I finally “read” an audiobook.
I maintain my opinion that “reading” an audiobook is “cheating” and is not reading. They are fine, but they are not reading. I mean, if you listen to a podcast, educational as it might be, you don’t say that you are reading.
I was resting my eyes after eye surgery, so I decided to try an audiobook. I fell asleep near the beginning of the first two I tried, so I figured this pastime was not for me. I know audiobooks are useful when you are driving a long distance; I would hope I wouldn’t fall asleep listening to an audiobook driving. But since I was resting, it was easy to fall asleep. Then I found one that kept me awake. Well, not quite. I did manage to fall asleep several times during the several days it took me to finish it, and I would have to go back and replay parts of it. I may still have missed a few parts even though I finished it.
And I sobbed during the last part of the book. I don’t recall ever sobbing when reading a print or ebook. So I thought maybe the format of hearing it played out was more effective in grabbing one’s emotions. That made sense to me. Then I looked on Goodreads, and many people who had read the book had cried. I wonder if I would have cried if I had simply read the book, instead of hearing it. Hmmm……
In any case, I gave the book five stars, and I am recommending it to you. I had recently heard of Colleen Hoover, but I had never read her. Then I heard she has been just about the top-selling author for the past couple of years. I have a couple of her ebooks on my Kindle right now, and I have started one. The audiobook was Memories of Him, and I loved it.
I have read a few other good books lately. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is a popular book right now. I got about halfway through, and the library grabbed it off my Kindle because it was due. Only two weeks and no renewals on library ebooks. So I am trying very hard to remember something about it because I do really want to finish it. I am once again on the waiting list at the library.
The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak was worth five stars to me, but I don’t remember a thing about it — except I thought it was an odd title for the book because it really wasn’t about a library — although I can’t remember what it was about. Ah! I just looked it up. It is more of a murder mystery.
The First Ladies by Marie Benedict is a novel based on a true story about the close decades-long friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. Another five-star read.
And then, I would recommend Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara, which I read for an online book club. It takes place in 1944 Chicago and deals with the internment of a Japanese family and the mysterious death of one of the daughters.
I would maybe “read” another audiobook if I can get it free. I get my books either from the library or from Kindle Unlimited. I love to buy books, but I cannot justify the purchase unless the book is by an author I know.
Happy Reading!
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