Audiobooks

I started listening to audiobooks earlier this year, when our local B. Dalton went out of business and was selling everything for 50% off. I decided to try Imitation in Death, by J.D. Robb. Listening to books was a new experience for me. Susan Ericksen reads all of the J.D. Robb books, and at first I didn't like Roarke's voice. I had imagined his accent to be more subtle. But I got used to it, and now I enjoy Ericksen's performances immensely. Some of my favorite moments: the scene in Glory in Death when Eve shows Roarke that she is wearing the diamond he bought for her; in Portrait in Death when Eve confronts Roarke about why he is acting so detached and distant.

I listen to audiobooks in the car--my round-trip commute is about an hour, and it sure beats listening to the radio and hearing ads half the time. I also listen to them at times while I'm editing, but it depends on what kind of work I'm doing. I typically listen to books and authors I've read before: J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts, J.K. Rowling, and Suzanne Brockmann. I've only listened to unabridged versions; I know that the abridged ones would only frustrate me. While I own all of the unabridged J.D. Robb books available, I get most of the others from the library. With its elements of performance, listening to audiobooks is like watching a play. That may be another reason I enjoy it so much, since I adore the theatre.

My latest audiobook purchase is Suzanne Brockmann's The Defiant Hero. In my opinion, reader Carrington McDuffie gets Sam's accent right, although I also like Deborah Hazlett's portrayal in Gone Too Far. I'm looking forward to the unabridged version of Immortal in Death, which will be available on November 9.

Alyssa