Snoozecast

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “The Bad Little Owls” from the “Told at Twilight” series by John Breck. It was published in 1923. This episode first aired in May of 2021. A group of owls is called a parliament. This term supposedly originates from C.S. Lewis’ description of a meeting of owls in “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Many of the avian collective nouns originate in an anonymously published book from 1486 titled “ The Book of Hawking, Hunting, and Blasing of Arms”, later discovered to be written by a nun named Juliana Barnes. Some of the many terms from this book still in use today are an “exaltation of larks”, a “murmuration of starlings”, a “watch of nightingales”, a “sedge of herons”, and an “unkindness of ravens”. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast original tale about a furry friend. After 2 weeks of rain showers, Olive, the family’s “sassy senior” jack russell terrier takes it upon herself to bring an end to the ongoing downpour with the help of some other city creatures. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the 15th chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Anne’s Confession”. In the last episode, Marilla believes Anne lost Marilla’s special brooch and accuses her of lying. To punish her, Marilla disallows Anne to attend the much anticipated Sunday school picnic. Eventually, after much despair, Anne confesses for the crime she did not commit. Then Marilla finds that she herself lost her brooch when she finds it. Anne then gets to attend the Sunday school picnic after all. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, for our monthly Snoozecast+ Deluxe bonus episode, we invite you to immerse yourself in a tale crafted by Snoozecast, set at a one room school house in the 1910s. If you would like to learn more about what Snoozecast’s premium subscription service offers, please go to snoozecast.com/plus. A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty. To compete, contestants must memorize the spellings of words as written in dictionaries, and recite them accordingly. The concept is thought to have originated in the United States, and is almost exclusive to the English language. Historically, the word “bee” has been used to describe a get-together for communal work, like a husking bee, a quilting bee, or an apple bee. Why was it referred to as a “bee”? The word bee probably comes from the dialectal “been” meaning "help given by neighbors". This in tern originated from Middle English’s “bene”, meaning "prayer", "boon" or "extra service by a tenant to his lord". Spelling bees became widespread across the United States during the 19th century, as a way to motivate students to learn standardized spelling. These spelling bees were usually held within individual schools and towns, and were not nationally organized. Soon after the dawn of the 20th century, the "first national spelling bee" was held. Marie Bolden, a young Black student from Cleveland, was named the first champion in 1908. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read “The Ugly Duckling”, a Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, originally published in 1843. Snoozecast originally aired this episode back in 2021. Unlike most fairy tales, this one is completely Andersen's invention and owes no debt to humanity’s vast cultural catalog of fairy tales or folklore. Apparently Andersen grew up awkward and tall, with a big nose and feet. Furthermore, speculation suggests that Andersen may have been the illegitimate son of Prince Christian Frederik who later became king of Denmark. Being a swan in the story was a metaphor not just for inner beauty and talent in that case, but also for secret royal lineage. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the second half to “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. The first half aired last week. In the first half, Holmes was hired by the débutante Lady Eva Blackwell to retrieve compromising letters from a blackmailer named Milverton. The accused was known as "the king of blackmailers" where he would demand great sums in exchange for avoiding the release of letters that would cause great scandals. Holmes, intrigued by the challenge and the injustice of Milverton's actions, agrees to take on the case. He sees it as an opportunity to thwart a master blackmailer and bring him to justice. As Holmes delves into the matter, he learns more about Milverton's methods and reputation. Milverton is known for his ruthlessness and lack of scruples; he preys on the secrets and vulnerabilities of others for his own profit. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the 5th chapter to “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel. Originally, Alcott had it published as a second book but in later publishings the two were combined. Our last episode was the chapter titled “Literary Lessons” in which Jo, consumed by her writing fervor, neglects basic needs as she delves into her craft. She shifts focus from romances to thrillers inspired by a chance encounter. Entering a contest, she wins $100, enabling her to send Beth and Marmee for a seaside retreat. Her new genre proves lucrative, supporting her family. Though facing revisions and mixed reviews, she ultimately earns several hundred dollars from her published novel. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read from “The Complete Herbal” written by Nicholas Culpeper, published in 1653. Culpeper was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer. This episode first aired in April of 2021. Culpeper cataloged hundreds of outdoor medicinal herbs. He attempted to make medical treatments more accessible to lay persons by educating them about maintaining their health. Ultimately his ambition was to reform the system of medicine by questioning traditional methods and knowledge and exploring new solutions for ill health. The systematisation of the use of herbals by Culpeper was a key development in the evolution of modern pharmaceuticals, most of which originally had herbal origins. Culpeper's emphasis on reason rather than tradition is reflected in the introduction to his Complete Herbal. He was one of the best-known astrological botanists of his day, pairing the plants and diseases with planetary influences. Culpeper believed medicine was a public asset, not a commercial secret, and the prices physicians charged were far too high compared with the cheap and universal availability of nature's medicine. For this, he was considered a radical, and even accused of witchcraft. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the first half to “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. The second half will air next week. In this story, Holmes is hired by the débutante Lady Eva Blackwell to retrieve compromising letters from a blackmailer named Milverton. The accused was known as "the king of blackmailers" where he would demand great sums in exchange for avoid the release of letters that would cause great scandals. The character of Charles Augustus Milverton was based on a real-life blackmailer, Charles Augustus Howell. He was an art dealer who swindled an unknown number of people. Doyle's literary inspiration often came from his natural interest in crime, and he had no tolerance for those that preyed on the innocent and unsuspecting. The character of Charles Augustus Milverton was based on a real-life blackmailer, Charles Augustus Howell. He was an art dealer who preyed upon an unknown number of people, and died in 1890 from circumstances as bizarre as those found in the author’s imagination. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we shall read the next part to “Persuasion”, the last novel fully completed by Jane Austen, and published in 1817. The story concerns Anne Elliot, a twenty-seven year old Englishwoman, whose family moves in order to lower their expenses and reduce their debt, by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife. In the last episode, Sir Walter Elliot considers a Navy tenant for Kellynch Hall, dismissing the idea due to his disdain for the Navy's influence on social status and appearance. However, flattery sways him. Mr. Shepherd, his advisor, proposes Admiral Croft, emphasizing his respectability and lack of children. Despite initial reservations, Sir Walter agrees due to the Admiral's suitable social standing. Meanwhile, Anne Elliot's unresolved feelings for Captain Wentworth resurface. Seven years ago, Anne's engagement to Captain Wentworth was thwarted by familial pressure and societal expectations, particularly from Lady Russell. Heartbroken but obedient, Anne acquiesced, sacrificing her own happiness for perceived social propriety. We will pick up towards the end of chapter 4. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the complete story of “The Velveteen Rabbit”, a British children's book written by Margery Williams in 1922. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner. Snoozecast first aired a version of this story that didn’t include the ending back in 2019. Many listeners requested the ending, so we rerecorded it in 2021, and are rebroadcasting it now. We hope you enjoy it as much this lovely tale as much as we do!  — 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

