Podcast Review: Full House Rewind

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Interesting interviews with cast and crew (and others)

Cons: A few niggles, but nothing major

The Bottom Line:

Rewatching Full House

More about the interviews

Still, a good listen

Rewinding Full House with Joey

Two different podcasts with members of the Full House cast started roughly the same time.  How Rude, Tanneritos! has been going strong the entire time.  However, Full House Rewind, with Dave Coulter, aka Joey, started more slowly.  But I’m finding that I’m enjoying both.

This podcast is more of an interview podcast than a full rewatch podcast.  Dave has a different guest each episode, and they start out by doing a quick recap of the next episode in order and any thoughts on it.  I’m talking about maybe 5 minutes combined.  From there, Dave spends more time interviewing his guest.  While most of the guests have had something to do with the show, he has interviewed a few friends as well.  He’s had the main cast (except for the Olsen twins) on the show as well as guest stars from the course of the show and even some crew members.

Dave’s a good interviewer, giving us some behind the scenes stories and talking about some of the other things the guests have done.

He also has a quiz related to the Full House episode we just watch (pop icons of the 80’s, that kind of thing, not trivia about the show).  Somehow, the guest always wins a prize.  Finally, he and the guest read a scene from the episode.  Then, once they leave, Dave will share any specific memories or thoughts about the show.

Yes, there is some overlap between this podcast and How Rude, Tanneritos!  But I don’t mind too much.  They usually have some differences in their interviews, and that makes it fun to listen to both.  Fortunately, they don’t tend to have the same guests on close to each other, which helps.  And yes, they have all showed up on each other’s pods.

But you can see why Dave didn’t have any podcasts released during the strikes.  He first episode dropped right before the strikes of 2023 started, and he paused until the strikes were over.  The interviews wind up talking about current things the actors are doing, so it would be promoting them.

It also turned out to be a good thing because it gave Dave a chance to tweak things.  The original few episodes include bits with Dave doing voices for various fictional characters.  I didn’t really care for it, so I wasn’t sorry to see him drop that aspect.

In the summer of 2024, this podcast started doing reruns.  As of the end of October, we haven’t come back with new episodes yet.  This means, we are only part way through season two, which means you can still easily catch up if you so desire.

This podcast is available on Youtube with video as well.  I haven’t check it out there.  I listen via Apple Podcasts, so I just get the audio.

I’m enjoying looking behind the scenes of Full House via Full House Rewind.  If you love this sitcom, you’ll be happy you checked it out.

Podcast Review: How Rude, Tanneritos!

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Laughs and warm behind the scenes stories from a classic sitcom

Cons: A few things, but I enjoy it overall

The Bottom Line:

Laugh with the Tanners

And get behind scenes stories

Fun rewatch podcast

A Chance to Look Back at Full House?  Have Mercy!

It’s no secret to anyone who has spend much time talking to me in the last couple of years that I have been hooked on Pod Meets World, the rewatch podcast for Boy Meets World.  That got me doing a deep dive for other rewatch podcasts to enjoy.  One I was specifically looking for was Full House.  So you can imagine my delight when I learned that Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber were going to start How Rude, Tanneritos!

That’s right, Stephanie Tanner and Kimmie Gibbler, great friends in real life, are teaming up to watch Full House from the very first episode.  They started a little over a year ago, which means we are currently in the middle of season three.  Each week, on Tuesday, we get a recap episode where the two look at the next episode in line, talking about what happened in it, their reaction to it now, and any memories they have of the episode.

When this podcast first started, the actors and writers were on strike, so we first just got the recaps.  Then they started doing minisodes where they would answer fan questions or just generally talk about life on a sitcom.  Once the strike ended, they started having interviews some weeks and minisodes other weeks.  The interviews often get split into two episodes released on back-to-back days.  They’ve interviewed all the other major living cast members of the show except the Olsen Twins.  They’ve interviewed guest stars.  And they have interviewed behind the scenes people as well.  Like them, I’m impressed with the pedigree of some of the people who were working on the show.  I think it shows in the final product, but maybe I’m a little biased since I’m a fan.  I’ve been enjoying hearing those stories.

