Audio Books
Sally Abromovich, public services librarian

June, also known as National Audio Book Month, brings the arrival of summer, the end of school and, for many, the time for travel.

Listening to books is a way to pass the time while traveling and allows the entire family to enjoy and discuss a good book. Audio books provide a way to try new authors, enjoy travel books or catch up on classics you’ve always intended to read.

Listening to a book on CD or cassette is a different experience than reading. You have to listen at the narrator’s pace; there is no skipping ahead or skimming paragraphs. A narrator’s skill can make or break a book. The format is great for books with unfamiliar names or terms: The narrator pronounces them for you, so there’s no more struggling with words.

For some interesting travel books, try a couple of local authors. Peter Hessler’s "River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze" (Books on Tape, 2002) is the 1996 story of the author’s two-year Peace Corps assignment at a college in China. Hessler chronicles his time teaching and learning the culture, as well his travels through the country. William Least Heat-Moon’s "Blue Highways" (Books on Tape, 1986) and "River-Horse" (Books on Tape, 1999) follow his two trips across the United States - by van and boat, respectively.

Bill Bryson, who travels the world and then writes about it, is known for his humorous style. In "The Lost Continent" (BBC, 2004) he re-creates the road trips of his childhood. "Neither Here nor There" (Dell Audio, 1999) is about his journey in Europe. "Notes From a Small Island" (Recorded Books, 1999) is about his walking tour of the British countryside. And in "A Walk in the Woods" (Recorded Books, 1998), he takes readers on the Appalachian Trail.

Other good travel-themed books:

• "Travels With Charley: In Search of America" (Recorded Books, 1999) by John Steinbeck is a classic in which Steinbeck travels the country in a camper with his poodle, Charley.
• Adam Gopnik describes life in Paris for an American family in "Paris to the Moon" (Random House, 2000).
• For anyone who ever wanted to just sail away, John Pollack describes building a boat from wine corks and then sailing down the Douro River in Portugal in "Cork Boat" (Books on Tape, 2004).
• "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mayes is about renovating and living in a villa in Tuscany.
• Poet Maya Angelou’s personal narrative "All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes" (Recorded Books, 1995) recalls her experiences in Ghana in 1960.

There are many audio books families can enjoy together. According to Audiofile magazine’s April/May issue, research has shown that children can listen to and absorb literature that might exceed their normal reading ability.

The library has put together a list of family-oriented audio books. This includes such favorites as John R. Erickson’s "Hank the Cowdog" series, which is laugh-out-loud funny. Philip Pullman’s "His Dark Materials" series is fantasy written for children, but it is a favorite of adults, too.

"All Things Bright and Beautiful" (Audio Renaissance Tapes, 1996) by James Herriot is a delightful story about a young veterinarian and the memorable animals and eccentric owners he looks after. "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" (Listening Library, 1996), a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor book by Christopher Paul Curtis, is about a black family that drives from Michigan to Alabama amid the turbulent times of 1963.

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