Fasten your seatbelts, readers. I'm pretty certain this post is going to get some of you pretty riled up, but I've recently gone through an epiphany, and I'm going to bare my soul and share it here. In 2006 when my husband and I relocated across the country, I purged a giant portion of my books. In fact, I only hung onto the tomes that I knew I would read again, crying a little as I parted with the bulk of my childhood books and many of my other favorites. I’ve been carrying books around with me since I left my parents’ home, and throughout my life my books have provided me comfort, in addition to hours of entertainment.
But the wheel turns and attitudes change. Lately (oh, this is difficult to write) my favorite way to get story doesn’t involve a book at all. I hereby declare myself an audiophile. I adore audio books. There’s nothing like being read to by a professional reader, and audiobooks let me go about my day-to-day activities, like cleaning house and exercising, all the while listening to my favorite book. Although I have a well loaded Kindle, and I do read on it occasionally, lately I’m getting my story via audio.
Industry pundits say that audio books are experiencing unprecedented growth. Now, more than ever, there are choices galore and all kinds of content available. As I wondered why I felt such guilt over abandoning the physical books which I’ve loved forever, I realized it doesn’t matter how we get our story, how we absorb the words and sentences that take us to new worlds and expand our minds. Be it physical books, e-books, or audio books, at the end of the day it’s really about a tightly woven plot that resolves in a satisfying way and character relationships that involve us emotionally.
As I curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, headphones at the ready, I like to think that listening to a book is teaching me to use my brain in different ways, to focus on what I hear, and to make me a better listener. I will always have a soft spot for books, of hours spent in bookstores, of the smell of bound volumes, and of the way physical books enhanced my life will always be dear. I’ve just moved on and embraced a new way to get my story.
How about you? Are you attached to physical books? Do you like listening to audio books? Drop and a comment and let me know.
Happy reading (or listening), everyone.
Terry
