Podcasts about Louisa May Alcott

The final episode of Season 4—and episode 70—is here! I'm beyond thrilled to welcome debut YA author Katie Bernet to the podcast to celebrate her forthcoming novel, Beth Is Dead.Beth Is Dead reimagines Beth March—yes, that Beth March—at the center of a contemporary Little Women–inspired murder mystery. Katie and I chatted about her writing journey, the lasting influence of Louisa May Alcott's original novel, visiting the Alcott house, and so much more.This conversation was the perfect way to close out the year—celebrating books, authors, and the literary foundations that continue to inspire us. A truly fun and fitting finale!

LITTLE WOMENby Kate HamillAdapted from the novel by Louisa May AlcottDirected by Abby WeissmanNovember 26 - December 28, 2025Step into the heart of the March family, where sisters Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth grow up together amid the American Civil War. Brave, bright, and endlessly imaginative, each sister faces the challenge of balancing her dreams with the weight of society's expectations. Through moments of laughter, loss, and love, they discover that the true strength of family lies in unity, even when the world around them feels uncertain. Hedgerow presents the regional premiere of playwright Katie Hamill's fresh adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic featuring live musical accompaniment. This holiday season, gather with your loved ones to celebrate a timeless tale of family, friendship, and the bonds that hold communities together.Cast
Jo…………………………………...……... Marissa Emerson
Beth……………………………...………….. Olive Gallagher
Laurie…………………………………….…………... Leo Mock
Marmee, Aunt March……... Emily-Grace Murray
Hannah, others……………………….. Katherine Perry
Meg………………………………….... Minou Pourshariati
Mr. Brooks, others……………... James Arthel Reilly
Mr. Laurence, others……………………... Bob Weick
Amy…………………………….. Jameka Monet WilsonProduction Team
Stage Manager Jessica Beaver • Assistant Stage Manager Ella Namour • Scenic Designer/Scenic Charge Sarah Schunke • Lighting Designer Lily Fossner* • Props Manager Kevin Ruehle • Music Director/Sound Designer/Composer Matthew Mastronardi • Costume Designer Leigh Paradise • Intimacy Choreographer Melanie Julian • Fight Director Ilana HuiYa Lo • Costume Shop Manager Elizabeth Hanson • Technical Director Pat Ahearn • Set Builder Karl McClellan • Director of Production Kate Fossner • Audio Description Gina PisasaleChapters00:00 Introduction to the Artists and Their Roles02:48 Exploring the Adaptation of Little Women05:40 The Role of Music in Storytelling08:07 The Unique Rehearsal Process11:02 Casting and the Ensemble13:30 Design Elements and Thematic Representation19:21 Audience Connection and Emotional Impact24:43 Personal Reflections and Takeaways29:55 Closing Thoughts and Final ReflectionsFOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.hedgerowtheatre.org/little-women

“I'm so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I'm so sick of it."The best way to spend the holidays is curled up next to a warm fire and waxing poetic about the March sisters and LITTLE WOMEN. This year, The Wives Colangelo are dissecting Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel, and debating the parallel storytelling device. And not to pit strong LITTLE WOMEN against each other, but they're also going to compare and contrast this version with the sacred 1994 film covered in 2023.--------Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/thisendsatprom--------MONTHLY SPOTLIGHTRainbow Railroad (https://www.rainbowrailroad.org)--------Social Media Plugs@ThisEndsAtProm@BJColangelo@HarmonyColangelo----------Logo Design: Haley Doodles @HaleyDoodleDoTheme Song: The Sonder Bombs 'Title': https://thesonderbombs.bandcamp.com/

