I know I’ve mentioned a few times in blog posts this year that I am a part-time cohost of a podcast – but I realized I probably never really took the time to explain what that podcast is. And what better time than right now, when we have a giveaway going on??
If you love to read, and you likely do if you follow me (or you get unutterably bored reading my stuff), do you ever go into thrift stores, explore all the nooks and crannies, and then emit a cry of triumph when you pull out that antique book with a gorgeous cover that is only like $5, and you must get it even though you have no idea what it is about because it is so pretty and also published over 100 years ago?
You know you do. Well, so do I. I have shelves of beautiful antique books with my collection. People even buy me antique books, again, not that they (or I) have any idea what they are about, but…OLD BOOKS! PRETTY COVERS! THE HISTORY!
And that, ladies and gents, is what the podcast is about. The Gibson Girl Review is about actually reading those antique books instead of letting them gaze at you mournfully from the shelf. It’s about taking those books off the display shelf and adding them to your TBR pile. So, in the podcast, our host (Amy Drown) and whichever co-host is featured in that episode, read the book (all of which are in the public domain and therefore accessible for free if we don’t have the luck of owning them), and then discuss it! Specifically, whether it is famous or forgotten, the plot (good or bad!), the characters, the author…and why it is worth reading. So far in the last two seasons we’ve encountered horribly boring books that are only good for historical reference, hilarious books that we must share with people, adventures that we reread immediately, and a surprising amount of unexpected terms (did you know the phrase “What’s up?” was actually used in the 19th century? Or that Thornback was an old term for unmarried women?)
And if that’s not enough – we also have a (currently free) club for The Gibson Girl Review called Dana’s club! And why is it called Dana’s club? Well, for the simple reason that we are obsessed with Charles Dana Gibson and he deserves to have a club named after him. And if you join the club (did I mention it is free to join right now, but won’t be always?), you get to hear about spoilers, upcoming episodes, vote for upcoming episodes (is there a book you want discussed?), and, for three more days, enter a giveaway!
My most recent, and probably most fun, episode was on The Prisoner of Zenda – which, if you haven’t read, is a great, swashbuckling adventure totally worth it! – and we have a 1905 copy of it to give to some lucky person (Amy has informed me I am not eligible as a co-host. I thought about quitting temporarily so I could win it).
SO – all that to say, I hope I’ve convinced you to listen to the podcast (at least my episodes, because you love me), AND join Dana’s club! You can find out all about it here: The Gibson Girl Review or you can just head straight to The Prisoner of Zenda and listen to the end to hear our awful attempts to sing Happy Birthday.
Forest Idylls 