I do wish that the entire She-Wolf Pack were involved.  While I am enjoying hearing Jodie and Andrea’s insights into the filming of the show, Jodie was young when the show started, and Andrea is only in about half the episodes even where we are in season three.  Adding Candace Cameron Bure into the mix would flesh some of these things out, or at least I feel like it would.  I don’t know why she isn’t involved, but yes, they did interview her, and the interview was very warm.  I do know that Candace is very busy with her own projects, so it could just be she doesn’t have the time.  I will say, I was disappointed when a recent guest threw some shade on Candace in a speculative way (they had no proof of what they were saying), and the hosts let that air.  Is that really the way to treat a friend?

Of maybe that’s just my take on things coming through.  I can’t help but feel like politics might be involved, especially since the hosts, especially Jodie, occasionally hint at their left wing politics in what they are talking about or how they talk about things.  When that happens, I can’t help but roll my eyes.

But on the whole, I enjoy the episodes.  Yes, we’ve gotten some in jokes now from the production of the show.  It’s given me a great excuse to revisit the show, and I’m reminded just why I enjoyed so much when I first found it almost twenty years ago (yeah, I was late to it).

Jodie is especially prone to taking off on tangents, and those can be fun.  Yes, there are stories from the set, but my favorites are when she is trying to come up with some explanation on why things happen in the show, like the exotic animals that show up, or the girls moving their furniture without any help.  They are quite creative and funny and provide some great laughs.

It is nice to see them both enjoying the show as well.  Yes, there are episodes they don’t like (and I typically agree with them from my rewatch from before I’ve listened to the podcast), but overall, they are finding the joy in the show and their work.

We also really are getting the sense for how much the show was family off the screen as well.  The stories they tell about their life growing up on the set are heartwarming.  They are also quick to acknowledge how lucky they were, not that they necessarily realized it then.

I’m enjoying this excuse to revisit a classic family sitcom.  If you are a fan of Full House, you need to give How Rude, Tanneritos! a listen.

Podcast Review: 1 Degree of Andy

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Interesting interviews with Christian musicians from a bygone era

Cons: Any cons are more than one degree away

The Bottom Line:

Music history

Fun, interesting stories

Listeners will love

Telling the Stories of Christian Music

I’ve been listening to Christian music all my life, but really got into it as a teenager.  It was the early 90’s when I spent the most time and money keeping up with the new releases from my favorite artists.  That’s why, as soon as I heard about the 1 Degree of Andy podcast, I knew I had to listen.

This podcast is hosted by Andy Chrisman.  If that name doesn’t sound familiar to you, he was one of the members of 4Him.  And anyone who listened to Christian music in the 1990’s and early 2000’s immediately places him since 4Him was a huge music group in the Christian market at the time.  Even if you weren’t a fan, if you were into the genre, you know who they are.

As a result of his career, Andy knows many of the players in the Christian music genre from the time.  Some better than others, obviously, but he has connections with so many of them.  And he decided to spend time interviewing them for us to learn more about what the industry was like at the time but also how God lead them into and out of their careers.

Most of the interviews of are fellow Christian artists.  Yes, the guys from 4Him have been on the pod.  In addition, we’ve had interviews with Wayne Watson, Al Denson, Geoff Moore, Susan Ashton, Eddie DeGarmo, Wes King, Steve Camp, Point of Grace, and so many more.  He’s also interviewed song writers, an A&R director, the man behind CCM Magazine, and he’s taken listener questions.  The pod focuses on the Christian music of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s.

As someone who grew up listening to the music of that era, I love every second of the podcast.  Even if the artist being interviewed isn’t someone I listened to regularly, I still recognize the name and a song or two they talk about.  And I really enjoy hearing the behind the scenes stories or what life was like.  It definitely brings the reality of touring to life – like most jobs, it’s a mixed bag.