Tonight, we’ll read “Nibbles Poppelty-Poppett, The Story of a Mouse” written by Edith B. Davidson and published in 1911. In this story, Nibbles the mouse sets out to seek his fortune. Along the way, he encounters a peculiar inn run by guinea pigs, where he struggles to find food until he meets a sleepy but hospitable Salamander. After a hearty meal, the Salamander shares his love for coziness and poetry with Nibbles. If you enjoy this sort of story, be sure to find the other recent Snoozecast episode by this author, titled “The Bunnikins-Bunnies and the Moon-King”. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. In the last episode, the Nautilus passes through the Sargasso Sea, an underwater lake where currents meet, filled with aquatic plants. During this time, Aronnax wonders if Nemo will ever release them. He sees little of Nemo, and they spend much of their time on the surface. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “The House of Mirth,” a 1905 novel by American author Edith Wharton. Snoozecast first aired this story in 2021. It tells the story of Lily Bart, a beautiful but impoverished New York City socialite. The commercial and critical success of “The House of Mirth” solidified Wharton's reputation as a major novelist. The central theme of “The House of Mirth” is essentially the struggle between who we are and what society tells us we should be. Thus, it is considered by many to be as relevant today as it was in 1905. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast original about two sisters who experience the eclipse of 1918 as it passed over their part of Kansas. In a quiet prairie town, Alice and Pearl find themselves caught in the path of a total solar eclipse. Together, they lay on a quilt in the farm field as day turns momentarily to night. In this story, set in the year 1918, the sisters used “smoked glass” as a prudent way to protect the eyes to view the eclipsing of the sun as the moon moves over it. Now, we know that smoked glass is unfortunately not sufficient protection, and recommend eclipse watchers to wear specialized solar glasses. Smoked glass was invented during the first telescopic viewing of a total solar eclipse by King Louis XIV of France. This method remained popular through the early 19th century, but by 1932 smoked glass started to fall out of favor. Either way, if you are in the path of totality, you do not need to use protection during the brief period of time when the sun is completely covered by the moon, referred to as “the totality.” — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the fourteenth chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Anne’s Confession”. In the last episode, titled “The Delights of Anticipation,” Anne excitedly shares with Marilla her plans for a Sunday school picnic. Eager for her first taste of ice cream, Anne persuades Marilla to let her attend, who agrees to prepare a basket of food. Despite Marilla's attempt to temper Anne's excitement, Anne insists on embracing anticipation rather than heeding advice from conservative figures like Mrs. Rachel. She also admires Marilla's amethyst brooch, her most treasured possession, and requests to hold it briefly. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, in our special monthly Snoozecast+ Deluxe bonus episode, we invite you to immerse yourself in a tale crafted by Snoozecast, drawing inspiration from an ancient Chinese Taoist parable. If you would like to learn more about what our premium subscriptions offer, go to snoozecast.com/plus. Our story centers on a farmer who embodies the Taoist principle of withholding judgment towards the events unfolding in his life. He understands that labeling occurrences as either good or bad fortune is futile, recognizing the inherent uncertainty of life. This timeless parable gained traction in the West largely due to the efforts of the self-styled "philosophical entertainer," Alan Watts. Renowned for his interpretations and popularizations of Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu philosophies, Watts played a significant role in bridging Eastern thought with Western audiences. His lectures continue to resonate even after his passing, finding renewed popularity through regular broadcasts on public radio and more recently, on the internet. The majority of his recorded talks date back to the vibrant cultural landscape of the 1960s and early 1970s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’ll read the fairy tale “The Golden Mermaid” from the “Green Fairy Book”. In this story, three princes are sent on a quest by their father, to find who it is who steals the golden apples from the King's tree. The youngest son befriends a wolf who is in reality a magician. With the aid of the wolf, the prince sets out to attempt an impossible task. Snoozecast first aired this story back in March of 2020. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were German academics, linguists, and folklorists. Their legacy is enshrined in their monumental work, "Grimm's Fairy Tales," which comprises folk stories collected from oral traditions across Germany and Europe. Despite facing adversity in their early lives, they dedicated themselves to scholarship and preserving cultural heritage. Their profound impact on literature transcends generations and borders. Through meticulous research and dedication, they compiled and edited tales that continue to enchant and inspire readers worldwide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’ll read from the opening to “History of Charles XII” written by French writer and philosopher Voltaire. It was first published in 1731. In this first major historical biography from the author, Voltaire tells the story of a warrior king who was the embodiment of the archetypal ‘hero’. Voltaire’s Charles was a leader both admirably strong and unabashedly tyrannical. Charles XII, also known as Carl XII or Carolus Rex, was the king of Sweden and what is now Finland. Charles assumed power at the age of 15. His reign lasted for about 20 years, ending in the year 1718. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’ll read the fourth chapter to “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel. Originally, Alcott had it published as a second book but in later publishings the two were combined.   Our last episode was the chapter titled “Artistic Attempts” In it, Amy grows serious in her undertaking to become a real artist. Aunt March has enrolled her in a drawing class, and as a result she experiments with many methods as the results collect around the house.  Amy then invites her drawing class for lunch. Determined to provide a proper meal, she promises to cover expenses. Despite initial support from her mother, Jo finds the plan frivolous. Preparation proves challenging: costs soar, and the weather dampens spirits. None of the guests show up, leaving the family to salvage what they can of the meal. Hope lingers for the next day, but with no provisions at home, Amy ventures out for a lobster. She manages to persuade one guest to join, salvaging the occasion. Though embarrassed, the family accommodates the unexpected guest. Amy and her friend enjoy a pleasant day together, despite the setbacks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’ll read excerpts from “Candy-Making Revolutionized: Confectionary from Vegetables” by Mary Elizabeth Hall, printed in 1912. Long-time listeners may recall that this episode first aired back in 2020. Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. It can be divided into two broad categories: bakers' confections and sugar confections. Before sugar was readily available in the ancient western world, confectionery was based on honey. Honey was used in ancient civilizations to preserve perishable and delicate fruits and flowers. The ancient Persians, followed by the Greeks, made contact with the Indian subcontinent and spread sugar agriculture from what was thought of as the native Indian "reeds that produce honey without bees". Generally, confections are low in micronutrients and protein but high in calories. Many confections are considered empty calories and ultra-processed foods. Hall wrote that her hope was that through this book “ the more vegetable candy is made, the less unhealthful confectionery there will be consumed. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “The Wishing Well” written by Mildred A. Wirt and published in 1942. In this story, an old abandoned estate is the location of a wishing well known for actually granting wishes. Penny investigates and discovers not only the secret of the well, but also a valuable treasure. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out our other Penny Parker series episodes by searching for our show titled “Snoozecast Presents: Penny Parker” wherever you listen to Snoozecast. Or, you can find Penny at snoozecast.com/series. — 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

Tonight, we shall read the next part to “Persuasion”, the last novel fully completed by Jane Austen, and published in 1817. The story concerns Anne Elliot, a twenty-seven year old Englishwoman, whose family moves in order to lower their expenses and reduce their debt, by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife. In the last episode, Mr. Shepard and Lady Russell draw up a plan for Sir Elliot to get out of debt. They decide that he must "retrench" by seriously cutting back on his expenditures, which the gentleman refuses to do. They then suggest that Sir Elliot move out of his home in order to rent it out. The plan is agreed to by Sir Elliot, with his stipulations that it not seem like he is renting it for cost-savings but rather as a favor to the renter. It is further agreed to that during this time they will stay in the city of Bath, which has a lower cost of living and where their more limited budget will go farther. We will start back in with an abbreviated opening to chapter 3, where Sir Elliot is discussing the matter further with the group. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read "The Wild", sometimes known as “Walking”, a lecture by Henry David Thoreau first delivered in 1851. It is a transcendental essay that analyzes the relationship between man and nature, trying to find a balance between society and our raw animal nature. Thoreau read the piece a total of ten times, more than any other of his lectures. This episode first aired back in 2021.  — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the story titled “The Bunnikins-Bunnies and the Moon King” written by Edith B. Davidson, and published in 1912. In this early science-fiction story geared towards children, the Bunnikin-Bunnies go on a family vacation to the Moon, via the Milky Way. While traveling to the moon was not possible when this book was published in 1912, scientists were diligently laying down groundwork for the future accomplishments. In 1903, a Russian study showed that physical space exploration was theoretically possible using rockets. And by the end of the 1910s, an influential paper from the US discussed reaching extreme altitudes through rocketry. As for the Bunnikins-Bunnies, you will soon learn that their means of transportation was not on a rocketship, but on a vehicle that looked much like a fishing boat, but with large wings. