Hi! Avon Gale here, and I’m going to tell you about some of my favorite podcasts!

I love listening to podcasts because it’s like having coworkers when I’m at home working! Coworkers that talk about stuff I actually want to listen to, that is. Which, in my case, is bad movies, murder and 80’s teen lit. Hey, it beats the incessant sound of my cats meowing for food and my neighbors who won’t stop mowing their grass. Here are some of my favorites!

My Favorite Murder

This podcast is probably my favorite. It features two comedians talking about true crime, and while that might seem a little macabre, I promise it’s not disrespectful or anything. Also, the hosts, Karen and Georgia, are just hilarious to listen to. This is the podcast that is most likely to be heard at Casa Gale while I’m working. I have listened to every episode at least twice, and having this on in the background is like having friends over. Friends who talk about murder. You know.

Teen Creeps

This is a new favorite that I’ve just started binge-listening to. They talk about those pulp YA teen books from the 80’s — think Christopher Pike and R.L. Stein. They just did an episode on Flowers in the Attic, too. To my eternal delight, they’ve also discussed the “evil twin” arc in the Sweet Valley High series. If you were an 80’s kid like me, this is a fun romp down memory lane and a way to revisit some awful and wonderful books. And the hosts are cool af on Twitter, I gotta say.

The Worst Bestsellers

Another literature-based podcast, this one dealing with bestsellers in various genres (their episode about the Babysitters Club is TOP NOTCH). At the end of the episode, they pair that week’s book with a favorite candy! How great is that?

How Did This Get Made?

This is the first podcast I ever listened to with any regularity. It’s a trio of comedians talking about really bad movies, and my favorite part is the “Second Opinions” feature. At the end of each episode, they read the “Amazon Five Star” reviews for whatever movie they’ve discussed. I’d highly recommend the “Deep Blue Sea” episode — I’ve listened to it like 3823412 times, it’s so funny!

Last Podcast on the Left

I’m recommending this one with a few reservations — it’s got a bit too much “bro humor” for me on occasion, so that can rub people the wrong way. What is great about this show, though, is the amount of research they do on their topics. They cover true crime, supernatural occurrences, cults, cryptids, you name it. It took a me a little while to really get into this one (and learn to tune out Henry, LOL) but once I did, I look forward to each new episode. They’re currently doing a feature on Scientology, which is interesting and sort of mind-blowing. I’d recommend the “Mysterious Sounds” episode for a starter.

Lore
This podcast is brilliant, creepy, and wonderful — it’s one guy telling you a true creepy story every week. I believe they’re making this into an Amazon original series television show, and I’m so excited to see how that translates. The host, Aaron Mahnke, has this super pleasant and weirdly comforting voice, and is honestly one of the best storytellers I’ve ever heard. For a recommendation, try my favorite episode — it’s 23, and it’s called “Rope and Rail.” This is an outstanding podcast and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Tanis/The Black Tapes/Rabbits

These are three different podcasts that are all produced by the same network, Pacific Northwest Stories, and are fictional. They’re sort of like The X-Files meets Serial meets Unsolved Mysteries. Tanis is a story about a man searching for a mysterious lost city, The Black Tapes is about a woman investigation supernatural phenomenon, and Rabbits is about a girl whose best friend vanished playing an alternate reality game. I love all three of these, but caveat — you definitely want to start at the beginning, and you definitely want to pay attention to these!

No Sleep

This podcast features short horror fiction, and is one of my favorites — especially on a rainy day. Just don’t listen to it before bed, because some of these are CREEPY AF.  

Sleep with Me

Okay, this is weird but seriously wonderful and I don’t know how I’ve lived without it. I listen to this every single night before I go to sleep. It’s basically just a guy who tells really boring bedtime stories. You know how, when you’re trying to sleep and your mind actually relaxes (me neither, that’s why I need the podcast), how it starts meandering off into a thousand unrelated tangents? This is what this podcast does, it’s awesome. Sometimes he tells you about episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Sometimes he reads the Trader Joe’s catalogue to you. All I know is, I’ve made it to the end of the episode exactly once, and I’m usually asleep before the introduction is over. I think maybe this guy is magic.

There you go! If you give any of these a listen and want to squee about them, hit me up on Twitter because I’m always happy to chat podcasts!! And seriously, try the Sleep With Me one if you have insomnia. Not even kidding, that thing is a miracle.