The Joy of Hearing a Book

I have loved reading for as long as I can remember. As a child, my home was filled with books, and I would often see my mother reading. I have continued that tradition in my own home. Now, my own children see me reading all of the time.  Given a choice, I would opt for a book over a movie any day of the week.

Not too long ago, when I began training for a half marathon I will be walking in this coming January, I started to listen to audio books.  I am a very fast reader and can usually read a 300-400 page book in about three to four hours.  Listening to a book takes much longer; the last book I listened to took eight hours.  And, you cannot skim through a page where the author is describing the detail of the woodwork on a chair in excruciating detail, but it’s still a great way to experience a book.  Granted, the person reading the story has to be a good storyteller, but so far the narrators have been amazing.  The narrator of the last book I listened to (The Maze Runner) changed his voice when different characters were speaking which was remarkable.

Truly, I love reading more than exercising.  So being able to combine listening to a story during my regular three mile walk has been wonderful.  I am doing two things that are outside my comfort zone, walking rather than sleeping at 5:30 a.m. and listening to rather than reading a book.  But, the combination of the two together is working great for me.

I hope for this New Year you can find joy in the things you have always loved to do and maybe find even another way to experience that joy.  Best wishes for a joyous 2015.

Written by Attorney Lori Brown.