May 2016

What’s your excuse for not reading? Are you too busy? Does reading printed words make your eyes tired? Have you considered listening to a book? Audiobooks provide many benefits.

When listening to a nonfiction book, I always learn something and tend to stay more focused. I recently finished “Jacqueline Kennedy Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy: Interviews with Arthur M. Schelsinger, Jr., 1964.” This audiobook was informative, but hearing Jacqueline Kennedy’s voice during the interviews was poignant and powerful.

I was inspired to clean closets while listening to “The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” by Marie Kondo. This book presents a guide to cleaning and organizing a living space, discussing best methods for decluttering and the impact that an organized home can have on mood and physical and mental health.

Audiobooks are engaging. Many audiobooks are read by the authors themselves. Library patron Phyllis Elliott enjoyed hearing author Mitch Albom read his book “The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto” and encouraged members of her book club to listen to the author share his work.

A good narrator will make a book come alive. If you are a fan of Diana’s Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series, you will enjoy listening to the adventures of Claire and Jamie as narrated by Davina Porter. In 2006 Porter was named Audie Winner for Best Female Narrator for “A Breath of Snow and Ashes.”

You can immerse yourself in another culture and learn the nuances of language when listening to an audiobook. A few of my favorites include “The Bone Setter’s Daughter” by Amy Tan, “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” by Alexander McCall Smith, “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri, and “Snowflower and the Secret Fan” by Lisa See.

The library has a wonderful collection of audiobooks available in several formats. You might enjoy borrowing a Playaway, a self-contained audiobook that weighs only two ounces. Donna Hunter, an avid reader, prefers listening to Playaways for several reasons.

“I enjoy listening to Playaways because they are so portable; just slip it in your pocket and use your ear buds and you're on your way. I use the library Playaways while gardening, walking, and cleaning, etc.  I sometimes linger at a task longer than I normally would because I just want to listen to one more chapter!  The Playaways available through the library cover a large range of authors and subjects and I have found that I have tried and enjoyed authors that I had previously not read.”

B.J. Cobb prefers downloading audiobooks to her iPod. She listens to audiobooks while walking, hiking and traveling. Her favorite authors include David Baldacci, Lee Child and Harlan Coben, but she also likes listening to the classics. One of her favorites is “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.”

For more information about audiobooks and other library resources, please contact the Village library at 928-284-1603 or email voc@sedonalibrary.org . Sit back, relax, and enjoy listening to your next great book!