Since the artists being interviewed are Christians, I also really appreciate that aspect of their stories as well.  It is amazing how God moved them into the Christian music industry and then how He has led them after their career ended.  I find my faith encouraged as I listen.

The episodes average about an hour.  Andy and his guests tend to get sidetracked, so, while Andy has some questions ready to go, they often go off on tangents.  That helps give it the feel or friends catching up, and I find it charming.

The episodes drop each Monday, and each Monday morning, I can’t wait to see who is going to be interviewed next.

If you are a fan of that era of Christian music, you owe it to yourself to listen to 1 Degree of Andy.  You’ll find yourself listening to songs you love with a new appreciation afterwards.

Podcast Review: Pod Meets World

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Laughs and memories

Cons: No cons meet world

The Bottom Line:

Cast watches their show

Shares thoughts, memories with us

For twice weekly smiles

I’m So Glad I Came Up with the Idea for Pod Meets World

Last year, I was lucky enough to hear about Pod Meets World right before it started.  I quickly became hooked on this rewatch podcast and can’t wait for each new episode to come out.

No, I hadn’t heard of rewatch podcasts before I heard of this, but apparently, they are a thing.  In this case, we have three cast members of the 1990’s sitcom Boy Meets World watching each episode in order and discussing it, analyzing what works, what doesn’t work, and what hasn’t aged well.  Plus, they share their memories of filming the episodes.  Additionally, we also get interviews with the cast and crew of the show.

The podcast is hosted by Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle, aka Topanga Lawrence Matthews, Shawn Hunter, and Eric Matthews.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room, or in this case the actor not on the podcast.  Fans of the sitcom immediately noticed that Ben Savage, aka Cory Matthews, aka the boy of Boy Meets World, isn’t part of things.  As Danielle, Rider, and Will explained, they did invited Ben to join them, and he declined.  Considering he’s focused on a political career right now, I can see why he wasn’t interested in joining – he’s busy working on other things.  There is still a standing invitation to him, and I hope he does join at some point.

However, after five minutes, you won’t think about the fact that Ben isn’t part of it.

Danielle, Rider, and Will have remained friends since the show ended, and you can hear that history in the podcast as you listen.  They are comfortable with each other in a way only 30 years of friendship can deliver.  This also comes through in the “preshow chatter,” aka the discussions they have before the main episode topic.  I’ll admit, sometimes this part gets close to too much information, at least for me.  But that’s an extremely minor complaint.

In a typical week (and there are exceptions every so often), we get two episodes.  Monday morning, we have an interview episode.  The trio sit down with fellow cast member or a member of the behind-the-scenes crew.  Yes, they’ve interviewed many of the main cast members already (although not all of them), but they will also talk to guest stars, sometimes tracking down someone who had a memorable role in one episode, for example.  They’ve talked to tons of people from the crew as well, giving us a glimpse of what it took behind the scenes to see the show we loved each week.  And yes, sometimes these interviews are with someone else who was popular in the 1990’s but had little if any connection to the show.  You know what?  It doesn’t matter.  I can’t get enough no matter who they are talking to.

Thursday mornings, they have the recap episode of the week.  As I said earlier, they dig into each episode in order, talk about their memories from filming it, analyze what works and what doesn’t, and anything else that crosses their minds.  I have a great deal of respect for them – when they talk about the acting, they have nothing but praise for the others on the screen and save their biggest criticisms for themselves.  Of course, it is true that you are your own worst critic, and I usually disagree with their critiques of themselves.

Depending on how familiar you are with the show, you really could just listen to these episodes without rewatching the show yourself.  They do a good enough job of breaking the story down that you won’t get confused by any plot points.  I am rewatching the episodes myself before I listen (and sometimes after if they point out something I want to go back and pay close attention to), and I’m enjoying forming my own opinions and seeing where we agree and disagree.  I am finding my opinions are being influenced by these ongoing discussions, but I think that’s for the better overall.  Although there are times I feel like shouting at them “You are talking about a sitcom!”  When this happens, I at least see where they are coming from, but sometimes I feel like they are expecting a bit too much from the show given that it has twenty-two minutes to tell a story and make us laugh as much as possible.  But it’s never a big deal.

