June is, among other things, National Audiobook Month, and your Crawfordsville Public Library has many titles from which to choose in our audiobook collection. Now, I must confess that for many years I spurned audiobooks in favor of the act of reading physical books.
I delighted in their scent, their feel and weight in my hands, the turning of the page, and my favorite comfy reading chair. I still treasure all those things, but I also have learned to love how a good audiobook can be just as transporting, immersive, and pleasurable as the “real thing.” Plus, it allows me to enjoy a book when I would be otherwise unable to, such as driving to some distant place or walking around our lovely town.
I tend to enjoy engaging, swift, and often intense stories like Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” (CDBK FIC Fly) or Paula Hawkins’ “The Girl on the Train” (CDBK FIC Haw). Maybe mysteries hold your attention, in which case we have many from the proverbial pens of Robert B. Parker, JD Robb, and Victoria Thompson. We have hits like Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help” (CDBK FIC Sto) and Frank Herbert’s “Dune” (CDBK FIC Her v.1) as well as modern literary fiction like Anthony Doerr’s “All the Light We Cannot See” (CDBK FIC Doe).
If non-fiction is more your thing, consider any number of titles on myriad topics. Science? We have Stephen Hawking’s “The Universe in a Nutshell” (CDBK 530.12 Haw). History? Try David McCullough’s “1776” (CDBK 973.3 McC). Memoir? Tara Westover’s “Educated” (CDBK 921 Westover, T.) is quite the tale! Politics? Think about Chris Hayes’ “A Colony in a Nation” (CDBK 364.973 Hay).
And of course, we have classics! Muck about on the moors and shout, “Heathcliff!” into the tempest with Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” (CDBK FIC Bro). You’ll be asking for more (reading time) along with young Oliver in Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” (CDBK FIC Dic). Walk the tortured path of Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” (CDBK FIC Dos).
As a former English teacher, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of reading to and with your children. It builds the skill of reading, but it’s also essential for vocabulary acquisition and hastens the transition for children from learning how to read to reading in order to learn. Because audiobooks use trained voice actors and occasionally music and sound effects, they can be more immersive and engaging for young readers.
The library has many titles for children and younger readers. Consider the true joy of snuggling up with a copy of E.B. White’s timeless classic “Charlotte’s Web” and popping in the CD (j CDBK FIC Whi) so that you and your little one can follow along.
For slightly older readers, wand in hand, say, “Accio liber!” and settle in with a copy of one of the Harry Potter books and start up the CD of the inimitable and enchanting Jim Dale (j CDBK FIC Row v. 1-7). Edging up a bit more in age, if dystopian lit is more your (near) teen’s speed, maybe start in on the “Hunger Games” (YA CDBK FIC Col v.1).
These are just a smattering of the audiobooks that we have physically present here at the library, but I know CD players in cars and stereos, portable or otherwise, are becoming more and more scarce. Fortunately, the library has you covered because, with the free Libby app for your smartphone, you have thousands of audiobook titles at your fingertips that can be downloaded in an instant. In addition to a pretty deep catalog, the service has hot new titles like “Spare” by Prince Henry, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, and Shelby Van Pelt’s “Remarkably Bright Creatures.” All you need to get started is to download the app and log in with your library card.
We’re only scratching the surface, so please come by the Crawfordsville Public Library and check out our June audiobook display on the second floor and peruse the juvenile, young adult, and adult audiobook sections for your aural literary delectation!
Paul Utterback is a library assistant in the Reference and Local History department at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.
