The World of Audiobooks

I have discovered the world of audiobooks in the last two months. I was as an English teacher morally opposed to audiobooks. I saw them as a shortcut or really just another way to get out of putting in the hours to read a book or any book for that matter.

I was first exposed to audiobooks years and years ago. I don't remember the book, but the audio version was horrible. Very, very dry. But just recently our local library subscribed to Overdrive, which has thousands of titles available for downloading, and I have been trying them out. And I have to say that I have been amazed for the most part. I have only ran across one that was dry. (Warning: don't listen to an audiobook that has been read by the author who wrote it.)

I do find that there are more than a few pros and cons that I can list for listening to audiobooks. I am not sure that I would ever recommend them to a person that is reading a book for an assignment, but if reading purely for pleasure, why not try an audiobook.

Pros

1. Very fast. Cover a novel in the matter of a few hours. (I find this refreshing considering that I am a notoriously slow reader, and I find that listen to the audiobook and following along in the actually book, I am increasing my reading speed.)


2. Some are very well done. (I like hearing the voices of the characters.)


3. Exposure to more books. (I am able to cover more ground, and I have also exposed my self to some new genres.)


4. Enables me to multitask. (I can grade multiple choice tests and listen to a book at the same time. Yeah!)

Cons

1. Very easy to zone out, as well as lose a lot because you are not seeing the words and processing them.


2. Limited selection if you are trying to get them for free. (I am not buying an audiobook at the bookstore when I can buy the book, and I am not buying from iTunes either.)


3. You lose the ability to mark in the book. (a cherished thing -- I love writing in the margins, because that is when the book becomes mine. Read the essay How to Mark a Book by Mortimer J. Adher, Ph.D.)


4. Overdrive will only allow you to check out five in a two week span.

Basically, I think audiobooks have come a long way, and they are a great way to expose yourself to many books, but there is nothing like curling up with a good book. So, I guess you need to strike a balance between the two.

A Great Book for Young Adults

The first entry in what I hope will become a series of entries.

I spent the weekend curled up around a great book for young adults. I am currently on a mission to fill out my summer reading lists for Freshmen and Juniors, which led me to The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

What a great book!! I have to say that at first I was a little distracted by the idea of death being the narrator. Having death humanized made me a little uncomfortable. He was almost a charming sleazy gentleman.

Set in Nazi Germany during WWII, death becomes distracted by a small girl, Liesel Meminger, who he comes into contact with several times over her life. Each time he gives a look at what is becoming of the thieving girl's life.

The last 50 pages required at least 7 or eight tissues as I wept. I would love to include it on the summer reading list for my juniors as I feel that it might be a little over the heads of my incoming freshmen. I only hope that the length (554 pages) does not scare them off.