My Name is Janiece, and I Have a Problem...

Thursday, July 10, 2008
As you'll recall, I recently discovered the joys of audio books. I wanted a way to increase my "reading" time, since I always seem to have other things to do instead of reading, and the result is that I have three shelves of books in my "to read" pile.

Distressing.

Well, I've been perusing the audio book section of the library, and guess what? I can see that my "to listen" pile is going to quickly get out of hand. I'm currently listening to Vanishing Acts, by Jodi Picoult. The following titles are awaiting my attention on my iTunes library: A Dirty Job, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Reading Lolita in Tehran, The Alchemist, and The Tenth Circle.

I have two more waiting for pick-up at my local branch, and I'm in queue for sixteen more.

I have a problem...

11 comments:

Chris said...

At least your addiction stimulates the mind, it could be worse.

John the Scientist said...

Welcome to my world. How much work reading do you have?

I have a big ol' pile of stuff on business and biology I need to get to, plus my DE book is over there on the desk saying: "John, your math is getting rusty, you have been meaning to brush up on Runge-Kutta solutions for a while".

Oh yeah, the 5 year old is starting to beat me at Chinese, so there's that, too. And an upcoming trip to Japan where I don't want to get embarrased.

Banzai!

Cindi in CO said...

Ooh, A Dirty Job, I loved that book. C. Moore is one sick pupppy.

But in a good way.

vince said...

Janiece, they say that admitting you have a problem is the first step. I will leave it at that.

John, some days you incite the competitive spark in me. Except that I would actually have to have a 5 year old making me look bad before I'd tackle Chinese again. And I need to brush up on some of my math as well. I just don't use it that often except for my amusement. And self-employment leaves way too little time for amusement.

Janiece said...

Chris, things can always be worse. I count my blessings, yes I do.

John, I read for work, as well, but probably not to the degree you do. I have to keep abreast of new technologies or take the chance that my skills will become obsolete. Which would suck. Because then who would keep the Boogie-Dog in snacks and haircuts?

Ilya said...

Janiece, not that audio books would help me in any way - I'd be listening to my iPod when I actually have time to read (I spent very little time driving these days) - but I always resisted the idea to try, because I know that I often like to flip back a few pages to re-read something specific that I realize I poorly processed on the first pass. Which is not something that you can easily do with audio.

Do you find that a problem?

Random Michelle K said...

Ilya,

It depends upon when you're listening. I loved listening to audiobooks when I had to spend the entire day working in the hood where I was doing the same thing over and over and over and over again. I also listen to them on long car trips--they help to keep me awake by giving me something to focus on.

That said, on CDs there are chapters so you can go back if you miss something.

Steve Buchheit said...

::cackles gleefully while rubbing hands together::

Yeah, I've got that too. Too much to read on Podcasts, audiobooks, real paper books, and blogs.

I listen to audiobooks at work; which can sometimes be difficult (as not all are work safe, such as A Dirty Job or Heart Shaped Box).

Ilya, I get that sometimes. Since I do it at work, I sometimes zone out on the books to process actual work. That little button that backs up to the beginning of the track gets a workout. It does make it difficult to say, "Okay, I'm in Chapter 23, what did this character say in Chapter 3?" But then I relisten to the audiobooks several times. Eventually I get it all.

Janiece said...

Ilya, the tracks are all about 3-4 minutes long, which makes it easier if you have to "go back."

I would say, however, that extremely complex stories would translate less well than funny or easy reads.

Jeri said...

I'm not a good auditory learner/retainer so I don't tend to do much audiobook stuff. I read text books like crazy though.

I keep a small stack of work-related reading but it's always the most-procrastinated. (Ruby on Rails or New Amsterdam? Hmmm... tough choice!)

Audiobooks are good for long car trips though.

I've just discovered renting videos via iTunes for plane trips. If only they had a decent selection!

Ilya said...

Thanks, guys! I guess I should try it sooner or later.