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. Have you ever wished that a continuing Snoozecast story was easily available as a playlist so you could either start from the beginning, or play multiple episodes from just that story in a row, so that you don’t need to go searching through the catalog? In case you didn’t know, we also produce standalone versions of these stories as its own separate Snoozecast podcasts, for easy listening. Just search for “Snoozecast Presents” to find all the options available. And if you subscribe to Snoozecast+, you get complete access to all these series, ad-free. To learn more, go to snoozecast.com/plus . In the last episode, the captives aboard the Nautilus awaken one day to learn that they are now underground, inside an extinct volcano. The cave is used by Nemo as a place of refuge, where he sources the elements needed to produce the electricity that makes the Nautilus run. While Nemo spends the day loading up the reserve stock of sodium they keep down there, Arronax, Conseil, and Ned explore the volcanic island. They forage for food including a beehive full of honey, before returning the ship. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the opening section from FROM THE CAVES AND JUNGLES OF HINDOSTAN, written by Helen Blavatsky and published in 1883. This episode first aired in January of 2020. Madame Blavatsky was a Russian occultist and philosopher who traveled around the world, including India, before moving to New York City. She co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875 and gained an international following from the esoteric religion that the society promoted. Madame Blavatsky was a controversial figure, championed by supporters as an enlightened guru and derided as a fraudulent charlatan by critics. Her Theosophical doctrines influenced the spread of Hindu and Buddhist ideas in the West as well as the development of Western esoteric currents like the New Age Movement. — 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

Tonight, for our final selection in our “Woodcraft” series, we will read selections of the author’s poetry, published as “Forest Runes” by George Washington Sears and published in 1887. Sears was a writer and adventurer who penned essays on hunting, fishing, and camping for popular journals and magazines. Runic alphabets are native to the ancient Germanic peoples, before they adopted the Latin alphabet. The earliest runic inscriptions found on artifacts give the name of either the craftsman or the proprietor, or sometimes, remain a linguistic mystery. Due to this, it is possible that the early runes were not used so much as a simple writing system, but rather as magical signs to be used for charms. Although some say the runes were used for divination, there is no direct evidence to suggest they were ever used in this way. The name rune itself, taken to mean "secret, something hidden", seems to indicate that knowledge of the runes was originally considered esoteric, or restricted to an elite. The Bluetooth logo is the combination of two runes that are the initials of Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson's who was a king of Denmark from the Viking Age. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the thirteenth chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “The Delights of Anticipation”. In the last episode, titled “A Solemn Vow and a Promise,” Marilla is dismayed to hear about the wildflowers on Anne's Sunday school hat, and of course she lectures Anne about them. Though Anne points out many girls at church had bouquets pinned to their dresses—and many had artificial flowers on their hats—Marilla is worried about the bad impression Anne must have made. Marilla may have been more anxious than usual because she is about to bring Anne with her to meet Diana Barry, who lives close by and is Anne's age. As she has done in the past, she warns Anne of the importance of impressing Diana's strict mother. Out in the garden the two girls stare bashfully at each other until Anne breaks the silence by asking, "Do you think you can like me a little—enough to be my bosom friend?" It's an odd and startling question for someone Anne has just met, but Diana laughs and agrees. Diana says in response that, "I heard before that you were queer. But I believe I'm going to like you real well." — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the second half to “The Princess of Babylon”, found in the The Strange Storybook by Mrs. Lang, published in 1913. The first half aired last week. This story first aired way back in 2020. The story is taken from a lesser known philosophical tale by Voltaire, written in 1768. Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and social critiques, he was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. In the first episode, the king holds a competition of the world’s rulers who were interested in marrying his daughter, the princess. The games would be impossibly difficult. A handsome and magical stranger appears out of seeming thin air to win the games, however he is suddenly called away to care to matters at home. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast original story about a family who is visited by the fairy Luminastra Slumbornia, who gives the gift of peaceful sleep. Like Luminastra, all fairies are a type of mythical being, a form of spirit, often with metaphysical, supernatural, or preternatural qualities. Let’s define those three common fairy qualities. The system of metaphysics is a philosophical branch dealing with the first principles of things. This includes abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space. And whereas a supernatural force is one that is beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature, a preternatural force is one which is simply beyond what is normal or natural. An example would be to say that “autumn arrived with preternatural speed.” — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the third chapter to “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel. Originally, Alcott had it published as a second book but in later publishings the two were combined. Our last episode was the chapter titled “The First Wedding” and it is Meg’s sweet, little wedding we attend. All of the March sisters look lovely as they’ve grown into themselves more over the last three years. When Laurie asks what happened to the fancy wine that his grandfather sent, Meg tells him that they have put a little aside for medicinal use and have given the rest away. Meg then asks Laurie to promise her to never drink alcohol. It is a tall order, but he can’t refuse her. As Meg departs to her new home down the road, she asks her family to keep her in their hearts. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, for our monthly Snoozecast+ Deluxe bonus episode, we’ll read an original story that is about the dark side of birdwatching. And by dark, we simply mean that it is done in the cold and silence of a winter night. For the residents of Russell Mills, it’s the night of the first annual “Midnight Owl Prowl”. Expert and amateur birders alike convene at midnight at Parsons Field, guided by a RMNRT volunteer, with hopes to spot the elusive Snowy Owl. Mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey, owls are typified by their upright stance, large, broad heads, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Another notable feature of owls is their facial discs. These are the concave collection of feathers on owl’s faces surrounding their eyes. These facial discs collect sound waves and directs those waves towards the owl's ears. Owls can actually adjust their disc feathers to enable them to focus and locate prey by sound alone under snow, grass, and plant cover. In many species, these discs are placed asymmetrically, for better directional location. — read by 'V' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ Deluxe to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’ll read the first half to “The Princess of Babylon”, found in the The Strange Storybook by Mrs. Lang, published in 1913. The second half will air next week. The story is taken from a lesser known philosophical tale by Voltaire, written in 1768. The story focuses on Amazan, a handsome, unknown shepherd, and Formosanta, the Princess of Babylon, whose love and jealousy drive them to travel the world. Through their travels they encounter the basic values of the Enlightenment. This episode first aired in January of 2020. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read a light-hearted O. Henry short story that creates a pastiche out of the popular Sherlock Holmes stories. In this story, a man searching for his missing sister in New York realizes the official police detective can’t help him. Only one man can: the famous private consulting detective named Shamrock Jolnes. Although many of O. Henry’s stories involve crimes or contain some elements of mystery, the author never actually wrote detective fiction. The character of Shamrock Jolnes also appears in O. Henry’s short stories "The Adventures of Shamrock Jolnes" and "The Detective Detector". In reading about these stories, we found different but similar terms like pastiche, parody, spoof and satire. While both parody and pastiche imitate the works of others, pastiche does so respectfully. It is used to highlight and pay homage to the original works while not stealing directly from it. Parody, on the other hand, mocks and ridicules the original works. It exaggerates its form and language, often replacing serious subjects with silly ones. And whereas a parody imitates a specific work, a spoof imitates a general genre. Finally, satire is similar to parody in that it uses ridicule, exaggeration and irony, but instead of poking fun at a specific creative work, it comments on society, religion and politics. