
Boring Books for Bedtime Readings to Help You Sleep
Boring Books for Bedtime is a weekly sleep podcast in which we calmly, quietly read something rather boring to silence the brain chatter keeping you awake. Think Aristotle, Thoreau, and whoever wrote the 1897 Sears Catalog—mostly nonfiction, mostly old, a perfect blend of vaguely-but-not-too interesting.
If you're on Team Sleepless, lie back, take a deep breath, and let us read you to rest.
Latest episodes

Mar 20, 2023 • 49min
Frye's Practical Candy Maker, by GV Frye, Part 1
Let’s relax into delicious dreams with this guide to confectionery. Learn the correct stripes for stick candy, the construction of “strawberry rock,” and the stages of sugar. Sweet! Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “Frye’s Practical Candy Maker” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37073 Music: "Changing Colours,” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.

Mar 13, 2023 • 50min
Astronomy for Young Folks, by Isabel Martin Lewis, Part 7
Let's return to more sleepy science and ponder life on the moon, the makeup of meteorites, and the long, strange lives of comets as they wander through our universe. Spacey! Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “Astronomy for Young Folks” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45112 Music: "Exit Exit,” by PC III, licensed under CC BY If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.

Mar 6, 2023 • 50min
Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Part 1
Let's begin a sleepy trip through the mountains of France, in which our novice author invents a sleeping bag, buys a donkey, and answers the question, “What could go wrong?” Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “Travels with a Donkey” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/535 Music: "earth 2 earth,” by PC III, licensed under CC BY If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.

Feb 27, 2023 • 1h 8min
Relaxation Rewind! Biographical Sketch of Henry David Thoreau, by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Let’s trip back in time two years ago (!!) and relax with this newly remastered paean of praise from one transcendentalist to another. We should all be so lucky to be spoken of like this. Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “Excursions” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9846 Music: "Boring Books for Bedtime,” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY, https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.

Feb 20, 2023 • 49min
Etiquette, by Emily Post, Part 4
Let’s relax and sleep with more from Mrs. Post as she instructs us in the art of conversation, thinking before we speak, and avoiding unforgivable pretentiousness. Useful! Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “Etiquette” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14314 Music: "Boring Books for Bedtime,” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY, https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.

Feb 13, 2023 • 54min
On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin, Part 4
Drift to sleep with science as Darwin himself defines natural selection and the interconnectedness of all things. Also, we hear the archaic word “humble-bees,” which is adorable. Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “The Origin of Species” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1228 Music: "Dream Colours,” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY, https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.

Feb 6, 2023 • 46min
The Problems of Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell, Part 2
This week let’s be lulled to sleep by deep thoughts about the nature of matter, and whether things exist if we’re not thinking about them. Who knows! It's philosophy. Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “The Problems of Philosophy” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5827 Music: "Boring Books for Bedtime,” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY, https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.

Jan 30, 2023 • 49min
Manual of Egyptian Archaeology and Guide to Antiquities, Part 5
Let’s return to the sleepy sands of Egypt and learn all about tombs and pyramids. Secret passages, sarcophagi, and ghostly snacks will give your dreams something to feast on. Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “Manual of Egyptian Archaeology” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14400 Music: "Exit Exit,” by PC III, licensed under CC-BY If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.

Jan 23, 2023 • 53min
Art in Needlework: Embroidery, by Lewis Day and Mary Buckle, Part 1
Let’s stitch our way to sleep with this handbook to the intricacies of embroidery. We’ll work our way through some basic stitches, learn a bit of history, and admire the art of craft. Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “Art in Needlework: A Book About Embroidery” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28269 Music: "Peace,” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC-BY https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.

Jan 16, 2023 • 48min
The Principles of Chemistry, by Dmitri Mendeleev, Part 4
Let’s relax and sleep with more from a foundation of science. This time, we explore fundamentals of water, moisture, and the near-magical properties of solubility. Equations alert! Help us stay ad-free and 100% listener-supported! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read “The Principles of Chemistry” at Project Gutenberg here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51326 Music: "Exit Exit,” by PC III, licensed under CC-BY If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, http://www.boringbookspod.com.