Always an inveterate reader, I found that the older I got the harder reading got. My concentration would flag and I could no longer plow through a 500-page book without falling asleep or skimming. Or even a 250-page book. I hated carrying heavy books around—even my Kindle was too heavy and I was constantly losing reading glasses as well. When my book club would assign long books, I’d consider skipping the next meeting.
Then I discovered audiobooks.
In the pre-smartphone days, discovering that I could download books onto a tiny MP3 player was a revelation. Now I stream books directly from my phone to my hearing aids, which feels like they’re being broadcast straight into my head. I get phone calls this way as well. I tap my right ear twice to accept a call and start and stop books. I’ve wondered if people think I’m a spy signaling my handler, or maybe a psychotic listening to voices in my head. But then I remember everyone takes phone calls on their Bluetooth earbuds and it’s no longer suspect to be seen talking to yourself. This may seem normal to young people, but to us older folks it’s still extremely bizarre.
My favorite audiobooks? Nothing beats a good thriller, but my daughter got me into fantasy series which are perfect for listening. Once you get swept away into the world of the book and a particular narrator’s voice you want to stay and visit for a while.
My favorite audiobooks are the longest, not only because I get more hours for my money but because being read to is an intimate experience that a paper book can’t duplicate. After many hours listening to Gerard Doyle’s Irish brogue read Adrian McKinty thrillers I fell in love. I didn’t care what he looked like, I just wanted to hear his voice forever. My vote for best listen ever is the Game of Thrones series which, read by veteran actor Roy Dotrice, truly swept me away. I couldn’t have read that series in paperback because, at 1,000 odd pages each, I couldn’t have lifted the books—or the cassette or CD versions. My second favorite is Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, which has eleven books in the series so far with Divina Porter narrating. Her lilting Scottish accent makes me feel like I’m visiting the Highlands
I’ve also learned to appreciate Dickens. His quirky characters allow the narrators to chew up the audio scenery. I never would have read have read David Copperfield in a million years, but I loved listening to it. For a while I was on a great books audio kick but I overreached a bit with Anna Karenina. It was so endless that I couldn’t wait for Anna to throw herself under the train already.
I get flak from writer friends who insist that listening to books is not the same as “reading.” None of them can explain why. They think reading should involve struggling to see the print in a physical book with pages that turn. They’ll grudgingly accept a Kindle book as reading but an audiobook—that’s just too easy.
Book snobs will listen to podcasts, without complaining about them not being in print. I have no idea why, maybe because they’re not books. I must admit to not being a fan of podcasts unless they’re extraordinarily riveting which most are not. I’m leery of the true crime podcast trend. Victims have complained about their pain becoming entertainment. I prefer my crime fictional.
I also get flak from the library book crowd. You can get audiobooks from the library but, like physical books, you have to wait for them and they disappear on their due date which is usually two weeks. Puleeze! I’m too disorganized to schedule my reading that carefully. People who pay for a monthly subscription to Netflix, HBO and a bunch of other services shouldn’t be too cheap to pay for a sub to Audible.com IMHO. I’ve subscribed to Audible.com since 2009. It has cornered the audiobook market for good reason. They have reasonable prices, all the latest bestsellers, the most user-friendly interface, 24/7 phone customer service, unquestioned returns. In its ongoing attempt to take over the world, Amazon recently bought Audible and has made it even more user friendly. To remain competitive with free and other low cost audio alternatives, they now offer hundreds of free books to subscribers—some full cast recordings of favorite books.
I neglected to mention the other great thing about audiobooks. A clean house. I try to never listen to an audiobook sitting down. Cleaning, my least favorite activity, is almost tolerable with a good book playing.
I’m currently slogging through a book club selection—Thunderstruck by Erik Larsen—wherein you will find out more than you ever wanted to know about the invention of the telegraph. Looking for my next great listen. Suggestions welcome. The longer the better.