While it's true that I read while driving (while stuck in traffic on a local bridge where I can easily read a chapter during the rush-hour crossing), I've also begun to "read" while I'm driving down expressways at 65 mph. Yup, it's audio books.
I'm convinced that some books are better listened to than read. Here are some recent favorites:
SHADOW DIVERS. As if death underwater (both during WWII and current risky diving expeditions off New Jersey) isn't exciting enough, this book's New Jersey tough-guy accents are riveting. Yikes.
OUT STEALING HORSES. The book's account of a young Norwegian boy's life-changing summer in 1948 (with flashbacks to the WWII Nazi occupation of his country) is powerful and beautifully written. It's even better when read by a narrator who makes you feel the story with a great performance/delivery.
THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON. I started the book and was bored, so I borrowed the CDs from the library so I could finish the book more quickly. WOW. It wasn't until I heard it read that I realized it was a very ironically funny and absurdist story. Great to listen to (what was I thinking while reading it?)
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I have to admit that I used to think listening books to on tape was cheating, but I am more inclined to use them after my recent trip to Philadelphia. Since I made the trip up and back alone, I decided to download 2 books on tape: "Sex and the City" by Candice Bushnell and "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. While they did make my trip seem faster, I'm not sure yet how much I like them. Bushnell's book is broken into small chapters that don't really relate to each other, so it was confusing to grasp what was going on for the first 30 minutes. David Sedaris narrates his own book, which is interesting, but I found that I enjoyed it more when I read it myself. I am not giving up on books on tape, but I think I'll narrow my choices to books that I know I won't read and ones that have normal chapters.
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