

Boring Books for Bedtime Readings to Help You Sleep
Sharon Handy
Boring Books for Bedtime is a weekly, ad-free, AI-free 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 balance 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.
If you're on Team Sleepless, lie back, take a deep breath, and let us read you to rest.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 3, 2022 • 56min
Practical Mind Reading, by William Walker Atkinson, Part 2
Let's sense our way to sleep with a book I forgot reading from! This time we learn exercises to hone our skills as psychic parlour performers, which was a for-real thing in 1907. Support us and keep us 100% listener supported here: Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "Practical Mind Reading" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41358 Music: "Exit Exit" by PCIII, 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, boringbookspod.com.

Dec 27, 2021 • 47min
The Book of Household Management, by Isabella Beeton, Part 7 (Maids, Dairy & Stable)
Let's dive back into one of your sleepy favorites, and learn about the life of the maid-of-all-work, the perfect dairy layout, and some fine advice about stable ventilation. Support us and keep us 100% listener supported here: Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "The Book of Household Management" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10136 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, boringbookspod.com.

Dec 20, 2021 • 55min
Night and Moonlight & Walden Pond in Winter, by Henry David Thoreau
Let's relax into the natural world with two essays by Henry David Thoreau, in which we take a poetic walk by moonlight, and then contemplate the wintry depths of Walden Pond. Transcendental! December Raffle! Support us on Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee by December 24th to be entered to win a three-month subscription (that's three free audiobooks!) from Libro.fm. Yay! Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "Night and Moonlight" in "Excursions" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9846 And "Walden" here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/205 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, boringbookspod.com.

Dec 13, 2021 • 45min
The Hive and the Honey Bee, by LL Langstroth, Part 2
Let's once again be lulled to sleep by the hum of beautiful, busy bees, learn all about the workings of the queen bee, and hear every permutation of the word "fecund" possible. December Raffle! Support us on Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee by December 24th to be entered to win a three-month subscription (that's three free audiobooks!) from Libro.fm. Yay! Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "The Hive and the Honey Bee" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24583 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, boringbookspod.com.

Dec 6, 2021 • 43min
The History of Bread, by John Ashton, Part 3
Let's return to the relaxing world of bread and fall asleep to European peasant loaves, the origin of the croissant, and the heraldry of London's bread guilds. Delish! Also, I announce our December raffle for supporters! Support us on Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee by December 24th to be entered to win a three-month subscription (that's three free audiobooks!) from Libro.fm. Yay! Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "The History of Bread" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53219 Music: "Peace" by Lee Rosevere, 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, boringbookspod.com.

Nov 29, 2021 • 1h 2min
The Characters of Theophrastus, Part 2
Let's relax with the second half of this classic of Greek literature, in which the great Theophrastus defines 30 character types found in literature and life. Trust me, you know a few. Support us here: Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "The Characters of Theophrastus" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58242 Music: "earth 2 earth" by PCIII, 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, boringbookspod.com.

Nov 22, 2021 • 44min
Our National Parks, by John Muir, Part 1
Conservationist John Muir takes us on a journey through the wonders of nature, discussing the beauty of national parks in the US, the challenges faced by mining activities, the diverse wildlife in the Black Hills Reserve, and the preparations of animals for winter in the Flathead Reserve.

Nov 15, 2021 • 49min
How to See the British Museum in Four Visits, Part 1
Let's take a relaxing wander through the mind-boggling British Museum, learn a bit about its origins, consider the mullingong, and ponder why our author holds such a low opinion of owls. Support us here: Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "How to See the British Museum in Four Visits" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13755 Music: "Cosmic Tingles" 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, boringbookspod.com.

Nov 8, 2021 • 51min
REMASTERED - The Problems of Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell, Part 1
In this remastered episode from 2018, we revisit a relaxing work that poses interesting philosophical questions, like "When is a table not a table?" Don't worry, there's no actual answer, so you won't miss anything when you fall asleep. NOTE: This is the second of our remastered episodes of readings from the wayback that I think are great (and newer listeners have probably missed), but which definitely need some polishing. Want to help us stay 100% listener supported and ad-free? Support us here! Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "The Problems of Philosophy" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5827 Music: "Boring Books for Bedtime," by Lee Rosevere, 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, boringbookspod.com.

Oct 31, 2021 • 60min
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, Part 2
Tonight, we conclude the mysterious happenings in Sleepy Hollow, which involve a surprising amount of charming detail about autumnal harvests, twittering birds, and pastries, come to find out. And all our lovely supporters in October will be getting a full, uninterrupted recording of the entire story as a Halloween treat! Support us here: Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41 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, boringbookspod.com.