Obviously, if you are looking for something that does nothing but praise the show, this isn’t the podcast for you.  However, this podcast is 97% positive.  They are not tearing down the show just to tear it down.  And they are all gaining a new appreciation for the show as they watch it for the first time from start to finish.  Plus, let’s face it, the show has some weaknesses.  Like continuity, for starters.  They definitely point out things they like to change to things they wish we’d seen more of (I hope someone is working on that time machine), but it is from a place of love.  They aren’t hating on the show, only looking for ways to strengthen it.

This also applies to the behind-the-scenes stories.  There were some power struggles on the show, so not all of these memories or stories told are positive.  Most of these power struggles were from the adults writing and producing the show, so Danielle, Rider, and Will are learning some of these things for the first time, and you can hear as things click into place for them.   But again, this podcast is 97% positive.  They are trying to share what things were really like, but they are not out to be ruin anything for us.  I appreciate the honesty we are getting.  And, let’s face it, life is never perfect, and no job is ever perfect.  I love the balance we are getting.  I’ve also gotten a couple of answers to things I’ve wondered about since I watched the last few seasons when they originally aired.

And, just to be clear, this podcast is a delight.  I can’t think of an episode where I wasn’t smiling for most of the time and laughing several times as I listened.  I will sometimes listen to a portion while I am out walking, and I can only imagine how crazy I look with a big smile on my face, or when I suddenly start laughing.  (You aren’t alone, Will.)  There are plenty of in jokes at this point, too.  (And yes, that does explain my review title.)

The podcast is part of the I Heart Radio Network, which means there are ads.  Yes, I get it, people need to be paid.  My frustration here is that we get the same two or three ads every commercial break.  A little variety would be nice.  And yes, the breaks aren’t always spread out well over the course of the episode.  But, I am more than willing to put up with them given how much I love the pod.

The podcast as been going for a year at this point (and this is how long I’ve been meaning to review it).  We’ve finished season 2 of Boy Meets World and will be diving into season 3 this coming week.  Yes, that means there are a lot of episodes if you haven’t been listening.  Trust me, you’ll breeze through them one after the other.

Each episode is roughly an hour, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer.  I really could listen to them for much longer, so this isn’t an issue for me at all.

I haven’t explored many other rewatch podcasts, but I feel like Pod Meets World has spoiled me for the genre.  If you are even a marginal fan of Boy Meets World, you should be listening to this.  And if you are a huge fan of the sitcom, you’ll absolutely love ever second of it.

I love you all.  Review dismissed.

Podcast Review: Guns, Knives, and Lipstick

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Interesting talk about writing and author interviews

Cons: Nothing major from me

The Bottom Line:

An author podcast

That readers will enjoy, too

So listen today

Discussing Crime Writing

I’ve slowly started listening to more podcasts.  Not too many since I can’t keep up with most of the ones I listen to since I’m working from home and don’t have that drive to listen to them.  Still, there are several I am really enjoying, and one of those is Guns, Knives, and Lipstick.

This podcast is released once a month, and it features four women who write crime fiction, Liz Milliron, Mally Becker, Kerry Peresta, and C. L. Tolbert.

The podcast is nearing the end of its second year.  (I know, I know, I’ve been putting off this review for a while.  Although, in my defense, I didn’t start listening to it when it first premiered.)  In season 1, the four authors tackled a different subject each month from characters to plot to building suspense to sustaining a series.  Typically, it was the four of them chatting about the topic, although they did bring in a guest to help them with the topic a couple of times.

This last year, they switched things up, and each month the four of them interview an author about their books, their writing process, and anything else that comes up.  These conversations can be free flowing at times, but they are always fun and fascinating.

