While I’m working, I usually listen to music on my iPod to help pass the time. It makes the mundane tasks go by a lot quicker and it helps them not be as boring. Yesterday, however, I started doing something new.
As I mentioned in the post Tagged by Leah Marie, I’ve never listened to a book on tape/CD. I decided to check the local library to see if they had the audiobooks for the Harry Potter series and the Twilight Saga. They do, but there’s a very long wait for them. Luckily, one of my friends let me borrow the Harry Potter series so I could put it on my iPod to see if I liked listening to audiobooks. I didn’t want to spend $40 (for one book) just to realize I didn’t like listening to them.
Anyway, I’m now over halfway through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I’m finding it very refreshing to listen to the audiobook. I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep track of the story in my head very well with my mind wandering and I also thought I’d be bugged with the pronunciations of some of the names/words in the books. However, because I know the story so well, I don’t need to concentrate very hard to keep track of the story and the only pronunciation that I don’t like is Hagrid’s first name, but I can deal with that. ;) Also, I’ve been wanting to re-read the series since I’ve only read Deathly Hallows once, but I have so many other books I want to read that I keep pushing them aside. Now, I can keep reading the other books I want to and listen to Harry Potter at the same time. Once I get to Order of the Phoenix, I’ll probably read rather than listen to rest of the series because I don’t know those books as well.
I’m not sure if I can listen to a book I’ve never read because I think I’d miss too much. I may venture to other books in the future, but for now, I’ll settle for listening to the Harry Potter series and the Twilight Saga.
I’m not sure how to keep track of listening to the audiobooks because I don’t think it counts as reading the actual book. I also don’t like to add several versions of the same book to my shelves on Shelfari or Goodreads. (I’m very much a perfectionist and neat-freak in that sense.) I’m in a bit of a conundrum, but I’m sure I’ll figure something out. ;)
Jenni, I’m the same way. I had a hard time with audiobooks at first (and Harry was my first also) but now I’ve come to really love listening to them. I have to do books that I’ve read before, otherwise I get too distracted and end up missing too much but I’ve found that I get such a different understanding of the books when i listen to them. The two books I ‘Read” for the first time only via audio were disasters. But for my familiar books it’s had many benefits. I got so much more of Edward’s side out of listening then I do when I read. And I came to understand many nuances to the Host I missed when reading it when I listened to the audiobook.
I love the narrator for the Harry Potter books on tape! I hope you enjoy them.
I listen to audio books while I’m working out. It really helps pass the time better. Glad you’re having a good experience.
HAHA! I’m doing the same thing at work. I’ve already listened to first two and I’m getting ready to start Prisoner of Azkaban today.
Did you know that the narrator (Jim Dale) of the book is the guy from Pete’s Dragon? The one who couldn’t say Passamaquaddy. Just wanted to know if you knew.
Love you!
Ha! I can totally hear that it’s him. “El, El, El. Dra, Dra, Dra!” :lol: