The Audio Book and Me

I want to start out first by saying sorry. Sorry my first blog back from my short break is about audio books, I’ve been having bad writers block; nothing is inspiring me to write. The things I do start to write turn into mush and I just plain gave up for three weeks. So, the only thing I had on my short list of blog topic ideas that I felt I could expand on was about audio books. One might call them books on tape. Well, cd’s really, because who really listens to tapes anymore? (Yes, this is really where I have decided to bite the bullet and start again.)

I am an audio book whore.

Weirdly enough, I didn’t realize this until the beginning of this year. I love to read. Opening up a new book and losing myself into the material is one of my favorite past times. So, I always stuck to reading an actual book. Well, this past December I jumped into the world of Lisbeth Salander. (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.) I read the first book and was blown away. BUT, the author is very wordy. Though I was invested into the story 100%, there would be rants of details that felt so long winded. These moments were when I would get sleepy (cause my main reading time is just before bed). My progress was very slow. So it was then I decided I wanted to try the second novel via audio book, and I have not looked back.

The first benefit I noticed was actually “reading” more books. Not only do I love being read too but it has become the majority way I indulge in reading. As a mom and overall busy woman, I can not guarantee that I have the time or the energy to read before bed. But I can guarantee that if I have job I have to drive to, I have five hours each week to commit to a book. I have become addicted to my drive to work and my drive back home. Those 35 minutes are filled with auditory wonderment. (And in the case of Lisbeth Salander filled with a deserving ass-kicking)

Which brings me to the next benefit, from my experience I can say, that listening to books in your car helps eliminate road rage. I actually hope for more red lights. I don’t mind getting stuck behind that grandma driver and I sure as heck was thankful that I had an audio book to keep me company during a super heavy snowfall on my way home from work.

My favorite benefit…a good narrator makes the story even better. For those female blog readers right now, seriously check out One Day by David Nicholls on audio book. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it via a hardcopy but the narrator added so much humor to the comedic moments the author wrote. I don’t think I would have bonded as much to this book had I not listened to it. I swear, try it! I know the movie bombed at the theater but don’t let that and the fact that it looks like an extremely sad movie stop you. It’s a really funny and endearing book. And yeah, it’ll make you cry but that’s ok. (End One Day Rant Here)

I suppose to be fair; I should mention any downfalls of the audio book. One, they can be expensive, so get yourself a library card if you don’t already have one and rent them for free. Two, not all narrators are created equal. I have come across a book or two where the narrators lackluster or their accents made me listen harder to understand what they said. In both cases, as long as it’s a good book, you don’t even notice the downfall. Lastly, though I’ve never been really into music, I am completely out of the loop now. Where I once spent time listening to the radio is now completely devoted to the spoken word. So I do find myself saying, “I really like this new song” and then I get that “where have you been” look cause it’s been out forever. To that, I say whatever cause I’m defiantly enjoying my time spent in another author’s world.

Ok…this was lengthier than I thought, and I feel better for having gotten one thing off my blog list of ideas checked off.