I don’t know if there are any plans to switch up the format again for the third season, but either way, I’ve enjoying listening to the episodes.  Even though I’m a reader, not an author, I still found myself thinking about what they shared in season 1 and analyzing the books I read a little differently as a result.  Season two has found me adding more books to my to be read mountain range.  I haven’t gotten to any of them yet, but I really want to.

They only release one episode a month, so this won’t stack up on you too quickly, and if you start listening to the archives, you’ll catch up before you know it.

If you are looking for a new podcast on writing, I recommend you give Guns, Knives, and Lipstick a try.

Podcast Review: On Fire with Jeff Probst

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Enjoyable look behind the scenes at Survivor

Cons: All cons voted off the island

The Bottom Line:

Go behind the scenes

And learn about Survivor

With those who make it

The Tribe Listens

I’ve been watching Survivor since season 1 day 1 episode 1.  And in all these years, I’ve only missed one episode (stupid VCR didn’t record it, if that tells you how long ago it was).  So when I heard that CBS was doing an official podcast with Survivor host Jeff Probst, I knew I’d be tuning in.  After three episodes, I’m hooked on On Fire with Jeff Probst.

The podcast actually has three hosts.  Jeff is one of them, and he does a lot of the talking, as you might expect if you’ve watched the show.  The second is Brittany Crapper, who is a producer on Survivor.  Rounding out the trio is Jay Wolff, who is producing the podcast and is coming at the show from a fan perspective instead of someone who has been involved in creating the show.

While this podcast is being released weekly after the episodes of the current season of Survivor air, it is only marginally about the current season of the show.  Yes, they do talk about the events of the most recent episode, so you’ll want to make sure you’ve seen it before you listen to avoid spoilers.  They are also using the most recent contestants and season as examples of what they are talking about, although some classic players and moments get mentioned as well.  However, it is more of a behind the scenes show instead of a recap show.

So far, we’ve heard about what happens before they even get to the first day of filming, the ideas behind advantages and idols, and how they cast the contestants.  This coming episode is supposed to look at what goes into challenges.

As a fan of the show, I am enjoying it very much.  The biggest take away I’m getting is that they are constantly trying new things to see if they work or don’t.  And they tweak.  And they bring back what works well.

I also appreciate getting some of the why they do what they do.  I don’t always think it works the way they think it should be working, of course, but it is easy to judge that from my couch or if it impacts my favorite player.  Still, it makes me appreciate what they are trying to do and why much more.  It’s like how Jeff will love and talk up someone in interviews that I can’t stand.  And if you listen, you can tell who he really likes this season who is driving me batty.

They close out the show with a couple of fan segments.  The first is answering a few emails that have been sent in.  The second is a segment where one person gets to tell Jeff why he is lousy.  He seems to take that in stride.

The podcast does have a couple of commercial breaks, but they are very short, which is nice.  Like about a minute each.

If you are a fan of Survivor, you’ll definitely find On Fire with Jeff Probst worth your time.  I certainly am.

Podcast Review: Murder Book Season 2 - The Women Who Stopped Sam Little

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good look at the work that went into stopping a brutal serial killer.

Cons: Details are horrific (when shared), some recordings hard to hear

The Bottom Line:

Stopping a killer

Makes sometimes brutal podcast

Still worth listening

Bringing a Serial Killer to Justice

When true crime podcast Murder Book started releasing season two this last fall, I kept saving the episodes for some time when I’d be driving.  Not sure why, since I was listening to a couple other podcasts around the condo.  Anyway, I just now decided it was time to listen to the season in its entirety.  While it was good, I think it might have been a little too intense to listen to all at once.

Season two focuses on the case of Sam Little, a man the FBI has named the most prolific serial killer in America’s history.  He has confessed to just under 100 kills in a decades long crime spree that spanned the country.  I hadn’t heard about him until this season of the podcast was released, but apparently, he is becoming the focus of many documentaries and specials.