Merry Christmas! In between looking at houses to rent and packing up the Granger house in Oklahoma City, Nick and John put together this yuletide conversation about perhaps the most neglected of Rowling's influences, Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle. John was a reluctant reader, but, while listening to the audio book, reading the Gutenberg.com file on his computer, and digging the codex out of his packed boxes of books, the author of Harry Potter's Bookshelf was totally won over to Nick's enthusiasm for Castle.In fact, John now argues that, even if Rowling didn't read it until she was writing Goblet of Fire as some have claimed, I Capture the Castle may be the best single book to understand what it is that Rowling-Galbraith attempts to do in her fiction. Just as Dodie Smith has her characters explain overtly and the story itself delivers covertly, When Rowling writes a story, like Smith it is inevitably one that is a marriage of Bronte and Austen, wonderfully accessible and engaging, but with important touches in the ‘Enigmatist' style of Joyce and Nabokov, full of puzzles and twists in the fashion of God's creative work (from the Estecean logos within every man [John 1:9] continuous with the Logos) rather than a portrait of creation per se. Can you say ‘non liturgical Sacred Art'?And if you accept, per Nick's cogent argument, that Rowling read Castle many times as a young wannabe writer? Then this book becomes a touchstone of both Lake and Shed readings of Rowling's work — and Smith one of the the most important influences on The Presence.Merry Christmas, again, to all our faithful readers and listeners! Thank you for your prayers and notes of support and encouragement to John and for making 2025 a benchmark year at Hogwarts Professor. And just you wait for the exciting surprises we have in hand for 2026!Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.The Twelve Questions and ‘Links Down Below' Referred to in Nick and John's I Capture the Castle Conversation:Question 1. So, Nick, we spoke during our Aurora Leigh recording about your long term project to read all the books that Rowling has admitted to have read (link down below!), first question why? and secondly how is that going?Rowling's Admitted Literary InfluencesWhat I want is a single internet page reference, frankly, of ‘Rowling's Admitted Literary Influences' or ‘Confessed Favorites' or just ‘Books I have Read and Liked' for my thesis writing so I needn't do an information dump that will add fifty-plus citations to my Works Cited pages and do nothing for the argument I'm making.Here, then, is my best attempt at a collection, one in alphabetical order by last name of author cited, with a link to at least one source or interview in which Rowling is quoted as liking that writer. It is not meant as anything like a comprehensive gathering of Rowling's comments about any author; the Austen entry alone would be longer than the whole list should be if I went that route. Each author gets one, maybe two notes just to justify their entry on the list.‘A Rowling Reading of Aurora Leigh' Nick Jeffery Talking about ‘A Rowling Reading of Aurora Leigh' Question 2. ... which has led me to three works that she has read from the point of view of writers starting out, and growing in their craft. Which leads us to this series of three chats covering Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and the Little Women series by Louisa May Alcott. I read Castle during the summer. Amid all the disruptions at Granger Towers, have you managed to read it yet? How did you find it?Capturing Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle: Elizabeth Baird-Hardy (October 2011)Certain elements of the story will certainly resonate with those of us who have been to Hogwarts a fair few times: a castle with an odd combination of ancient and modern elements, but no electricity; eccentric family members who are all loved despite their individual oddities (including Topaz's resemblance to Fleur Delacour); travel by train; a character named Rose who may have been one of the reasons Rowling chose the name for Ron and Hermione's daughter; descriptions of food that make even somewhat questionable British cuisine sound tasty; and inanimate objects that have their own personalities (the old dress frame, which Rose and Cassandra call Miss Blossom, is voiced by Cassandra and sounds much like the talking mirror in Harry's room at the Leaky Caldron).But far more than some similar pieces, I Capture the Castle lends something less tangible to Rowling's writing. The novel has a tone that, like the Hogwarts adventures, seamlessly winds together the comic and the crushing in a way that is reflective of life, particularly life as we see it when we are younger. Cassandra's voice is, indeed, engaging, and readers will no doubt see how the narrative voice of Harry's story has some of the same features.A J. K. Rowling Reading of I Capture the Castle: Nick Jeffery (December 2025)Parallels abound for Potter fans. The Mortmain's eccentric household mirrors the Weasleys' chaotic warmth: loved despite quirks, from Topaz's nude communing with nature (evoking a less veiled Fleur Delacour) to Mortmain's intellectual withdrawal. Food descriptions—meagre yet tantalising—prefigure Hogwarts feasts, turning humble meals into sensory delights. Inanimate objects gain voice: the family dress-frame “Miss Blossom” offers advice, akin to the chatty mirrors or portraits in Rowling's world. Even names resonate—Rose Mortmain perhaps inspiring Ron and Hermione's daughter—and train journeys punctuate the plot.The Blocked Writer: James Mortmain, a father who spent his fame early and now reads detective novels in an irritable stupor, mirrors the “faded glory” or “lost genius” archetypes seen in Rowling's secondary characters, such as Xenophilius Lovegood and Jasper Chiswell.The Bohemian Stepmother: Topaz, who strides through the countryside in only wellington boots, shares the whimsical, slightly unhinged energy of a character like Luna Lovegood or Fleur Delacour.Material Yearning: The desperate desire of Cassandra's sister, Rose, to marry into wealth reflects the very real, non-magical pressures of class and poverty that Rowling weaves into Harry Potter, Casual Vacancy, Strike and The Ickabog.Leda Strike parallels: Leda Fox-Cotton the bohemian London photographer, adopts Stephen, the working-class orphan, and saves him from both unrequited love and the responsibility that comes with the Mortmain family.Question 3. [story of finishing the book last night by candle light in my electricity free castle] So, in short Nick, I thought it astonishing! I didn't read your piece until I'd finished reading Capture, of course, but I see there is some dispute about when Rowling first read it and its consequent influence on her as a writer. Can you bring us up to speed on the subject and where you land on this controversy?* She First Read It on her Prisoner of Azkaban Tour of United States?tom saysOctober 21, 2011 at 4:00 amIf I recall correctly, Rowling did not encounter this book until 1999 (between PoA & Goblet) when, on a book tour, a fan gave her a copy. This is pertinent to any speculation about how ‘Castle' might have influenced the Potter series.* Rowling Website: “Books I Read and Re-Read as a Child”Question 4. Which, when you consider the other books on that virtual bookshelf -- works by Colette, Austen, Shakespeare, Goudge, Nesbit, and Sewell's Black Beauty, something of a ‘Rowling's Favorite Books and Authors as a Young Reader' collection, I think we have to assume she is saying, “I read this book as a child or adolescent and loved it.” Taking that as our jumping off place, John, and having read my piece, do you wish you had read it before writing Harry Potter's Bookshelf?Harry Potter's Bookshelf: The Great Books behind the Hogwarts Adventures John Granger 2009Literary Allusion in Harry Potter Beatrice Groves 2017Question 5. So, yes, I certainly do think it belongs -- with Aurora Leigh and Little Women -- on the ‘Rowling Reader Essential Reading List.' The part I thought most interesting in your piece was, of course, the Shed elements I missed. Rowling famously said that she loved Jo Marsh in Little Women because, in addition to the shared name and the character being a wannabe writer, she was plain, a characteristic with which the young, plain Jane Rowling easily identified. What correspondences do you think Little Jo would have found between her life and Cassandra Mortmain's?* Nick Jeffery's Kanreki discussion of Rowling's House on Edge of Estate with Two Children, Bad Dad ‘Golden Thread' (Lethal White)Question 6. Have I missed any, John?* Rockefeller Chapel, University of ChicagoQuestion 7. Forgive me for thinking, Nick, that Cassandra's time in church taking in the silence there with all her senses may be the biggest take-away for the young Rowling; if the Church of England left their chapel doors open in the 70s as churches I grew up in did in the US, it's hard to imagine Jo the Reader not running next door to see what she felt there after reading that passage. (Chapter 13, conversation with vicar, pp 234-238). The correspondence with Beatrice Groves' favorite scene in the Strike novels was fairly plain, no? What other scenes and characters do you see in Rowling's work that echo those in Castle?* Chapter 13, I Capture the Castle: Cassandra's Conversation with the Vicar and time in the Chapel vis a vis Strike in the Chapel after Charlotte's Death* Beatrice Groves on Running Grave's Chapel Scene: ‘Strike's Church Going'Question 8. I'm guessing, John, you found some I have overlooked?Question 9. The Mortmain, Colly, and Cotton cryptonyms as well as Topaz and Cassandra, the embedded text complete with intratextuual references (Simon on psycho-analysis), the angelic servant-orphan living under the stairs (or Dobby's lair!) an orphan with a secret power he cannot see in himself, the great Transformation spell the children cast on their father, an experiment in psychomachia a la the Shrieking Shack or Chamber of Secrets, the hand-kiss we see at story's end from Smith, love delayed but expressed (Silkworm finish?), the haunting sense of the supernatural everywhere especially in the invocation that Rose makes to the gargoyle and Cassandra's Midsummer Night's Eve ritual with Simon, the parallels abound. Ghosts!* Please note that John gave “cotton” a different idiomatic meaning than it has; the correct meaning is at least as interesting given the Cotton family's remarkable fondness for all of the Mortmains!* Kanreki ‘Embedded Text' Golden Thread discussion 1: Crimes of Grindelwald* Kanreki ‘Embedded Text' Golden Thread discussion 2: Golden Thread Survey, Part II* Rose makes an elevated Faustian prayer to a Gargoyle Devil: Chapter IV, pp 43-46* Cassandra and Simon celebrate Midsummer Night's Eve: Chapter XII, pp 199-224Let's talk about the intersection of Lake and Shed, though, the shared space of Rowling's bibliography, works that shaped her core beliefs and act as springs in her Lake of inspiration and which give her many, even most of the tools of intentional artistry she deploys in the Shed. What did you make of the Bronte-Austen challenge that Rose makes explicitly in the story to her sister, the writer and avid reader?“How I wish I lived in a Jane Austen novel.” [said Rose]I said I'd rather be in a Charlotte Bronte.“Which would be nicest—Jane with a touch of Charlotte, or Charlotte with a touch of Jane?”This is the kind of discussion I like very much but I wanted to get on with my journal, so I just said: “Fifty percent each way would be perfect,” and started to write determinedly.Question 10. So, I'm deferring to both Elizabeth Barrett Browning and J. K Rowling. Elizabeth Barrett Browning valued intense emotion, social commentary, and a grand scope in literature, which led her to favour the passionate depth of the Brontës over the more restrained, ironical style of Jane Austen. Rowling about her two dogs: “Emma? She's a bundle of love and joy. Her sister, Bronte, is a bundle of opinions, stubbornness and hard boundaries.”Set in the 30s, written in the early 40s, but it seems astonishingly modern. Because her father is a writer, a literary novelist of the modern school, do you think there are other more contemporary novelists Dodie Smith was engaging than Austen and Bronte?Question 11. Mortmain is definitely Joyce, then, though Proust gets the call-out, and perhaps the most important possible take-away Rowling the attentive young reader would have made would have been Smith's embedded admiration for Joyce the “Enigmatist” she puts in Simon's mouth at story's end (Chapter XVI, pp 336-337) and her implicit criticism of literary novels and correction of that failing. Rowling's re-invention of the Schoolboy novel with its hidden alchemical, chiastic, soul-in-crisis-allegories and embedded Christian symbolism can all be seen as her brilliant interpretation of Simon's explanation of art to Cassandra and her dedication to writing a book like I Capture the Castle.* Reference to James Joyce by Simon Cotton, Chapter IX, p 139:* The Simon and Cassandra conversation about her father's novels, call it ‘The Writer as Enigmatist imitating God in His Work:' Chapter XVI, pp 331-334* On Imagination as Transpersonal Faculty and Non-Liturgical Sacred ArtSacred art differs from modern and postmodern conceptions of art most specifically, though, in what it is representing. Sacred art is not representing the natural world as the senses perceive it or abstractions of what the individual and subjective mind “sees,” but is an imitation of the Divine art of creation. The artist “therefore imitates nature not in its external forms but in its manner of operation as asserted so categorically by St. Thomas Aquinas [who] insists that the artist must not imitate nature but must be accomplished in ‘imitating nature in her manner of operation'” (Nasr 2007, 206, cf. “Art is the imitation of Nature in her manner of operation: Art is the principle of manufacture” (Summa Theologia Q. 117, a. I). Schuon described naturalist art which imitates God's creation in nature by faithful depiction of it, consequently, as “clearly luciferian.” “Man must imitate the creative act, not the thing created,” Aquinas' “manner of operation” rather than God's operation manifested in created things in order to produce ‘creations'which are not would-be duplications of those of God, but rather a reflection of them according to a real analogy, revealing the transcendental aspect of things; and this revelation is the only sufficient reason of art, apart from any practical uses such and such objects may serve. There is here a metaphysical inversion of relation [the inverse analogy connecting the principial and manifested orders in consequence of which the highest realities are manifested in their remotest reflections[1]]: for God, His creature is a reflection or an ‘exteriorized' aspect of Himself; for the artist, on the contrary, the work is a reflection of an inner reality of which he himself is only an outward aspect; God creates His own image, while man, so to speak, fashions his own essence, at least symbolically. On the principial plane, the inner manifests the outer, but on the manifested plane, the outer fashions the inner (Schuon 1953, 81, 96).The traditional artist, then, in imitation of God's “exteriorizing” His interior Logos in the manifested space-time plane, that is, nature, instead of depicting imitations of nature in his craft, submits to creating within the revealed forms of his craft, which forms qua intellections correspond to his inner essence or logos.[2] The work produced in imitation of God's “manner of operation” then resembles the symbolic or iconographic quality of everything existent in being a transparency whose allegorical and anagogical content within its traditional forms is relatively easy to access and a consequent support and edifying shock-reminder to man on his spiritual journey. The spiritual function of art is that “it exteriorizes truths and beauties in view of our interiorization… or simply, so that the human soul might, through given phenomena, make contact with the heavenly archetypes, and thereby with its own archetype” (Schuon 1995a, 45-46).Rowling in her novels, crafted with tools all taken from the chest of a traditional Sacred Artist, is writing non-liturgical Sacred Art. Films and all the story experiences derived of adaptations of imaginative literature to screened images, are by necessity Profane Art, which is to say per the meaning of “profane,” outside the temple or not edifying spiritually. Film making is the depiction of how human beings encounter the time-space world through the senses, not an imitation of how God creates and a depiction of the spiritual aspect of the world, a liminal point of entry to its spiritual dimension. Whence my describing it as a “neo-iconoclasm.”I want to close this off with our sharing our favorite scene or conversation in Castle with the hope that our Serious Reader audience will read Capture and share their favorites. You go first, Nick.* Cassandra and Rose Mortmain, country hicks in the Big City of London: Chapter VI, pp 76-77Question 12. And yours, John?* Cassandra Mortmain ‘Moat Swimming' with Neil Cotton, Chapter X, 170-174* Cassandra seeing her dead mother (think Harry before the Mirror of Erised at Christmas time?): Chapter XV, pp 306-308Hogwarts Professor is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

It’s been another fantastic year for Windsor’s Two Flints… Following on from the recent release of their celebrated collab Double IPA with Ghost Whale’s Ray Hadnett, the brewery has also worked with NZ Hops on their Bract Project initiative. Not only that, they’ve released one of the year’s best dark beers in Heartwood – the barrel aged evolution of their debut Imperial Stout ‘Into the Night’. So with that in mind, we’re revisiting our conversation with founder Alex Kerr from earlier this year. In this episode we speak with Alex to learn about his early influences and how he found a passion for brewing while living in Singapore. We discuss his fascination with hops and the qualities they impart on the beers they brew, the importance of Two Flints' taproom and also reflect on his desire for continuous improvement in everything that they do. “It takes two flints to make a fire” Where did the inspiration for your brewery name come from? For Alex Kerr, founder of Windsor, Berkshire-based Two Flints, he has his own story to tell. And drawing influence from the famous quote from Louisa May Alcott's coming-of-age novel Little Women was just the place to start. Opening at the end of 2022, Two Flints recently has marked its second anniversary brewing in Berkshire.  A town that has been the home of Windsor and Eton Brewery for more than 10 years, Alex Kerr and his team have given beer fans another new spot for excellent beer. And soon after in 2023, they would soon be joined in Windsor by neighbours Indie Rabble, the brewery founded by Naomi and Dave Hayward. Since starting out, Two Flints has made its name with a series of excellent hop-forward, hazy pale ales and IPAs such as Santiago, Never End and Big Bash. But they also make superb lagers and other styles, too.

