By combining the social element of book clubs and the growing availability of themed podcasts, Lydia Ricci of Narberth has created podclubs, a new way for people to enjoy books on the go, writes Samantha Melamed for The Randolph County Herald Tribune.

“I can listen to in my car or while I’m cooking dinner,” said Melissa McCloy from Narberth, who participates in Ricci’s podclub.

“It’s a commitment of less than an hour, so it seems so much easier.”

Seeing the success of her podclubs, Ricci started a website, thepodclubs.com that offers visitors a selection of podcasts together with ideas for hosting a podclub meetup.

The extremely popular true-crime investigation podcast Serial has also contributed to the popularity of the medium, with nearly 80 million downloads just six months after being published.

“The way host Sarah Koenig introduced the show was what captured my attention more than the mystery qualities of it,” noted Ricci.

At this point Ricci is not sure how to go about monetizing her website, but that is not her priority. For now she is simply interested in getting as many people as she can to listen and then engage in conversation that might lead them in unexpected directions.

Read more about Sons of Ben at The Randolph County Herald Tribune by clicking here.