The thing about audiobooks is that they inspire passionate reactions from listeners!
June is Audiobook Month, a time to celebrate the power of audiobooks. Me? I am not a frequent audiobook listener (though I did just score the audiobook version of Ann M. Martin's Main Street series, which I've read in print and am eager to hear with fresh ears!), but in asking around, I am getting inspired to listen to more!
"When I am walking around New York City, running errands, or cleaning my apartment, I love that I can listen to audiobooks and tune out the rest of the world—it’s the perfect way to multitask!" Brittany told me. "I am especially drawn to audiobooks that are read by the author or contain foreign names/words that I know I would surely mispronounce if I attempted to read the book on my own."
Julia shared that her first audiobook was To Kill a Mockingbird while working on an art project for school. "I'm sure I read it later, but the audiobook experience stands out in my mind—I sat for hours and hours drawing for two days, and at the same time was completely enthralled by the book. It’s a very happy memory because I was completely absorbed by both."
There are strong benefits to listening to audiobooks, especially for kids:
If you're an audiobook newbie, where should you get started? First, check out Scholastic Audio/Weston Woods on Facebook, where we offer lots of recommendations and news about audiobooks. You can also consider these recommendations:
- "The best book I ever listed to was 'Modern Romance' by Aziz Ansari, read by the author himself. It had me actually laughing out loud!" - Brittany
- "'The Funny Thing Is...' by Ellen DeGeneres. I could not stop laughing. She was perfect!" - Mike
- "We would listen to audiobooks to fall asleep at night as kids. We had three favorites that we listened to over and over again. I remember them so vividly: Bunnicula, Lyly, Lyle, Crocodile, and Piggins." - Megan
- "These days we listen to a lot of audiobooks in the car. We have an incredible version of Winnie the Pooh (voiced by no less than folks like Judi Dench) which is so well acted that my husband and I regularly marvel over how good it is. (“Can audiobooks win Oscars? This should win an Oscar!”)" - Julia
What audiobooks do you love, and why?
