
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

Jul 27, 2020 • 53min
The South American Tour, by Annie S. Peck, Part 1
Steam away to dreamland with this travel guide to South America by explorer, archaeologist and record-setting mountaineer Annie S. Peck. If you ever wondered what to pack for a four-month trip south of the Equator, look no further. Keep this podcast ad-free and relaxed by joining our Patreon or dropping us a tip via Buy Me A Coffee. Everyone contributing in July will be entered in this month's drawing for a print copy of one of your faves--the 1897 Sears Catalog! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "The South American Tour" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59715 Music: "Ocean Tapping" 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 www.boringbookspod.com!

Jul 20, 2020 • 49min
Farm Engines and How To Run Them, Part 2
Let's relax to more from the not-at-all-exciting world of stuffing boxes and governor balls that make farm engines go. If 30 study questions for a steam engine operator test can't put you to sleep, nothing will. Keep this podcast ad-free and relaxed by joining our Patreon or dropping us a tip via Buy Me A Coffee. Everyone contributing in July will be entered in this month's drawing for a print copy of one of your faves--the 1897 Sears Catalog! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "Farm Engines & How To Run Them" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43867 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 www.boringbookspod.com!

Jul 13, 2020 • 57min
Plato's Republic: Introduction and Analysis, Part 3
Let's return to the musings of Victorian classicist Benjamin Jowett, his analysis of Plato's Republic, and a lot of sleepy Socratic opinions about the inappropriateness of flutes. Keep this podcast ad-free and relaxed by joining our Patreon or dropping us a tip via Buy Me A Coffee. Everyone contributing in July will be entered in this month's drawing for a print copy of one of your faves--the 1897 Sears Catalog! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Connect: www.boringbookspod.com Read "The Republic" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55201 Music: “Peace” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY-NC http://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, contact me on our website!

Jul 6, 2020 • 59min
Principles of Geology, by Sir Charles Lyell, Part 3
Tonight, we take another journey into a relaxing science classic, Principles of Geology. Let's erode away our stress, take a sleepy stroll through the halls of geological history, and ponder some rather odd theories about the formation of the land beneath our feet. We need your support to keep making sleep-inducing podcasts! Please check out... Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Connect: www.boringbookspod.com Read "Principles of Geology" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33224 Music: "earth 2 earth," by PCIII, is licensed under CC If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, contact me on our website!

Jun 29, 2020 • 50min
The Federalist Papers, by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison (Part 2)
Let Alexander Hamilton and his compatriots spark a revolution of sleep with arguments in favor of ratifying the US Constitution. If these words prove anything, it's that predicting what will become a Broadway hit is one of the great mysteries of our time. Want to support us? Neat! Here's how: Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Connect: www.boringbookspod.com Read "The Federalist Papers" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1404 Music: “Boring Books for Bedtime” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY-NC: http://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, contact me on our website!

Jun 22, 2020 • 58min
De Re Coquinaria (On Cooking), by Apicius, Part 1
Let's cook up a recipe for relaxation with De Re Coquinaria, by Roman author Apicius. It's an hour of honey, pepper, and fermented fish sauce, plus a lengthy rumination on Pompeii. Delish! Boring Books for Bedtime is happily sponsored by BetterHelp – affordable and private online counseling you can get anywhere, any time, the way that suits you best. Get 10% off your first month by visiting trybetterhelp.com/boringbooks. Want to support us? Neat! Here's how: Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Connect: www.boringbookspod.com Read "De Re Coquinaria" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29728 Music: “Peace” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY-NC: http://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, contact me on our website!

Jun 15, 2020 • 55min
Bicycling for Ladies, by Maria E. Ward, Part 1
Climb into the saddle of sleep and pedal to peace with this 1896 volume about the latest fad in exercise, bicycling! If you stay awake long enough, you'll know how a bicycle works, though why that's "for ladies," I cannot tell you. Boring Books for Bedtime is happily sponsored by BetterHelp – affordable and private online counseling you can get anywhere, any time, the way that suits you best. Get 10% off your first month by visiting trybetterhelp.com/boringbooks. Want to support us? Neat! Here's how: Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Connect: www.boringbookspod.com Read "Bicycling for Ladies" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62227 Music: "Heaven Be Here," by PCIII, is licensed under CC If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, contact me on our website!

Jun 8, 2020 • 51min
The Book of Tea, by Kakuzo Okakura, Part 1
Let's cozy up to a hot cup of tea and steep our weary minds in this classic treatise on tea, culture and history. We all deserve a bit of sleep thanks to this Art of Peace. Want to support us? Neat! Here's how: Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Boring Books for Bedtime is happily sponsored by BetterHelp – affordable and private online counseling you can get anywhere, any time, the way that suits you best. Get 10% off your first month by visiting trybetterhelp.com/boringbooks. Connect: www.boringbookspod.com Read "The Book of Tea" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/769 Music: “Boring Books for Bedtime” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY http://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, contact me on our website!

Jun 1, 2020 • 54min
The Coming of the Fairies, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Part 3
Let's return to Conan Doyle's dreamy world of the Wee Folk! Drift into sleep on the observations of a clairvoyant in the fairy glen, which are totally real and scientific. Totally. This episode is happily sponsored by BetterHelp – affordable and private online counseling you can get anywhere, any time, in the way that suits you best. Get 10% off your first month by visiting trybetterhelp.com/boringbooks. Want to support us? Neat! Here's how: Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Connect: www.boringbookspod.com Read "The Coming of the Fairies" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47506 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, contact me on our website!

May 25, 2020 • 54min
Cassell's Book of Birds, Part 2
Let anxiety and stress slip away like a bird on the wing as we find sleep with another listener favorite, Cassell's Book of Birds. Orders, anatomy and the "merry-thought" defined? Just what you dreamed of! Want to support us? Neat! Here's how: Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Connect: www.boringbookspod.com Read "Cassell's Book of Birds, Volume 1" at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48675 Music: "Ocean Tapping" by PCIII (freemusicarchive.org), licensed under CC BY All Boring Books for Bedtime readings are taken from works in the public domain. If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, I'd love to hear from you!