Joys of Audiobooks
At some point in the last few months, I noticed myself plowing through more books in Audiobook format than in paper form: three books v one-point-five. I do not want to digress into a meandering pondering about the reason, 'why,' but lately, I cannot seem to sit through more than 10 pages in a book before I switch over to a magazine or flip on the TV. I must have been wrestling with this copy of What's Amazing About Grace? for more than a month, toting it everywhere, but barely on chapter 3.
My progress with Audiobooks have been closer to the 'amazing' revelation than the book so far. I listen to it everywhere -- in the airport security line, in the jetway bridge while boarding the plane, driving, walking on treadmill -- and it's pretty amazing how much time I'd have wasted otherwise, either listening to the same mp3s in my iPod over and over again, or preoccupy such easily overlooked segments of time with other means.
The best thing about Audiobooks, however, is in experiencing the authors reading their own works. It's one thing to read Angela's Ashes in print or catching it on the big screen; it's a whole different experience when the story is told in Frank McCourt's own Irish brogue. If reading a book is like the meeting of minds between the author and the reader, listening to the author telling his own story is a much more intimate and powerful experience. Some otherwise unremarkable works on paper can turn delightfully entertaining when read by the author -- e.g. Kitchen Confidential turns into a whole different work when read by Tony Bourdain himself.
There are some landmines to avoid as well, however. Some of my favorite authors, like Bill Bryson, is a terribly monotone reader, and some books read by professional readers or celebrities -- especially those who try to fake some odd Oxford accent for no reason -- really becomes irritating.
Best type of works to enjoy in Audioformat, is narrative such as novels or autobiographies, again, especially when narrated by the author. The worst type are chart-filled business books or science/technical books.
My current listening: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
My progress with Audiobooks have been closer to the 'amazing' revelation than the book so far. I listen to it everywhere -- in the airport security line, in the jetway bridge while boarding the plane, driving, walking on treadmill -- and it's pretty amazing how much time I'd have wasted otherwise, either listening to the same mp3s in my iPod over and over again, or preoccupy such easily overlooked segments of time with other means.
The best thing about Audiobooks, however, is in experiencing the authors reading their own works. It's one thing to read Angela's Ashes in print or catching it on the big screen; it's a whole different experience when the story is told in Frank McCourt's own Irish brogue. If reading a book is like the meeting of minds between the author and the reader, listening to the author telling his own story is a much more intimate and powerful experience. Some otherwise unremarkable works on paper can turn delightfully entertaining when read by the author -- e.g. Kitchen Confidential turns into a whole different work when read by Tony Bourdain himself.
There are some landmines to avoid as well, however. Some of my favorite authors, like Bill Bryson, is a terribly monotone reader, and some books read by professional readers or celebrities -- especially those who try to fake some odd Oxford accent for no reason -- really becomes irritating.
Best type of works to enjoy in Audioformat, is narrative such as novels or autobiographies, again, especially when narrated by the author. The worst type are chart-filled business books or science/technical books.
My current listening: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
posted by choongster at 9:21 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home