I started listening to audiobooks because I had a data entry job right after college where I could listen to a walkman (personal cassette player, for you young-uns) while working. Then I continued because I had a forty-five minute commute to my first professional job.
Now I do it because being a wife and mother, working outside the home or not (I've done both), requires that I do a lot of things I'd rather not do (dishes and laundry), and I do them endlessly (dishes and laundry, dishes and laundry, dishes and laundry...). Audiobooks keep me from going insane when every time I turn around the sink is full of dishes again.
I do get that sitting and reading a book is relaxing, but for those of us with no time to relax, audio can be a lifesaver.
Current thing saving my sanity:
This one might turn out as good as Whale Talk, also by Chris Crutcher.What about you? How do you find time to read? Have you tried audio and it did/didn't work for you?
I always read at least a few pages before I go to bed. I can't sleep well otherwise, and besides, that seems to be the only time I can find any more, but you've persuaded me to try audio books on my next long car trip. :)
ReplyDeleteI read before I go to bed, which is sometimes a problem because I stay up too late. :) I've tried audiobooks, and I love them for long drives. I haven't used them for much else, but this post makes me want to give it a whirl!
ReplyDeleteBefore I moved last month, I spent 30-45 minutes of my commute on a bus. I burned through books on my way to and from work. Being able to read so much on the bus actually made me love my commute. Now I take the subway and it's too sardines-in-a-can like for me to get much reading done.
ReplyDeleteMass transit commuters do often have a reading advantage. I get motion sickness if I try to read while riding on a car, or on a bus, or on a train...but it also feels weird to just sit there listening to an audiobook. I want something in my hands. I go for large-print Suduko puzzles or those recipe-card books at times like that.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as nano is over, I'm indulging myself with book after book after book. The handheld kind and the audio kind. I cannot wait! And I appreciate that you've listed some really good choices!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've never tried audio books, although I'm eager to. An avid reader who loves the sound of pages crackling and the smell of a new novel, I would love to be able to 'read' while driving in the car. Seems audio books are in my near future!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried audiobooks. But I know for a fact I'm a visual learner, not an audio one, so I don't know if they would 'work' for me. Even when studying languages, I needed to see the words written in order to make sense of them.
ReplyDeleteCinette- That is an interesting point. The only time I have trouble following an audiobook is when there are a lot of foreign names like in Count of Monte Cristo or War & Peace.
ReplyDeleteAnd when listening to non-fiction, I always figure I'll learn less than if I sat down and read the book...but since I might never read it if I don't listen then I figure it's still worth the time.