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Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Reading out loud: Audiobooks as an Alternative

by Cristina Ramos-Payne on 2021-02-18T10:00:00-05:00 in Adults, Children, Library Information, What To Read | 0 Comments

There are weeks when I am too busy to read, especially times of the year when I’m doing a lot of baking, or traveling. Those are the best times for checking out an audiobook. For me, audiobooks help to get in some reading time when I can’t read, because the chores need to come first. Baking dozens of cookies? Listen to an audiobook! Taking a long drive? Listen to an audiobook! Exercising? Listen to an audiobook! Folding laundry? Listen to an audiobook!

Some of my favorite books to listen to are biographies and children’s fiction, but I have also listened to some adult fiction. Trevor Noah’s Born a CrimeRick Riordan’s Trials of Apollo series, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, and Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower are books that are read well by either the author or a single narrator. (Note: Except for Born a Crime, the title links here go to the eAudiobooks. For the CD audiobooks, click on the book covers below.)

When my kids were younger, I also enjoyed several of the audiobooks from Bruce Coville’s Magic Shop book, including Juliet Dove Queen of Love, performed by Full Cast Audio. I imagine listening to a cast perform a book is similar to the experience of old time radio serials.  For me, the advantage of a cast is that it is easier to distinguish different characters. I have listened to some books with a single narrator that did not have a strong vocal range. It’s easy to lose track of who’s talking when everyone sounds the same.

There are so many choices for listening to audiobooks. If you don't want to deal with changing CDs, you can download ebooks from our eLibrary. Audiobooks are accessible from Libby, Hoopla, and the Cloud Library. Whether you choose a CD audiobook or download one to your mobile device, it’s a great way to get in your reading time when you can’t sit with a book!

      


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