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we shall read the next part to “Persuasion”, the last novel fully completed by Jane Austen, and published in 1817. The story concerns Anne Elliot, a twenty-seven year old Englishwoman, whose family moves in order to lower their expenses and reduce their debt, by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife. The novel was well-received at it’s debut, but its greater fame came decades later, and continues to this day. In the first episode, we read chapter 1, in which we meet Sir Walter Elliot, a 54-year-old man of distinct ancestry, and his three daughters. The father prides himself on his good looks and family lineage. His eldest daughter, who most resembles him in personality and looks, is named Elizabeth. At 29 she is unmarried but attractive. His youngest daughter, Mary, has married a respectable local man. And then there is the middle child- Anne. She is also unmarried like Elizabeth, but at 27 years old has grown less attractive with age. Sir Walter feels that Anne is inferior to her sisters and often overlooks her. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “Mr. Midshipman Easy,” an 1836 novel by Frederick Marryat, a retired captain in the Royal Navy. The novel is set during the Napoleonic Wars, in which Marryat himself served with distinction. This episode first aired in February of 2021. At fourteen, the naive Jack Easy leaves the luxury of his family estate in England and sails into a world of adventure aboard the sloop of war HMS Harpy. At first, Jack finds it hard to bear the discipline of naval life and is always getting himself into trouble. But soon he is bravely taming a band of mutinous seamen as the Harpy chases Spanish ships on the Mediterranean. This episode is dedicated to our many listeners who have requested Roald Dahl stories. Alas, he is not in the public domain yet for us to read. However, this particular author was listed as a literary influence on Dahl. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read an excerpt from “American Notes” a travelogue written by Charles Dickens detailing his trip from the year 1842. While there he acted as a critical observer of North American society, almost as if returning a status report on their progress. Having arrived in Boston, he travelled as far south as Richmond, Virginia, as far west as St. Louis, Missouri and as far north as Quebec, Canada. The city he liked best on his trip? Boston. The inspiration for this episode came from our recent “Helen Keller” episode. Her autobiography references a story within another section of tonight’s book as inspiring Helen’s mother to seek out specialized education for her daughter. Dickens’s American journey was also an inspiration for his novel “Martin Chuzzlewit”. If you’ve been listening to our “Woodcraft” series of episodes lately, you may have heard mention of how the Woodcraft author named one of his famous hand-crafted canoes after a Chuzzlewit character. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. In the last episode, Aronnax accompanies Nemo on an expedition at night without lanterns or anyone else. The two walk in darkness toward a red light for a couple miles before they climb up a platform of man-made stones and pillars. Aronnax realizes that the mountain they are climbing is a volcano, still emitting lava. They are visiting the fabled underwater ruins of Atlantis. The two men contemplate the scene and the history while the moon rises, before returning to the Nautilus as the sun rises. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “Around the World in 80 Days,” a novel by Jules Verne published in 1872. In this story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a 20-thousand pound wager ( over two million pounds now) set by his friends. It is one of Verne's most acclaimed works.  — 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

Tonight, we’ll read an excerpt from “The Story of My Life” written by Helen Keller and published in 1903. The book details her early life, and especially her education. Helen Keller was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when she was still a baby. She had limited communicative capability as a little girl. Her mother became inspired after reading a travelogue from Charles Dickens that described a similar girl being educated. This led the family on a quest to find such education for their daughter. Finally, at the age of seven, Helen met her first teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller language, including reading and writing. Keller later became the first deafblind person in the United States to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1920, Helen Keller helped to found the American Civil Liberties Union. She traveled to over 40 countries with Sullivan, making several trips to Japan and becoming a favorite of the Japanese people. Keller met every U.S. president of her time, and was friends with many famous figures, including Alexander Graham Bell, Charlie Chaplin and Mark Twain. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the twelfth chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “A Solemn Vow and Promise”. In the last episode, titled “Anne’s Impressions of Sunday-School”, Marilla shows Anne the new dresses she has made for her, all of which are embarrassingly unfashionable. The next day, Anne goes to church and Sunday school alone, wearing one of her new ugly dresses. On the way, she picks a bunch of flowers and decorates her otherwise plain hat with them, an eccentric adornment meant to make up for the dress, but that causes other churchgoers to scoff. After church, Anne reports to Marilla that the service did not impress her. She says that the whole experience was quite unimaginative. Anne was able to survive the boring morning only by daydreaming. Marilla scolds Anne for her inattention at church but inwardly agrees with her. Although she never articulates her own criticisms of the minister and the Sunday school teacher, she, like Anne, has always felt that the church service is rather uninspiring. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read “The Maiden of the Mist” or “Anne of Geierstein”, by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1829. It is set mainly in Switzerland, shortly after the Battle of Tewkesbury in the 1400s. This episode originally aired in January of 2021. In this story, two exiles are on a secret mission to the court of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, hoping to gain his help in regaining the English crown from Edward IV. The two Englishmen get into difficulties in the Swiss mountains. They meet Countess Anne and her family, who are involved in the politics of the newly independent Swiss Confederation and plan to confront Charles with complaints about his conduct towards the Swiss nation. This book is part of a long series called The Waverley Novels. For nearly a century, they were among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe. Because Scott did not publicly acknowledge authorship until later, the series takes its name from Waverley, the first novel of the series released. — 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

Tonight, for our 801st episode, we’ll read a Snoozecast original sleep story, inspired by the classic fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea”. First published by H.C. Andersen in 1835, the tale features a princess who is tested to become wife to a lonely prince. At under 400 words long, it is triflingly short. Yet though it be small, it has served as the inspiration for many culturally popular works. The story was adapted to the musical stage in 1959 as Once Upon a Mattress, with comedian Carol Burnett playing the play's heroine, Princess Winnifred the Woebegone. The musical was revived in 1997 with Sarah Jessica Parker in the role. The story has been adapted into three films as well a television production starring Liza Minelli. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the second chapter to “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel. Originally, Alcott had it published as a second book but in later publishings the two were combined. If you haven’t listened to the first part to the book, you can search in your podcast player for “Snoozecast Presents: Little Women”. You will find a standalone series available so that you can refresh your memory or start from the very beginning if you’d like. Our last episode opens after three years have passed since the conclusion of “Little Women”. Meg is about to get married. The war has ended, and Mr. March and Mr. Brooke have returned home. In the meantime, Meg has learned more about keeping house, and Amy has taken over Jo’s job caring for Aunt March. Jo has continued to write stories for the newspaper, while Laurie has passed the years at college. — 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

Tonight, for our monthly Snoozecast+ Deluxe bonus episode, we’ll read an original story about a mysterious cosmic ray that has baffled scientists around the globe. Where did it come from? What exactly was it? In our story, the phenomenon turns out to carry good fortune to the people of earth. Although the story begins and ends in science fiction, most of the science discussed including cosmic rays, interstellar distances and special relativity are not among other things. Cosmic Rays are high energy particles, usually protons, that originate from various sources within the Milky Way as well as from extragalactic sources . An international team of scientists use specialized equipment to detect, and study these rays which provide insight into the most energetic processes occurring in the universe. These processes include supernova explosions, active galactic nuclei and other astrophysical phenomena. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the third part of a fairy tale called “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen. The story centers on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by Gerda and her friend, Kay. The first part originallyaired on January 4th, 2021. This story is one of Andersen's longest and most highly acclaimed tales. It was also the inspiration for the Disney movie “Frozen.” In the second part, we follow little Gerda on her journey to find her friend Kay. She is bewitched and talks with flowers, and then gets caught up with a family of robbers. A raven tries to help her and leads her to a castle where he thinks he has seen her Kay. