Sunday, December 14, 2008

Good Dog

Tonight I gave my daughter the privilege of playing in her bed until she got sleepy. It's been a busy couple of weeks for us and she needed the destressing time. I moved into the kitchen trying to bring a little order to the house before retiring and was taking some small pleasure out of scrubbing at a stain in the sink when I heard a cheerful, "Mohhhomm" come rolling down the hall.

She met me in the hallway with a smile of delight. "I put all my animals on my bed and I made Amos a little house. Come see!"

What a sweet little guy he is.

Sunday, December 07, 2008




More Than A Bedtime Story

I’ve had my nose in a book from my earliest recollection. Years ago I discovered audiobooks and have listened to countless novels while driving, doing yardwork, or other tasks that afforded the opportunity. My taste in literature is pretty broad, but I find I particularly like a good story that fires my imagination.

Recently, I was thinking that I’d look for an audiobook on itunes to listen to as I move through this busy season. Scrolling through a list of possibilities I noticed the term “podiobooks”. Curious, I clicked on to discover a website called podiobooks.com. I listened to a couple of samples that were okay, but then found one that was quite a good read. Encouraged, I thought I’d see if I could find some short stories online and struck gold!

If you like classic authors and a well-told tale, check out Miette’s bedtime story podcast. Not only can you download and listen to great short stories, but you will have the pleasure of listening to one of the most beautiful spoken voices ever! I have been spellbound by her voice, phrasing, and accent, hearing them in my mind long after the story has ended. Don’t let the title of the website put you off— the stories are suitable for listening to any time of day.

She has approximately 200 stories archived on her website and the list is impressive. The recording quality is good and although you can hear the occasional dog bark in the background, or a distant cell phone ringing, the overall presentation is not diminished by the random sound.

Check out the podcast—I have a feeling that if you do, you’ll be hooked.

http://www.miettecast.com/