Week 11 Prompt

When it comes to reading, I’ve always been a person who prefers to hold a book in their hand. I like the weight and feel of a book in my hand, the sound of the pages as they’re being turned, and yes, even the smell sometimes. There’s nothing like the smell of a new book. Or one from the library that’s gone through multiple readers. That musty book smell... there’s nothing like it. I never really cared for e-books or audiobooks. I don’t like to read things on a screen unless I absolutely have to because I don’t like scrolling or the feel of a mouse in my hand for long periods of time, or on my iPad, swiping back and forth between pages. I also have sensitive eyes so trying to read for long periods of time on a screen is difficult after a while, even with my glasses.

I do like that with the e-readers and e-book apps you can adjust the font, line spacing, and color of text as well as the page colors but it’s still difficult for me to read on a screen. I know a lot of library patrons though who prefer e-books to audiobooks because of the ability to take their e-readers with them wherever they go and the wide variety of e-books available, including indie reads and those specifically for Kindle books and Apple books. It’s the convenience factor for them. I will say that the one nice thing about e-books I’ve found is there seems to be a lot of content to choose from compared to traditional apps like Libby, OverDrive, Hoopla, and the library collection in general. A lot of indie authors and those publishing independently on sites like Amazon have made their books strictly available for Kindle.

However, when the pandemic forced my local library to briefly close three years ago, I found myself at a loss. HOW was I going to read if I couldn’t actually go to the library and check out books? I lived for the weekends when I could go and browse the shelves to find new reads. That’s when I discovered audiobooks, specifically Hoopla. The app and service is free through the library as long as you have a library card, and there are dozens of great audiobooks to choose from. At first, I would listen to audiobooks at night while falling asleep, but then I quickly realized that unless it was a book I had previously read, I wasn’t absorbing or comprehending what I was listening to. And I was also missing out on some really great stories! I also discovered that Hoopla tends to have the newest books available on audio before they reach the shelves, which was nice. But I still missed holding an actual book and reading the words on the page.

When I started my job as a processing clerk in our Collections Management and Development department though, I picked up the habit of listening to audiobooks again within a few months. My job allows me the opportunity and freedom to listen without interruption, and I’m one of those people that, when working, I prefer having some type of background noise. I typically alternate between podcasts and audiobooks but since starting my position, I’ve listened to at least 20 audiobooks within the last year, more than I’ve ever listened to in my entire life. I’ve also found that being in graduate school doesn’t allow me to read for pleasure as much as I would like to or would normally, so listening to audiobooks has become my primary choice for “reading” and it’s typically when I’m at work that I’ll be listening.

I have found that with some audiobooks, the choice of narrator tends to influence whether I’ll listen and how long I’ll listen. Many audiobooks, such as the cozy mysteries that I listen to, tend to have authors that sound a bit older (age 40-50+), and some narrators have very monotone voices without much emotion or tone which makes it a bit difficult to continue listening. I find too that I prefer audiobooks narrated by the authors themselves, such as Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Anna Kendrick, Leslie Jordan, and Hilarie Burton Morgan. Whether it’s a man or woman narrating is irrelevant as long as they have a voice that I can listen to and find appealing. I do like it when audiobooks present multiple narrators for each character; it makes the book more entertaining and interesting to listen to compared to one single narrator trying to do all the different characters.

I have yet to try and listen to an audiobook at more than the regular speed set by Hoopla or Libby. Some of my co-workers do this but I feel as though I might miss something if I do. With that being said, if I find an audiobook is taking too long, I’ll stop listening and pick up the printed copy to see if perhaps it’s a book that would be better read versus listened to.

Moving forward, I know more likely than not I will not become an e-book type of person, but I will continue to listen to more audiobooks and read physical copies of a book because sometimes it’s just nice to curl up on the couch or in bed and get lost in a good book with some snacks, and a cup of hot chocolate or tea.