books Are Back

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2021 21:48

Joan Aiken's stories remind Ursula and Catherine of fairy tales, and they also look closely at Jan Pienkowski's incredible illustrations.

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Night Birds on Nantucket with Fleur Hitchcock

Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2021 26:12

Episode 84 - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken

Dragon Babies

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2021 74:33

We read Joan Aiken’s alternate history wolf dystopia, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase! Evil wolves are roaming free, but they leave you alone more often than you’d expect. The real evil resides at Willoughby Chase manor, in the form of cruel faux-governess Miss Slighcarp and fake amnesiac Josiah Grimshaw. Protagonists Sylvia and Bonnie do everything possible to right their situation, but end up in a Dickensian orphanage with only gruel and raw eggs to eat. Will an escort of geese get them safely home again??We savored this outsize parody of Victorian orphan tales - our only demand is more of Simon and his chestnut flour cakes. Join us!This episode was requested by listeners Clarissa and Angela - thank you both! If you’d like to request a book for us to cover, leave a comment or email us at dragonbabiespodcast@gmail.com.MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Daniel Smith - Love Letters of Kings and Queens

NonFicPod

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2021 23:59

Love letters reveal so much - especially when the writers are the people who dictate the fate of nations, but who somehow come off as a bit... thirsty? Find out why Napoleon detested being left on read, why Prince Albert used to give Queen Victoria certificates for being ‘most improved,' and why there are two sides to every story.For our Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up, the extended version of the show contains ‘Shit I Wish I'd Known' from Dan's perspective as an author of dozens of books, and as an experienced editor. What do editors wish writers knew? And what drives someone to write so damned much?! Find out on the extended cut. https://www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Daniel Smith has written over 30 non-fiction books including the hugely successful How to Think Like… series. His book The Peer and the Gangster was described by the Observer as “revelatory and hilarious” while The Ardlamont Mystery is an “enthralling real- life murder mystery,” according to the Daily Mail. His next book, the Love Letters of Kings and Queens came out in February. You can find Daniel at https://www.danielsmithbooks.co.uk/ and on TwitterWorks MentionedJoan Aiken, Arabel and Mortimer StoriesJoanna Spyri, HeidiRosie Wilby, The Breakup Monologues (NonFicPod episode coming soon!)Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred (NonFicPod episode coming soon!)Nadia Owusu, Aftershocks (NonFicPod series 1 episode 8!)Episode transcript available here (Google doc)Find Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer Emma Byrne - Guest: Daniel Smith- Producer: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must-reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Night Birds on Nantucket with Fleur Hitchcock

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2021 26:12

Fleur Hitchcock talks about the book that made her realise not all heroines needed to be nice. Night Birds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken is the third in a series that began with the Wolves of Willoughby Chase and the first to feature sparky street urchin Dido Twite as it's protagonist. We also discuss the book's influence on her Clifftoppers series whose characters draw on Dido's pluck, invention and kindness.Explore Joan Aiken's books at bookshop.orgRead the accompanying blog post at tygertale.comSupport the show (http://patreon.com/tygertale)

Arabel and Mortimer Stories: Mortimer Says Nothing

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2021 73:32

Welcome to Stories Come to Life. I am your host, Kathryn Lopez Luker. During this time of Covid, many people aren't able to use the library in the same way as in the past. To help bring more stories to more readers, HarperCollins Children Books Company is allowing books that are normally unavailable for copyright reasons to be read out loud and shared with others until December 31, 2021. The stories that fall under that special permission will all be taken down on that date, so listen now, while they're available! Today's story is shared with permission of HarperCollins Children's Books. Today's story is "Mortimer Says Nothing," which is the first chapter in the book of the same name by Joan Aiken. This is the last of the Arabel and Mortimer stories I'll be sharing on this podcast. Next time I'll start an entirely new book and author. But you can find many more stories about Arabel and Mortimer in the public library. And don't stop there! Joan Aiken wrote scores and scores of wonderful books I'm sure you will enjoy! In this tale, Mrs. Jones is having quite a bit of stress. About thirty members of The Rumbury Ladies Kitchen Club have invited themselves to her house for a light luncheon. Not only is she frantically making scones and macaroons and meringues and mayonnaise and prawn cocktails, but she saw a mouse in the house! At least Mortimer is behaving himself---by refusing to cooperate with an ornithologist sound recorder. Now sit back, relax, and listen to this story come to life!