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read our second-to-last selection in our “Woodcraft” series, published by George Washington Sears, under the pen name "Nessmuk." Sears was a writer and adventurer who penned essays on hunting, fishing, and camping for popular journals and magazines. This episode will feature the last chapter of the “Woodcraft” book. Next month, for the final episode in the series, we will read selections of the author’s poetry, published as “Forest Runes”. In this episode, the author discusses his preference for clinker-built canoes over other styles. A Clinker-built (also known as lapstrake) is a method of boat building in which the edges of hull planks overlap each other. Clinker-built ships were a trademark of Northern European navigation throughout the Middle Ages, particularly of the longships of the Viking raiders and traders. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, to start off “Persuasion”, our latest addition to the Friday rotation of four ongoing stories, we shall read the opening to the book. Or rather, we shall “re-read” the opening, as we have once before read the opening to this novel, several years ago now. This was the last novel fully completed by Jane Austen, along with being considered her most mature and refined writing. “Persuasion” was published in 1817. The story concerns Anne Elliot, a twenty-seven year old Englishwoman, whose family moves to lower their expenses and reduce their debt by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife. The novel was well-received at it’s debut, but its greater fame came decades later, and continues to this day — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the second part of a fairy tale called “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen. The story centers on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by Gerda and her friend, Kay. The first part originally aired on January 4th, 2021. The story is one of Andersen's longest and most highly acclaimed stories. It was also the inspiration for the Disney movie “Frozen.” In the first part, we meet best friends, Gerda and Kay. We also learn of the wicked mirror that splinters into tiny pieces over the land. The shards sometimes land in unknowing people’s eyes or hearts, and cause them to be cold-hearted and mean-spirited. This happens to the little boy, Kay. Then he gets whisked away by the Snow Queen’s sled. Gerda goes in search of him, and meets a kindly witch. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the second half to “The Adventure of the Priory School” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. The first half aired last week. In last week’s episode, Holmes is approached by Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, the headmaster of the prestigious Priory School. Huxtable seeks Holmes's help in locating the missing Lord Saltire, the young heir to the Duke of Holdernesse. Lord Saltire disappeared under mysterious circumstances from the school. The Duke tells Holmes that he does not think that his estranged wife has anything to do with his son's disappearance, nor has there been a ransom demand. Holmes and Dr. Watson go hunting on the moor for clues. They find a bicycle track, but it is not the German school master Heidegger's. Almost everything observable has been obliterated by cow tracks (of which there are many tracks). We will pick up as they continue their search. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. In the last episode, harpooner Ned Land expresses his disappointment to Aronnax about their failed escape plan. Aronnax then fills him in about Nemo's treasure-filled “bank” of shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea. Although Land hopes for another chance, they realize that the Nautilus is departing. We will pick up where Nemo invites Aronnax alone to go with him on an underwater excursion. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the first part out of three episodes to the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen. The other two parts will air in the next two weeks. All three episodes first aired in January of 2021. The story centers on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by Gerda and her friend, Kay. The story is one of Andersen's longest and most highly acclaimed stories. It was also the inspiration for the Disney movie “Frozen.” — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the first half to “The Adventure of the Priory School” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. The second half will air next week. Doyle ranked this story tenth in his list of his twelve favorite Holmes stories. In this story, Holmes is approached by Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, the headmaster of the prestigious Priory School. Huxtable seeks Holmes's help in locating the missing Lord Saltire, the young heir to the Duke of Holdernesse. Lord Saltire disappeared under mysterious circumstances from the school. If you can stay awake, you will find a plot that is filled with twists and turns, showcasing Holmes's keen observational skills and his ability to connect seemingly unrelated clues. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the eleventh chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Anne’s Impressions of Sunday School”. In the last episode, titled “Anne’s Apology”, Anne spends the entire next day sulking in her room, avoiding food and nursing her wounded pride. Concerned for Anne, Matthew, who hasn't been upstairs in four years, secretly creeps into her room after Marilla leaves. He persuades Anne to apologize to Mrs. Rachel, knowing Marilla won't change her mind about the punishment. Anne, less furious but still reluctant, agrees to apologize to please Matthew. Satisfied with his success, Matthew hurries away to avoid Marilla's disapproval of his interference. Anne and Marilla then visit Mrs. Rachel's house, where Anne initially displays shame and remorse. However, midway through the walk, her demeanor shifts to dreaminess. At Mrs. Rachel's, Anne theatrically apologizes, confessing to being a wicked and ungrateful girl. Mrs. Rachel readily accepts the apology, attempting to make amends for her own thoughtlessness by predicting Anne's red hair may turn auburn. Marilla, uneasy about the dramatic apology, senses that Anne enjoyed the punishment. Despite feeling it backfired, Marilla refrains from chastising Anne, and on their way home, Anne's simple gesture of holding Marilla's hand evokes a rush of unexpected maternal warmth, prompting Marilla to regain emotional control by emphasizing good behavior. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read from The Journals of Lewis and Clark. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, from 1803 to 1806, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country. The Corps of Discovery was a select group of Army and civilian volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Lieutenant William Clark. This episode first aired in December of 2020. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to explore and to map the newly acquired territory, to find a practical route across the western half of the continent, and to establish an American presence in this territory before other powers tried to claim it. The campaign's secondary objectives were scientific and economic: to study the area's plants, animal life, and geography, and to establish trade with local American Indian tribes. The expedition returned to Jefferson, with maps, sketches, and journals in hand. — read by 'M' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast original story called “Adrian and the Unicorn’s Realm”. This is the follow up story to last month’s episode titled “Adaline and the Unicorn’s Realm.” In this story, Adrian, a budding artist with a penchant for vibrant designs, stumbles upon an otherworldly revelation guided by a mysterious figure. He discovers the enchanting potential of his own creations to transport him into a realm beyond imagination, where a unicorn emerges as a mystical guide between the tangible and the extraordinary. In the study of classical antiquity, unicorns are not found in Greek mythology, but rather in the accounts of their natural history. Greek writers of natural history were convinced of the reality of unicorns, which they believed lived in India, a distant and fabulous realm for them. The earliest description described them as wild asses, fleet of foot, having a horn over two feet in length, and colored white, red and black. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’ll read the first chapter to “Good Wives” written by Louisa May Alcott. This is also known as the second half of the “Little Women” novel. Originally, Alcott had it published as a second book but in later publishings the two were combined. This book picks up three years later as Meg is preparing for her wedding. As always, Snoozecast episodes on Fridays are on a rotation of four current books. When one finishes, we will replace it with something new. This way you can be assured that any series on Fridays will always come out at least once a month. Another detail about Snoozecast is that we have many different series available separately from our primary Snoozecast show. If we are still adding new episodes to a series, it is fully available for anyone to listen to. Once a series is completed, it will eventually be made only fully available to our Snoozecast+ listeners. To find a list of current series available for free, and which ones are only fully available to our premium subscribers, go to snoozecast.com/plus. Because “Good Wives” is a continuation of “Little Women”, we have decided to make the “Snoozecast Presents: Little Women” standalone series available to the public again as well, so that you can refresh your memory or start from the very beginning if you’d like. — 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

