Podcasts.

My mom’s family lives in Bloomington, Illinois, so when we were young, my mom wanted to entertain us in the car, so she bought, Adventures in Odyssey, for my brothers and I to listen to. Yes, on cassette tapes, but we listened to them over and over again and we LOVED them. My brain would just imagine life through what I was hearing. I could picture myself there and often times did. Although, I don’t still listen to those same tapes, one of my most favorite things in the world to do is listen to podcasts, but...only true crime podcasts.

I’m not sure why I’m so drawn to these, but anything that tells a story or mystery is something I want to listen to. I can’t get enough of these stories, because I’m so intrigued on how people think and what makes people who they are. True crime isn’t for the faint of heart. Many people can’t listen to it because of it’s gruesome stories or how it puts a spotlight on how truly warped our crime is in this world. It throws you into the weirdest, most gruesome stories you’ve probably ever heard. For me, I think that I just like to be knowledgeable. I like to understand why people are the way that they are and although it doesn’t completely help me understand, it helps me be less naive, I guess? In addition, it helps me pass the time as I clean, peter around the house, or drive home to Indiana for 6-7 hours.

So, if you’re like Kait and I, and love true crime or feel as if you want to grasp at straws to understand why some people are just so monstrous, check some of these podcasts out and let us know what you think! And remember, when they give out warnings, please take heed. Like I said, these aren’t for everyone.

Sword and Scale- This is by far, one of the raunchiest podcasts I’ve listened to, BUT, the most interesting. The details always get a bit gory, but for an hour, I’m usually captivated by the hosts’ way of telling stories. Be prepared to hear stories that will make you feel uncomfortable. They have different shows every week, sometimes there are two parts, but for the most part, they cover many cases.

Serial- This is the very first podcast that I listened to. It centers around a murder of a girl and the suspect states that he’s innocent. (this case was just picked up by an attorney because of the outreach of the podcast).

S-Town- This one is strange, but engrossing, nonetheless. I can’t say a ton about it without giving too much information away. Just check it out!

True Crime Garge- These two gents drink beer in a garage and cover top stories or cold cases from years ago. Entertaining, to say the very least. They cover everything from Delphi Murders in Indiana to Tupac and everything in between.

Up and Vanished- This is about a cold case that someone stumbled upon and spoiler alert, THEY BRING THE CASE BACK TO LIFE. It’s something that completely unfolds while you listen to it, which is awesome. Payne Lindsey brings this case back in the forefront to help get justice for the victim.

Locked Up Abroad- One of my newest favorites, the narrator, different each week, talks about their experience of going to jail in a foreign country and the struggles they went through to get out and back to a semi normal life.

I hope that these keep you busy for awhile, and as always, let us know if there are ones that we should check out! We’d love to hear more and the best ones I’ve found have been referrals from others and remember, “The worst monsters are real.”

B.