My love of audiobooks began in September 2002. That was the year a family room addition and kitchen/bath remodel turned up numerous structural problems that resulted in the unexpected rebuilding of our house. For 11 months, I (along with my husband, 3 kids, and the dog) moved in with Mom and Dad while our house was painstakingly dismantled and reconstructed. My parents live nearly 30 minutes away and I logged countless hours on the road driving kids to and from school, lessons, sports practices/games, and shopping for cabinets, fixtures, etc. On a whim, I checked an audiobook out of the library. The rest, as they say, is history.
Over the past year, I've noticed a few new trends in my listening habits:
- Most of my car audiobooks are very long and can take nearly a month to finish (I only listen when I'm alone in the car).
- I listen to shorter books on my ipod while cooking, cleaning, or walking the dog. Lately I've given up listening while dog-walking. I own a retired greyhound and people often stop to ask questions or talk about the breed.
- Classics make for great listening! I enjoyed all 26 discs of Bleak House and may never 'read' Dickens again. The Color Purple actually gave me goosebumps.
My favorite audiobooks of the past year include:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck
More posts on this topic can be found here .
HENRIETTA LACKS is definitely one of my favorites too. I'm intrigued by how many people have one audio on their ipod and one in the car. I may need to try this...
ReplyDeleteI usually have trouble focusing on audiobooks, but I keep thinking about how much more I'd get read if I listened to them. Maybe I should make more of an effort.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed a couple of classics on audio as well, most recently The Great Gatsby. Loved your post!
ReplyDeleteJen - When I first heard that several bloggers had an audio for the car and another on the ipod, I was sceptical. Then I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised!
ReplyDeleteNymeth - I really believe listening to audiobooks is an acquired skill. I'd recommend starting with a fast-moving, plot-driven novel.
Amused - I love Gatsby, but have never listened to it...next time!
I'm guessing I'd like Henrietta Lacks on audiobook. I've had the paper book for quite some time, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I think the audiobook is a great alternative and one I should try.
ReplyDeleterestlessreader - I don't think you'd be sorry:-) BTW, I tried to comment on your blog earlier today, but I think it may have ended up in spam.
ReplyDeleteFrom time to time I will listen to an audiobook...thanks for listing your favorites because I trust your opinion and may give one of these a chance!!
ReplyDeleteI have one in the car and one or two going on my MP3 player. :) And after hearing Neil Gaiman rave about the audio version of Bleak House, and now you, too, I'm determined to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI would be one of those people who takes the earbuds out of my ears to talk to you about your dog!
ReplyDeleteThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has been sitting on my bookshelf gathering dust for ages! Maybe if I listen to it on audio, I'll actually start and finish it! :-) The Color Purple is definitely going on my tbr list.
ReplyDeleteStaci - I wondered if you were an audiobook fan...
ReplyDeleteCarrie - And I'm determined to try something by Neil Gaman!
Nise' - LOL, you can be sure I'd stop and talk to you!
Vasilly - I honestly think I'd have had a much harder time reading Henrietta Lacks in print. The only thing I missed with the audio were the great pictures included in the book! The Color Purple was a phenomenal audio.
I still haven't read Henrietta Lacks. I might have to go looking for the audio.
ReplyDeleteChrisbookarama - Audio is definitely the way to go with Henrietta Lacks... just be sure to take a peek at the photos sometime when you're in a bookstore or library.
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