Audio Addiction

So recently I’ve found a new addiction. Audio Books. I’ve tried them in the past without much success but found I got bored or the narrators irritated the hell out of me. The boredom came from me feeling disconnected from the reading experience. When I read a book I see it in my head like a movie and when I tried to listen to one it just didn’t take my imagination away the same way. I got distracted, my mind wandered. If you add to that a voice that irritated me or just didn’t match the character in my mind then it’s no wonder I lost patience. Recently though, with their increasing popularity, I decided to give them another try.

I don’t know what’s changed, whether the older me is just not as easily distracted but this time I’m enjoying the experience. I like to listen to them when I get ready for the day or cook or even in my hour-long journey to and from work. Maybe I just lucked out this time in finding a series and narrator that matched my own vision long enough to hook me. I started with the J.D. Robb In Death series, read by Susan Erickson. Don’t get me wrong, in my exploration of audible I have found a lot of books I just couldn’t listen to. Thoroughly Australian books read in an American accent, voices so boring the books would send me straight to sleep. Some that I found myself feeling sorry for the authors they were so bad. I also haven’t listened any books I haven’t already read. Maybe that would change my perception, that way the characters wouldn’t be quite so fixed in my head. As I reach the end of the In Death books I’ve expanded my collection and this month I did end up buying some Nora Roberts titles that I own but haven’t gotten round to reading yet. I’m kinda looking forward to the experience. How about you? Have you ventured into the ebook market yet? Are you are reader or a writer, or both? Are you hooked? Or did you throw them back?