Best English Teacher John Podcasts (2024)

1
Book Lovers by Emily Henry 55:37

27m ago55:37

55:37

Wendy and Amy discuss a little romance with Book Lovers by Emily Henry. We loved the sisterly bond between Nora and Libby, and the snarky banter between Nora and Charlie. Pop a cork to finding love where you least expect it! Book: Book Lovers by Emily Henry Bubbly: Caposaldo Prosecco This episode has a SPOILER SUMMARY. Character Sketches Wendy: Nor…

1
New Music - Taylor Swift! Friko! Ederlezi! Fabiana Palladino! Guests! 1:33:04

7h ago1:33:04

1:33:04

We’re a music review podcast, so of course we have some thoughts on the biggest music release of the year (deepest sympathies, Cowboy Carter, it was fun while it lasted) from the biggest pop star of her era(s). Find out what Iain and Andrew (podcasters don’t come more tortured or poetic) make of Taylor Swift’s latest grand statement. It’s not exclu…

1
New Music - Hannah Frances! Cindy Lee! English Teacher! Shabaka! Magick Brother & Mystic Sister! 1:52:33

6d ago1:52:33

1:52:33

Iain and Andrew are Taking Care Of Business on the latest @weheardwonders (don’t ask them why - it just felt right, alright?). Join them for juicy music-based discussion covering avant-folk artist Hannah Frances, word-of-mouth indie-sensation Cindy Lee, the accomplished, well-read English Teacher, reed-master Shabaka Hutchings, and Barcelona’s psyc…

1
EP65: Big Questions, K-Pop, and Pre-Internet Nostalgia 41:30

9d ago41:30

41:30

Hannah has absconded to New York City, but no one will go to the Beatrix Potter exhibit with her. Such a shame. No matter! We're fired up about the Newburyport Literary Festival, and ready to talk books, starting with a recap of Leigh Bardugo's brand-new "The Familiar," which Sam has decided he likes quite a bit. Maybe not quite as much as both of …

1
New Music - Sahra Halgan! Gustaf! Jane Weaver! Khruangbin! Daisy Rickman! Diving Horse! 1:29:01

17d ago1:29:01

1:29:01

Home-improvement hounds Iain and Andrew put down their paintbrushes and rollers long enough to play and pore over new musical offerings from Somali freedom fighter Sahra Halgan, Brooklyn no-wavers Gustaf, psychedelic national treasure Jane Weaver, sub-zero Texan synthesists Khruangbin and “Cornish high priestess” Daisy Rickman. Central Belt upstart…

1
EP64: Sex and Satanism 42:58

21d ago42:58

42:58

Just off a big night out on the town in Beverly, Hannah and Sam are focused on brand-new releases, of a wide variety, plus an older book that is very much NOT related to the website it shares a name with. That book is "Storm Front," the first in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, an older book (2000) recommended to Hannah by a customer, which has …

1
New Music - Waxahatchee! LAIR! Adrianne Lenker! Julia Holter! Oisin Leech! 1:34:04

22d ago1:34:04

1:34:04

After a few weeks away, Iain and Andrew reconvene to catch up and cast their critical eye over three of the year’s most hotly tipped and anticipated releases - Waxahatchee, Adrianne Lenker and Julia Holter - as well as something eyebrow-raising from Indonesian psych collective LAIR and something decidedly more low-key from Steve Gunn-collaborating …

1
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson 1:01:59

28d ago1:01:59

1:01:59

Wendy and Amy discuss the sweeping family drama Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. They talk characters, ghastly and golden, secrets, love, and of course, about a black cake. Pop a cork to traditions that hold together, and sometimes even heal, a family! Book: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson Bubbly: Gancia Prosecco This episode has a SPOILER SUMM…

1
EP63: Jamaica, Southie, and Points in Between 41:03

1M ago41:03

41:03

It's a late-night edition of John Updike's Ghost and Hannah and Sam are ready to rock and roll. First up is Tana French's new thriller, "The Hunter," a follow up to "The Searcher," which Hannah hasn't read, but she wasn't bothered by this. Brilliant audiobook experience. Sticking with violent acts, Sam talks about how seeing the new Bob Marley movi…

