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All Ears

Written on: July 14th, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys

Laura here: Not too long ago I came across a question that I found
intriguing: “What one book changed your life as a
child?” The answer was simple
because Mrs. Dee was my favorite teacher ever, and in third grade she allowed
us to choose between two books for our reading assignment and book report. I
chose Watership Down by Richard Adams and as a result was magically
transported to a world of talking rabbits and characters that entered my heart
and curled up and stayed. This book is the reason I became an avid reader as a
child and a lifelong bibliophile.

During my reading life I’ve discovered how much I enjoy a well made audio book.
It’s not the same as reading a book. And I say well made because for me it has
to be recorded expertly for clarity and crispness and also employ a reader who
uses different voices for the characters, which really makes the story come
alive. I’ve listened to non-fiction audio books while I exercised or home-cared
but then happily discovered fiction worked in this format as well.

I discovered I could combine my continued enjoyment of audio
books with revisiting old favorites when I found Watership Down on audio
in my local library. Once again I was swept away by Adam’s universal story of
survival, happiness, friendship, and love. I haven’t read this book in twenty
years or more but it captured my imagination as strongly now as it did when I
was ten and twenty. I think that’s what makes certain works timeless and
classic because they resonate with us so deeply at any age.

Over the past two years I have listened to Outlander one of
my favorite historical fiction series by Diana Gabaldon. The entire series is
delightfully read by Davina Porter and I haven’t slacked over two years because each of the six books is
approximately 48 CDs in length. Wow is right! I hadn’t read the first in the
series since it was published in 1991 but once again the characters were so
familiar, real, and beloved that I was effortlessly drawn in to the story after
all these years and so richly rewarded by the experience.

Do you make it a habit to re-read your favorites? If so, how
often and which titles? Have you
experimented with listening to audio books? Please share your thoughts and
criteria for a good listen. We’re all ears! 😉