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Arabel and Mortimer Stories: The Mystery of Mr. Jones's Disappearing Taxi

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2021 59:29

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Arabel and Mortimer Stories: Mortimer's Tie

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2021 75:39

Welcome to Stories Come to Life. I am your host, Kathryn Lopez Luker. During this time of Covid, many people aren't able to use the library in the same way as in the past. To help bring more stories to more readers, Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, and MacMillan Publishers are allowing books that are normally unavailable for copyright reasons to be read out loud and shared with others until September 30, 2021. The stories that fall under that special permission will all be taken down on that date, so listen now, while they're available! Today's story is shared with permission of Penguin Random House publishers. Today's story is “Mortimer's Tie,” a segment from the book Arabel and Mortimer, by Joan Aiken. Mortimer is trying to help Arabel and Chris Cross wash Mr. Jonses's taxi, but he just creates a big mess, so he looks for diamonds instead. Then he finds one the size of a stewed prune! What will Mortimer choose for a reward: two thousand pounds or a ten-day cruise? Surely whatever he chooses will lead to some excitement. Now sit back, relax, and listen to this story come to life.

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Arabel and Mortimer Stories: The Spiral Stair

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2021 58:35

Welcome to Stories Come to Life. I am your host, Kathryn Lopez Luker. During this time of Covid, many people aren't able to use the library in the same way as in the past. To help bring more stories to more readers, Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, and MacMillan Publishers are allowing books that are normally unavailable for copyright reasons to be read out loud and shared with others until September 30, 2021. The stories that fall under that special permission will all be taken down on that date, so listen now, while they're available! Today's story is shared with permission of Penguin Random House publishers. Today's story is “The Spiral Stair,” a chapter in the book Arabel and Mortimer, by Joan Aiken. Arabel is staying with her Uncle Urk and Aunt Effie for a couple of weeks. It's exciting, because they live at a zoo, with ostriches, zebras, giraffes and more. There are also some automatic donut making machines that catch Mortimer's interest. Now sit back, relax, and listen to this story come to life.

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Arabel and Mortimer Stories: Arabel's Birthday

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2021 66:45

Welcome to Stories Come to Life. I am your host, Kathryn Lopez Luker. During this time of Covid, many people aren't able to use the library in the same way as in the past. To help bring more stories to more readers, HarperCollins Children Books Company is allowing books that are normally unavailable for copyright reasons to be read out loud and shared with others until December 31, 2021. The stories that fall under that special permission will all be taken down on that date, so listen now, while they're available! Today's story is shared with permission of HarperCollins Children's Books. Today's story is “Arabel's Birthday,” a chapter in the book Mortimer Says Nothing, by Joan Aiken. There are guests at Rainwater Crescent, Cousin Gladys and her daughter, little Annie Line, have come to stay while Cousin Gladys has some dental work done. But Annie is not a very nice little girl, and she has a doll that whispers secrets only to her. Mortimer doesn't like this, so he makes some mischief! Now sit back, relax, and listen to this story come to life.

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Arabel and Mortimer Stories: The Escaped Black Mamba and Other Things

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2021 53:36

Welcome to Stories Come to Life. I am your host, Kathryn Lopez Luker. During this time of Covid, many people aren't able to use the library in the same way as in the past. To help bring more stories to more readers, Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, and MacMillan Publishers are allowing books that are normally unavailable for copyright reasons to be read out loud and shared with others until September 30, 2021. The stories that fall under that special permission will all be taken down on that date, so listen now, while they're available! Today's story is shared with permission of Penguin Random House publishers. This is Season 2, Episode 2, and today's story is “The Escaped Black Mamba and Other Things,” a chapter in the book Arabel's Raven, by Joan Aiken. Arabel and Mortimer get to spend the evening with their favorite babysitter, Chris Cross, while Mr. and Mrs. Jones have gone to a ball. Arabel and Mortimer have fun with all sorts of different coin-operated machines up at the High Street. It's all very exciting! Now sit back, relax, and listen to this story come to life.

