The SleepyTime Braacast

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Maltese Falcon

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The Maltese Falcon is a 1930 detective novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett, originally serialized in the magazine Black Mask beginning with the September 1929 issue. The story is told entirely in external third-person narrative; there is no description whatsoever of any character's thoughts or feelings, only what they say and do, and how they look. The novel has been adapted several times for the cinema. It is considered part of the hardboiled genre, which Hammett played a major part in popularizing

Can't sleep? Let the dulcet voice of Erik Braa reading the classics take over for jumping sheep. These tales, narrated in a soothing, calm voice are designed to turn sleeplessness into somnolence. Tune in, zonk out.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Whistle's Call

motajones@gmail.com (Andy Gray, Erik Braa) — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Whistle's Call by Andy Gray is the next installment of his "Holvo" series about an idyllic Viking Village and it's denizens. Tove finds a new friend and is visited by the Norns.

Andy is a supporter of the Braacast and began writing after being inspired by Erik's stories.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The HitchHikers Guide To The Galaxy

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Fri, 1 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy[a][b] is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC Radio 4 between 1978 and 1980, it was soon adapted to other formats, including both novels and comic books; a 1981 BBC television series; a 1984 text adventure game; stage shows; and a 2005 feature film.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Jungle Book

motajones@gmail.com (3lb Magician) — Sun, 25 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The Jungle Book is an 1894 collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by wolves. Most stories are set in a forest in India; one place mentioned repeatedly is "Seeonee" (Seoni), in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Emma by Jane Austen

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Emma is a novel written by English author Jane Austen. It is set in the fictional country village of Highbury and the surrounding estates of Hartfield, Randalls and Donwell Abbey, and involves the relationships among people from a small number of families

The SleepyTime Braacast: Eve’s Diary by Mark Twain

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Sat, 8 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Eve's Story by Mark Twain:

"Eve's Diary" is a comic short story by Mark Twain. It was first published in the 1905 Christmas issue of the magazine Harper's Bazaar, in book format as one contribution to a volume entitled "Their Husband's Wives" and then in June 1906 as a standalone book by Harper and Brothers [1] publishing house.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Althings Call

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa, Andy Gray) — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

The "Holvo" Series returns in Andy Gray's "Allthings Call." Eirik's Parents return, and the village completes its Longhouse and Votes for a Jarl. Another great story was written for "The SleepyTime Braacast". Sweet Dreams

The SleepyTime Braacast: Christmas In Modern Story

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Christmas In Modern Story: An Anthology of Holiday Stories: "The Candle In The Forest" A young girl's Mother makes the best of the Holiday and offers guidance to a young boy. This is a story of the true spirit of Christmas.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Ice Dragon

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Dragons — of all sorts — make for marvelous fun, and this collection of madcap tales is filled with them. Some of the legendary monsters are funny and mischievous, others are downright frightening, and a number of them are wild and unpredictable.

Edith Nesbit was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Book Of Dragons

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Fri, 6 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Edith Nesbit was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Around The World In 80 Days

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Around the World in Eighty Days (French: Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a wager of £20,000 (equivalent to £1.9 million in 2019) set by his friends at the Reform Club. It is one of Verne's most acclaimed works.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Whispers Of Dreams

motajones@gmail.com (Andy Gray, Erik Braa) — Tue, 4 Jun 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Whispers Of Dreams by Andy Gray: The Holvo Series continues with our young adventurer Eirik. This time he gets his chance to hunt and gather but also learns some new information regarding his lineage. Once again we visit the idyllic Norwegian Village of Holvo, in another installment by Andy Gray. Let this story help you relax and let go of the "world".

Andy has been a fan and listener for some time and has donated these stories for everyone to find the rest they need.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Spell Of The Yukon and Other Verses

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Robert Service was a British-Canadian poet born in 1874. He is sometimes referred to as the "Bard of the Yukon.”

He spent some of his life in the Yukon Wilderness.

On a personal note this is for My Father.

Thank You to All of you for your support!

The SleepyTime Braacast: Jane Eyre

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Jane Eyre (/ɛər/ AIR; originally published as Jane Eyre: An Autobiography) is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first American edition was published the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York.[2] Jane Eyre is a bildungsroman that follows the experiences of its eponymous heroine, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr Rochester, the brooding master of Thornfield Hall.[3]

The SleepyTime Braacast: Gift Of Dreams

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 9 Jan 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Gift Of Dreams by Andy Gray

Andy is a longtime supporter of the Braacast and this is the second story to be contributed. Come visit the imagined village of "Holvo" where once again the spirit of the village shines through. See previous entries from Andy in "Guardian Of Sleep".

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Phantom Of The Opera

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 5 Dec 2023 08:00:00 +0000

The Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierre Lafitte.[1] The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century, and by an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz.[2] It has been successfully adapted into various stage and film adaptations, most notable of which are the 1925 film depiction featuring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.