Tonight, for this monthly Snoozecast+ Deluxe bonus, we’ll read an original story about a curious kitten named Baxter. He accidentally falls whiskers over paws into Santa’s sack during a midnight visit, and is soon whisked away to fall off lands to see new sights. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read an excerpt from Wilkie Collin’s 1864 novel “Armadale.” It is the third of his four 'great novels' of the decade: after “The Woman in White” and “No Name”, and before “The Moonstone.” This is Snoozecast’s third-and-a-half time featuring Collins’ work. If you enjoy this episode, you can also find our “Moonstone” episode from March 2019, our “Woman in White” episode from December 2019, and the “Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices” from July 2020, which Collins co-wrote with his friend Charles Dickins. This episode first aired in December of 2021.  — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the short story “Ma'ame Pélagie” written by Kate Chopin [Show-Pan]. Chopin was an American author of short stories and novels based in Louisiana. Her major works were two short story collections (of which this story is found) and two novels. One of those novels, “The Awakening” is what she is best known for today. Snoozecast read an excerpt back in 2019, but it has been much too long since we have read any more from this author. Kate Chopin lived in a variety of locations, based on different economies and societies. These were sources of insights and observations from which she analyzed and expressed her ideas about late 19th-century Southern American society. She based many of her stories and sketches on her life in Louisiana. They expressed her unusual portrayals (for the time) of women as individuals with separate wants and needs. — 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

Tonight, we shall read the final part to “Pride and Prejudice”, written by Jane Austen. This has been our longest running series as we started reading it way back in the summer of 2019. Welcome to all our newer listeners, and a sincere thank you to our listeners that have been following along throughout these four years. In the last episode, Darcy and Elizabeth take a long walk together alone. They are joyful to learn that they both would like to be married. Elizabeth discovers that she has Lady Catherine to thank for Darcy’s visit, for she had told him of Elizabeth's refusal to promise not to accept him. Darcy also explains how her previous reproofs of him made him realize how rude and spoiled he had been. He made it his aim to show her he had changed. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read a Japanese tale adapted by Snoozecast called “The Precious Fishing Hook” or “The Happy Hunter and the Skillful Fisher.” It was originally found in “Japanese Fairy Tales” compiled by Yei Theodora Ozaki. If you enjoy this sleep story, be sure to check out our other ones that come from the same book. “The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon Child” is a two-parter that first aired in April of 2019. “Momotaro” also aired in April 2019. “The Fisher-Boy Urashima” aired in May of 2020. And this particular story originally aired in November of 2021. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “Westward Hoboes” written by Winifred Hawkridge Dixon and published in 1921. In this story, two early 1920s girls from Boston set out to tour the West all by themselves, equipped with a sturdy car, a camping outfit, courage and a sense of humor. A hobo is an old-fashioned term for a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct. A hobo travels and is willing to work. A tramp travels, but avoids work if possible. A bum neither travels nor works. Following these definitions, it seems that the protagonists should have been referred to as tramps instead of hoboes, as they were only traveling, not working. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. In the last episode, the submarine the Nautilus glides quickly through the Mediterranean Sea, to the chagrin of Ned Land, who was really hoping to make his escape. Aronnax and Conseil were less eager, but agreed to go with Ned. Soon, however, they find themselves in the rough seas of the Atlantic. Ned is not swayed, and insists that they must make their break that night, at 9 pm. While Aronnax wrestles with conflicted feelings on this, he prepares himself to leave. As the time approaches, the submarine suddenly stops. There is no sign of Ned where Aronnax waits in the salon. Nemo suddenly appears and launches into an impromptu Spanish history lesson, where we will pick up the story. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ “The Nutcracker of Nuremberg” story, originally published in 1844. Dumas’ version of The Nutcracker was itself adapted from the original, written by E.T.A. Hoffman. However it was Dumas adaptation that gave inspiration to the famous “Nutcracker” ballet composed by Tchaikovsky. This episode originally aired in December of 2021. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read another excerpt from “Woodcraft” published by George Washington Sears, under the pen name "Nessmuk." Sears was a writer and adventurer who penned essays on hunting, fishing, and camping for popular journals and magazines. This chapter is called “Canoeing”. In contemporary times, the author lives on not just through his writing but through his canoe. In fact, one of the most celebrated canoes in American canoeing annals and referred to as “the Nessmuk”. Historic replicas of this canoe can be purchased so that canoeists can paddle in one just like the one commissioned by the author for his famous 1880 Adirondack cruise. This type of craft has come to be generically known as the Adirondack Pack canoe, and is the best way to obtain the smallest, lightest solo recreation paddle craft. Incredibly handy to paddle and transport, the Nessmuk is still known to surprise paddlers with her quickness and seaworthiness. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the tenth chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Anne’s Apology”. In the last episode, titled “Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Properly Horrified”, Anne has been settling in at Green Gables for the last couple weeks, when Mrs. Rachel Lynde pays a visit. She would have visited sooner, but had been laid up with a bout of grippe, which is an archaic term for the flu. Mrs. Lynde sees any orphan as suspicious as a rule, and when Anne comes in from playing outside, she is messy, dirty, and in ill-fitting orphanage clothes. The lady does not hold her tongue on how she perceives Anne- as a homely, pathetic creature with “hair as red as carrots”. Anne in return also does not hold back- and calls Mrs. Lynde fat, clumsy and without imagination. Later, Marilla talks to Anne privately and insists that while Mrs. Lynde may have deserved what she got, she was still Anne’s elder and must be treated with an expected amount of courtesy. Otherwise, it would harm not only Anne’s reputation in the community but also Marilla’s. Thus, Anne would need to muster up the courage to apologize — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read from “For Luncheon and Supper Guests” written by Alice Bradley published in 1923. “Luncheon” is the formal word for lunch, a light mid-day meal. In the Middle Ages, before electric lighting and industrialization, the mid-day meal was large and considered dinner. There was no lunch, so later in the evening a lighter meal was had called “supper”. But by the 1800s, the large meal of dinner was pushed into the evening and thus, not only was supper squeezed out, but there was a need for something to eat in between breakfast and dinner. Up until the early 1800s, luncheon was generally reserved for ladies, who would often have lunch with one another when their husbands were out. The meal was often made up of left-overs from the previous night's plentiful dinner. Beginning in the Victorian era, afternoon tea supplemented this luncheon at four o'clock. This episode first aired in November of 2021. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “The Clock Strikes Thirteen” part of the “Penny Parker” anthology written by Mildred Wirt, also known by Mildred Benson. It was originally published in 1942. Penny Parker was a high school student turned sleuth who also sporadically worked as a reporter for her father's newspaper. In this story, Penny investigates mysterious riders who are bothering farmers at night. Meanwhile, a man makes a suspiciously generous donation to the Riverview orphan's camp. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the final part to “The Boxcar Children” written by school teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner and originally published in 1924. We are reading this original, full version, and in it the children’s last name is Cordyce. Later, in 1942, the stories were revised shorter, and the children’s last name was changed to Alden. As Warner wrote the story, she read it to her first grade class and rewrote it many times so the words were easy to understand. Some of her pupils spoke other languages at home, so the book gave them a fun story that was easy to read. Warner once wrote that the original book "raised a storm of protest from librarians who thought the children were having too good a time without any parental control! That is exactly why children like it!" In the last episode, the children and their grandfather are reunited. He is not only overjoyed to invite them to live with him (rather than out in an old boxcar in the woods) but he happens to live in a mansion with plenty of extra room. We will pick up on the tail-end of their grand tour of their new home. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read from “In the Mist of the Mountains,” by Australian novelist and children’s writer Ethel Turner, published in 1906. Her best-known work is her first novel, Seven Little Australians (1894), which is widely considered as a classic of Australian children's literature. Turner was awarded a number of prestigious literary awards and could be considered one of Australia's best-loved authors. This story is set in a tiny mountain vacation town during tourist season. This episode first aired in November of 2021. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast original story, unveiling the tale of a girl briefly transported into a mysterious and enchanting reality. As an adult, she grapples with a dual existence—navigating her public persona as an acclaimed artist while nurturing a clandestine passion for rediscovering the mystical realm. Commissioned for conventional paintings, she conceals a world teeming with vibrant and fantastical creations. The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years or so been depicted as a white horse-like animal with a long straight horn with spiralling grooves, cloven hooves, and sometimes a goat's beard. