Audio books

I have a confession to make - I don't like audio books. Even as a kid, as soon as my reading speed outpaced the speed of our Sesame Street book-and-tape sets (and one awesome Popeye book-and-record), I preferred to read things myself. 
In the past decade I've attempted maybe 8 audios. Some were absolute torture, like when I forced myself to sit through three incredibly dry tracks of The Fellowship of the Ring. Even dynamic audios (Hello Redwall and Junie B. Jones) didn't hold up against the dozens of distractions around me. If I just sat and listened I felt like I needed to be doing something with my hands. As soon as my hands started moving, though, I lost track of what was happening in the book. The only audio I managed to listen to in it's entirety was Love that Dog. The audio version of Love that Dog is 35 minutes long. And I almost didn't finish it. And I love Love that Dog. 
Then came the 48 Hour Book Challenge. I really wanted to participate and I wanted to put in as much time as I could even though I had to work and had other things that needed to get done. I figured I could maximize my time if I included an audio book in my stack. I took a gamble with the audio of Eleanor & Park, a book I had adored when I read it originally. So, this weekend, I made two discoveries*.
     1. If it's really important to me I can, in fact, focus on an audio book even when doing other things. I have to really try, but I can do it.
     2. When you listen to an audio book at night, in the dark, lying in bed, the audio becomes your whole world. It's fully immersing. It's like a friend whispering in your ear. 

Given the experience of this weekend, I think I need to give audios another chance.


*Also, discovery two and a half
It's really funny when your audio book develops a skip in the middle of the f-word so all you hear as you walk down the cereal aisle of the grocery store is "fu-fu-fu-fu-fu"

Finish Line

This pretty much concludes my participation in the 48 hour reading challenge.

I read and reviewed a total of 13 books.

My completed stack

And the books I didn't get to

I read and reviewed for 35 hours and 31 minutes. 

I've really enjoyed this experience. I read stuff that I might otherwise have ignored and finally finished an audio book. What a great challenge!

Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities

Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities is a twist on the classic superhero story. Think a variation on Captain Marvel. It's a case of superhero obsession paying off for Vincent, George, and Max, self-proclaimed experts in Captain Stupendous. While the plot mostly follows a predictable arc, complete with mad scientist, it's pretty entertaining and takes time to consider gender roles and our preconceived notions about heroes.

Eleanor and Park

Even though I've read Eleanor & Park before, I knew I wanted this one to be my audio book selection for this weekend. I'm not a huge fan of audio books (more on that tomorrow) but really enjoyed this one. Both readers are dynamic and add another dimension to the story. I especially loved Park's mother. I loved her when I read the book the first time but on the audio - man, I was cracking up at times. So, even if you've already read this one listen to the audio. It's well worth the time.

The Sound of Letting Go

Daisy's brother Steven is severely autistic. Most of her life she's had to help take care of him. Her family's entire routine is centered around Steven and what he enjoys/tolerates. Now that he is thirteen, though, they wonder if home is the best place for him. And there is a lot of guilt around the idea that sending him away might be the best thing for them. 

My general opinion of verse novels is that there needs to be a very clear reason why they are, in fact, verse novels. You can't just toss in some short lines and call it poetic. This book has a real sense of careful word choice giving it a contemplative feel.

Chained

Chained is the story of Hastin, a ten-year-old boy who goes to work for an elephant show in the jungle to pay off his family's medical debts. Hastin forms a bond with the elephant in his care as well as Ne Min, the show's cook. If you've read Eliot Schrefer's Threatened, the tone of this book will be familiar to you. There's a real sense of connectivity to nature in general and to elephants in specific. This is a good one for discussion with young readers.

I Funny

I've read James Patterson's books before (mostly the Maximum Ride series) and I've never been a big fan. I did enjoy this one though. It's very light-hearted, encourages us to laugh at ourselves. The final scene, were Jamie does a short routine at the rehab facility, was a little cheesy but a nice ending to the story. While I prefer a book with more character development this was a nice, light read. It might be a good beach read.