Historically speaking.....

Most fans of historical fiction novels are, by nature, lovers of history, too.  We love learning about different people from different time periods and often wonder why our favorite historical fiction novel couldn't have been substituted for our high school history textbook.

That love of history frequently drives historical fiction readers to Google characters and events in the novels we read and to search out the "real story" behind the novel.  Perhaps that's why A Reader's Respite is drawn to a handful of very, very good history podcasts.  Read on......

History According to Bob is one of the gold-standards in history podcasts.  A college history professor for 33 years in Kansas, Bob Packett produces (just about daily) 20-30 minute podcasts on a variety of history subjects.  His delivery is conversational, fun, and makes you wish you had a professor just like him when you were in college.  Many of his podcasts are archived on his website for download.  Or, because he produces entire series of podcasts about a single subject, you can also purchase CDs with his collections.  (One of the best birthday presents A Reader's Respite ever received was Bob's CD collection of WWI podcasts....we still listen to that thing!).

Another tried-and-true favorite for us is Things You Missed in History Class, hosted by Katie Lambert.  Katie tackles all sorts of intriguing historical subjects and people in her 20 minute-long podcasts and her voice is just fun and melodic.  Looking for the real scoop on Catherine d'Medici?  Yep, they've got that.  How about Blackbeard?  Or the eruption of Mt Vesuvius?  It's all covered here and is some of the best, quick info out there.  Oh, and Katie also has a very cool blog.

Last, but certainly not least, is the fabulous podcast put forth each month by the BBC History Magazine.  These podcasts are a tad longer, running about an hour, but feature some the of latest and greatest history discoveries.  March's edition featured a riveting story about how the exact site for The Battle of Bosworth had been discovered in England....all you Tudor-ites will know the significance of that find!  Also, check out their digital edition of the magazine for articles about Richard III and more....