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, and a symbol of purity and grace. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we shall read the next part to “Pride and Prejudice”, written by Jane Austen. In the last episode, Elizabeth’s father stuns her with his congratulations on her upcoming engagement. He reads a letter he received from Mr. Collins in which Elizabeth is cautioned not to go forward with an engagement to Darcy against Lady Catherine's wishes. Mr. Bennet thinks this is simply a ridiculous rumor because he is certain that Elizabeth hates Darcy and that Darcy is indifferent to her. Elizabeth fakes laughter to hide her embarrassment about her father's misjudgment while she privately wonders if her father might be on to something. Could she have overestimated Darcy's interest? A few days later, Darcy and Bingley visit Longbourn. They all go for a walk and Elizabeth and Darcy soon find themselves alone. Elizabeth cannot contain her gratitude any longer for all that Darcy suffered and sacrificed for Lydia. Darcy tells Elizabeth that he did everything for her. Darcy says his feelings for her have not changed since his rejected proposal. Elizabeth confesses that her feelings have significantly changed. Darcy is overjoyed. That is where we will resume our story. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast+ Deluxe original story about uncovering a special pumpkin pie recipe to feed the community at Thanksgiving. Faced with the impending sale and demolition of Acorn Hollow's textile mill, Emma O'Connell decides that the way to bring everyone together is through their stomachs. A day of Thanksgiving in America had been a sporadic occurrence for most of the country’s history, typically being an autumn harvest feast although sometimes occurring at other times of the year. A Thanksgiving feast was primarily a social gathering, although sometimes some prayer was involved. It wasn’t until 1863, when President Lincoln proclaimed that November 26th would be a national Thanksgiving Day, to be observed every year on the fourth Thursday of November. Today, Thanksgiving is a time when many families come together, and many churches are open for special services. We have both Native Americans and immigrants to thank for the opportunity to observe a day of thanksgiving. — read by 'V' — This has been written exclusively for our Snoozecast+ Deluxe listeners. To learn more, go to Snoozecast.com/plus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’ll read the short story “Aunt Susanna’s Thanksgiving Dinner” written by Lucy Maud Montgomery in 1907. This is a heart-warming holiday tale from the author of “Anne of Green Gables.” Maud was a prolific writer, with over 500 short stories and poems to her name, along with some 20 novels. This episode originally aired in November of 2021. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the opening to “Stormy, Misty’s Foal” a children's novel written by Marguerite Henry and published in 1963. The Chincoteague pony, also known as the Assateague horse, is a breed of horse that developed, and now lives, within a semi-feral island population off the US states of Virginia and Maryland. The Chincoteague pony is one of the many breeds of feral horses in the United States, but it was made famous by the series of pony books written by this author about Misty, the mother of Stormy. The story describes events on the island during a powerful hurricane of 1962.  — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. In the last episode, their submarine has navigated into the Mediterranean. Ned Land expresses his firm desire to escape the Nautilus, now that they have made it to European territory. Aronnax feels conflicted. He doesn’t like being held captive, however he is thrilled at the scientific exploration he has been allowed to make. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the fairy tale “Cinderella” taken from the old French tale by Charles Perrault originally published in 1697. This version has also been lightly adapted by Snoozecast. "Cinderella", also known as "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale about the triumphant reward of a persecuted heroine. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world, since ancient times. This episode first aired in November of 2021. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read another excerpt from “Woodcraft” published by George Washington Sears, under the pen name "Nessmuk." Sears was a writer and adventurer who penned essays on hunting, fishing, and camping for popular journals and magazines. This chapter is called “A Ten Day’s Trip in the Wilderness- Going It Alone.” At 40 years old, Sears served in the Civil War. Five years later he traveled up the Amazon River in Brazil. At the age of 59, a little more than 5 feet tall, weighing less than 105 pounds, and weak with tuberculosis, Sears decided to see if the Adirondack lakes and forests could improve his health. Only then is when his experiences (and plentiful writings) as an Old Adirondack Woodsman began. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the ninth chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Mrs. Rachel Lynde is properly horrified”. In the last episode, titled “Anne’s Bringing-Up Has Begun”, Anne learns from Marilla that she can indeed stay at Green Gables permanently. Anne is so happy, she cries. Marilla instructs Anne to memorize the Lord’s prayer. Anne asks Marilla if she might find “a kindred spirit” in Avonlea. Marilla says there is another girl named Diana who is Anne’s age. Anne is excited to meet her, and excited to now officially be “Anne of Green Gables”. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read stories from “Pussy and Doggy Tales” written by English author and poet Edith Nesbit, published in 1899. Nesbit wrote or collaborated on more than 60 books of children's literature under the name E. Nesbit, along with being a political activist. This particular collection of stories follows the lives of various cats and dogs and will appeal to all of our animal-loving listeners. This episode originally aired in October of 2021. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read about the love between a kennel maid who is betrothed to a confirmed bachelor. It comes from the opening to the 1928 novel by Eden Phillpotts titled “Children of Men”. Phillpotts was an English author who maintained a steady output of more than three books a year for a half century. Many of his novels were about rural life. Eden is best known as the author of many novels, plays and poems about Dartmoor. His Dartmoor cycle of 18 novels and two volumes of short stories still has many avid readers despite the fact that many titles are out of print. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “The Boxcar Children” written by school teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner and published in 1924. In the last episode, the children gather wild ginseng around their woodland home to sell to local pharmacies. Violet comes down with a fever and is taken to the doctor’s home. While she is being cared for there, the doctor secretly calls for the grandfather to come. — 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

Tonight, for the final in our 5th annual Spooky Sleep Story Series, we’ll read a Snoozecast original story about a fictional New England town and the brother and sister who go out on a trick or treating adventure within it. While this is the end of this years spooky sleep stories, be sure to check out our freely available – called “Snoozecast Presents: Spooky Stories” or go to snoozecast.com/series to listen directly from our website. If you are a premium subscriber of Snoozecast+, all of our podcast series, including that one, are available to you ad-free.  — 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

Tonight, we’ll read about the Persian empire at the zenith of its expansion from the book “The Retreat of the Ten Thousand” by Carl Witt, published in 1896. The ancient Persian or Iranian empire was the largest empire the world had ever seen at its time, spanning from the Balkans and Egypt in the west to Central Asia and the Indus Valley in the east. In the modern era, this empire has been recognized for its imposition of a successful model of centralized, bureaucratic administration; its multicultural policy; building complex infrastructure, such as road systems and an organized postal system; the use of official languages across its territories; and the development of civil services. — 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

