LeVar Burton Reads - Podcast Rankings and reviews

*this podcast ended 5/7/24* As a child of the 80’s Levar Burton has been a part of my tv watching since I could walk. From Reading Rainbow to Star Trek and more. I was so happy to find that he had made this podcast. It’s reminiscent of Reading rainbow but for adults. Most of the stories are Sci-Fi or fantasy but there are certainly ones about family, trauma and just an ordinary day. It has helped me discover new authors such as NK Jemesin and old ones like Shirley Jackson. Levar’s soothing voice and the immersive remixes makes this a podcast you can listen to in the car or soaking in the tub (yes I’ve done this) with your eyes closed. I can’t recommend this enough!

I love the short story format for literature, so I sought to find a fiction podcast. The ones I found seemed to focus more on erudition, trendiness, or hip mindset— at the expense of good storytelling.

Then I found LeVar Burton Reads. Aside from his wonderful voice, he knows how to pick good short stories. And they are plentiful: I’m afraid I’m still years in arrears as he keeps adding more. Given his background, they tend to trend toward fantasy or science fiction elements, but we all need some escapism.

I have really horrible tinnitus, so I throw in the earbuds every night and fall asleep to a story. From the stories themselves to the calming sound of LeVar’s voice, this has become my favorite thing to fall asleep to. I’m thankful there are so many episodes, I’ve heard each one at least 3x but they are still just a peaceful to listen to as the first time.

I’m not sure what it would take to get this podcast renewed, but I’d be super stoked if it did.

This show is amazing and I TOTALY recommend it! Levar turns a great story into even better story. He is a great story teller and has an amazing voice. I normally am not able to listen/read many books more than twice but this podcast makes it so easy to listen to a story over and over. Thank you Levar!!!!