Monday, October 19, 2009

A Manic Monday

Usually for Mondays we participate in the meme for Library Loot. I have a serious case of the book blues this Monday. The shocking truth is that I have nothing checked out from the library right now! Last week I started The Grapes of Wrath and I seriously only made it about 10 pages before I put it down. I read it once before, in college, but I really just skimmed it so I could write a paper on it and when I sat down to read it for fun, well it was just too heavy for me. Then my copy of Gone finally became available at the library and I was excited to start reading it, but last night I put it down also. I was haunted by the fact that all the adults disappear and by the 4th chapter a 5 year old girl has died and another 5 year old boy is clutching his blanket asking for his mother and all I could picture was my own 5 year old and it was just not enjoyable for me. So I went back to the sappy love story that I've read before and that I borrowed from my mom's book collection so you can see that I'm in a pickle. I have no idea what to read next to get me out of this funk. If you have suggestions please leave me one!

Since I have nothing to offer by way of Library Loot, I thought I'd put forth a discussion question. I saw a commercial over the weekend for Audible.com. Have you heard of it? It's an online book store, for lack of a better word, where you pay a membership and can stream audio books to your listening device of choice. For some reason this just makes me sad. I love holding a book. I love looking at the cover. I love that when I read, the words and characters become a part of me because I hear them in my head and not because someone is reading it to me. Kath loves the smell of books so much that she wants to make a perfume of the scent. So dear blog reader I have two questions.

Do you listen to audio books? If so, Why?

Would you ever or do you own a Kindle?

Again, the Kindle seems neat but it just makes me sad for some reason. It would solve my problem of storing books though.

5 comments:

  1. 1) I've only listened to two audiobooks (Goose Girl, River Secrets). A friend told me that they listened to books while they worked out and I thought it was a good idea. I've tried watching TV or listening to music, but sometimes get bored. I actually really enjoyed listening to books though, it made me work out a little longer and made the time pass quickly. I listened to Goose Girl first, they had different people reading the different characters, so it was like listening to a play. It was a lot of fun.

    2) I do want a Kindle! Like you though, I LOVE holding a book, smelling the new pages, etc. I just dont have the room right now to hold all the books that I want to buy. With Kindle most books are only $10, and you can read the first 2-3 chapters and return it if you dont like it. I have mixed feelings though. I think I would really need to hold one and play with it before I dropped the $400 for it, plus I want one that comes in color!

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  2. Oh yeah, I was going to say that I had checked out Gone and started reading...I only got one chapter in though. I dont know if I will give it another try, it just didnt suck me in and it seemed really long.

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  3. I like reading books and holding books, and buying books. I think Kindle's are pretty neat, but I would still prefer a beautiful hardcover to a hand-held reading device.:)
    As for audio books, I have a hard time with them. The only ones I truly like are the Harry Potter books because Jim Dale is amazing at bringing the characters to life! I prefer reading though. I like imagining what the characters sound like in my head.

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  4. First of all, good on ya for attempting The Grapes of Wrath. I read that in university and, boy, was it a heavy read. I resented Steinbeck for the whole summer. :P

    I feel quite the same way as you towards ebooks or whatever they're called. I stare at the computer all day long which hurts my eyes after a while so I like to relax by looking at a page in a book. I can't imagine doing that with a Kindle (as environmentally friendly they'd be compared to books). I can never get into a story without physically being able to touch it, smell it, hold it in my hands and losing my bookmark down the side of the chair!

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  5. You know, I've really come to enjoy audiobooks. I didn't used to listen to them, but they are especially useful when you have housework or need your hands free, but not necessarily your mind. I will never give up my hard copy, page filled books, but they have their place.

    Same thing for e-books. I've read a few and while I'm not crazy about the format, they come in handy when I'm stuck at my computer, but don't have much to do. So, I probably would love a Kindle or other reader, but may not get one for a while (what with price and all).

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