However, this podcast comes at things from a different perspective.  The host, best-selling author Michael Connelly, labeled this season “The Women who Stopped Sam Little.”  It focuses on LAPD Mitzi Roberts, who started the investigation in 2012 with a DNA match on two cold cases from the 1980’s.  She then tracked Sam across the country, attempting to build a case that DA Beth Silverman could use to convict him.  Late in the season, we meet writer Jillian Lauren who becomes part of the investigation thanks to interviews with Sam Little as she attempts to match his confessions to actual unsolved cases in LA and across the country.

Because of the brutal way Sam killed his victims, mostly prostitutes and drug addicts, this season is often hard to listen to.  I binged it in about a week, and that definitely made it hard.  At times, I had to get away.

One reason why this season is so frustrating is that it does talk about how Sam slipped through the justice system many times over the years.  Although, honestly, I’m not sure how things could have gone differently.  Much is made of how juries and the system viewed the victims, but there were other things going on that made the prosecution’s cases very hard to win.  Still, knowing how close he came to justice in the past and how that might have saved lives is frustrating.

Like with the first season, the show tries to use recordings of interviews as much as possible.  And, like the first season, those are of mixed quality, especially if the person being interviewed was mumbling.  Fortunately, Michael Connelly does help us at times with what we were supposed to hear.

One thing I did appreciate was that the podcast took an even look at law enforcement.  Without making excuses, it does explain some of the reasons, good and bad, that Sam Little was able to evade law enforcement for so long.  And it does an excellent job of giving praise where it is due to the women (and men) who finally brought the killer to justice.

There are a total of twelve episodes to this season, including a two-part Q&A with the women I mentioned above.  Each episode is somewhere in the 40-minute range, some going a little longer and some a little shorter.

While not always easy to listen to, “The Women Who Stopped Sam Little” does a good job of focusing on the victims and the work that went into finally stopping this serial killer.  It doesn’t glorify him or what he did in the slightest.  Be in the right frame of mind when you sit down to listen, and you’ll enjoy.

Podcast Review: Murder Book Season 1 - The Tell-Tale Bullet

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Gripping story with plenty of twists

Cons: Courtroom recordings slow things down

The Bottom Line:

This true crime podcast

Features lots of twists and turns

For gripping listen

Michael Connelly Tackles a True Crime

As I mentioned a couple of months ago, I didn’t really start listening to entertainment podcasts until this year.  I started when I heard about Murder Book.  This true crime podcast is from bestselling mystery writer Michael Connelly, and I love his books, so I had to give it a chance.  I was quickly caught up in the first season case – The Tell-Tale Bullet.

It’s no wonder that this case was picked for the first season since it has enough twists for a Michael Connelly novel.  The story starts in 1987 with a carjacking gone wrong in Los Angeles.  It ended with the death of a young man named Jade Clark.  When the police begin investigating the case, they quickly find a suspect named Pierre Romain.  But the police can’t find enough evidence to get a conviction, and the case goes cold until DNA evidence this century causes the police to reopen the case.  And that’s when the twists really start.

I found the podcast when the first half a dozen episodes had already been released.  I thought I was going to space them out, but I was hooked, and soon I found myself anxious to download the newest episode each Monday morning to listen to on my way to and from work since each episode is roughly an hour.

It is easy to see why Michael Connelly chose this story for his first season.  It contains lots of great detective work and courtroom drama.  In other words, it would have made the basis for a great novel featuring both Harry Bosch and Michael Haller.  There are certainly parts that will make you angry.  I will admit to looking up some news stories to find out what happened before the season finished.  I just couldn’t take the suspense any more.

As much as I enjoyed the season, I did get frustrated with the courtroom episodes.  The Murder Book team got permission to record the trial, but those recordings are hard to understand.  Michael Connelly does a good job of summarizing what happened during those recordings for us, but it is still frustrating not to be able to hear everything when we break to the actual tape.  Not to mention, for those of us looking for fast paced courtroom drama, the attorney’s talking seem a bit slow at times.  They needed writers to punch things up for them.  I felt the use of the courtroom recordings actually slowed things down in a few episodes.

