Open Your Ears to a Good Book

After being bored to death during my long, morning commute, a friend of mine at work told me that he "reads" audio books on this way to work. Since then, books on CDs have provided a thrilling forum through which to keep my mind challenged while making the most out of what was otherwise wasted time in my daily schedule.

Buying Hillary Clinton's re-release of her earlier work as a book on tape and listening to it at the health club, I was able to thoroughly strengthen both my body and my mind in the time it used to take to perform only one of those tasks. And I finished the book before it was even out of the news. Likewise, when packing for a seminar out of town, whether driving or flying, I am sure to bring along several audio books on CD. They keep things interesting during the journey, and they also make for great conversation when I arrive.

In the past I would unwind after a long day or week by watching television, a medium of entertainment I have observed precipitously getting worse in recent years. But I wasn't likely to pick up anything with words on it in the evening or on the weekends simply because I was worn out from so many hours of scanning so many reports at work. Now, my lovely wife and I select an audio book that interests us both to enjoy for a while before our evening meal. With our eyes and hands unoccupied we are able to either relax and listen or to get to work on one of our endless home improvement projects.

At any given time, I am reading three books: one I listen to in my car driving to and from work, one I take to the health club, and one my wife and I listen to at home when we really can’t stomach another “reality” show. I enjoy the prestige of being the most well-read person in the neighborhood; moreover, being up to date both on current issues and topics of historical relevance gives me an informed perspective on the daily news.

Well, I would love to share more but I just learned that Bob Newhart's new book is available as an audio book on disc. I hate to rush off, but I have some reading to do.