Books on Tape

I've tried listening to more books on tape this fall, and I must say it's created tons of positive reinforcement for all the driving I do.  I get to listen to a bit more of the story anytime I get in the car.  It's especially helpful when I don't want to stress out to or from school.  I can wake up or unwind very easily.


Currently I'm listening to Native Son by Richard Wright.  The narrator is riveting, creating quirks and personality for the characters with his many voices.  I remember listening to The Cuckoo's Child by Suzanne Freeman multiple times when I was young.  I loved the young narrator who read the story and could picture the setting and characters easily as she spun them.  Reading outloud was (and still, embarrassingly, is) a way for me to get into stories.  I think I am probably more auditory than I think, perhaps needing to get started in a novel by hearing the character's names and the story's places.


A running total this fall:

Wicked- please don't read OR listen to this...horrible.

The Lacuna

The Bean Trees- both by the masterful Barbara Kingsolver.  They are musts.

Where the Red Fern Grows- yep, cried in the car on the way to school one morning as it was finishing up.

The Glass Castle- unbelievable memoir.

Native Son

The Chaska Public Library has not had the greatest selection for books on tape, but I grab the things I recognize even I'm not in the mood for them at the time.  Each book is between 10 and 20 hours, and it's interesting how much of a part-time job driving is when you consider how fast those hours in the car add up!