Adventures in Audio Books

Although several RT staff members are big audiobook fans, I was never quite convinced of their appeal. To be fair, the first and only time I'd ever listened to an audiobook was during a 14-hour drive that was part of a family vacation I took when I was about 13. I listened to V.C. Andrews' FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC (when I wasn't busy pelting my brother with Cheetos). To be honest, the whole experience left me feeling rather nauseous. Of course, my tendency toward carsickness, the sheer amount of Cheetos I'd eaten, and VC Andrews' rather adult plotline were probably in large part to blame for my queasiness.

And so, when I came across a copy of Alyson Noel's YA blockbuster EVERMORE on audiobook, I figured I should give the aural format another whirl. After all, I hadn't eaten (or thrown) Cheetos in years. Plus, I planned on listening to the book on my walk to work, the better to rule out carsickness.

And, wow! I was really impressed. Not only did listening to the book make my walk to work seem far faster than usual, it was a great way to carve out some extra "reading" time in my day. I loved listening to Katie Schorr's interpretation of Noel's story, and getting to meet Ever and her friends through my ears instead of my eyes was a really interesting and different experience for this die-hard reader.



If you've never tried an audiobook but are interested in checking one out, we at RT are running a contest right now with MacMillion audio. E-mail elissa@rtbookreviews.com with a reason why you would like to win a free copy of P.C. And Kristin Cast's HUNTED on audiobook. And to get your ears ready, listen to this podcast with P.C. as she talks about her series:

HUNTED interview and first chapter (right-click the link to save)
18 minute MP3 file - 8.3 MB

Elissa