Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Listened to a Good Book Lately?

The first audio book I took a chance on and listened to was Marley and Me by Josh Grogan. Before this I hadn’t really seen the point in listening to a book. I thought I would miss out on the experience of turning the pages and reading the book. I thought I would zone out from the book as I tend to do with the radio sometimes. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed listening to Marley’s mischievous tales on my 30 minute commute to work.


Over the years I’ve now listened to many audio books. One set that stands out are the Harry Potter series. The narrator on these, Jim Dale, does an amazing job of animating the characters in the series. I had been curious about the HP series for sometime but hadn’t gotten around to reading them. Listening to the first few got me into the series.

Often I find with audio books that the narrator can make or break the listening experience. Maybe I just have high expectations since listening to Jim Dale who was so amazing that he had me hooked on audio books. How do you feel about audio books? Do you prefer books on tape or books on CD? What was the last book you listened to? If you haven’t listened to a book, give it a try, share your experience.

Current read: Snog a Puppy’s Guide to Love by Rachael Hale.

[Image by Jeff Daly; some rights reserved]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree about the Harry Potter books on CD/tape. Jim Dale is amazing. And it's clear that CD's are the way to go. They are clearer and it's a lot easier to go back and rehear something with them. I also like the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series in audio. Hearing some of the names and titles pronounced brings home more of the African flavor of the books. However, I'm primarily a print reader, as nothing really beats the mind's eye (and ear) for most books.

Mz Sierra said...

Little Black Girl Lost was a really great book. I was surprised how much I was into it. I actually refused to watch television until the audiobook was complete. I enjoying listening to book primarily when cleaning or cooking, but I will now show a bit more interest.