Talking Books

I have never really been able to get into listening to audio books. Most fans of audio books have told me that I just needed to find a reader that I liked and then I would be hooked. But I found a few readers that I liked and decided in the end I still preferred to read to myself.

That is what I thought until I recently had a quiet realization.

In that past I had tried to listen to books that I would normally just read to myself. What I now realize is that a good reader can make me like a book that I wouldn't like to read to myself.

It all started with the book Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford. Don't get me wrong, this is a good book and I probably would have enjoyed reading it but what really made this book great was the reader, Nick Podehl.

This was my first experience of listening to a book on my drive home and sitting in my driveway so I can finish a chapter.

After finishing Carter Finally Gets It, I immediately searched the catalog for more books read by Nick Podehl. The book I decided on was The Knife of never letting go by Patrick Ness.

My experience listening to this book is what confirmed my realization.

This is an interesting book with a really intriguing premise. What if everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts? You can't shut them out and you can't turn off your thoughts.

Despite this great concept, I know if I had tried to read it I would have stopped. I hated the main character. But Nick Podehl did such a great job reading that I got hooked through to the end.

So I will tell you what audio book fans have been telling me forever. Find a reader you like! You might end up enjoying books you wouldn't otherwise finish!