Audio Books

I absolutely love audio books aka "Books on CD." I started listening to books on cd three years ago when I came to Stuarts Draft. I would say that on average, I spend at least an hour a day in my car driving to and from work, the gym, and anywhere else necessary. By the end of my first few months here, I was tired of all of my music, not crazy about the radio stations, and not ready to spend a fortune on new music. Enter: audio books. I discovered that my local library has shelves of books on cd, and it is FREE to check them out! Not only that, but I can use the library website to search for books that I want to read from other libraries in the area and have them sent to my library! It is brilliant!

The wonder of audio books is multi-faceted. I actually love to read but never have enough time to read the books that I currently own, much less new books that are current and trendy. Now, I can "read" books while I'm driving, cooking, or cleaning the house. I have "read" most of the books on the bestseller lists and re-read some of the stories that I loved the first time around.

On a geekier, more ideological level, I believe that it is important to continue developing my aural skills. We are fast becoming, or have already become, a culture that is unable to listen to and tell stories and depends solely on visual media. While I am a very visual person and love visual media, I believe that it is crucial to be able to get wrapped up in a story that someone is reading or telling. This doesn't just happen; it has to be developed.

A word of caution: not all audio books are created equal. Obviously, the reader is a determining factor in whether I will enjoy the book or not. The reader can make or break the whole experience. I will not be able to listen to a great book read by a boring reader, but there are several books that I have listened to when I thought, I could listen to this person read the phone book!

So, watch for my next post: my favorite audio books and readers! And I welcome any recommendations!