SOCRATICA READS PODCAST
Fuel for Thought
Socratica Reads
by Kimberly Hatch Harrison
Socratica is all about Lifelong Learning. And one of the best ways to keep learning is to READ. What should you read? Everything!
A Stir of Echoes
Socratica Reads Podcast
In A Stir of Echoes, an ordinary man named Tom Wallace begins to experience paranormal abilities after an impromptu hypnosis session. As his visions grow more intense, he uncovers a dark secret buried within his suburban neighborhood. Matheson’s novel, a blend of psychological horror and supernatural suspense, deftly explores the consequences of awakening to the unseen forces that haunt ordinary lives.
Free Dirt
Socratica Reads Podcast
Beaumont’s Free Dirt follows a man who, driven by his obsession with free things, takes advantage of a cemetery’s offer of free dirt for the taking. As he becomes entangled in the eerie consequences of his actions, the line between life and death begins to blur. This story, with its dry humor and growing sense of dread, offers a wry commentary on human greed and the unexpected prices we pay.
Over Sea, Under Stone
Socratica Reads Podcast
In this opening book of The Dark Is Rising sequence, siblings Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew discover an ancient map while on holiday in Cornwall, propelling them into a quest for the Holy Grail. As they decipher the map’s riddles, they encounter forces of evil intent on stopping them. Cooper expertly blends Arthurian legend with an atmospheric setting, crafting a tale of ancient magic and timeless adventure.
Skeleton
Socratica Reads Podcast
Bradbury’s Skeleton tells the unsettling story of a man who becomes increasingly obsessed with the bones inside his own body. As his fixation grows, he seeks out a mysterious doctor, leading to a macabre conclusion that blurs the lines between paranoia and reality. The tale is a chilling examination of the fragility of the human body and the fear of what lies beneath the skin.
The Machine Stops
Socratica Reads Podcast
In a distant future, humanity lives underground in isolated cells, relying on a vast Machine to supply all their needs. When Kuno, a rebellious young man, questions the omnipotence of the Machine and ventures to the Earth's surface, he discovers the fragility of their artificial world. Forster's story, a prescient critique of technological dependence, portrays a dystopia where human connection and autonomy have withered.
The Pedestrian
Socratica Reads Podcast
Set in a future where people are glued to their screens, Leonard Mead is the lone pedestrian in a city devoid of outdoor life. His solitary nighttime walks, viewed with suspicion, culminate in a chilling encounter with an autonomous police car. Bradbury's brief but poignant story critiques a society that has abandoned individuality for the numbing comfort of technology.
Call Me Joe
Socratica Reads Podcast
In this short story, a paraplegic man named Ed Anglesey remotely controls an artificial life form named Joe on Jupiter's hostile surface. As Joe thrives in the brutal Jovian environment, Ed begins to feel a deep connection with the creature, leading to questions about identity and consciousness. Anderson explores the boundaries between man and machine, human ambition, and the allure of becoming something more than human.
The Midnight Library
Socratica Reads Podcast
Nora Seed, feeling overwhelmed by regret, finds herself in The Midnight Library, a place between life and death where each book represents a different version of her life. Guided by her former school librarian, she explores the lives she could have led, from the mundane to the extraordinary. Haig's novel is an introspective journey into choices, possibility, and the thin line between despair and hope.
Childhood's End
Socratica Reads Podcast
In Childhood's End, Earth is visited by the mysterious Overlords, benevolent beings who usher in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. But as humanity flourishes under their guidance, unsettling questions about the price of this utopia begin to emerge. Clarke's vision of the future is as much a meditation on the loss of human potential as it is on the dawn of a new evolutionary era.
The Dark is Rising
Socratica Reads Podcast
Set in a quiet English village, The Dark Is Rising follows young Will Stanton as he discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is the last of the Old Ones, a group of ancient beings tasked with protecting the world from the Dark. As the forces of Light and Dark prepare for an epic struggle, Will must navigate through time and myth, confronting forces beyond his imagination. The novel masterfully blends Arthurian legend with timeless themes of fate and power.
All Cats Are Gray
Socratica Reads Podcast
In this classic sci-fi short story, an outcast space pilot named Steena and her mysterious gray cat, Bat, embark on a salvage mission aboard the derelict ship The Empress of Mars. The pair, unnoticed by society, soon prove that knowledge and instinct, not appearances, determine survival. In a stark, indifferent universe, Norton weaves a tale of quiet determination and the sharpness of those who lurk on the fringes.
Anatomy, A Love Story
Socratica Reads Podcast
Set in 19th-century Edinburgh, Anatomy follows Hazel Sinnett, a young woman defying societal expectations to study medicine. Her path crosses with Jack Currer, a resurrectionist who supplies bodies for medical research, and the two form an unlikely partnership. As they delve deeper into the secrets of anatomy and the human body, they uncover chilling truths about the dead and the living.