John Ross, during his schoolboy days in New Zealand, was interested in far-flung places such as South America, Papua New Guinea, Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as books on World War One and Two. He read a lot of youth fiction starting at 10 years old, but as a teenager, had a voracious appetite for nonfiction. In his 20s he discovered a few wonderful fiction writers, but has still kept mostly to nonfiction through the decades.His first books were Willard Price's Adventure series and Gerald Durrell books on real-life animal collecting. He also read detective and war stories (Biggles) and lots of travel accounts and travel guides.Robert Louis Stevenson was a favorite—Treasure Island, Kidnapped—and later discovered that Stevenson was a very good essayist too. John also enjoyed Rudyard Kipling's Kim.The ancient Greeks left a great impression on him: Herodotus (The Histories) and Thucydides (The Peloponnesian War)In his early 20s he started reading proper literature:Anna Karenina, Dr Zhivago, George Orwell, and Joseph Conrad. He loved Peter Hopkirk's The Great Game series featuring colorful adventurers and spies in exotic locations. In his early 30s he discovered Raymond Chandler and in his 40s H.P. Lovecraft.For books on Asia and East Asia, he started reading about Burma in the late 1980s, and early 1990s, and Mongolia in the mid-1990s, and increasingly China and Taiwan, and even some works on Japan.Some well known book titles that made an early impression were Lost Horizon by James Hilton, Burmese Days by George Orwell, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, and Jonathan Spence's China books. Also books on Asia by Maurice Collis.Amy's ReadingAs a child, Amy remembers reading Black Beauty (Anna Sewell, 1877), Walter Farley's series The Black Stallion (1941), and a book called Ponies Plot (Janet Hickman, 1971). She loved all the required reading for school (some books now banned): English literature such as Graham Greene's Brighton Rock, Shakespeare's plays, and lots of Roald Dahl, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach; and American authors John Steinbeck (1930s–1950s), J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye (1951), Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1850), Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964) and A Separate Peace (1959) by John Knowles. She recalls that in first grade, her teacher read to the class Little Pear (1931), by Eleanor Francis Lattimore, about a Chinese boy.From her parents' book collection she read Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (1868), and  Wuthering Heights (1847) Emily Bronte as well as stories by Charlotte Bronte and other classics.In college she moved into more popular literature, again much of it required reading for her classes: works by Thomas Pynchon, Jerzy Kosiński, Blind Date (1977) and The Painted Bird (1965) the latter of which—notably—had a scene on bestiality and would probably be banned as college reading these days!.In high school, her father paid her to read books, and she vividly remembers excerpts from Henry Hazlitt's The Foundations of Morality (1964), which still influences her choices in life today. She credits her father's books for her interest in philosophy and a basic understanding of free-market economics.Once she knew she was headed to Japan, she read Edwin Reischauer's  The Japanese Today (1988), and Japan as Number One, by Ezra Vogel (1979) which were her first books to read about Asia (other than Shogun). For most of her childhood she preferred non-fiction and didn't start reading fiction seriously till she arrived in Japan and read Haruki Murakami. Now she reads everything!At the end of the podcast Amy & John encourage listeners to write in to ask for suggestions on what books on Asia to give friends or family. They'll choose one to talk about at the end of each show with appropriate suggested reading. Since the BOA Podcast doesn't have an email address (yet), they ask you submit requests via social media:Follow BOA on Facebook and contact via Messenger or sign up for the BOA newsletter, from which you can reply directly to each email. There is a BOA Twitter (X) account, but they appear to be locked out at the moment (sigh).They also ask listeners to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review and share it with your friends so that Amy & John can have a happier holiday.May your holidays be bibliophilic: full of black ink, long words, excessive pages and new books! The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.

Effie is a ten-year-old girl who has everything a child could want - except the spirit of Christmas in her heart. After she reads a Dickens classic and experiences a vivid dream, that all changes in this lovely tale of gratitude and generosity. Listen free, thanks to our friends at enVypillow.com and SierraSil.com. Drift is free, thanks to our wonderful sponsors, enVy Pillow.com and SierraSil.com, both of whom generously offer discounts on all online purchases when you use the code drift. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kitty Reads Holiday Lit for Peace: Louisa May Alcott – A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True plus The Next Peacelands This episode features a gentle excerpt from Louisa May Alcott's short holiday story A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True, a reflective tale about a child who learns that the real richness of Christmas comes from generosity, attention, and shared joy. Kitty reads just enough to let Alcott's calm moral clarity come through. Kitty O'Compost continues warming up for The Peace Experiments (Season Zero), the forthcoming Peace Is Here series exploring peace, AI, and the cultural commons. For this holiday edition of The Next Peacelands, Avis Kalfsbeek shifts focus away from warzones and arms suppliers to reflect on the quieter, relational work of peace—care, generosity, and the everyday choices that shape a humane world. Get Avis Kalfsbeek's books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com  Music: “The Red Kite” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Intro Music: PulseBox on Pixabay Peace Is Here upcoming series: The Peace Experiments Louisa May Alcott – A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True on Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/40682/pg40682-images.html#a-christmas-dream

Classic Christmas Stories: A Merry Christmas – Chapter 2 from Little Women by Louisa May AlcottTravel back to the beloved March household for the timeless opening of Little Women.In this special episode we share Chapter 2, “A Merry Christmas” – the cozy, heart-tugging scene of the four sisters waking on Christmas morning, putting on their famous play, and learning the true spirit of giving when they share their precious breakfast with a poorer family.A perfect, nostalgic treat for every age.New episodes drop daily from Nov 27 through Dec 25, 2025. Subscribe now, visit our merch store for holiday gifts, or support us on Buy Me a Coffee — all links in the show notes!Keywords: Little Women Christmas chapter, A Merry Christmas audiobook, Louisa May Alcott, March sisters Christmas, classic holiday literature, family Christmas story, cozy Christmas podcastSend us a textSupport the showHelp keep the stories interruption free! https://buymeacoffee.com/jasonreadsclassics Merch Store Chamber of Classics Amazon Links Cozy Blankets: https://amzn.to/42EuiP2 Christmas Mugs: https://amzn.to/3WENatG All stories in this podcast are public domain works, read by Jason Hovde. No copyrighted material is used. Media & Interview Inquiries: truthtrekking@gmail.com...

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what's exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Concerts at the Cedar Cultural CenterRenee Vaughan, who plays the Swedish folk instrument the nyckelharpa, recommends a concert on Friday that will bring a mix of musical holiday folk traditions.Red Thread will perform along with Minneapolis and Duluth-based folk band Ponyfolk, Friday at 8 p.m. at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.Renee says: Red Thread is fronted by one of my absolute favorite singers, Sarah Larsson, with her lush, warm voice, coupled with these incredible harmonies, and it's mixed with a deep love of cultural lineage. Their music spans from Yiddish and klezmer and Slavic, Scandinavian, Irish, English and American winter traditions, and they'll be sharing the stage with Ponyfolk. They're able to have this folk sound that creatively blends folk and rock and jazz and Nordic influences. I'm sure there'll be opportunities to get up and move, but you can also sing, and it'll be like this lovely musical quilt covering the audience.— Renee VaughanWhile you're looking at the Cedar website, musician Leslie Vincent recommends you check out a performance there on Sunday at 2 p.m. by Ben Cook-Feltz, with Ann Reed and Zippy Laske.Leslie says: He's an INCREDIBLE singer and performer. His “Holiday Shindig” is coming up on December 14 and features lots of my other favorite performers in town, including Zippy Laske, who I'm obsessed with.— Leslie VincentA musical classic in RochesterVoiceover actor Rebecca Brokaw-Sands is excited to see Rochester Repertory Theatre's production of “Little Women: The Musical” this weekend. Based on the classic story by Louisa May Alcott, the musical follows the four March sisters from childhood to adulthood. The remaining performances are tonight through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.Rebecca says: “Little Women” itself is a fantastic, heartwarming story that focuses on family and dreams and hope and following your own path, even when it's not the one that others would have chosen for you or the one that seems traditionally laid out by society.The music is fantastic and supported very well by the voices in this cast. Amber Feind as Jo knocks it out of the park.— Rebecca Brokaw-SandsSymphonic celebration in Grand ForksStacy Bach is a band director at East Grand Forks High School, and she suggests coming back to her school's auditorium this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. for the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra's Yuletide Concert. Expect holiday favorites, including Tchaikovsky's “Nutcracker Suite,” plus classic carols that invite the audience to sing along. The winner of the Young Artist Concerto Competition will also be featured.

Greta Gerwig's follow up to Lady Bird, and an adaptation of the classic Louisa May Alcott book is the topic of our episode with 2019's LITTLE WOMEN. Please send any and all feedback to anotherlookpod@gmail.com.  Please follow us on Instagram @anotherlookpod, and rate/review/subscribe where ever you get your podcasts.

How much joy can a little girl's dream inspire? Louisa May Alcott, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.   Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.   For a limited time, you can get a subscription for the Audiobook Library Card for only $6.99, instead of the typical ridiculously low price of $9.99. This is your chance to lock in a monthly subscription at the lower price, saving $3 a month. Unlimited downloading and streaming of the Classic Tales Library can be yours for even less!  Go to audiobooklibrarycard.com or follow the link in the show notes.     And now, A Christmas Dream, and How it Came True, by Louisa May Alcott   Follow this link to get The Audiobook Library Card for a special price of $6.99/month       Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:       Follow this link to subscribe to the Arsène Lupin Podcast:     Follow this link to follow us on Instagram:     Follow this link to follow us on Facebook:

Today I welcome Liz Parker back on the show to discuss Louisa May Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN, as well as books that retell that story and nonfiction books that connect to this timeless classic. We also chat about THE OTHER MARCH SISTERS, a book that re-examines LITTLE WOMEN through the eyes of Jo March's sisters. Liz wrote Meg's chapters in the book, while Ally Malinenko and Linda Epstein wrote the Beth and Amy sections. All books, links and show notes are available on my website at https://www.sheworeblackpodcast.com/

Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues   Lauren Gunderson: Playwright, the “Christmas at Pemberley” series, The Book of Will Lauren Gunderson, recognized as the most produced contemporary playwright in America four of the last five years, including 2025, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Lauren Gunderson is a prolific playwright whose plays are produced all over North America and in Britain and Europe. She is best known for such plays as “The Book of Will” and the “Christmas at Pemberley” series of three plays (co-written by Margot Malcon). She also worked on the script for the Pixar film “Lightyear,” and her book for the musical version of “The Time Traveler's Wife” recently played in London. As of the first week in December, two plays are currently being produced in the San Francisco Bay Area. Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley, runs December 5-28 at TheatreWorks Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, and Ada and the Engine plays at the Pear Theatre in Mountain View through December 7th. A third play, Louisa Alcott's Little Women played earlier in 2025 at TheatreWorks in Mountain View, and plays at Portland Center Stage through December 21st. In this interview, she discusses those plays and others, with emphasis on Muse of Fire, in which she performs, directed by Evren Odcikin, which wil be produced by the Magic Theatre from September 22nd through October 11th. Among upcoming plays in 2026 are Silent Sky in Bethesda Maryland in February. The Book of Will in Wisconsin in January and Raleigh, North Carolina in April, The Revolutionists in Rhode Island in May and Raleigh in August, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women at the Guthrie in Minnesota next April through June. The Half Life of Marie Curie will be in Eureka California iwill be performed in February, 2026 in Eureka, California. . Alan Furst: Master Spy Novelist Alan Furst, historical spy novelist, discussing his early career and resistance during World War II  in a unaired excerpts from an interview recorded September 26, 2002 in the KPFA studios while he was on tour for Blood of Victory. His latest novel, Under Occupation, was published in 2019. Alan Furst's career took off with his novel Kingdom of Shadows in 2000, the sixth book in his series of stand-alone novels about heros and villains in Europe in the years leading up to, and including World War II.  Suffused with atmosphere, his books feel as if you're living with the characters in those haunted times. Of course, there is added resonance as we live through what might be similar times today. These excerpts are from the second of five Bookwaves interviews with Alan Furst. Hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Alan Furst Wikipedia page     Book Interview/Events and Theatre Links Note: Shows may unexpectedly close early or be postponed due to actors' positive COVID tests. Check the venue for closures, ticket refunds, and mask requirements before arrival. Dates are in-theater performances unless otherwise noted. Some venues operate Tuesday – Sunday; others for shorter periods each week. All times Pacific Time. Closing dates are sometimes extended. Book Stores Bay Area Book Festival  See website for highlights from the 110th Annual Bay Area Book Festival, May 31 – June 1, 2025. Book Passage.  Monthly Calendar. Mix of on-line and in-store events. Books Inc.  Mix of on-line and in-store events. The Booksmith.  Monthly Event Calendar. BookShop West Portal. Monthly Event Calendar. Center for Literary Arts, San Jose. See website for Book Club guests in upcoming months. Green Apple Books. Events calendar. Kepler's Books  On-line Refresh the Page program listings. Live Theater Companies Actors Ensemble of Berkeley.  See website for readings and events. Actor's Reading Collective (ARC).  See website for upcoming productions. African American Art & Culture Complex. See website for calendar. American Conservatory Theatre Judy Garland, We Need A Little Christmas with Debbie Wileman, Strand, Dec. 6-7. Rudolph & Scrooge, A YC Double Feature, December 18-20, Strand. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, Jan. 21 – Feb. 1, 2026, Toni Rembe (Geary). Paranormal Activity, Feb. 19 – March 15, Toni Rembe. Awesome Theatre Company. See website for information. Berkeley Playhouse. Annie. November 7- December 21. Once, February 20 – March 22.  Berkeley Rep. The Hills of California .by Jez Butterworth, Oct. 31 – Dec. 7, Roda Theatre. Mother of Exiles by Jessica Huang, World Premiere, Nov. 14 – Dec. 21, Peets Theatre. Berkeley Shakespeare Company See website for upcoming productions. Brava Theatre Center: See calendar for events listings. BroadwaySF: The Golden Girls Live,  December 4-21, Curran. Moulin Rouge! The Musical, December 16-28, Orpheum. See website for complete listings for the Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theaters. Broadway San Jose:  A Beautiful Noise, December 30 – January 4. See website for other events. Center REP: A Christmas Carol, Dec. 10 – 21.. Central Stage. See website for upcoming productions, 5221 Central Avenue, Richmond Central Works See website for information on the 2026 season. Cinnabar Theatre. Holiday Songbook, Dec. 19-21. My Fair Lady, January 23 – February 8, 2026. Club Fugazi. Dear San Francisco ongoing. Check website for Music Mondays listings. Contra Costa Civic Theatre Ebenezer Scrooge, an adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” by Joel Roster, December 6 –  21. . See website for other events. Golden Thread  See website for upcoming productions. Hillbarn Theatre: Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, December 4 – 28. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. Soulful Christmas, December 19-21, Magic Theatre. Los Altos Stage Company. A Christmas Carol, November  28 – December 21.. Lower Bottom Playaz  See website for upcoming productions. Magic Theatre. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre presents Soulful Christmas, December 19-21. Marin Shakespeare Company: See website for events and productions. Marin Theatre: The Gift of Nothing  by Patrick McDonnell, Aaron Posner and Erin Weaver, Dec. 13 – 23. .The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov Jan . 29 – Feb. 22, 2026. Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts Upcoming Events Page. New Conservatory Theatre Center (NCTC)  Ruthless,  Dec. 5 – January 11, 2026. New Performance Traditions.  See website for upcoming schedule Oakland Theater Project. Cabaret, November 21 – December 14. Odd Salon: Upcoming events in San Francisco & New York, and streaming. Palace of Fine Arts Theater.  See website for event listings. Pear Theater. Ada & The Engine  by Lauren Gunderson, November 21 – December 7. See website for staged readings and other events. Playful People Productions. See website for upcoming productions. Presidio Theatre. Peter Pan Panto, Nov. 29 – Dec. 28. See website for complete schedule of events and performances. Ray of Light: Mean Girls. May 2026. Ross Valley Players: See website for New Works Sunday night readings and other events. San Francisco Playhouse. Into the Woods. November 30 – January 17, 2026. SFBATCO.  See website for upcoming streaming and in- theater shows. San Jose Stage Company: See website for events and upcoming season Shotgun Players.  Sunday in the Park with George, November 15 – December 30. South Bay Musical Theatre:  Let It Snow: A Broadway Holiday Celebration, December 20-21, Little Women, The Broadway Musical, January 24 – February 14, 2026. SPARC: See website for upcoming events. Stagebridge: See website for events and productions. Storytime every 4th Saturday. The Breath Project. Streaming archive. The Marsh: Calendar listings for Berkeley, San Francisco and Marshstream. Theatre Lunatico  See website for upcoming productions.. Theatre Rhino  Pirates! by John Fisher, December 4 – 13. Streaming: Essential Services Project, conceived and performed by John Fisher, all weekly performances now available on demand. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Georgiana & Kitty, Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, Dec. 3 – 28, Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto. Word for Word.  See website for upcoming productions. Misc. Listings: BAMPFA: On View calendar for Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Berkeley Symphony: See website for listings. Chamber Music San Francisco: Calendar, 2025 Season. Dance Mission Theatre. On stage events calendar. Fort Mason Center. Events calendar. Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Calendar listings and upcoming shows. San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. See schedule for upcoming SFGMC performances. San Francisco Opera. Calendar listings. San Francisco Symphony. Calendar listings. Filmed Live Musicals: Searchable database of all filmed live musicals, podcast, blog. If you'd like to add your bookstore or theater venue to this list, please write Richard@kpfa.org   . The post December 4, 2025: Lauren Gunderson, Oft-Produced Contemporary Playwright appeared first on KPFA.

Elizabeth previews a selection of stories from A Louisa May Alcott Christmas, first published from 1865 and 1872. This season is a premium exclusive. Thank you for supporting our show.Try The Sleepy Bookshelf Premium free for 7 days: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sleepybookshelf.supercast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Are you loving The Sleepy Bookshelf? Show your support by giving us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Vote on upcoming books via the Survey on our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sleepybookshelf.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Listen to the music from The Sleepy Bookshelf in a relaxing soundscape on Deep Sleep Sounds:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxRt2AI7f80⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Having an issue with The Sleepy Bookshelf or have a question for us? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out our FAQs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Connect: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thank you so much for joining us here at The Sleepy Bookshelf. Now, let's open our book for this evening. Sweet dreams

Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women has been adapted for film nearly 10 times since it was published in 1868. This year, it’s got a reimagined Christmas twist in A Little Women’s Christmas under the direction of feel-good romance genre icon Brian Bird. Behind the scenes of projects like Touched by Angel, The Case for Christ and Hallmark phenomenon When Calls the Heart, Brian wants to tell stories that inspire but also address real human challenges.In this conversation Brian talks about the roots of family division, mixing realism with cheesy ideals, and how Aussie Dean Geyer ended up in the movie.Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Gunderson, recognized as the most produced contemporary playwright in America four of the last five years, including 2025, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Lauren Gunderson is a prolific playwright whose plays are produced all over North America and in Britain and Europe. She is best known for such plays as “The Book of Will” and the “Christmas at Pemberley” series of three plays (co-written by Margot Malcon). She also worked on the script for the Pixar film “Lightyear,” and her book for the musical version of “The Time Traveler's Wife” recently played in London. As of the first week in December, two plays are currently being produced in the San Francisco Bay Area. Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley, runs December 5-28 at TheatreWorks Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, and Ada and the Engine plays at the Pear Theatre in Mountain View through December 7th. A third play, Louisa Alcott's Little Women played earlier in 2025 at TheatreWorks in Mountain View, and plays at Portland Center Stage through December 21st. In this interview, she discusses those plays and others, with emphasis on Muse of Fire, in which she performs, directed by Evren Odcikin, which wil be produced by the Magic Theatre from September 22nd through October 11th. Among upcoming plays in 2026 are Silent Sky in Bethesda Maryland in February. The Book of Will in Wisconsin in January and Raleigh, North Carolina in April, The Revolutionists in Rhode Island in May and Raleigh in August, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women at the Guthrie in Minnesota next April through June. The Half Life of Marie Curie will be in Eureka California iwill be performed in February, 2026 in Eureka, California. The post Lauren Gunderson, Noted Contemporary Playwright, the “Christmas in Pemberley” series appeared first on KPFA.

Today's story is an adaptation of a story by Louisa May-Alcott and written for you by Daniel Hinds. Tilly, the oldest of six siblings, is left in charge on Thanksgiving when their parents rush Nana to urgent care. Determined to save the holiday, the kids attempt to cook the Thanksgiving dinner themselves. Do you think they'll be successful? Listen and find out! Check out Stories RPG our new show where we play games like Starsworn with all your Max Goodname friends, and Gigacity Guardians featuring the brilliant firefly! https://link.chtbl.com/gigacity Draw us a picture of what you think any of the characters in this story look like, and then tag us in it on instagram @storiespodcast! We'd love to see your artwork and share it on our feed!! If you would like to support Stories Podcast, you can subscribe and give us a five star review on iTunes, check out our merch at storiespodcast.com/shop, follow us on Instagram @storiespodcast, or just tell your friends about us! Check out our new YouTube channel at youtube.com/storiespodcast. If you've ever wanted to read along with our stories, now you can! These read-along versions of our stories are great for early readers trying to improve their skills or even adults learning English for the first time. Check it out.

