Something I never thought I would do...

I love to read.  I have for as long as I can remember.  I would sneak and read in bed instead of going to sleep (a bright hallway light and good eyes).  I just love the feel of a book in my hands.  Packing 10 to go on a weeks vacation (because one never knows what sort of reading mood the vacation atmosphere might have).

I have been aware of audio books and ebooks-but never ever thought about "reading" them.  For me, the feel of a book in hand is part of my reading experience.  Also,  the thought of missing something because I was "distracted" by driving worried me.

Until recently.

Someone in my book club raved about the audiobook "To Kill a Mockingbird".  She offered it to me to listen to.  Read by Sissy Spacek (50th anniversary edition).  It. was. Amazing.  I had read the book and watched the movie in high school. After 2 discs I coerced my husband into listening to it.  He loved it. (and for him-who has read maybe a tenth of books I have in the 10+ years I have known him-that's a huge compliment) He caught up to me fairly quickly and several of my tweets that week were about the frustration of him holding the next disc hostage.

I have been hooked on audiobooks since then. Another favorite was The Bonesetter's daughter, by Amy Tan-and loved that it was read by 2 Chinese-Americans.  The accented English was perfect for it.

But I still passed on ebooks.  Last month my book club chose an older book to read.  When I checked the book out of the library I knew that I would have to read it in the free ebook form.  This is the worst time of year for my asthma and allergies-and the faint mustiness of the books was more than I could handle.  So I downloaded it and read it, with the book sitting next to me (I could not resist bookmarking my place each night to gauge my progress).  I have to say-I didn't mind the ebook format.  It would certainly solve my vacation issue (10 books is a lot of space!).

If you have been on the fence about audio books or ebooks as I was-don't be.  My audio book love has made my commute to and from work something to look forward to! 

I am listening to one of my favorite books right now-Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon. 

My recommendation-start with something smaller...something you may have read and liked (Highly recommend that 50t anniversary edition to To Kill A Mockingbird-I can't say enough about Sissy Spacek's narration.  Brilliant)