In a real life twist worthy of the story, there are a couple of updates that were made after the initial run of episodes aired.  The entire first season is now available, so you can easily dig in and enjoy the entire thing in one fell swoop.

And once you start, you will be hooked.  I normally don’t enjoy true crime, but if you do, you need to listen to this podcast.  We get interviews with the detectives and attorneys involved in the case to help us understand some of the whys as well as the facts of the case.  It makes for a fascinating look at our justice system, how it works, and how it doesn’t at times.

We’ve been promised a season two when the crew finds a case worthy of being included.  In the meantime, you can enjoy The Tell-Tale Bullet.  If further seasons are as good as the first one, you can bet I will keep listening to Murder Book.

Podcast Review: All Things Cozy

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun discussions of cozy topics

Cons: I’m too cozy to think up any cons

The Bottom Line:

A cozy podcast

Covering range of topics

And it’s always fun

Cozy Thoughts That Always Make Me Smile

Being an innovator who is always on the cutting edge of new technology, I finally started listening to podcasts this year.  (Yes, you can laugh at me now.)  (I'm talking entertainment type podcasts, not sermons recorded and released as podcasts when I say this.)  I only have a couple I am listening to at the moment, and I’m sure there are many out there I’d enjoy.  When I jumped full force into Instagram earlier this year (yes, you can laugh at me over this as well), I discovered the podcast All Things Cozy.  Not only have I been listening to the current episodes as they air, but I’ve done a deep dive into their past episodes.  And I’m loving every minute of it.

All Things Cozy is a bi-weekly podcast, releasing episodes on Sundays.  I’d tell you what it is about, but it is pretty much summed up in the title.  Each week, Matt and Gillian, our hosts, talk about a topic of the week, sometimes by themselves and sometimes with a guest.  As you might suspect (this is me recommending the podcast after all), they talk a lot about cozy mysteries.  I’ve enjoyed author interviews as they discuss the latest books by these authors.  Some are authors I’ve been familiar with, others are authors I haven’t read yet, but I’ve added them to my ever growing to be read pile.  (Honestly, it’s going to topple over any day now.)

But cozy mystery books aren’t the only things they discuss.  Every year, they have an episode devoted to Halloween.  They recently did an episode on making candles.  They’ve done one on comfort food.  Diving into the archives, they’ve discussed Hallmark mystery movies; Murder, She Wrote; and various non-mystery movies.  Plus, there’s the annual end of year cozy awards.

In addition to the main topic, each episode also features a segment on what is making Matt and Gillian (and any guests) feel cozy.  These are often shows or places.  Since our hosts live in Los Angeles, some of what they talk about is local to me, not that I’ve actually taken advantage of any of their suggestions.  Yet.  I fully intend to do so.  But don’t worry, not all of these suggestions are location specific, and their guests are from all over the country.  They end each episode by reviewing a candle they’ve been burning as they record that episode.  Due to my allergies, I don’t regularly buy or burn any candles, but I often have to remind myself of this as I listen to that part of the show.  I want to give in and sample some of these myself.

The show started in 2017.  Since they only release shows every other week, the backlog into overwhelming right now.  I’m enjoying going back and listening to the beginnings of the show and seeing how it has evolved over time.  And most of the topics are still interesting today.

The average episode is 50 or so minutes, some longer, some shorter.  Matt and Gillian have the occasional side trip, but they do a very good job of staying on topic without wandering too much off track.  And, their asides are usually quite a bit of fun as well.

I absolutely enjoy this podcast.  I can’t help but smile as I listen to the episodes.  The first thing I do when I wake up on a release Sunday is see if the newest podcast is uploaded yet so I can find out what they will be discussing.  Or, I should say we, so I am often talking back to them as I listen, trying to add to the discussion.

If you are looking for a fun podcast, I highly recommend All Things Cozy, which is available wherever you listen to podcasts.  You can jump in with any episode, or search through the archives to find topics and authors that interest you.  I bet you are soon as addicted as I am and just listening to all of them.

Oh, and be sure to join the official All Things Cozy Facebook group.