When I Don't Have Time To Read, I Listen
One of the side-effects of adding writing into my life has
been a severe shortage of time. My house is now dusty, my laundry is always backed
up, and homemade meals are a thing of the past. Another place I’ve felt the
time pinch is in my reading time. I used to spend hours reading. I used to read
for an hour before bed every night. All that is gone. And I miss books. I miss
stories.
So I started listening to books. It took me a little while
to re-calibrate to listening instead of reading, but it’s a way for me to keep
books in my busy busy busy life.
I listen to books while I’m getting ready for work in the
morning. I plug my iPhone into a speaker and listen while I shower and get
ready for the day. I plug my phone into my car and listen for the 7 minutes it
takes me to get to work. And when I get home, I listen while I’m doing
housework or dishes or laundry or cooking.
One thing I’ve learned about audio books… The narrator is
just as important as the words on the page. A crappy narrator makes it
impossible to keep listening to a book. I’ve stopped listening to awesome
novels because the narrator’s voice as like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Santino
Fontana who narrates YOU and HIDDEN BODIES by Caroline Kepnes does an
AMAZING job. He becomes Joe Goldberg. If you enjoy thrillers and audio books—don’t
miss out on those books.
And a few weeks back, I heard just one sentence from my novel
RACE THE DARKNESS being narrated by Roger Wayne. I got chills! I almost cried.
And it was just one sentence! I absolutely can’t wait to hear the whole thing!
Do you listen to books?
What are some of your favorites?
Abbie Roads writes dark emotional novels featuring damaged
characters, but always gives her hero and heroine a happy ending… after
torturing them for three hundred pages. Her debut novel, a dark romantic thriller, RACE THE DARKNESS is on
pre-order now. Be sure to join her NEWSLETTER
for exclusive content and secret giveaways. And you can always join ABBIE’S
DANGEROUSLY DARK DARLINGS Group on Facebook.
I listen to audio books constantly. I listen while walking the dog, walking home after dropping my daughter off at school, cleaning, driving around. I love audio books. I only have a little time in the evenings to read, so I wouldn't get much reading in if not for audio books.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Audiobooks are life savers for the time crunched who loved to read!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, Abbie. I love, love, love audio books. While doing things around the house or walking the dog or a long ride in the car. You are absolutely right about the narrator. Some just read the script before them without any emotion, or the transition between characters is not realistic. A good narrator can make a bad book sound good.
ReplyDeleteHi Barb!
ReplyDeleteI love your line "A good narrator can make a bad book sound good." So true! I find that I'm usually more forgiving in audiobook format if the book is not the greatest, but the narrator is really good.