One of my reading challenges last year was to listen to 3 audiobooks. I listened to none.
But I think I’ve discovered a way to warm up to them: listening to them with the kids. I am reading a lot of King Arthur material with my six year old these days, and I’ve been a bit frustrated with the fact that I have several pronunciations rattling around in my head for the characters and place names. (Tintagel: where is the accent? hard g or soft g? I’ve heard it so many ways.) When I asked at the library for a pronunciation guide, we could not find one, but the very clever librarian suggested borrowing some books about Arthur on cd. Perfect solution, in so many ways.
My son was rapt. He listened to both cds of the story, read by Sean Bean of Boromir fame, in one sitting. And I sat too. And loved it.
Now, I will admit, I did fall asleep for some of it, but falling asleep to someone else reading is far preferable to falling asleep while I read aloud. Believe me, it is possible to read aloud and sleep at the same time. I’ve done it. I’ll just close my eyes, I’ll think, and read the rest of this sentence with my eyes shut, and the next thing I know I’m speaking gibberish while I sleep. I wake to the kids nudging me and basically saying WTF?
Nap included, then, this was a wonderful audiobook experience, and we now have several more on hold. And the avid boy is now on his second time through the story.
Nathalie Foy 