Wednesday Words: Ear Candy

I have said for so long now that I'm not a fan of audiobooks, but today I confess to the Internet that I was so wrong. Well, not completely. Let's just say I'd like to modify my previous statement.

For those of you who don't know, SYNC is a program in its third summer making audiobooks available to download for free for one week. They pair a YA or middle grade novel with an adult story or play with similar themes and they're yours to keep as long as you remember to get them in time. This year has had more than a few titles I've either read or have been meaning to read, but still, audiobooks? I was skeptical. My first audiobook experience in grad school was a total dud. I hated the story, the narrator sounded all wrong, and since it was for a class I had to listen for hours and hours to the whole thing. Not fun.

But here's the caveat. Thanks to SYNC, I listened to the entire audiobook of Of Poseidon by Anna Banks. And I liked it. I'm about to start listening to The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater which I recently downloaded, and just the other day I finished listening to The Scorpio Races (also by Stiefvater) and wow. I've read that book before, but I fell in love all over again. The biggest thing that affected my change in opinion was the readers. The story of course has to be compelling, but if I don't like the reader, then I'll probably be too distracted to care for the story.

While I won't be spending the money and signing up for Audible any time in the foreseeable future (my library has a big enough collection to hold me over for quite a while), I do utilize it to preview the readers. I can tell pretty quickly if a voice actor sounds like a character to me, like I'm listening to theatre auditions or judging a speech tournament. If I think it will fit, then I have found myself a new companion for the long walks I like to take especially when the summer weather is cooperative. Other times, I love listening to stories while I knit/sew/clean/etc.

So if you people of the Internet have audiobooks that you highly recommend to a skeptic like me, tell me! I can't wait to keep listening.

Comments welcome, and, as always, happy reading!