Errands and Audio Books

I took the day off from work Friday, so in addition to shopping for face cream I did a ton of other errands and chores around the house, including taking a broken DVD player to be recycled, dropping things off at Goodwill, and getting a car wash.  It felt great to get so much accomplished.  Nothing felt more satisfying, though, than the walk I took to return an item to the library that I'd had out forever!  Plus, it was a beautiful day with the sun out, birds chirping, and flowers blooming.  The perfect day for a walk. 

 

I got the audio book of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell out sometime mid-March to listen to on my long drives to and from work - usually about an hour each way.  But even with the long commute I had to renew it once because it took so long to finish. 

 

The set of CDs for the book was 26 discs long - with probably just over an hour of audio per disc.  I had to really push it at the end by listening to discs at home too just to finish it by the Friday due date. 

The book is an alternative history based on the premise that real magic existed in England and follows two practicing magicians - Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.  It has gotten a ton of praise, was on the New York Times bestseller list, and won the Hugo Award for best novel.  Unfortunately, I wasn't as enamored with the book as everyone else seems to be.  Maybe the problem was trying to listen to it rather than read - some books just don't lend themselves to audio versions as well.  I often found my attention wandering and then I would end up confused as the author went off on tangents that seemed completely unrelated to the story. 

 

I've had a lot more success with other audio books (including A Dance With Dragons, which I'm listening to now).  They're a great way to pass the time on long drives - if it's a good enough book I'll even look forward to my commute.  The trick seems to be to get a book that is an engaging and somewhat simple read (no flowery or complicated language) - think beach reading. 

 

What are your favorite audio books?  Any other suggestions for picking the perfect one?