No Time for Books?

I know a lot of people who don't read books. Some are friends, some are relatives, and some are coworkers. Many of them have college degrees. I could list their names here but that would be mean and it still wouldn't make them pick up a book and read it. They all have a reason for not reading. They tell me they are too busy. They often read magazines, or the newspaper. But they never sit down with a book in their hands and read it from the beginning to the end. Never.

I think this is very sad. Those who don't read are missing out on some amazing adventures. But more importantly, they are wrong about the time needed to read a book. Reading does not have to take much time at all. There are millions of audio books--and you can borrow them at the library for nothing. You don't even have to visit the library, you can download them from the library's website and then add them to your iPod. You can listen to them while driving to work, exercising, or folding the laundry. Seriously, what else are you going to do while folding laundry? Listen to Lady Gaga?

For those who own a Kindle, there are books that are speech enabled. The Kindle can read the books to you. You can dust the living room or crochet an afghan while listening to the latest Janet Evanovich novel. Better yet, you can listen one of my novels.

Books are special. Every book allows the reader to enter into someone else's mind. Please get into a book soon. It really doesn't take any time at all.

Audio or Print?

I’ve tried audio books very few times. Once on a long trip to Florida there was a non-fiction book both my husband and I agreed might be interesting to both of us. It did keep us entertained, but it wasn’t long enough for the entire trip. Subsequently, I borrowed a few audio books from the library and found listening to them gave me a better feel for the author’s style. Some authors tend to use more dialogue, while some are more inclined to go heavier on the narrative. Most of all, listening to a book rather than reading it, helped to get chores finished in a pleasant manner.

And yet I missed seeing the words. For me, sitting down and reading a book is a most delightful activity. It doesn’t matter if it’s an ebook or a paper book. I devour every single word with my eyes, lingering over clever phrases, and joyfully smiling when I see an old word word now rarely used.

Pelican Book Group who publishes my sweet and Christian romances under the Prism Book Group imprint, has published many books as audio books. I decided to try a trial subscription one night and listened to Clare Revell’s Carnations in January, an intriguing romance set in England. I got out my yarn winder, tied together my many scraps of yarn, and made several yarn cakes. I’m making another Magic Cake shawl with all those leftover pieces of yarn.

It took me a while to get used to the narrator’s voice with her British accent, but after a while I felt as if I was there—in England—as the author related the tale of the two protagonists. I had an enjoyable evening and accomplished far more than if I had simply sat down and read the book.

But I still missed seeing the words. I like to go back sometimes and reread the good parts. I like to savor the brilliant descriptions. Of course, I can listen to the audiobook again, but it's more difficult to find the parts I like best.

Now, Smashwords is offering authors an audiobook service. I'm thinking of signing up and having some of my older books in audio versions.

What do you think of audio books? Do you listen to them? Which would you be more inclined to buy--an audio book or a print book?