I’ll be the first to admit, I used to never listen to audiobooks.
No, seriously. I really really disliked listening to them. So I just avoided them. I wasn’t one of those readers who loudly shouted that they didn’t count as reading or anything, I just didn’t like listening to them so I didn’t touch them.
I always felt that audiobooks were too slow. The narrators were dry and dull. The spoken word never brought images to my mind the way traditional reading did. I much preferred to read an actual print book, or at least a book on whatever eReader I had at the time.
Well, this all changed this year. When I decided to read through all of the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, I knew I was in for it. That’s fifteen books, not counting the two spinoffs series and the tie in series. Something quickly had to give because it was taking far too long to read through everything. I just didn’t have the time to read 20-something books this year, not with working and other commitments.
On a whim, I logged onto my library’s eLibrary app and discovered that the entire Camp Half-Blood Chronicles were available in audiobook form. I made the decision to just go ahead and give it a try one day on my way to work. If I didn’t like it, I could go back to my music.
I ended up really enjoying it!
One of the things I really liked was that I could speed up the narrator. If I felt like a scene was going beyond too slow, I can slightly increase the reading speed and I’d cut through the time. I also liked that, at least in the case of these books, the narrator really got into it. Several times I caught when the narrator had to pause. It’s pretty interesting.
It’s been my saving grace for every Monday morning and afternoon drive to and from Los Angeles. I can listen to a good book (and currently make snarky responses to everything Apollo say).
To me, it ended up being worth it. Your mileage may very, of course. But or me, it worked perfectly.
Until next time! (When I’m actually awake from my nap)