1
EP62: Supercommunicating, Interviewing, and Mythmaking 53:15

2M ago53:15

53:15

Is March Fourth a "declarative sentence"? No, Sam, it's an imperative sentence. But it's Hannah's birthday and at least he remembered that, if not his grammar lessons. Not to worry, though, this episode is chock full of weighty discussion, starting with "Women and Children First," the biography of the pioneering Dr. Susan Dimock (with a side bar on…

1
The Maid by Nita Prose 1:06:03

2M ago1:06:03

1:06:03

Wendy and Amy discuss The Maid by Nita Prose, a locked-room mystery with an intriguing cast of characters. We loved Molly, were repulsed by Rodney (one of us, anyway!), and enamored with the fabulous setting. Which characters got a kiss, a ring, or a knife through the heart this time? Pop a cork to one underestimated, but brilliant Maid! Book: The …

1
New Music - Nadine Shah! Real Estate! Mohammad Syfkhan! MGMT! Ghost Funk Orchestra! 1:30:55

2M ago1:30:55

1:30:55

On this week’s @weheardwonders, soaring singer-songwriter Nadine Shah sings her life, MGMT add slacker alt-rock shagginess to their usual neo-psych, and Real Estate return. We also discuss the remarkable story of how Kurdish/Syrian singer & bouzouki player Mohammad Syfkhan found himself performing at the Cork Opera House, and spin a track from Ghos…

1
David Stirling on the Life-Changing Rewards of Immersion & His Experience Teaching English in Thailand 59:05

2M ago59:05

59:05

David Stirling is a Thailand-based English teacher from the UK and the founder of ⁠Go-Interview.com⁠, which helps English learners build the language skills they need to get their dream job. In the interview, we discuss: How David fell in love with Thailand Why he got into English teaching The different types of teaching jobs available in Thailand …

1
EP61: Time-Travelers, Survivors, Fascists, and Crooks 36:33

2M ago36:33

36:33

Hannah is back from Winter Institute and she has all sorts of thoughts on the state of the bookselling industry (900 booksellers in the same place is NOT illegal, it turns out). She's not sure she's a hero, exactly, but not every bookseller is in tony Beverly Farms. Also, it turns out she didn't learn all that much about what's coming down the pipe…

1
New Music - Les Amazones d’Afrique! Brittany Howard! Dina Ögon! Grandaddy! Yirinda! 1:20:43

2M ago1:20:43

1:20:43

There’s only one didgeridoo thing to do! It’s another globetrotting edition of @weheardwonders, with intrepid explorers Iain and Andrew delving into new music from all around the world. Up for discussion are five tracks by artists from four continents, including Sweden’s Dina Ögon, Brittany Howard and Grandaddy from North America, Australia’s Yirin…

1
New Music - David Nance! The Last Dinner Party! Bolts Of Melody! YG Marley! Beth Gibbons! 1:46:37

3M ago1:46:37

1:46:37

On the latest @weheardwonders, one track inspired our Iain to reach for the “G” word, while another offended him so much that he had to reach for the “mute” button mid-recording. Can you guess which artists and tracks inspired such visceral and opposing reactions? Up for debate this week are rollicking barn-rockers David Nance & The Mowed Sound, ne…

1
EP60: Comfort Books and Badass Women 47:28

3M ago47:28

47:28

Sam has covid, but it's been a good four-year run of not getting it, and it's an easy way to remember it's our fourth anniversary of buying the Book Shop. We start off this week with a little look back on things we didn't expect when we got into this mess (why are publishers so mean? How do you stock all the books that people want?), and then launc…

1
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 1:09:00

3M ago1:09:00

1:09:00

Wendy and Amy put on their lab coats and dive into Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. They talk characters, resiliency, and just what that #2 pencil (might've) meant for Elizabeth Zott. Pop a cork to women who stand up for other women and themselves! Book: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Bubbly: Bolla Prosecco Toxic Pesticide article by S…

1
New Music - The Smile! Gruff Rhys! Ty Segall! They Hate Change! Daudi Matsiko! 1:38:41

3M ago1:38:41

1:38:41

No effort required on Iain or Andrew’s part to crowbar the R-word into this week’s @weheardwonders discussion - the big alternative music release being, of course, the second full-length from The Smile, featuring a certain Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. We’ve cast our eyes (and ears) over Wall Of Eyes - find out what we make of it. Also played and…