Today, in celebration of the American holiday "Thanksgiving Day," I want to share with you a recording of short story written by Louisa May Alcott, called "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving." The audio file has no commentary—it's merely an unabridged reading of the story—and is suitable for you to share with your children as a worthwhile story to enjoy this time of year. But this story is filled with financial lessons for those with ears to hear. As you listen to a life of long ago (circa 1830), I'd encourage you to reflect on the life that you and I now live in comparison. For me, this reflection fills me with Thanksgiving, which is the starting point of living a rich life now. You are rich. I am rich. Let's realize it and act appropriately. Joshua If you prefer to read the story to your children yourself, here is the text I read: https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/alcott/thanksgiving/thanksgiving.html  Here are a few poem and prayers of Thanksgiving you may enjoy as well: O Lord, that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness! ~~William Shakespeare 1564-1616 May all who share these gifts today Be blessed by Thee, we humbly pray. What God gives and what we take 'Tis a gift for Christ his sake;

A partir del cl

Una cara B ratllada per l'agulla de diamant. Crítica teatral de l'obra «Little women», de Louisa May Alcott. Versió lliure de Lucia del Greco. Intèrprets: Elisabet Casanovas, Joan Esteve, Mia Esteve, Paula Jornet, Miriam Moukhles i Blanca Valletbó. Escenografia i il·luminació: Cube.bz. Vestuari i caracterització: Pau Aulí Nadal. So: Roc Mateu. Música original: Pol Batlle. Moviment: Lorena Nogal i Ariadna Monfort. Ajudanta de vestuari: Davinia Wang. Assessor de dramatúrgia: Enric Nolla Gual. Col·laboració en l'espai sonor: Alejandro Da Rocha. Assistent de so: Jordi Agut. Alumne en pràctiques de direcció: Juli Aymí (Eòlia). Alumna en pràctiques de vestuari: Marcel Puigví (ITB). Confecció de perruques: Rodrigo Ferbar. Col·laboració en la realització del vestuari: Época Barcelona. Equips del Teatre Lliure. Agraïments: Pere Jou, Nao Albet, Marta Bessa, Nico Cobo, Dolors Miquel, Albert Roig, Leonardo Vicente, Miquel Mas Fiol, Cora + Gianfranco, Ilaria Del Greco, Ettore Del Greco, Paola Minnucci, Alba Bosch Duran, Marta Vilageliu, Susanna Van Roessel, Remi Fa, Cristina Plazas, Julieta Fernández, Alba Viader i Mariona Om. Agraïments especials: Alba Pujol pel seu acompanyament artístic. Ajudanta de direcció: Mònica Almirall. Direcció: Lucia del Greco. Teatre Lliure Gràcia, Barcelona, Del 23 d'octubre al 30 de novembre 2025. Veu: Andreu Sotorra. Música: Where Have All the Flowers Gone? Interpretació: Pete Seeger. Composició: Joe Hickerson i Pete Seeger. Àlbum: If I Had A Hammer, 1960.

Tonight, at long last, we'll read the final chapter of “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott titled “Harvest Time”. It's hard to believe, but we have been reading this book for the first time as we've read it to you, and that first chapter was started back in December 2019, when Snoozecast was less than 1 year old. We took a break after part one concluded in June 2022 to explore other books. By popular request, we reopened the story in 2023, beginning the second part of Little Women—originally published separately as Good Wives. In our last chapter, “Under the Umbrella,” Jo, busy but lonely, had often thought of Professor Bhaer and regretted their stiff parting. On a rainy errand she met him beneath an umbrella; as they walked, he gently explained why he had stopped reading her sensational tales, and Jo told him she had left that work behind for truer writing—bringing them closer. In the rain he confessed his love, and Jo happily returned it. They reached the March home soaked but radiant, where Marmee quickly understood, and the chapter closed on Jo's quiet, genuine happiness and the promise of a life with Bhaer. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KPFA theatre critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Little Women,” adapted by Lauren Gunderson, at TheatreWorks Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts through October 12, 2025.   Little Women Review The classic pre-twentieth century books never die, on stage or on film. A Christmas Carol keeps coming back in December, year after year after year. Maybe the setting is contemporary. Maybe Scrooge is a woman. But the same template carries on and on. Marley. First ghost. Second ghost. Third ghost. Count the beats. Yawn. There are others. Mr. Darcy and the Bennets. Huck Finn. Dracula. Anna Karenina. Alice and the Rabbit. Frankenstein. And then there's Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. There are seven feature length films, eight TV adaptations, two plays, an opera, a ballet, and a Broadway musical. Now there's Lauren Gunderson's adaptation of Little Women, at Theatreworks in Mountain View through  October 12th. Little Women's ageless popularity rests, as the playwright notes, on its proto-feminism, its focus on family love, and being set during a time of strife and shortages and adds how appropriate it feels in our current times., though of course it also felt appropriate through its previous adaptations. That's what timelessness is about. And unlike Dickens or Austen, it's hard to pull out the plot and change time periods or genders. You're stuck in the Civil War, in New England, and with four specific daughters. Maybe the future will bring us Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth and Zombies, but hopefully not. In this adaptation, Louisa May Alcott tells the story and illuminates the relationship of her real family to the fictional Marches, with the dialogue and sometimes the book descriptions coming out of the characters' mouths. It's a neat touch, and perhaps only possible on stage. But, as with A Christmas Carol, we are still stuck with the same beats. Jo meets Laurie, Beth goes to the big house, Amy burns a manuscript, and so on. Louisa May Alcott never married, and it's possible we know why. She's not attracted to men. This production hints at this through particulars of the performance of Elissa Beth Stebbins as Louisa and Jo,  and by the lack of chemistry with both of Jo's suitors. Greta Gerwig saw the same issue in the 2019 film, and tackled it by making Jo the author of Little Women and hits the issue dead on. Lauren Gunderson, thugh, approaches it  more obliquely, but without a fuller explanation, the ending feels false. Louisa is Jo, until she's not. For the fans who jump at every new adaptation, this Little Women, if redundant, might add a new dimension. For the rest of us, enough is enough. Lauren Gunderson's adaptation of Little Women, directed by Giovanna Sardelli, plays at Theatreworks Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts through October 12, 2025. For more information, you can go to theatreworks.org. I'm Richard Wolinsky on Bay Area Theatre for KPFA. The post Review: “Little Women” at TheatreWorks Mountain View appeared first on KPFA.