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Arabel and Mortimer Stories: Arabel's Raven

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2021 61:38

Welcome to Stories Come to Life. I am your host, Kathryn Lopez Luker. During this time of Covid, many people aren't able to use the library in the same way as in the past. To help bring more stories to more readers, Penguin Random House, Simon and Schuster, and MacMillan Publishers are allowing books that are normally unavailable for copyright reasons to be read out loud and shared with others until September 30, 2021. The stories that fall under that special permission will all be taken down on that date, so listen now, while they're available! Today's story is shared with permission of Penguin Random House publishers. This is Season 2, Episode 1, and the story I'm sharing today is Arabel's Raven, taken from the book of the same title, by Joan Aiken, and shared here with permission from the publishers. Mortimer the Raven is one of my very favorite characters in all of literature, and I'm happy to share with you this first tale of his adventures. Now sit back, relax, and listen to this story come to life.

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Postkarte Nr. 9 an die englische Autorin Joan Aiken

Akustisches Plankton

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2020 4:16

24 Postkarten an 24 Autorinnen biografisch, fiktiv und persönlich subjektiv ausgewählt und geschrieben von Theresa Arlt.

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Night Birds on Nantucket with Fleur Hitchcock

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2020 26:12

Fleur Hitchcock talks about the book that made her realise not all heroines needed to be nice. Night Birds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken is the third in a series that began with the Wolves of Willoughby Chase and the first to feature sparky street urchin Dido Twite as it's protagonist. We also discuss the book's influence on her Clifftoppers series whose characters draw on Dido's pluck, invention and kindness.Explore Joan Aiken's books at bookshop.orgRead the accompanying blog post at tygertale.comSupport the show (http://patreon.com/tygertale)

Home Cooking with Food52

Selected Shorts

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2020 58:34

Guest host Hope Davis presents three shows about food, cooking, and company, curated with the online foodie destination Food52: "Feeding the Fussy," by Laurie Colwin, performed by Tracee Chimo; "Home Turf," by Kiran Desai, performed by Angel Desai; and "Watkyn, Comma," by Joan Aiken, performed by Sonia Manzano. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Episode 519: Ten Minutes with Stephanie Feldman

The Coode Street Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2020 14:16

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Crawford Award winner Stephanie Feldman joins Gary to talk about the unexpected complexities of virtual Kindergarten; writing about young adult characters and their attraction to the unknown; the appeal of short fiction by Daphne Du Maurier, Joan Aiken, and Angela Carter; the rewards of reading nonfiction; and her recent story "The Staircase" (published in the July 2020 issue of F&SF). Books mentioned include: The Angel of Losses by Stephanie Feldman Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS by David France My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken

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Episode 515: Ten Minutes with Ellen Kushner

The Coode Street Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2020 19:09

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Multiple award-winning author, editor, narrator, and radio personality Ellen Kushner chats with Gary about moving back to New York; ordering favorite children's and YA books from independent bookstores; reading Edward Eager, E. Nesbit, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Joan Aiken; the brilliance of Frances Hardinge; group reading Shakespeare with friends online; the University of Glasgow's new fantasy study center; and odd historical genres like “silver-fork novels.” Books mentioned include: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken Night Birds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken Dido and Pa by Joan Aiken Deeplight by Frances Hardinge The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho The True Queen by Zen Cho Silk & Steel: An Adventure Anthology of Queer SF&F with High Femmes & Dashing Women edited by Janine A. Southard (forthcoming)

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Night Birds on Nantucket with Fleur Hitchcock

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2020 26:12

Fleur Hitchcock talks about the book that made her realise not all heroines needed to be 'nice'. Night Birds on Nantucket by Joan Aiken is the third in a series that began with the Wolves of Willoughby Chase and the first to feature sparky street urchin Dido Twite as it's protagonist. We also discuss the book's influence on Clifftoppers, a series of books that draw on Dido's pluck, invention and kindness.Read the accompanying blog post on tygertale.com Support the show (http://patreon.com/tygertale)