An Addiction to Audio Books

I have a confession to make. I'm an audio book addict. I can't drive longer distances than my daily commute without popping one in. I think my addiction started in my childhood when we drove from Chicago to the East Coast with only the Star Wars radio play to keep us entertained. Later trips featured Robin Williams at the Met and Irish comedian Hal Roach. But then I rediscovered audio books when I started driving home from school. My parents gave me my first taste and I was hooked again. I'd get audio books for the trip out and the trip back. If I didn't finish during the trip I might not get out of the car at my destination or drive in circles until every last syllable had been spoken.

In all my time I've found that I have certain preferences for my audio books. Character driven dramas make me sleepy. I'm sure that Wish You Well might be a good book, but it is a terrible audiobook. Lord of the Rings (unabridged!) was good, but I found myself fast forwarding through the poems. But the best is a thriller. Give me a little suspense and a red herring or two and I can get from Chicago to St. Louis without a bathroom break. This last weekend I got to listen to Jeffery Archer's Kane and Abel and its sequel, The Prodigal Daughter. Good pulp. Tom Clancy fares well in audio book form. I haven't been able to find many fantasy novels in audio book form, but I've got my eye out.