Summer Reading: Try an audiobook!
By Angela Reynolds
Summer is such a good time to read. It is also a great time to get outside work done — painting the house, weeding the garden, finishing up those building projects, mowing the lawn. When I think of chores, I automatically think of audiobooks. Every time I see my garage doors, I remember the book I was listening to when I painted them (Cinder by Marissa Meyer). My back porch was painted while I listened to Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.
Audiobooks are great for long drives as well. Taking a summer trip? Grab an audiobook to make the drive go by. If you have a gang of teens travelling with you, grab a copy of Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens for lots of laughs. And please don’t think you have to have teens along to listen to that one. It is hilarious (but not for younger kids). For adults I always recommend anything by David Sedaris. Just saying his name makes me laugh.
Kids can get into audiobooks too. Try a classic like Anne of Green Gables, Winnie the Pooh, or the Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter. The whole family can enjoy these books as you travel around this summer.
For school-aged readers, I can recommend Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan and The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Both of these audiobooks are award winners, and once you listen to them, you’ll know why.
I also have favourite narrators. I would listen to Jim Dale read just about anything. He did a fabulous job on the Harry Potter books, and his voices are just amazing. Katherine Kellgren, Simon Vance, Jayne Entwistle, Jorjeana Marie, and Allan Corduner are all excellent narrators. Tim Curry read the Lemony Snicket books and I loved them with his voice.
And don’t let anyone tell you that listening to a book is not reading. It is just reading with your ears, that’s all. So grab a CD player or an iPod and get some books to accompany you on your summer adventures. Stop by your local branch of the Annapolis Valley Regional Library and we’ll set you up.