The SleepyTime Braacast: A Tale For Halloween

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0000

"A Tale For Halloween" is an excerpt from "The Green Forest Fairy Book" by Loretta Ellen Brady. A collection of 11 fairy tales about enchanted and magical creatures that do not appear to be duplicated anywhere else. Loretta Ellen Brady was an American author best known for this collection written in 1920.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Odyssey

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

The Odyssey (/ˈɒdɪsi/;[1] Ancient Greek: Ὀδύσσεια, romanized: Odýsseia)[2][3] is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the Iliad, the poem is divided into 24 books. It follows the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. After the war, which lasted ten years, his journey lasted for ten additional years, during which time he encountered many perils and all of his crewmates were killed. In his absence, Odysseus was assumed dead, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus had to contend with a group of unruly suitors who were competing for Penelope's hand in marriage.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Guardian Of Dreams

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 1 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

A listener asked if I would do a sleep story for them about their lost furbaby...and I said "If you donate the story!" lol

So here is the story of the sweet Norwegian Elkhound Kaja on her nocturnal adventure in a magical Norwegian Forest to sleep at the foot of the Tree of Life. Forever to be a Guardian Of Our Dreams.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 4 Jul 2023 07:00:00 +0000

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, which had been published in twelve monthly issues of The Strand Magazine from July 1891 to June 1892. The stories are collected in the same sequence, which is not supported by any fictional chronology. The only characters common to all twelve are Holmes and Dr. Watson and all are related in first-person narrative from Watson's point of view.

In general the stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes identify, and try to correct, social injustices. Holmes is portrayed as offering a new, fairer sense of justice. The stories were well received, and boosted the subscriptions figures of The Strand Magazine, prompting Doyle to be able to demand more money for his next set of stories. The first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia", includes the character of Irene Adler, who, despite being featured only within this one story by Doyle, is a prominent character in modern Sherlock Holmes adaptations, generally as a love interest for Holmes. Doyle included four of the twelve stories from this collection in his twelve favourite Sherlock Holmes stories, picking "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" as his overall favourite.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Wind In The Willows Part 2

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 30 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Part 2 : On The Road - Mole meets Mr Toad.

The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble. It also details short stories about them that are disconnected from the main narrative. The novel was based on bedtime stories Grahame told his son Alastair. It has been adapted numerous times for both stage and screen.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

motajones@gmail.com (LandShipAudio, Erik Braa) — Tue, 2 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde[1] is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old friend Dr. Henry Jekyll and a murderous criminal named Edward Hyde.

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is one of the most famous pieces of English literature, and is considered to be a defining book of the gothic horror genre. The novella has also had a sizable impact on popular culture, with the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" being used in vernacular to refer to people with an outwardly good but sometimes shockingly evil nature.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Picture Of Dorian Gray

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 08:00:00 +0000

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical Lippincott's Monthly Magazine.[1][2] The novel-length version was published in April 1891.

The story revolves around a portrait of Dorian Gray painted by Basil Hallward, a friend of Dorian's and an artist infatuated with Dorian's beauty. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton and is soon enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while, his portrait ages and visually records every one of Dorian's sins.[3]

Wilde's only novel, it was subject to much controversy and criticism in its time but has come to be recognized as a classic of gothic literature.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Magic Fishbone

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

The Magic Fishbone is a children's book written by Charles Dickens in 1867, who pretended that it was written by Miss Alice Rainbird, age 7. The book was one of four so-called "holiday romances" (his much more famous Christmas Carol is one of the others comprising this group). It was first published in a children's magazine in the United States and then reprinted in a British magazine called "All the Year Round".

The book tells the story of Princess Alicia, who is given a magic fishbone by her fairy godmother and then uses the fishbone to improve the fortune of her parents, the King and Queen, and her eighteen brothers and sisters.

Wishing you the best for the Season! Sweet Dreams

The SleepyTime Braacast: A Tale Of Two Cities

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Thu, 1 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0000

A Tale of Two Cities is an 1859 historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. In the Introduction to the Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction, critic Don D'Ammassa argues that it is an adventure novel because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed.[2]

As Dickens's best-known work of historical fiction, A Tale of Two Cities is said to be one of the best-selling novels of all time.[3][4][5] In 2003, the novel was ranked 63rd on the BBC's The Big Read poll.[6] The novel has been adapted for film, television, radio, and the stage, and has continued to influence popular culture.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Velveteen Rabbit

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 2 Aug 2022 07:00:00 +0000

The Velveteen Rabbit is a British children's book written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire to become real through the love of his owner. The book was first published in 1922 and has been republished many times since.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Pride and Prejudice

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Tue, 5 Jul 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Pride and Prejudice is an 1813 novel of manners written by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness.

Mr. Bennet, owner of the Longbourn estate in Hertfordshire, has five daughters, but his property is entailed and can only be passed to a male heir. His wife also lacks an inheritance, so his family faces becoming poor upon his death. Thus, it is imperative that at least one of the girls marry well to support the others, which is a motivation that drives the plot.

