Audio books and I have a love-hate relationship. If the narrator is good, it’s a wonderful experience. But it does have a downside: listening to an audio book takes way longer than simply reading it. I started listening to The Swerve three weeks ago. The listening time is 9.7 hours. Little by little, I chipped away at it, a half hour here, a half hour there. But, before I could finish The Swerve, it won the National Book Award for Best Non-Fiction Book. The Swerve tells the story of book hunter, Poggio Bracciolini, who 600 years ago found a rare copy of De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things), composed by the first century BC Roman writer Lucretius. Lucretius wrote that the world was composed of atoms, that we should live to pursue pleasure, that there were no gods. As you can guess, On the Nature of Things became the object of banning by the Catholic Church. Greenblatt shows how this single book, lost for hundreds of years, had a profound effect on scientists and thinkers in the 15th Century. If you’re a fan of intellectual history, you’ll love The Swerve. GRADE: A
I feel the same about audio books. You can’t really do something else while listening or you’ll miss too much. The best was probably Frank McCourt reading his own ANGELA’S ASHES.
I have a set of CDs where John Le Carre narrates ABSOLUTE FRIENDS, Jeff. I’ll give that a try. Diane and I have listened to the Harry Potter books on CD. Jim Dale is fabulous.
I use them when I am cleaning. Carry the boombox from room to room. Other than that, no.
I listened to THE SWERVE on my computer, Patti. I find I can answer email or work on my blog while listening to audio books. Diane cleans like you do: boombox from room to room.
Jim Dale is one of the best.
Patti, I know many people who listen to them on long drives but I prefer music.
I’m with you, Jeff. When I’m driving, I prefer music…upbeat music to keep me sharp.