I Sing the Body Electric
Ray Bradbury’s I Sing the Body Electric is a thoughtful amalgamation of technology, family, and human emotion. Set in a future where families can purchase electric grandmothers to provide companionship and care, the story explores the relationships between these lifelike machines and the children they serve. Bradbury combines his hallmark style of gentle futurism with deep emotional undertones, inviting readers to reflect on what it means to love and be loved, even by something artificial.
At Sixes and Sevens
At Sixes and Sevens by Rachel Riley is a candid exploration of navigating life’s uncertainties, offering practical advice for managing the complexities of modern adulthood. Drawing from personal experience, Riley reflects on topics like decision-making, emotional resilience, and overcoming self-doubt. The book is both thoughtful and relatable, as Riley invites readers to embrace the inevitable messiness of life with humor and grace.
Aggressively Happy
Socratica Reads Podcast
Aggressively Happy by Joy Marie Clarkson is a vibrant, unapologetic manifesto for finding joy in everyday life, even when circumstances seem bleak. Clarkson draws on her personal experiences—such as navigating mental health struggles and academic pressures—to argue that joy is not a passive feeling but a deliberate, rebellious act of resilience. Rather than offering generic self-help platitudes, Clarkson challenges readers to embrace joy as a radical, life-affirming stance in a world that often emphasizes despair.
Star Daughter
Socratica Reads Podcast
In Star Daughter, Sheetal Mistry, a teenager who is half-star and half-human, accidentally harms her father with her celestial powers. To save him, she must journey to the world of the stars and compete in a dangerous contest. Along the way, she discovers hidden truths about her family and her place between two worlds.
The Magician's Nephew
Socratica Reads Podcast
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis serves as the prequel to The Chronicles of Narnia, exploring the origins of Narnia and its connections to other worlds. The story follows two children, Digory and Polly, who are transported to different realms through the use of magical rings created by Digory's uncle. One of these realms, the Wood Between the Worlds, introduces the concept of a liminal space filled with pools, each leading to a different universe, setting the stage for the creation of Narnia and the introduction of key characters like Aslan and the White Witch.
The Martian Chronicles
Socratica Reads Podcast
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury follows humanity's colonization of Mars and the resulting encounters with the planet’s native inhabitants. Through a series of connected stories, the book explores the impact of colonization on both the settlers and the Martians, blending science fiction with themes of cultural conflict and environmental change.
Flowers for Algernon
Socratica Reads Podcast
In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie Gordon undergoes a groundbreaking experiment that offers him the chance to dramatically increase his intelligence. As his mind expands, he grapples with the joy, pain, and isolation that accompany his newfound awareness.
Parable of the Sower
Socratica Reads Podcast
In this episode, Kimberly Hatch Harrison explores a novel by Octavia Butler that begins in Los Angeles in the 2020s. The story unfolds against the backdrop of a society in decline, where disrepair and crime have taken hold. Through the eyes of Lauren Olamina, a young woman burdened with hyper-empathy, we witness the struggle to survive in a world where trust is dangerous and hope feels distant.
Nightfall
Socratica Reads Podcast
Join us as Kimberly Hatch Harrison discusses Nightfall by Isaac Asimov. On a distant planet where night comes only once every two millennia, a civilization on the brink of darkness prepares for an astronomical event that will plunge their world into an unprecedented eclipse.
Brave New World
Socratica Reads Podcast
Imagine a future where human life is controlled by a rigid system of conditioning, drugs, and technology, leaving people content but devoid of individuality and freedom.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Socratica Reads Podcast
In this podcast, Kimberly Hatch Harrison shares how she found herself influenced by Arthur C. Clarke's 2001, an unusual science fiction novel created simultaneously with Stanley Kubrick's film. Both forms of the story explore humanity's evolution, the mysteries of the universe, and the role of technology in shaping our future.
Ender's Game
Socratica Reads Podcast
In this podcast Kimberly Hatch Harrison explores a futuristic world where gifted children are recruited for a singular purpose - protecting the Earth from a life-ending invasion.
Fahrenheit 451
Socratica Reads Podcast
In this podcast Kimberly Hatch Harrison explores this Ray Bradbury classic. Set in a world where thinking is discouraged, and conformity is the norm, we're introduced to a society that has traded in curiosity and critical thought for the shallow comfort of mindless entertainment.
The Halloween Tree
Socratica Reads Podcast
"In this podcast, Socratica Reads, I’m sharing some of the primal influences that shaped who we are. I spent most of my formative years with my nose in a book. And so I feel very close to the authors who were there with me, helping me figure out the world."
~ Kimberly Hatch Harrison
~ Kimberly Hatch Harrison
