The Joys of Audiobooks!

Maggie Gram’s “Listening to Books” admirably covers virtually all the pros and cons of listening to books being read to you vs. reading them yourself. And she manages to cover part of the history of audiobooks as well.

We especially like the fact that Gram acknowledges that some books are better read with the eyes than the ears – and, importantly, vice versa. And that the skill of an audiobook’s narrator is absolutely crucial to the quality of the listener’s experience.

Many people don’t realize that public libraries stock audiobooks (on both CDs, mp3 players, and cassettes) as well as printed books – and that many titles are available in all these formats. There are also audiobooks available (some free of charge) via the Internet, either directly or through the library system’s website.

If you’ve never listened to an audiobook, why not experiment with listening to one? You may be pleasantly surprised. After all, didn’t you enjoy being read to when you were a child?

Found at n+1 via The New Yorker’s Book Bench

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