It's been a month since the publication of Hallmarked Man so Nick and John decide to have a ‘Pit Pony Pickleball' match in which they serve and volley Strike 8 examples of Shed tools and Lake springs as fast as they can. After a round of back and forth between Team Lake and Team Shed, they do a flash round of Golden Threads against the clock and then John is given a ‘Final Jeopardy' tie-breaker question about the most controversial perennial plot point in Rowling's work.It's a reverse Kanreki exercise, in other words. In their conversations about each of Rowling's novels, screenplays, play script, text books, and short story collection, Nick and John discussed one Lake spring, a source point of story inspiration from Rowling's life experience and core beliefs, and one Shed tool, her deliberate artistry to craft that inspiration into edifying and engaging story. Here they have a ‘Blitz Chess' match, to switch sporting metaphors, to try and cover as many Lake, Shed, and Thread points with examples from Rowling's latest as possible.Perhaps the most important take-away, though, is the three conclusions about Hallmarked Man they've come to after a month of reading that they think will be the consensus view of Strike 8 after we have Strikes 9 and 10. Make some popcorn, find your score card and a comfortable place to watch and take notes; this is an episode for the ages! (Insert your preferred Wrestle-Mania or like programming promotional hyperbole here.)The Kanreki Index of Rowling's Shed Tools, Lake Springs and Golden ThreadsIn July 2025, Nick Jeffery and I logged a marathon of Kanreki ‘Lake and Shed' video posts at this site in celebration of Rowling's life and work at her 60th birthday. For listeners of this ‘Blitz' Lake and Shed reading of The Hallmarked Man, I repost below an easy-to-access-and-reference single place for readers to find much longer discussion of each Shed tool, Lake spring, and Golden Thread, as well as an introduction to Fourth Generation Rowling Studies hermeneutics. Enjoy!Introduction to the Kanreki Project* The Goal and the Methodology of the Hogwarts Professor Tag-Team Month-Long Birthday Party for Serious Readers of Rowling-GalbraithOn 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, celebrated her 60th birthday. This specific celebration is considered a ‘second birth' in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR's Kanreki, 還暦, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, read through Rowling's more than twenty published works and reviewed them in light of the author's writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed' metaphor. The ‘Lake' she said in 2019 and 2024 is the source of her inspiration and the ‘Shed' is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age.Join us after the jump for the complete compendium of the Harry Potter, Cormoran Strike, Fantastic Beast, ‘Stand Alone' stories, and Golden Thread posts!The Lake and Shed Conversations about the Harry Potter Novels and Extras* Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneNick discusses Hogsmeade Comprehensive School, as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry should be properly called, and John explains the ten different genres that Rowling uses in Philosopher's Stone* Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsJohn explores the Freudian parallels that Rowling paints into Chamber of Secrets, and Nick talks about her oldest, and probably best friend Sean Harris, the inspiration for Ron Weasley.* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanNick shares the London institution of the (k)night bus. Part drunk carriage, part dormitory for the homeless in foul weather, zig-zaging across London between midnight and five in the morning. John shares the Parallel Series Idea (PSI) and compare Prisoner of Azkaban with Robert Galbraith's Career of Evil.* Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireNick talks about the trip Rowling made as a teenager to Cornwall as a young woman in which some Quidditch World Cup camping may have been involved and about her core beliefs about bigotry and prejudice. John reviews Rowling's tagging Goblet as a “crucial” and “pivotal” part of the seven book series and introduces how the ‘story turn' in a ring composition reflects the beginning and end of the story.* Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixNick talks about the darkest period in Jo Rowling's life, namely, her return to the UK from Portugal as a single mother in Edinburgh. With Order of the Phoenix in full nigredo mode John talks literary alchemy.* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceNick reveals the real life model for Severus Snape, Rowling's Chemistry teacher at Wydean Comprehensive, and his remarkable story and melancholy end. John reviews Rowling's version of the so-called ‘Hero's Journey,' how she re-makes it into a life-after-death ‘Harry's Journey' ten step dance we see in every book — except for Half-Blood Prince with its two chapters before we begin at Privet Drive and its ending without a Dumbledore Denouement or trip to King's Cross.* Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsJohn and Nick discuss the ‘Deathly Hallows' symbol, a triangulated and vertically bisected circle, from both its biographical point of inspiration to its anagogical or sublime depths. Nick reveals Rowling's story about how she was watching the 1975 John Huston film ‘The Man Who Would Be King' the night her mother died and that believes the “Masonic tag” of the story-line was her sub-conscious source for the Deathly Hallows ‘“triangular eye.” John thinks Rowling is really reaching here, akin to her claim that the name ‘Hogwarts' came from a trip to a public garden rather than the Molesworth books. He reviews the five eyes of Deathly Hallows and explains how Rowling embeds both a key to the four-level interpretation of symbols in how characters respond to that image and a model of how we are to interpret and understand her ‘transformed vision' mission as a writer.* Newt Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemNick and John return to the books at a reader's suggestion in order to give a Lake and Shed reading of the original Newt Scamander textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Nick relays everything you need to know about the genesis of this work and John talks about Rowling's comments to Stephen Fry in a 2022 interview about “archetypal” animals and the importance of understanding them because human beings are story-telling animals. Her discussion of the Lethifold and Niffler are especially challenging and illuminating.* The Tales of Beedle the BardNick and John fulfill a reader request to discuss the book inside Deathly Hallows (one of three actually…), ‘Tales of Beedle the Bard,' a text that Albus Dumbledore leaves Hermione in his will for her to read and apply to the Horcrux Hunt. Nick tells the story of Rowling's creation of six hand-written copies as six-of-a-kind gifts for those who brought Harry Potter to life. John dives into the center story of the five tales, ‘The Hairy Heart,' and tells the meaning of Harry's heart to draw out what Rowling meant by describing Beedle as “the distillation” of the Hogwarts Saga.The Lake and Shed Conversations about the Cormoran Strike Novels* The Cuckoo's CallingThe ‘Lake' point that Nick explores is the identity of the real Deeby Mac, namely, Di Brooks, Rowling's former security director and currently her office manager, a veteran with years of experience in the SIB. John's ‘Shed' point is his pushback against the idea that Calling wasn't really the first book in the series because Rowling has said she had the idea for it after Silkworm and only chose it because the case would make her detective famous.* The SilkwormThe ‘Lake' point that Nick reveals is the probable identity of ‘Jenkins,' the mystery person to whom Strike 2 is dedicated, a revelation consequent to no little detective work (and a very close reading of Louisa May Alcott!). He also discusses some real-life literary infighting in contemporary London that might have been lifted from the pages of Silkworm. John argues that this ur-novel of the series, its point of conception, is Rowling's not especially opaque guide to how to understand a novelist's life and to appreciate their work, in short, her first ‘Lake and Shed' discussion (albeit one embedded in story).* Career of EvilThe ‘Lake' point that Nick explores is Rowling's personal experience of violence against women and her determination to push back against the misogynist age she believes we have been living in for decades. John details the litany of crimes committed against women in the third Strike novel and suggests that in time, when we have the series as a whole, appreciation of the artistry involved will counter-balance the shock first-time readers feel on entering this boucherie.* Lethal WhiteNick discusses the embedded class struggle in the book and its roots in Rowling's background before dropping the bomb of the real world identity of Jack O'Kent and his unhappy family. John is so taken aback by this revelation that Nick has to prompt the Shed portion of the conversation with a fun history of the Sonia Friedman production of Ibsen's Rosmersholm on London's West End, a show starring Thom Burke as Rosmer and which ended just before Bronte Studios beginning the filming of Lethal White.* Troubled Blood (A)Nick discusses Rowling's history with the divinatory art of astrology and the occult resources and reference works she brought into play in writing a novel whose primary embedded text is a murder scene's astrological chart. John talks about the astrological clock structure of twelve houses in which Galbraith tells this remarkable story.* Troubled Blood (B)Nick discusses Rowling's history with the Clerkenwell neighborhood. John talks about Troubled Blood as a double re-telling of The Faerie Queene, Book One, with Strike and Margot as the Redcrosse Knight and Oonaugh and Robin as Una.* Ink Black HeartNick covers the front and the back of making Lake readings of Strike6 without a lot of circumspection and John talks about the eerie feeling he had while reading this book that the author was ‘having a go' at him.* The Running GraveNick confesses to having felt stumped about what to say as his ‘Lake' contribution to the Strike7 discussion — before his epiphany on a long walk with Addie that almost every buoy or pillar in Rowling's metaphorical place of inspiration finds its reflection in the seventh Galbraith mystery. John refuses to go into any detail about the work's ‘wheels within wheels within wheels' ring structure but shares instead the symbolic depth of Mama Mazu's mother of pearl fish pendant.The Lake and Shed Conversations about the Stand-Alone Works* Casual VacancyNick explains all the projects we now know she was working on between 2007 and 2012, the dates of Deathly Hallows and Casual Vacancy's respective publication dates, as well as the degree to which readers can assume that the novel's Simon Price is a fictional portrait of her father, Peter Rowling. John describes the three Gospel parables embedded in Casual Vacancy and why he thinks the book was a project the author was working on before the Hogwarts Saga as well as why it reflects a religious crisis akin to Harry's ‘struggle to believe' in Deathly Hallows.* Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildNick reviews the history of how Rowling was sold on the idea of a Wizarding World stage production via a bit of bait and switch marketing and John reads the review of the Jack Thorn script by Pepperdine English Professor James Thomas. Neither John nor Nick is a big fan of the play but their back and forth about the several controversies connected with it and the question of its being “the eighth Harry Potter story” are still challenging and fun.* The IckabogNick takes the ‘Shed' point and lays out the controlled demolition of her reputation among Group Thinkers on the Left in the lead up to Ickabog's publication and John shares the meaning of ‘The Ickabog's Song,' the embedded text of the tale, as interpreted by Daisy Dovetail (an embedded author?).* The Christmas Pig (A)Nick discusses Rowling's many interview statements about the Things which were lost and how many of them match up with things she has lost; he takes a deep dive into the Blue Bunny episode outside the Gates of the City of the Missed and Rowling's embedding herself and her daughter Mackenzie in the story. John talks about the Blue Bunny and his being “found” or “saved” as an allegory of the human condition written in the Rowling shorthand-symbols for (and obsessions with) love, salvation, and what is real.* The Christmas Pig (B)Nick by the Lake shares the history of the Murray Family and their beanie pig toys as well as a likely source for the defenestration of DP (in Esquire magazine, no less). John talks about the promise and the limits of reading literature through a biographical lens and then explains the anagogical meaning of the Power palace kangaroo court trial of CP and Jack. Both share their reasons for thinking that The Christmas Pig is the perfect distillation of everything Rowling is doing as a writer, to include the relationship of her Lake inspiration to her final Shed product.The Lake and Shed Conversations about the Fantastic Beasts Screenplays* Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemNick does his signature deep dive into the history of the Fantastic Beasts film franchise's origins in Warner Brothers' determination to keep the Wizarding World profit-pillar in their portfolio alive after the last Harry Potter adaptation — and Rowling's equal determination that they not use their copyright privilege to muck up her legacy with an Indiana Jones meets Crocodile Dundee knock-off. John takes the Shed pole in the conversation and shares his months long pursuit of the shooting text screenplay, the actual last screenplay over which Rowling had control.* The Crimes of GrindelwaldOn the Lake side of things, Nick explores the Johnny Depp casting scandal and the lead-up in 2018 to the 2019 Tweet Heard Round the World. John explains that the cut scenes from this dog's mess of a movie point that the shooting script, i.e., what Rowling wrote and approved before David Yates butchered the film in the editing room, was all about Leta Lestrange. More important, John makes the Shed point that every Rowling book features a text of some kind that the characters struggle to understand — and that Crimes of Grindelwald has ten of these, a veritable library of interior texts to interpret.* The Secrets of DumbledoreNick lays out the drama surrounding the third Fantastic Beasts franchise film and his favorite part of the movie (hint: it's about “confusion”). John reveals why Jacob gets a Snakewood wand and one without a core as well as why he thinks Kowalski is the embedded author in this series.The Lake and Shed Conversations about Rowling's Golden Threads and Shed Tools* Chiastic Structure, a.k.a. Ring CompositionJohn travels to his backyard Mongolian ger, the archetypal circular architectural form, to deliver a firehose introduction to the four essentials of ring writing. He uses slides to depict the structure of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as his brief ‘for instance' of how Rowling chooses to organize her stories and he provides a list of links (below!) for further reading.* Survey of Rowling's Golden Threads (A)In this first overview of the Golden Threads, Nick and John go back and fourth with four Threads each. Nick gives at least three examples for Bad Dad, Writing about Writing, Violence against Women, and the Evils of Fleet Street. John responds with three or more 'for instances' of Mother Love, Ghosts, Pregnancy Traps, and the Lost Child with Grieving Steward.* Survey of Rowling's Golden Threads (B)In this second overview of the Golden Threads, Nick and John talk about Kanreki red caps and tackle three Threads each. Nick gives at least three examples for Evil Government, Occult tropes, and the Embedded Author. John responds with three or more 'for instances' of the Search for the Real, Embedded Texts, and Shadow Doppelgangers.* The ‘Lost Child' Golden Thread Oeuvre ReviewFor the day before Rowling's 60th birthday, Nick and John tackle by reader request the never before discussed subject of the Lost Child theme in the author's more than twenty published works. They re-introduce the Golden Threads idea — see their Pregnancy Trap podcast or the two Kanreki series on this subject (links in post) — then they do a deep dive into the crowded waters of Lost Children in her work, and then they go out out on a high-wire to speculate about what specific spring in her Lake subconscious mind is responsible for this recurrent inspiration.* The ‘Lost Child' Golden Thread “So What?” ConversationAs a birthday gift of sorts, Nick and John close off their month-long celebration of Rowling-Galbraith's life and work with a follow-up look at yesterday's review of the ‘Lost Child' Golden Thread that runs through her stories. After cataloging the almost forty ‘for instances' taken from the opera omnia in the penultimate entry in this series, Nick and John ask, “So What?” How does the possibility that Rowling had an induced abortion and is sufficiently unsettled by it that it inspires many even most of her books at least in part make any difference in understanding their artistry and meaning?‘Strike Extended Play' or ‘How a Seven Book Series Can Be Stretched into Ten' Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Tonight, we'll read the next chapter of “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott titled “Under the Umbrella”. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel and is considered the 46th chapter as part of that work as a whole. In our last chapter, “Daisy and Demi,” Meg's twins become the delight of the March household. Meg devotes herself to their care, while John takes special pride in his son, dreaming of the man he will grow into. The babies charm the entire family—Jo, at first unsure of them, warms up and plays the lively aunt, while Laurie and the others also share in the joy of helping raise the little one. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does the film industry, Louisa May Alcott, and King Tut have in common? Mummy's curses! We dig into the history of the Curse of the Pharaohs, how they are viewed in the west, and how Tutmania changed Egyptology and the world. Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, illness, racism, desecration of bodies, slavery, forced labor, grave-robbing, sexual assault, and animal death. Housekeeping- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests' books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Get our new Old Wives' Tale Teller Corduroy Hat!- Submit Your Urban Legends Audio: Call us! 617-420-2344Sponsors- United by Blue, creators of sustainable apparel and outdoor gear. Use code jointheparty for 20% off at https://unitedbyblue.comFind Us Online- Website & Transcripts: spiritspodcast.com- Patreon: patreon.com/spiritspodcast- Merch: spiritspodcast.com/merch- Instagram: instagram.com/spiritspodcast- Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/spiritspodcast.com- Twitter: twitter.com/spiritspodcast- Tumblr: spiritspodcast.tumblr.comCast & Crew- Co-Hosts: Julia Schifini and Amanda McLoughlin- Editor: Bren Frederick- Music: Brandon Grugle, based on "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod- Artwork: Allyson Wakeman- Multitude: multitude.productionsAbout UsSpirits is a boozy podcast about mythology, legends, and folklore. Every episode, co-hosts Julia and Amanda mix a drink and discuss a new story or character from a wide range of places, eras, and cultures. Learn brand-new stories and enjoy retellings of your favorite myths, served over ice every week, on Spirits.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Daily QuoteI am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship. (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)Poem of the DayAutumnEmily DickinsonBeauty of WordsThe Long ShadowJohn Hampson

