Snoozecast

Tonight, as part of our October classic horror series (every Wednesday this month), we'll read the opening to "Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus", written by Mary Shelley and published anonymously in 1818 when she was just 20 years old. 

It tells the story of a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who creates a hideous humanoid creature. Since the novel's publication, the name "Frankenstein" has often been used to refer to the monster itself, although in the novel the monster is never given a formal name. Shelley’s story of Frankenstein has been referred to as the first true science fiction novel. 

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We hope you enjoy this preview of an episode from our back catalog available to our premium subscribers. Tonight, we'll be reading a story called "The Adventures of a Spanish Nun" from the "Strange Storybook" by Mrs. Andrew Lang — Leonora Blanche Alleyne, published in 1913. This story tells of a young woman who had been raised in a convent but had dreams of exploring the world. She then acts upon them, dressed as men, and full of exploits and daring. To unlock full episodes, ad-free listening, and more, please go to snoozecast.com/plus.

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We hope you enjoy this preview of an episode from our back catalog available to our premium subscribers. Tonight, we’ll read, "A Voyage in the Dark" an excerpt from “In New England Fields and Woods” written by Rowland Evans Robinson in 1896. Robinson was in his time one of Vermont’s best known writers. To unlock full episodes, ad-free listening, and more, please go to snoozecast.com/plus.

This collection of short essays follows New England's changing seasons and moods in all its natural beauty. This particular selection is part of the late summer, early autumn. 

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Tonight, as part of our October classic horror series (every Wednesday this month), we’ll read the opening to "The Fall of the House of Usher", written by Edgar Allen Poe and published in 1839. 

This short story is a work of Gothic fiction and includes themes of madness, family, isolation, and metaphysical identities. Poe's inspiration for the story may be based upon events of the Hezekiah Usher House, located near what is now Downtown Crossing in Boston, Mass. When the Usher House was torn down in 1830, two bodies were found embraced in a cavity in the cellar. 

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We hope you enjoy this preview of an episode from our back catalog available to our premium subscribers. Tonight, we’ll read the second part to "Aladdin", our version is out of the Blue Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang in 1889. Aladdin is a middle eastern folk tale and is one of the tales from the Book of One Thousand and One Nights otherwise known as The Arabian Nights. To unlock full episodes, ad-free listening, and more, please go to snoozecast.com/plus.

In Part One, Aladdin is a lazy boy without a trade to earn money from, until a magician posing as his uncle tries to use him for a spell to receive great powers. By luck, Aladdin receives the magical powers of a magic lantern and a wish-granting genie for himself. He uses his powers to gain the daughter of the Sultan as his wife. We pick up at their marriage. 

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We hope you enjoy this preview of an episode from our back catalog available to our premium subscribers. Tonight, we'll read from the "Tao Te Ching". This Chinese classic text is traditionally credited to the 6th-century BC sage Laozi. The text's authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. The "Tao Te Ching" has multiple translations, in general "Tao" means "the way" or "the path", here's some examples of different opening lines: 

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We hope you enjoy this preview of an episode from our back catalog available to our premium subscribers. Tonight, we'll read the opening to the 1877 novel, "Black Beauty" by English author Anna Sewell. To unlock full episodes, ad-free listening, and more, please go to snoozecast.com/plus.

Due to a severe injury early in life, Sewell needed to use crutches to walk and developed a love for horses, as horseback riding gave her a sense of freedom.This novel became an immediate best-seller at the end of her life, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, but having lived long enough to see her only novel become a success. 

With fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time. While forthrightly teaching animal welfare, it also teaches how to treat people with kindness, sympathy, and respect. 

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We hope you enjoy this preview of an episode from our back catalog available to our premium subscribers. Tonight, we'll read an excerpt focused on tree spirits, from the 1890 book, "The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion" written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer. The book scandalized the public when first published because it compared biblical stories to pagan rituals. To unlock full episodes, ad-free listening, and more, please go to snoozecast.com/plus.

Despite the controversy generated by the work, "The Golden Bough" inspired many authors from the period including: HP Lovecraft, James Joyce, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and T.S. Elliot. 

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We hope you enjoy this preview of an episode from our back catalog available to our premium subscribers. Tonight, we’ll read from “Butterflies Worth Knowing” by Clarence Moores Weed in 1926. Weed was a New England based naturalist. He was the author or co-author of more than 20 books, many of them on insect pests and insect-plant relationships. To unlock full episodes, ad-free listening, and more, please go to snoozecast.com/plus.

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Tonight, we’ll be reading "The Red Headed League", a short story from "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1892. 

In this story, which Doyle ranked as number 2 of his favorite top 12 Sherlock stories, the focus is on Jebez Wilson, the owner of a pawnbroker shop who sports a head of bright red hair and receives an invitation to join an exclusive club. 

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