Audiobooks

I'm going to get up on my soapbox for a minute. I am a big fan of audiobooks! Now there are people out there who believe listening to an audiobook is "cheating"-that it's not really "reading". I do not agree with that. When I read I say the words to myself in my head-listening to a book is just hearing those words from a different voice. I actually LOVE to hear books read by the author themselves because I am hearing the book exactly as they intended those words to sound. The goal of reading is comprehension and whether that's listening comprehension or reading comprehension-does it really matter?

I think there's a place for using them in the classroom as well. I was thrilled to discover that my local public library let's you check out audiobooks with your membership. We have a listening station for our workstations and although I usually record books myself and have the kids read along with what they are listening to-audiobooks are also a big hit with the students.

I use Audible.com to purchase my books. They give you a credit each month that you can use for a book and have sales throughout the year where a number of books are $4.95 each. I listen to them when I drive, when I shop, when I'm working in my classroom before school starts, when I walk my dog. My advice is to listen to a clip before you download it-some narrators just grate on my nerves and ruin the story for me.

  Some of my favorites to listen to:

I love hearing Sherman Alexie's life story in his own voice.

I would classify this under the thriller category. I think it was read with a lot of skill.

I'm a big fan of Alice Hoffman anyway, but this story is narrated by different people for the different voices. It's like listening to a play.

This is a book that has been out for a while but I think it was expertly narrated.

A quick easy read. Amy reads it herself-I love when she cracks herself up with her memories. Too many parenting related gaffes for me, but the SNL stories were great.

Don't knock audiobooks! It's a great way to read when you have limited time to do so.

Does anyone else listen to books? Have any suggestions for me?