Top podcasts, books and films to transport you far away
So, you’re at home and you’re reigniting your very on-again off-again relationship with your couch and microwave. But what else can you do to while away the time?
Alright… meals out are being replaced by cookbook adventures you’ve been ‘meaning to’ tackle for a long time. You’ve re-organised your sock drawer, you’ve cleaned the fridge and you’ve scheduled those video calls with friends far away (well done, you).
But you need a little something else – you need something to inspire you and transport you from within your living room walls to somewhere else.
We’ve listed our top 3 podcasts, films and books to help whisk you away, fascinate you, make you smile, or even teach you a couple of things.
Podcasts
They’ve become commonplace in our everyday lives, and now podcasts are more useful than ever – providing that comforting hum of people nattering away; of conversation or chit-chat, that you can enjoy while you potter about the house, relax on the lounge, or go for a walk around the block.
Whether you like crime, fiction, interviews, comedy or science (amongst a thousand other categories), there’s a podcast for you. Here are a few we’re listening to right now.
Conversations, ABC Radio
Join Richard Fidler as he speaks to a different interview subject each episode and simply has a conversation with them (hence the name). Step into someone else’s shoes and deep dive into their life. Learn all there is to know about a range of fascinating individuals, from broadcast presenters and English teachers, to cardiothoracic surgeons and historians and everything in between.
NASA’s Curious Universe
This one will transport you not only out of your living room, but out of our atmosphere, thanks to NASA. Launched in 2020, each episode of Curious Universe gives you 15 to 30-minute trips to space, featuring interviews with a variety of fascinating people including NASA employees, scientists and astronauts.
Host Padi Boyd is a NASA planet hunter (you’ll learn what that means through the podcast) and she’s also passionate about black holes (don’t worry, you’ll find out about them, too). She covers everything from what it would feel like to be sucked into a black hole, to what it’s like inside the lab at the International Space Station. To infinity, and beyond!
Rusty’s Garage
If you’re a 4-wheel fanatic, you’ll love this one. Australian automotive commentator and journalist Greg Rust speaks to motoring enthusiasts and professionals from all walks of life. Think race-car drivers, journalists, bike-enthusiasts and avid collectors.
Hear all the thrills and spills from the racing industry as you listen-in on conversations between the motorsport media veteran and a whole range of fascinating folk.
Books
Turning the pages of a crisp new novel, or perhaps a dog-eared treasure, is still a much-loved delight for many. Or perhaps you delight in a freshly charged Kindle or iPad with a library at the tip of your fingers (quite literally). While our busy lifestyles often don’t give us much time to get stuck into a few meaty chapters, all this extra time at home means we can now.
Get stuck into some new page-turners or revisit an old classic, with a cuppa by your side. Here are some of our favourites.
The Dry, Jane Harper
You might’ve seen the recent film adaptation starring Eric Bana, but we’d encourage you to get your hands on the book. The multiple award-winning novel by Australian author Jane Harper is set in drought-stricken Victoria, and is a country-town murder mystery.
Transporting you to the dry, dusty farmland plains of outback Australia, the words are achingly too familiar for many Aussies. The story is also strangely comforting in its ability to paint a picture of our great southern land, and the people housed in its remote communities.