Last week, I was finally shamed into taking David McCullough’s 1776 out of the library. I say shamed because I’m an avid reader, especially of history books, and I was quite honestly embarrassed I still hadn’t read it. But instead of taking it out in book form, I grabbed it on CD.
We listened to a lot of books on tape when I was younger. In fact, one summer I made my mom and brother listen to the first four Harry Potter books on tape. It was close to 200 hours of tape, but the narrator, Jim Dale, is fabulous. If you’re an avid Harry Potter fan or just wondering what all the fuss is about I highly recommend you take the tapes/CDs of the first book out from the library. You won’t be sorry.
But since that fateful summer, I haven’t listened to book on tape. I actually felt old (and somewhat idiotic) the other day when I realized the library no longer prominently displays its books on tape, but rather its books on CD. So why take one out now?
It’s the end of the school year. I have AP exams, final projects, exams and reading up the wazoo. And I have about twelve books on my never-ending “to read” list. So my time to dive into 400 pages (no matter how well written) of Revolutionary War history is limited. A book on CD seemed like the perfect compromise. I could listen to it while driving by myself, so I wouldn’t have to give up my precious reading time.
Although I’ve only finished two of the 10 discs, I think it was one of the best ideas I’ve had in a while. McCullough reads his book, and I now consider him my car companion. The CDs have kept me company while driving alone.
McCullough reads excerpts of his book with such a dry sense of humor and sarcasm that I find myself laughing aloud at passages I wouldn’t have given a second glance to if I had read the book. I genuinely look forward to hearing the next excerpt of the book.
So far, all signs point to me choosing another book on CD to enjoy after this one. Any suggestions? And if you haven’t listened to a book in a while, or ever, go try it. You might be pleasantly surprised.