Pride and Prejudice has consistently appeared near the top of lists of "most-loved books" among literary scholars and the reading public. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature, with over 20 million copies sold, and has inspired many derivatives in modern literature.[1][2] For more than a century, dramatic adaptations, reprints, unofficial sequels, films, and TV versions of Pride and Prejudice have portrayed the memorable characters and themes of the novel, reaching mass audiences.[3]

The SleepyTime Braacast: Winnie The Pooh

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 23:00:00 +0000

Winnie the Pooh, the fictional teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne, is one of the most popular characters adapted for film and television by The Walt Disney Company. Disney first received certain licensing rights to the Winnie the Pooh stories, characters, and trademarks from Stephen Slesinger, Inc. and the estate of A. A. Milne in 1961. All Rights are Reserved to the Holders.

This one is a little shorter but also plays with character voices...so a bit of an experiment.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Great Gatsby

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 07:00:00 +0000

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.

The SleepyTime Braacast: David Copperfield

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 02:00:00 +0000

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

David Copperfield is the story of a young man's adventures on his journey from an unhappy and impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist. Among the gloriously vivid cast of characters he encounters are his tyrannical stepfather, Mr Murdstone; his brilliant, but ultimately unworthy school-friend James Steerforth; his formidable aunt, Betsey Trotwood; the eternally humble, yet treacherous Uriah Heep; frivolous, enchanting Dora Spenlow; and the magnificently impecunious Wilkins Micawber, one of literature's great comic creations. In David Copperfield - the novel he described as his 'favourite child' - Dickens drew revealingly on his own experiences to create one of the most exuberant and enduringly popular works, filled with tragedy and comedy in equal measure. This edition uses the text of the first volume publication of 1850, and includes updated suggestions for further reading, original illustrations by 'Phiz', a revised chronology and expanded notes. In his new introduction, Jeremy Tambling discusses the novel's autobiographical elements, and its central themes of memory and identity.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Wind In The Willows

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 08:00:00 +0000

The Wind in the Willows is a children's book by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternatingly slow-moving and fast-paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphized animals: Mole, Rat (a European water vole), Toad, and Badger. They live in a pastoral version of Edwardian England.

This time just the story of "Mole" Chapter 1

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Yosemite

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Sun, 3 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

The Yosemite by John Muir. Illustrated Edition. John Muir (1838–1914) was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. John Muir was the first modern preservationist and founder of the Sierra Club. He helped save the Yosemite Valley and wilderness areas in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Muir wrote essays and books whose relevance makes them still popular. Muir felt that the livestock in the Yosemite area was destroying the land and helped petition congress to make the area a national park. In Muir's writings the reader glimpses the pristine beauty of the high country. In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to the preservation of the Western forests. He petitioned the U.S. Congress for the National Park bill that was passed in 1890, establishing Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Alice In Wonderland

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Sat, 17 Jul 2021 01:00:00 +0000

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (commonly shortened to Alice in Wonderland) is an 1865 novel by English author Lewis Carroll (the pseudonym of Charles Dodgson). It tells of a young girl named Alice, who falls through a rabbit hole into a subterranean fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures. It is considered to be one of the best examples of the literary nonsense genre. The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults as well as with children. One of the best-known and most popular works of English-language fiction, its narrative, structure, characters and imagery have been enormously influential in popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. The work has never been out of print and has been translated into at least 97 languages. Its ongoing legacy encompasses many adaptations for stage, screen, radio, art, ballet, theme parks, board games and video games. Carroll published a sequel in 1871, titled Through the Looking-Glass, and a shortened version for young children, The Nursery "Alice", in 1890.

The SleepyTime Braacast: The Prophet

motajones@gmail.com (3lb Magician, Erik Braa) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 07:00:00 +0000

The Prophet is a book of 26 prose poetry fables written in English by the Lebanese-American poet and writer Kahlil Gibran. It was originally published in 1923 by Alfred A. Knopf. It is Gibran's best-known work.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Bullfinchs Mythology

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Sat, 1 May 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Classical Mythology by Thomas Bullfinch is a complete telling of the great stories of the past. The beliefs, the gods and godesses, and the explanation for natural and scientific phenomena. Specifically the Norse Mythology. Read in a slow and soothing way to get you to sleep. This was a bit of an experiment, due to the nature of the content.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Moby Dick

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Mon, 5 Apr 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Moby Dick, 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee.

The SleepyTime Braacast: Ozma of OZ

motajones@gmail.com (3lb Magician, Erik Braa) — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 08:00:00 +0000

The First 2 Chapters of Ozma of OZ:

On an ocean voyage with her uncle Henry to Australia, Dorothy is blown into the sea by a storm. She takes refuge on a floating chicken-coop, which washes ashore, along with the coop and a hen in it. The hen is able to speak; Dorothy gives it the name "Billina".

Excerpt from Ozma of OZ by Frank Baum

The Sleepytime Braacast: Oliver Twist

motajones@gmail.com (Erik Braa) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 07:17:37 +0000

Oliver Twist: A Charles Dickens Classic. The story centers on orphan Oliver Twist born in a workhouse and sold into apprenticeship with an undertaker. The 1st 2 Chapters.