Tonight, we'll read the next chapter of “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott titled “My Lord and Lady”. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel and is considered the 45th chapter as part of that work as a whole. In our last chapter, Laurie visits the March home with Amy, and the newlyweds share lighthearted banter with Jo and Mrs. March. Laurie reveals his plans to work seriously in business to please his grandfather, while Amy speaks of creating a warm home before stepping into society. Later, at home, they discuss Jo's possible marriage to Professor Bhaer, with Laurie assuring Amy he would be happy for them. The couple then talk warmly about their shared desire to use their wealth to discreetly help those in need, particularly struggling artists, ambitious young women, and “poor gentlefolk” who cannot ask for aid. They pledge to make generosity a joyful part of their life together, seeing it as a way to strengthen their own marriage while brightening the lives of others. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to A Cozy Christmas Podcast! Summer's heat can make it hard to feel the Christmas spirit, but it's still there—waiting to be found and shared! In this episode, I talk about how creativity can spread joy—especially Christmas joy—and I take a moment to reflect on Currier & Ives and their timeless winter scenes. For our story today, I read the first two Christmas chapters of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. The March sisters' creativity, generosity, and joy shine through—whether in giving to a family in need, receiving an unexpected gift from a kind neighbor, or staging a delightfully chaotic homebased theatre performance. Together, they remind us that the best gifts we give (and receive) are always the most heartfelt. Book Recommendation: Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O'Connor Bookshop.org affiliate link: https://bookshop.org/a/56283/9781496751089  Timestamps: 00:00 Christmas Art & Creativity, Currier & Ives, and More 08:25 Cozy Christmas Book Corner  13:10 Introduction to Little Women 15:15 Little Women, Chapter 1: Playing Pilgrims 39:32 Little Women, Chapter 2: A Merry Christmas   Ways to support the show: Rate and review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-cozy-christmas-podcast/id1523423375  Buy me a coffee? www.ko-fi.com/cozychristmas  Ornaments, Mugs, and Notebooks: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CozyChristmasPodcast  Logo shirt designs: http://tee.pub/lic/edygC_h4D1c    Contact Me: facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cozychristmaspodcast  instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cozychristmaspodcast/  twitter: https://twitter.com/CozyXmasPod  youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCikiozEbu0h9pKeI1Ei5TQ email: cozychristmaspodcast@gmail.com       #podcast #christmaspodcast #littlewomen #christmasbooks #cozychristmas

This week on From the Front Porch, it's another episode From the Archives! In this series, we're sharing some of our favorite past episodes of the show while Annie is on maternity leave. Enjoy today's episode about Annie's favorite books of all time from 2023. To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 542) or download and shop on The Bookshelf's official app: Libro.fm Bookshelf storefront Gilead by Marilynne Robinson A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee The Mothers by Brit Bennett The Road by Cormac McCarthy Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner Little Women by Louisa May Alcott An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott (unavailable to purchase) Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Updated mentions since the podcast originally aired: Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout James by Percival Everett Matrix by Lauren Groff From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf's daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today's episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading The Eights by Joanna Miller. If you liked what you heard in today's episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We're so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

This week on The Watchers, Andrea and Jodie bundle up for a double dose of March family goodness with Little Women, starting with the beloved 1994 version and bringing in Greta Gerwig's more meta 2019 adaptation. We talk about what makes this story so enduring, why every generation gets the Jo it needs, and how both films handle what's really at the heart of Louisa May Alcott's classic. We also get into 1994's all-star 90s cast, the importance of women-led movie sets, and what Alcott really thought about the men in her novel. Plus, significant haircuts, compulsory heterosexuality, Freudian analysis, and other Watchers classics.Next week, we're sticking with girlhood, nostalgia, and formative trauma but trading bonnets for bikes with 1995's coming-of-age drama, Now and Then.Recommended Viewing:“Why The Costumes of Little Women did NOT deserve an Oscar” - Micarah TewersIf you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review.Follow:The Watchers on Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)Andrea on Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)Jodie on Instagram (@jodie_mim)Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! En una tarde tranquila, Paul Forsyth le cuenta a su prometida una inquietante vivencia ocurrida durante un viaje a Egipto, cuando quedó atrapado con un profesor entre los pasadizos de una pirámide. Allí encontraron el cuerpo momificado de una antigua hechicera y una caja de oro con unas misteriosas semillas dentro, presagio de una terrible maldición. - Narración: Juan Carlos Albarracín - Locución Sintonía: Antonio Runa - Música: Epidemic Sound, con licencia - Ilustración: Pixabay, con licencia https://pixabay.com/es/vectors/cr%C3%A1neo-huesos-esqueleto-cueva-7486037/ Los Cuentos de la Casa de la Bruja es un podcast semanal de audio-relatos de misterio, ciencia ficción y terror. Cada viernes, a las 10 de la noche, traemos un nuevo programa. Alternamos entre episodios gratuitos para todos nuestros oyentes y episodios exclusivos para nuestros fans. ¡Si te gusta nuestro contenido suscríbete! Y si te encanta considera hacerte fan desde el botón azul APOYAR y accede a todo el contenido exclusivo. Tu aporte es de mucha ayuda para el mantenimiento de este podcast. ¡Gracias por ello! Mi nombre es Juan Carlos. Dirijo este podcast y también soy locutor y narrador de audiolibros, con estudio propio. Si crees que mi voz encajaría con tu proyecto o negocio contacta conmigo y hablamos. :) Contacto profesional: info@locucioneshablandoclaro.com www.locucioneshablandoclaro.com También estoy en X y en Bluesky: @VengadorT Y en Instagram: juancarlos_locutor CONVOCATORIA ABIERTA – Los Cuentos de la Casa de la Bruja. ¿Eres escritor o escritora y te gustaría escuchar uno de tus relatos narrado en el podcast Cuentos de la Casa de la Bruja? Estoy abriendo la puerta a autores emergentes que quieran compartir relatos originales dentro del tono del programa: historias de terror y ciencia ficción con atmósferas inquietantes, elementos fantásticos, oscuros o insólitos, y una cuidada calidad literaria. ¿QUÉ TIPO DE RELATOS BUSCO? • Relatos de terror y ciencia ficción • Con una extensión de entre 3.000 y 4.000 palabras • Con una narrativa sólida, buen uso del lenguaje y que se presten a ser narrados en voz • Textos originales e inéditos (o que al menos no estén vinculados a compromisos editoriales) ¿CÓMO PARTICIPAR? Puedes enviar tu relato en formato Word o PDF a info@locucioneshablandoclaro.com con el asunto: Relato para el podcast. Acompáñalo, si quieres, de una pequeña nota biográfica para que pueda presentarte adecuadamente. IMPORTANTE: La recepción de un relato no garantiza su publicación. La selección dependerá de criterios narrativos, temáticos y de estilo, siempre con el objetivo de mantener la atmósfera y el nivel que caracterizan al podcast. ¡No se trata de emitir juicios definitivos sobre ningún autor o texto! Yo no soy crítico literario, ni pretendo serlo. Se trata de encontrar aquellos textos que mejor encajen con el universo del programa. Si tu relato es elegido me pondré en contacto contigo. En caso contrario agradeceré igual tu confianza y el gesto de compartir tu trabajo. Gracias por hacer crecer esta casa de relatos. ¡Espero leerte! Juan Carlos “Corman” Albarracín Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Tonight, we'll read the next chapter of “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott titled “My Lord and Lady”. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel and is considered the 44th chapter as part of that work as a whole. In our last chapter, Jo, feeling somewhat alone amid her family's celebration of Amy's return, is surprised by the unexpected arrival of Professor Bhaer. She welcomes him with visible joy, and he's warmly embraced by the March family. Jo observes his thoughtful presence and quiet charm, sensing a change in him—and in herself. As the family gathers to sing in memory of Beth, Jo and the Professor perform a duet that hints at growing affection. Though he claims to be in town on business, it becomes clear that Jo is the true reason for his visit. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, I want to tell you about a book that I really love—Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. To be honest, it's one of my all-time favorite stories. It's warm, emotional, and full of life. I've listened to the audiobook version, and what makes it extra special is that it's a full-cast recording. That means each character has a different voice. It's not just one person reading the book—it sounds more like a movie. And it really brings the story to life. Get the transcript here: https://speakenglishpodcast.com/podcast/

Today's Lake and Shed framed conversation is about J. K. Rowling's second Cormoran Strike novel, The Silkworm. Nick and John discuss the date Rowling claims to have had her Lake inspiration for Silkworm, the first book idea she had for the series, and what that would mean, if true. The ‘Lake' point that Nick reveals is the probable identity of ‘Jenkins,' the mystery person to whom Strike 2 is dedicated, a revelation consequent to no little detective work (and a very close reading of Louisa May Alcott!). He also discusses some real-life literary infighting in contemporary London that might have been lifted from the pages of Silkworm. John argues that this ur-novel of the series, its point of conception, is Rowling's not especially opaque guide to how to understand a novelist's life and to appreciate their work, in short, her first ‘Lake and Shed' discussion (albeit one embedded in story). He explores Kathryn Kent's blog entry about Plot and Narrative as Rowling's pointer to the syuzhet and Fabula distinction of the Russian Formalists, the key to understanding what writers do and create.New to the Lake and Shed Kanreki Birthday series? Here's what we're doing:On 31 July 2025, Joanne Murray, aka J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, will be celebrating her 60th birthday. This celebration is considered a ‘second birth' in Japan or Kanreki because it is the completion of the oriental astrological cycle. To mark JKR's Kanreki, Dr John Granger and Nick Jeffery, both Nipponophiles, are reading through Rowling's twenty-one published works and reviewing them in light of the author's writing process, her ‘Lake and Shed' metaphor. The ‘Lake' is the biographical source of her inspiration; the ‘Shed' is the alocal place of her intentional artistry, in which garage she transforms the biographical stuff provided by her subconscious mind into the archetypal stories that have made her the most important author of her age. You can hear Nick and John discuss this process and their birthday project at the first entry in this series of posts: Happy Birthday, JKR! A Lake and Shed Celebration of her Life and Work.The nine HogwartsProfessor birthday videos posted thus far in this series can be read at the links below:* A Lake and Shed Reading of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* A Lake and Shed Reading of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* A Lake and Shed Reading of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban* A Lake and Shed Reading of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire* A Lake and Shed Reading of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* A Lake and Shed Reading of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince* A Lake and Shed Reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows* A Lake and Shed Reading of Casual Vacancy* A Lake and Shed Reading of Cuckoo's CallingTomorrow? It's Career of Evil, the Comoran Strike novel unlike all others and one which Serious Strikers either love or love to hate. Links to posts mentioned in today's Lake and Shed conversation for further reading:Does Rowling Merit the Nobel Prize in Literature?* Syuzhet and Fabula* Poeima, Genre, and Influence* LiterarinessKathryn Kent's Plot-Narrative DistinctionFirst Thoughts on The SilkwormBeatrice Groves on Early Modern Revenge Drama and The Silkworm* John's Thoughts on the Poisoned Skeleton in The Silkworm Get full access to Hogwarts Professor at hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Sally Kim is the President and Publisher of Little, Brown, a famed imprint of Hachette Book Group originally founded in 1837, with a catalog that boasts authors like JD Salinger, Louisa May Alcott, Malcolm Gladwell, Nelson Mandela and David Sedaris, to name a few. Sally's journey from intern to editor and then publisher is both fascinating and comprehensive—she is one of the few people in the industry to work at all of the Big 5 publishing houses.

