Nah, I’m not that stupid. So, I do the next best thing. I listen to someone else read a book out loud while I drive. I love reading, but frankly, these days I am too busy writing on my computer to focus on a physical book.
I began listening to books when I lived long ago in Worthington and commuted five days a week to the newsroom in Northampton, where I was an editor. It was a 35-to 45-minute drive depending on the time of day, traffic, and weather. That gave me plenty of time to get through a book pretty quickly.
I borrowed the audiobooks from our town library. The first I checked out was Stewart O’Nan’s The Odds about a couple in financial and marital trouble who go to a casino at Niagara Falls. It took me a bit to get used to the male narrator’s voice, but he kept me entertained, even doing a woman’s voice, during my commute — a successful experiment for certain. It was also better than listening to depressing news and commentary on the radio.
Then I took a long break from listening to books when we moved to New Mexico. I resumed my habit after we returned to Western Mass. and I commuted to newsrooms here. I am talking 60-hour work-weeks. Suffice it to say my reduced free time made me choose between writing books or reading them. Then I thought why not listen to them?
I still do even though I no longer have a commute, mostly in my car, but sometimes when I am so engaged in the story being told, while I cook dinner. During time I had a gym membership, I also listened to books. Of course, the big difference from the early years is that I can download an audiobook to my phone.
Do I love every book I listen to? No. There have been even a few I didn’t finish. It annoys the heck out of me when I use up a credit that way.
Besides being an engaging piece of writing, the voices of the narrators mean a great deal. Most recently my friend, Chelsea, recommended Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I was sold when I heard Michael Urie narrate the words by Marcellus the Octopus. (As for the movie version, I was so turned off by whoever was supposed to “play” Marcellus, I stopped watching. Besides Sally Field was not how I envisioned the character Tova, but that’s another story.)
There was also a time when I listened to language courses, including Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese.
The library on my phone includes: The Dive from Clausen’s Pier by Ann Pachet; Hatchet by Gary Paulsen; several of Allen Eskens’ mysteries; The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb; Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey; Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver; The Nickel Boys by Colons Whitehead; The Women and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah; James by Percival Everett.
My current book? Lessons in Chemistry by Boonie Garmus, as recommended by Chelsea.
So what about the books I wrote? I did record Professor Groovy and Other Stories with the help of my son, Nate, who has his own recording equipment. That’s the cover above. Only one hour and 11 minutes and 11 seconds, but it was a lot of work. As for my other books, I am working on it.
But in the meantime, have a good recommendation for an audiobook? Send it on. Thanks if you do.