I used to listen to public radio discussion programs, but these days it's audiobooks.
Currently I've just finished a P.D.James, Original Sin. She works very well in audio, with a good reader, that is. I reject a lot of audiobook productions with irritating narrators, especially those who can't pronounce the damn names. But don't get me started..
Anyway, this was good, very thoughtful, dark, better not to listen late at night, or it will get into my dreams. James is a novelist around mysteries, not a mystery writer where the puzzle is the main event.
And then there are audiobooks which just have to be heard, not read in print, like those of Isabel Allende, who's really an oral storyteller.
Here's my current, wonderful one, where the writer, Robin Wall Kimmerer is the narrator. She's descended from the Potawatomi people, a scientist in botany and ecology, a lecturer, and a learner of her true native language. So you need to hear her speak it here and there, to grasp her intent.
It's a series of essays, full of wisdom, very accessible and good humored, no patience for self important academic writing.
And I think it's really vital reading for us, to understand our history at this juncture in order to save all of us. She talks botany, ecology, Indian history and culture, and the relationship between the native people and the natural world.
If you enjoy the analysis of language and cultural meaning of Robert MacFarlane, you'll enjoy and get a lot out of Robin Wall Kimmerer. In fact it was through his Twitter feed that I discovered her.
All my audio is free of charge, via library, YouTube or Internet archive. With the last you need to know your exact author or title, because it's very clunky to browse otherwise. But a lot of good radio plays are available there.
Just enter the words internet archive and the title you want into a Google search. Let me know if this is news to you, and if you find interesting items.
I am fortunate to have a free resource in Hoopla and RBdigital via our library. I will tell you, though, I find it very difficult to not get repeatedly sidetracked in my brain while listening to an audio book. That said, I often like to have a book or something going in the background when I'm working with my hands, but I also often have to stop, "rewind", and listen again because my mind wanders so. I've always assumed listening well to audio books is a discipline, but my boys and husband seem to be complete naturals at it.
ReplyDeleteA knitter friend said recently she can't knit and listen. I find the faculty I'm losing, probably with age, is the ability to listen while reading other, unrelated, material.
ReplyDeleteYou have some wonderful authors there. I enjoy listening via Hoopla from my library system.
ReplyDeleteI love hoopla but our library system allots only nine titles per month. So I need my other sources.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy audio books also. Listen while I garden, do housework, etc and my library has a moderately good selection of books to download.
ReplyDeleteDo you have favorites to recommend?
ReplyDeleteI haven't attempted audio books because I know exactly what would happen - it would be like 'real' books and I would get sucked in to the detriment of doing anything else.
ReplyDeleteWell I can't just listen. So I'm always doing something while they're on. A lot of art happens then. Some people are distracted by them, though, and get their knitting mixed up etc.
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