Tonight, we shall read the next part to “Pride and Prejudice”, written by Jane Austen. In the last episode, soon after Jane accepts Bingley’s marriage proposal, Lady Catherine De Bourgh makes a surprise visit to Elizabeth. She says almost nothing to Mrs. Bennet, coolly inspecting the rooms and property, then asks Elizabeth to take a walk. Lady Catherine rudely interrogates Elizabeth. She simply cannot believe that Darcy would choose Elizabeth as a wife, and thus, she thinks he must have been tricked by her. Elizabeth boldly asserts her freedom of mind and freedom from the class concerns of Lady Catherine. In doing so, Elizabeth suggests that individuals can define themselves regardless of class or social prejudices. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read a Snoozecast+ Deluxe original story about a visit to a harvest festival, by a grandfather and his two grandkids. They have a delightful afternoon of rides, games and treats, before an evening fireworks display that they barely stayed awake for. We think you may have trouble staying awake for it too! — read by 'V' — This has been written exclusively for our Snoozecast+ Deluxe listeners. To learn more, go to Snoozecast.com/plus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, as part of our Spooky Sleep Story Series, we’ll read our own lightly adapted version of Algernon Blackwood’s “A Haunted Island” from “The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories” published in 1906. In this story, our narrator is left alone for a few weeks at an island lodge in the middle of a lake in Canada, where he thinks he will focus on his studies, but soon begins to see and hear strange things. Tune in every Wednesday this month for sleep stories of the darker variety– lightly adapted and read in a way to evoke a mood of spookiness, without actually causing a fright. Catch up on previous years by finding our free podcast “Snoozecast Presents: Spooky Stories” or if you are a premium subscriber, look for “Snoozecast+” or “Snoozecast+ Deluxe: Spooky Stories” instead to listen ad-free — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the second half to “The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. The first half aired last week. In the first episode,Holmes is contacted by a beautiful young music teacher named Violet Smith. She's worried about a stranger who follows her when she bicycles to and from the train station each weekend. Violet Smith and her mother were living in poverty until few months ago, when two supposed friends of her uncle from South Africa, came to announce that he asked them to take care of his closest relatives. One the two men, Carruthers, is affable. He offers Violet an excellent wage to live in his house and teach music to his daughter, and he seems to grow fond of the young woman. The other one, Woodley, is rough and overly forward. Watson, asked by Holmes to visit and collect information, figures out that the mystery cyclist disappears by hiding in a hedge along the property of Mr. Williamson, a defrocked clergyman. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. In the last episode, while the passengers aboard the Nautilus approach the mysterious Arabian Tunnel that will whisk them to the Mediterranean, Ned insists on taking a detour in a dinghy to pursue a dugong. A dugong is actually a peaceful vegetarian, similar to a manatee, but in Jules Verne’s imagination it is a monstrous beast with large tusks. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, for the next in our 5th annual “Spooky Sleep Story Series”, we shall read the narrative poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1845. The poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a mysterious visit by a talking raven. The lover, often identified as a student,[1][2] is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust of Pallas, the raven seems to further antagonize the protagonist with its constant repetition of the word "Nevermore". By the way, “a bust of Pallas” refers to a sculpture of Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. The fact that the narrator has one in his bedroom represents his interest in learning and scholarship, and also can be taken as representing his own rational, sane mind. The Raven, by landing on the bust when it flies into the room, signifies a threat to the narrator’s ability to understand the reasons (if any) behind the Raven’s coming and its message. That the Raven stays on top of the bust of Pallas at the end of the poem, never flitting, suggests that irrationality has taken up a permanent home in the narrator’s formerly rational mind. Poe claimed to have written the poem logically and methodically, with the intention to create a poem that would appeal to both critical and popular tastes. The poem makes use of folk, mythological, religious, and classical references. Its publication made Poe popular in his lifetime, although it did not bring him much financial success. It remains one of the most famous poems ever written. Tune in every Wednesday this month for sleep stories of the darker variety- like classic horror literature and ghost stories, read in a way to evoke a mood of spookiness, without actually causing a fright. Catch up on previous years by finding our free podcast “Snoozecast Presents: Spooky Stories” or if you are a premium subscriber, look for “Snoozecast+” or “Snoozecast+ Deluxe: Spooky Stories” instead to listen ad-free. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the first half to “The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as part of 1903’s “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”. The second half will air next week. In this adventure, Holmes and Watson are visited by a young lady named Violet Smith. She explains that her father's recent passing left her financially destitute and that her only other relative, an uncle named Ralph Smith, lives in Africa. One day, she meets two men visiting from South Africa, who claim to be friends of her now-deceased uncle. They claim that Ralph also passed on in poverty like his brother, but asked them to take care of his relatives. This was not one of Doyle’s favorites- he criticized himself for mentioning in this story that Violet Smith's visit to Holmes occurred on Saturday, April 23, 1895. In actuality, the 23rd of April that year fell on a Tuesday. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the eighth chapter to “Anne of Green Gables” the classic 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This chapter is titled “Anne’s Bringing Up is Begun”. In the last episode, Marilla begins her program of moral and social education for Anne at bedtime. Anne expresses a distaste for God due to the insult of purposely giving her red hair. Marilla encourages Anne to create her own spontaneous prayer. Anne’s prayer is full of flowery speech, regarding her hopes for Green Gables to become her home, and to become pretty when she grows up. She ends the prayer by saying, “Yours respectfully, Anne Shirley.” Marilla resolves to send Anne to Sunday school as soon as possible. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, to start off our 5th annual “Spooky Sleep Story Series”, we shall read the opening to “The Metamorphosis”, written by Franz Kafka and first published in 1915. Tune in every Wednesday this month for sleep stories of the darker variety- like classic horror literature and ghost stories, read in a way to evoke a mood of spookiness without actually causing a fright. Catch up on previous years by finding our free standalone podcast series “Snoozecast Presents: Spooky Stories” or if you are a premium subscriber, look for “Snoozecast+” or “Snoozecast+ Deluxe: Spooky Stories” instead to listen ad-free. “The Metamorphosis” is referred to as a masterpiece of existential literature because of how it demands the reader to accept the absurdity of our lived modern human reality. Although some of the events may be fantastical, the ideas about existence, and humanity are highly relatable. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read another excerpt from “Woodcraft” published by George Washington Sears, under the pen name "Nessmuk." Sears was a writer and adventurer who penned essays on hunting, fishing, and camping for popular journals and magazines. The author was born in Massachusetts in 1821 as the oldest of 10 children. A young Narragansett Indian named Nessmuk ("wood drake") befriended him and taught him hunting, fishing, and camping. Later Sears took that as his pen name, and also as the name of a couple of his canoes. This episode refers a few times to an Old Woodsman who enjoys smoking “navy plug”. Th name for this strong, dark tobacco was given because sailors would fill a long canvas tube with tobacco (or tightly wrap rope around tobacco) and sometimes add flavourings like rum, fruits and spices. Then the tube was twisted tight, mimicking the pressing process. This technique created a dense roll, or “plug” of tobacco about an inch thick which could be cut into smaller pieces or coins. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the next part to “The Boxcar Children” written by school teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner and published in 1924. The Boxcar Children tells the story of four orphaned children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. They create a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar in the forest. In the last episode, encouraged by the doctor, Henry spontaneously joins a community running race at a nearby town’s annual event. Little does Henry know that the race that he has won was sponsored by his own grandfather, James Henry Cordyce. His grandfather didn’t seem to realize this either, even though he was searching for his missing grandchildren. Also, sister Jessie and Violet resourcefully create printed letters for little Benny to start to learn how to read. — 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

Tonight, we’ll read an excerpt from the 1912 book Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, from a chapter called “The Speculations of Jefferson Thorpe”. You won’t need to listen to the first episode in order to listen to this episode, as they are non-sequential vignettes. However, if you would like to find the first episode in this series, it aired on August 23, 2019. This humorous and affectionate account of small-town life in the fictional town of Mariposa is inspired by the author’s experience living in Ontario, Canada. The book illustrates the inner workings of life in Mariposa—from business to politics to steamboat disasters. In this vignette, we learn about the town’s barbershop, and the leisurely art of the afternoon shave. This episode first aired in September of 2020. — read by 'N' — 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

Tonight, we’ll read the final excerpt in our series from Dorothy Wordsworth’s personal journals. This was one which she kept the year 1805. It was published a century later in 1897. Wordsworth was an English author, poet, and diarist. This particular journal was from a mountainous “ramble” her and her brother took around the Lake district of Cumbria, England. The story of this "ramble," written by Dorothy, was afterwards incorporated in part by her brother William in his prose “Description of the Scenery of the Lakes”—another instance of their literary copartnery. If you enjoy this episode, please check out the Winter, Spring and Summer journal episodes that aired recently, and our other episode featuring this author titled “First Steps | A Scottish Tour” that we rebroadcast on January of 2023. — 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