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The Audiobook Biblio.com Staff
Being an adventurer these days is hard work, but it's easier with headphones. My form of adventuring tends to be wandering the trails around our beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. As warmer weather and sunny skies draw me outside on my days off work, I realize I have less time to spend with my favorite books.
Reading and active time don't seem to be well matched, but I've discovered a solution: audiobooks! I'd long ago discovered the beauty of audiobooks to take the edge off of commuter traffic, but I only recently realized that audiobooks are the perfect company on the trail and in the garden. While allowing me more time to keep up on books and pass some time, some audiobook presentations have surprised me by providing a new dimension to an already great read. A portable CD or tape player, and every moment of gardening, walking, or any warm weather pastime can be accompanied by a great story.
Take, for example, Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, a more humorous account of the author's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail. Bryson, who reads his own work in the audiobook, has a voice perfectly matched to his work. His years living in England have given him a British accent that gives the perfect punctuation to his understated humor. Try listening to this book while walking in the woods, or even strolling the neighborhood.
John Steinbeck's classic Travels with Charley, read by actor Gary Sinise, is great company for any spring road trips. Steinbeck's journey in search of America with his dog Charley is a poignant contrast to most modern high-speed hurtles past highway markers. Steinbeck seems to have enjoyed the journey, rather than a pursuit of destination. I've found this helps change my perspective on long drives, slowing me down, and imparting some patience.
A few things to consider when choosing an audiobook:
Don't always count on your favorite book making a good listen. Sometimes the audio version is just as good as the book, but the way that the reader presents a book can affect the tone of the story. The experience of hearing a book read vs. reading is a very different thing. Try choosing an audiobook of a book that you may not have intended to read.
Choose an audiobook that matches what you will be doing while listening. I personally love listening to adventure travel stories while walking in the woods to give drama to a day's hike.
Look at who is reading the story. Often audiobooks are major productions these days, using famous actors. If you know from experience that you don't like the actor's voice, you aren't likely to want to listen to them for hours of an unabridged audiobook.
Stephen Bakes brings more than 14 years of experience in bookselling. For nine years prior to coming to Biblio in 2005, he operated a large brick-and-mortar used bookstore, and has been involved with internet bookselling since its inception.
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