1
EP59: Kelly Link and the Magic of Books about Magic 37:13

3M ago37:13

37:13

Sam is just back from Dallas, where he visited Interabang Books and learned of Dallas writer Ben Fountain, and so has his brand-new "Devil Makes Three," instead of a Larry McMurtry book. In the meantime, Hannah has read the new Kelly Link, "The Book of Love," which she is big-time into ("It was so. good."), which leads into a discussion of why we l…

1
New Music - YĪN YĪN! Rosali! Omni! Kali Uchis! SLIFT! 1:30:14

3M ago1:30:14

1:30:14

Yes indeedy, @weheardwonders are back to put some pep in the step of your blustery seemingly-never-ending January. Iain and Andrew play and review a veritable smorgasbord of new musical treats, including: YĪN YĪN’s Asian-inspired disco-funk; graceful Crazy Horse-play from Rosali; Omni’s arch art-punk; a diaphanous Spanish-language bop from Kali Uch…

1
EP58: Nyx, Mercury, Murderbots, and Other Gods 34:27

4M ago34:27

34:27

After a quick treatise on the Murderbot Diaries, Sam's all jazzed up about the new release coming in February from Kirsten Bakis, who has taken 25 years to release a second novel after the revelatory "Lives of the Monster Dogs." A classic gothic tale, "King Nyx" is a creepy feminist text you need to read ASAP. Unfortunately, Hannah is less jazzed a…

1
New Music - Liam Gallagher & John Squire! Plantoid! Muireann Bradley! Bill Ryder-Jones! Nino Gvilia! 1:29:06

4M ago1:29:06

1:29:06

How about some new reviews of new music to kick this new year off in style? Iain and Andrew are back back BACK, and they’re doing what they love best: casting their eyes and ears over a selection of box-fresh tuneage on @weheardwonders. Is Liam Gallagher & John Squire’s long-threatened collaboration just another rainbow-dyed baggy/Britpop throwback…

1
Season 6 The Prologue 17:00

4M ago17:00

17:00

Wendy and Amy are back! It's a whole new year and a whole new season. We've got a few tweaks and changes this season, a stack of great books and plenty of bubbly. Our prologue will get you ready for it all. Pop a cork to Season 6! Books and Bubbly by Month * January: Prologue with Hi Prosecco * February:Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus with Bo…

1
EP57: Our favorites from 2023! 53:28

4M ago53:28

53:28

Christmas is over and we've got some time to relax (especially since no one gave Hannah any books for Christmas, though she bought herself "Mistletoe Malice," not "Mistletoe Mayhem," as she says on the pod, as a present to herself). That means, we've got our lists ready — 12 books each, and maybe some more — of favorite books of the past year! We s…

1
Author & Digital Nomad Daniel Rusteen on How He Learned Spanish After Two Failed Attempts 43:15

4M ago43:15

43:15

Daniel Rusteen is an author, full-time traveler, digital nomad, short-term rental expert, and former Airbnb employee. He is best known for his books Optimize Your BnB and Profitable Properties, but he has also written a book on learning languages: Zilch to Conversational. In our conversation, Danny shares why he failed to learn a foreign language h…

1
EP56: Magic, Poetry, and the Frozen River 30:01

5M ago30:01

30:01

This week, we're in the thick of it, busy with all the things the holiday season brings to little retail shops like ours. It's a stressful time. So, Sam's been reading the Magicians, along with the Magician King and the Magician's Land, as a bit of comfort reading. He's discovered he's not being mocked by them. But don't worry! Hannah's been readin…

1
Former Airborne Cryptologic Linguist Ian Fritz on What He Learned at the Defense Language Institute & Spying on the Taliban 57:59

5M ago57:59

57:59

Ian Fritz is the author of What the Taliban Told Me, a nuanced look at what it was like to undertake intensive language training at The Defense Language Institute (DLI) in not one, but two languages (Dari and Pashto), serve as an "Airborne Cryptologic Linguist" (ACL) in the United States Air Force (USAF), and spy on the Taliban from low-flying guns…

1
EP55: Books for Everyone on Your List 43:43

5M ago43:43

43:43

This week, it's nothing but naked capitalism, as Sam and Hannah challenge each other to suggest the ideal book-gifts for all your potential giftees. Of course, Hannah's in the mobbed bookstore, so a little stressed and nervous for this challenge. The mail is even being delivered as we record. Crazy stuff. Seriously, though, we've got great ideas fo…