We are so excited and honored to have Autumn Krause join us on the podcast! Autumn is a Kirkus-star winning Young Adult author, homeschool alumna, and Orthodox homeschool mom. Her books, A Dress for the Wicked and Before the Devil Knows You're Here, were published by mainstream companies, with the latter garnering many accolades. Her third book will be published September 2nd, 2025. Autumn shares how she confronts the hardships of life in her books and recounts how homeschooling impacts her work as an author. Books mentioned: A Dress for the Wicked by Autumn Krause Before the Devil Knows You're Here by Autumn Krause Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause Hamlet by William Shakespeare Les Miserables by Victor Hugo Brothers Karamazov by Fyodr Dostoevsky Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

We are so excited and honored to have Autumn Krause join us on the podcast! Autumn is a Kirkus-star winning Young Adult author, homeschool alumna, and Orthodox homeschool mom. Her books, A Dress for the Wicked and Before the Devil Knows You're Here, were published by mainstream companies, with the latter garnering many accolades. Her third book will be published September 2nd, 2025. Autumn shares how she confronts the hardships of life in her books and recounts how homeschooling impacts her work as an author. Books mentioned: A Dress for the Wicked by Autumn Krause Before the Devil Knows You're Here by Autumn Krause Grave Flowers by Autumn Krause Hamlet by William Shakespeare Les Miserables by Victor Hugo Brothers Karamazov by Fyodr Dostoevsky Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Join me this week as I dive into the story of Little Women and its author Louisa May Alcott. Learn all about Alcott's youth and exactly how the story of Little Women got started. 

Tonight we'll read the next chapter of Good Wives, written by Louisa May Alcott, titled "Surprises". This is also known as the second half of the Little Women novel, and is considered the 43rd chapter as part of that work as a whole. In our last chapter, Jo found herself adrift in a quieter home, struggling to lift her spirits or rekindle her sense of purpose. Though she tries to be useful, her days feel empty until simple comforts. Conversations with her parents. Small household tasks, and time with Meg and the children begin to steady her. Encouraged to write again, Jo pours her heart into a story that unexpectedly resonates with readers. She warmly supports Amy and Laurie's news, though it stirs her own longing for connection. Alone in the attic, Jo finds an old note from Professor Bear and holds it close. Sensing something quietly beginning. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beware of toilets and grab your mouth harps, because this week we're celebrating Pride Month with the Wachowski's directorial debut, BOUND. Next time we'll be watching JAWS for its 50th Anniversary.Thanks for listening and stay spoopy ya'll!Timestamps:00:00:26 Intro00:01:42 Start00:01:59 WSTR Andor Episode00:02:52 Current Events/Supreme Court Woes00:03:50 Carmilla the Vampire and Lesbian Relationships in Horror00:07:18 BOUND and The Wachowskis00:13:08 Cast Interview Highlights00:18:22 SHOWGIRLS and Censors and Hands, oh my!00:27:48 Cast (Where Have We Seen Them?)00:31:55 More Wachowski Facts00:43:44 Rundown00:44:35 SPOILERS01:06:07 Abraham Lincoln, Louisa May Alcott, and Jane Austen01:20:08 Next Time (JAWS on Peacock)01:26:18 Wrap Up/GoodbyesThe Grindhouse Girls Podcast is created by Katie Dale and Brit Ray. This week's episode is edited by Katie Dale.Part of the Redacted Entertainment Network.Royalty free music used: Ready Set Go and Outro White SmokeCopyright 2020 Grindhouse Girls PodcastThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Stéphane Bern propose de tourner les pages de la vie d'une écrivaine américaine qui a marqué l'histoire de littérature à sa manière : Louisa May Alcott, la mère des "Quatre filles du Docteur March" qui s'est inspiré de sa vie pour écrire ce roman pour jeunes filles qui a connu un succès phénoménal, un roman d'apprentissage dont les héros sont des héroïnes, qui reflète – en partie seulement – la réalité des femmes en Amérique au milieu du 19e siècle… A partir de quand Les Quatre Filles du Docteur March est-il devenu un classique de la littérature américaine ? En quoi Louisa May Alcott a-t-elle créé des héroïnes auxquelles il est facile de s'identifier ? Comment les générations ont-elles, au fil du temps, réinterprété ce roman ? Pour en parler, Stéphane Bern reçoit Virginie Adane, historienne et auteure de "Des femmes en Amérique, une histoire des Etats-Unis de Pocahontas à #MeToo" dans lequel elle consacre un chapitre à Louisa May Alcott (Perrin)Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Stéphane Bern propose de tourner les pages de la vie d'une écrivaine américaine qui a marqué l'histoire de littérature à sa manière : Louisa May Alcott, la mère des "Quatre filles du Docteur March" qui s'est inspiré de sa vie pour écrire ce roman pour jeunes filles qui a connu un succès phénoménal, un roman d'apprentissage dont les héros sont des héroïnes, qui reflète – en partie seulement – la réalité des femmes en Amérique au milieu du 19e siècle… A partir de quand Les Quatre Filles du Docteur March est-il devenu un classique de la littérature américaine ? En quoi Louisa May Alcott a-t-elle créé des héroïnes auxquelles il est facile de s'identifier ? Comment les générations ont-elles, au fil du temps, réinterprété ce roman ? Pour en parler, Stéphane Bern reçoit Virginie Adane, historienne et auteure de "Des femmes en Amérique, une histoire des Etats-Unis de Pocahontas à #MeToo" dans lequel elle consacre un chapitre à Louisa May Alcott (Perrin)Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

In Part 2 of our discussion on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, editor Sarah Blackwood returns to discuss the inspiration behind the cover of the Norton Library edition, the book's intended audience, and key elements of gender theory—as well as personal feelings—that Alcott incorporates into the characters and story.Sarah Blackwood is Professor of English at Pace University, where she teaches courses on nineteenth-century US literature, visual culture, and representations of selfhood. She is the author of The Portrait's Subject: Inventing Inner Life in the Nineteenth-Century United States (2019), as well as the introductions to the Penguin Classics editions of Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country (1913) and The Age of Innocence (1920). Her criticism has appeared in The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The New Republic, and elsewhere. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Little Women, go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393876734.Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social. 

Tonight, we'll read the next chapter of “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott titled “All Alone”. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel and is considered the 42nd chapter as part of that work as a whole. In our last chapter, Laurie tries to recover from Jo's rejection by turning to music, but soon realizes his love for her has faded into affection. His bond with Amy deepens through letters, and she quietly rejects another suitor. With news of Beth's passing, Laurie rushes to Amy's side in Switzerland, where love quietly blossoms between them. Tonight's chapter returns to Jo, amidst her grief and isolation. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part 1 of our discussion on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, we welcome editor Sarah Blackwood to discuss the importance of Alcott's family background; her distinct authorial voice in books, journals, and letters; and how her time as a Civil War nurse led to her emergence into the publishing world. Sarah Blackwood is Professor of English at Pace University, where she teaches courses on nineteenth-century US literature, visual culture, and representations of selfhood. She is the author of The Portrait's Subject: Inventing Inner Life in the Nineteenth-Century United States (2019), as well as the introductions to the Penguin Classics editions of Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country (1913) and The Age of Innocence (1920). Her criticism has appeared in The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The New Republic, and elsewhere. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Little Women, go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393876734.Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social. 

Send us a textDastardly villains are no match for Capitola Black, the audacious heroine at the center of E.D.E.N. Southworth's 1859 bestseller, The Hidden Hand. Readers so admired this literary tomboy's pluck that Capitola became a popular baby name for decades and inspired the name of a California town. Yet few readers today are familiar with Southworth, one of the highest-earning authors of her day (to whom Louisa May Alcott even gave a subtle nod in Little Women). Rose Neal, author of a brand new biography on Southworth, joins us this week to discuss the writer who gave 19th-century young women permission to imagine lives free from convention and restraint.Mentioned in this episode:E.D.E.N. Southworth's Hidden Hand: The Untold Story of America's Forgotten Nineteenth-Century Author by Rose NealThe Hidden Hand by E.D.E.N. SouthworthThe Company of Books bookstore Retribution by E.D.E.N. SouthworthThe Deserted Wife by E.D.E.N. SouthworthHarriet Beecher StoweElizabeth BlackwellWide, Wide World by Susan WarnerTreasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonLittle Women by Louisa May AlcottThe Saturday VisitorThe National EraJohn Greenleaf WhittierJane SwisshelmThe Awakening by Kate ChopinSupport the showFor episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.comSubscribe to our substack newsletter. Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast

Tonight we'll read the next chapter of Good Wives, written by Louisa May Alcott, titled "Learning to Forget". This is also known as the second half of the Little Women novel, and is considered the 41st chapter. As part of that work as a whole. In our last chapter, the March family drew closer together as they cherished their time with Beth and prepared for the inevitable. And now we pick up with Lori as he strives to better himself after Amy's scathing advice. Realize he must move on from Jo's rejection. He attempts to channel his sorrow into music, but finds himself distracted and uninspired. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In tonight's Hypnotic Bedtime Story with Jessica, we're going to be enjoying the nostalgic prose of Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. We'll begin with a hypnotic induction, and then invite you to drift off to the gentle rises and falls of Jessica's voice. As always, tonight's episode will start with a relaxing introduction from Jessica, before we sink into tonight's Sleep Hypnosis.  Want more Sleep Magic? Join Sleep Magic Premium ✨ Enjoy 2 bonus episodes a month plus all episodes ad-free, access to Jessica's complete back catalog of over 60 episodes, and show your support to Jessica.  To Subscribe 

Tonight, we'll read the next chapter of “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott titled “The Valley of the Shadow”. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel and is considered the 40th chapter as part of that work as a whole. In the last episode, Laurie lingered in Nice for a month, growing closer to Amy but sinking in her esteem due to his laziness and aimlessness. Amy, unwilling to coddle him, gives him a blunt but heartfelt lecture on his wasted potential. Stung but stirred, Laurie finally decides to leave for his grandfather, leaving Amy both satisfied and unexpectedly wistful at his absence. In tonight's chapter, the March family draws closer together, cherishing their time with Beth as they prepare for the inevitable. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices