Looking for a new podcast? Here are five possibilities.
Winnetka
This hot new memoir-meets-podcast by “Suspiria” star Jessica Harper made its debut in February with a tale of Eisenhower-era Illinois, post-traumatic stress disorder and family secrets. Harper and her five siblings recall their childhood over 10 episodes, starting with her father’s funeral and the discovery a few days later of “an awful piece of our history that none of us can change, misremember or deny.” Read more at www.winnetkapodcast.com.
Modern Love
In 2015, the popular New York Times column about contemporary love and romance teamed up with NPR to create an equally popular podcast, with actors as varied as Catherine O’Hara (“Home Alone,” “Schitt’s Creek”), Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men,” “Good Girls”) and Stanley Tucci (“A Private War”) narrating Modern Love columns. Best part? They bring the writers on the show to provide an epilogue to their tales. www.wbur.org/modernlove
LeVar Burton Reads
If you grew up on Reading Rainbow — or your kids did, in which case you spent many hours watching the charming children’s book series, too — here’s some happy news. Actor LeVar Burton (“Roots,” “Star Trek Next Generation”) brings that same literary enthusiasm to an adult audience with this 2-year-old podcast, which showcases eclectic short fiction — sci-fi, fantasy, mystery — and authors that range from Neil Gaiman and Haruki Murakami to Octavia Butler and Charlie Jane Anders. It’s Reading Rainbow for grown-ups. www.levarburtonpodcast.com
You Must Remember This
Film critic Karina Longworth shares stories about classic Hollywood from a cultural and historic perspective in this addictive podcast that spans Tinsel Town’s first glitzy century, from Elizabeth Taylor’s heyday to Charles Manson’s Hollywood, Howard Hughes’ love life and Madonna’s cinematic debut. www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com
Bear Brooks
If you’re a fan of true-crime fiction or the Serial podcast, this cold-case podcast, which began airing in October, may be just your cup of poison. The Bear Brook case involved four unidentified female murder victims discovered at Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire in 1985 and 2000. Six podcast episodes unfurl this chilling mystery about two barrels, four bodies and a serial killer; two follow-up episodes — and more to come — bring the story up to date. www.bearbrookpodcast.com
