Audiobook Essay

I was catching up on by backlog of NY Times Book Reviews and I saw this essay by John Schwartz about his love of audiobooks.

2 things I want to point out about his essay.

1. Schwartz mentions how awesome Ready Player One is to listen to.  I also commented on this in my review.  Seriously, if you only ever try 1 audiobook, this is the one to go for.  I can't imagine a better way to experience this book.  Schwartz talked to Cline about it for his essay and Cline agrees that Wheaton's narration made his novel better.
2. Schwartz mentions how he listens to audiobooks while exercising and how that equates to about 7 hours a week--way more than he spends reading print.  I second this.  I listen while exercising and cleaning the house--especially when I am doing dishes, laundry and vacuuming-- all things I cannot do while reading.  In fact, my house is probably only as clean as it is because I get to "read" while cleaning and straightening.  But it also means I listen to a book at least 20 hours a week. That's a lot of reading.

I am still surprised by the number of avid reads who I encounter who systematically dismiss audiobooks as not for them.  If you are one of these people, give an audiobook a try, or at the very least, read Schwartz's essay.  It is bound to inspire you.  In fact, if you read the essay, you will see which best selling author Schwartz inspired to become, "a new convert to the power of auiodbooks."

Also, if you ever want to listen to a sample of any audiobook, click on over to Audible.com.  They have the easiest interface to search for and listen to excerpts. Yes, it is own by Amazon, but I didn't say you had to buy anything.  Just use them for their free excerpts and customer reviews.