With eyes or ears.

Book worms,

I've found myself in a precarious "adulting" crisis which is converting me to an Audible fan. The situation was this: to read or not to read.

Now, I'm sure you're looking at that and rolling your eyes. Obvious choice, right? A "Duh, read," is definitely called for, but hear me out. I'm a new(ish) mom with her own zoo, a developing author platform, and a full-time career. It sounds boastful, but trust me, I have been on the verge of stress-induced hysteria many times.

Suddenly, there was no time to read myself into exhausted comas. I couldn't stay up into the wee hours of the night turning pages like an addict. I had to get up early. Small lives ruled by tyrannical stomachs were suddenly reigning supreme, and it left me with few options.

This is when I turned to Audible.

I've always considered myself an old school literary traditionalist at my core. In fact, I had staunchly refused to be seduced by Kindle and all of its lightweight-traveling-library temptations. But suddenly time was rare and I had to cannibalize what I could to keep a small thread of sanity.

I say this without incentive; this nerdy Amazon app is now my saving grace. For an initial three months free of charge, I'd regained books. Running is more enjoyable. To my dog's delight, I'll happily stroll that extra mile to find out what Leigh Bardugo has planned for Kaz Brekker in Six of Crows.

Now, I can't say that my Audible library is extensive yet, but so far, my experience has been different with each book. For example, The Knife of Never Letting Go, written by Patrick Ness and narrated by Nick Podehl is masterfully performed. As a one man cast, he shifts his voice so as to better identify when different characters are speaking. In this series, Ness takes a spin on mind reading and telepathy, referring to the phenomenon as noise. The catch? Only the noise of men can be heard. Where Ness' pen is poised with varying fonts, font sizes, overlapping and chaotically strewn words to illustrate this facet of his world, Podehl shifts his tone. He records multiple voices at once so that the chaos fills your ears as well as your own mind.

The cast of voice actors that narrate Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows takes a different approach. As this story is told from multiple points of view, naturally, it is performed by multiple people. One actor performs the entirety of a chapter that is told from his or her respective character. This approach certainly has its merits. In some respects, I found it preferable as shifting voices within a chapter can easily distract my scatterbrained self. It allows me to stay entranced and connected.

My favorite Audible experience thus far though has been Sarah Dennard's Truthwitch. It is narrated by Cassandra Campbell who effectively shifts her tone of voice to convey different characters. (I know, I know, I just told you that I find this tactic distracting.) What traps me, aside from the story itself as a newfound obsession, is that Campbell adopts a Russian accent to illustrate both the cultural influence on the story and the varying cultures within Dennard's world. If you're looking for a great fantasy read, definitely pick this up. Or order it on Audible!

Amazon offers different plans, prices, and I'm sure, incentives. I empathize if it is just not in the budget, but if you are a stressed out bibliophile who just needs your next (book) fix, try it.

Carpe librum.

#Audible #books #kindle #time #adulting #carpelibrum