1
EP54: Hannah's Happy, Sam Did Not Finish 47:00

6M ago47:00

47:00

This week, Hannah and Sam are just back from the New England Crime Bake, where crime-fiction authors gather, along with murder consultants and the like — don't miss people like Elly Griffiths, Deborah Crombie (the new one was "A Killing of Innocents"), and Chris Fabricant, who calls into question the way prosecutors use evidence in "Junk Science." …

1
EP53: Stars Abound with Britney! The Future! Tommy Orange! 56:08

6M ago56:08

56:08

For the first time recording in the ... afternoon ... Hannah and Sam are perhaps more lucid than normal and have a lot of books to chat about after a brief sidebar on Reddit posting (Sam's getting tooled on). First up is "The Future," from Naomi Alderman, which is an important novel that people really need to read, a commentary on where we are and …

1
EP52: Two Trips to Vietnam, Murder, and Romance 41:06

6M ago41:06

41:06

After embarrassing himself by trying and failing to give Mark Zuckerberg money, Sam describes his first experience with reading Kristin Hannah, in particular her upcoming "The Women," which is about nurses in Vietnam, and shares some qualities with "A Little Life," for good and ill. If you don't have a great feel for post-Vietnam U.S. culture, this…

1
EP51: Three Deaths and a Deal with the Devil 39:16

7M ago39:16

39:16

Big things are afoot in the Book Shop — new shelving! With that highly engaging development discussed, we move on to chat about the newest from Melissa Broder ("Death Valley" is very meta, a treatise on grief, but we've had similar journeys) and Keigo Higashino ("A Death in Tokyo"; if you like procedurals, this is the Japanese master of the form). …

1
EP50: Dubus, Dudes, and a Racy Audiobook 42:55

7M ago42:55

42:55

Indeed, it's our 50th episode, which is a wicked big deal, and Sam and Hannah are high on the successful Andre Dubus III event they have just completed, and so you get a recaap of that and some behind-the-scenes stuff (he is very charming; throws out Ezra Pound quotes off the top of his head), but no worries, we quickly move into talk of similar du…

1
Language Coach Stéphane Angeles on How to Use the "Barbie Method" & Improve All 4 Language Skills 49:36

7M ago49:36

49:36

Coach Stéphane Angeles is a language coach who helps expats speak better Spanish through expert habit formation strategies, accountability, and one-on-one guidance via Zoom and audio check-ins. In the interview, we discuss: Why you should use a walkie talkie app to practice listening and speaking. Why you should practice writing daily (and how it c…

1
Episode 7: "Shells" 19:27

8M ago19:27

19:27

This is the seventh and final story in the collection Ripples. An old man's routine walk along the beach in search of shells is interrupted by a young girl who questions his unusual ritual. His wife had not really cared for collecting shells. She would stop and admire them on the sand, but she never kept them. A native of the Carolina coast, she ha…

1
EP49: Labor Day with the Governor of Maine and Zadie Smith 27:13

8M ago27:13

27:13

Okay, so we don't actually, like, have Governor Janet Mills on the pod, but Sam's reading the book that just came out with her letters and journal from the first year of the pandemic, "In Other Words, Leadership," and she hangs out near us in the summer, so that's close enough. Is she the biggest hippy of any governor in the U.S.? Also, we've got o…

1
Episode 6: "Gone" 18:04

8M ago18:04

18:04

This is the sixth of seven stories in the collection Ripples. In the aftermath of a serious car accident, Marcie Anderson ruminates on the absence of her husband after their recent divorce, seemingly unaware of a much more immediate and medically urgent loss. Over the years, she had become accustomed to the emptiness of the house, the silence that …

1
Episode 5: "Ants" 17:47

8M ago17:47

17:47

This is the fifth of seven stories in Ripples. A little girl and her father witness a fruitless battle between two ants, prompting a discussion about the nature of God's perspective. "Big Ant stumbled blindly around in circles, pausing occasionally to try and dislodge Little Ant’s jaws from his leg. For a minute or so, they stopped completely, but …

1
LightSpeed Spanish Founders Gordon Smith & Cynthia Durán on Banishing Fear & Mastering Spanish Accents 59:46

8M ago59:46

59:46

Gordon Smith and Cynthia Durán are the dynamic duo behind LightSpeed Spanish, where they teach people Spanish through courses, books, and online lessons. In this conversation, we discuss: How Gordon fell in love with Spanish, how Cynthia fell in love with English, and how they fell in love with each How to choose which Spanish accent to learn and t…

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