The Unofficial Start of Summer is Here!

Hope you have all had a great Memorial Day with family and friends.  If you're like me at all, you have had too much to eat, laughed a bit too loudly, and began making plans for the summer ahead.  What kind of relaxing plans are you making?

I love to travel, but with gas prices right now being so high, I don't foresee being able to hit the road as often as I have in years past.  That just means I will have to travel in a different way -- through reading.  Summer is always a welcome respite from my sometimes crazy life when I can find a little more time to read books simply for the fun of it.  This year, it seems as though the insanity is going to be around a little longer than normal.  I am having to think of new ways to get in all the books I want to read this summer.

That's where audio books come in.  I know, I know -- those are the books that grandparents "read" as they fall asleep in their rocking chair in the retirement home.  Of course there is another commonly held description for these recordings as well -- BORING!  I have held these same views for some time as well, but when I finally gave recorded books a try, I was pleasantly surprised. 

During my recent travels to Oklahoma, I decided to take in a couple of books to help the time pass a little more swiftly.  Over the course of the 10 hour journey, I completed two novels and walked away thoroughly entertained.  When I began to think of the amount of time I spend in my car already, I realized that I wasn't using that time as wisely as possible.  Rather than listening to talk radio incessantly, I have decided to catch up on some reading while driving by using audio books.

What am I listening to?  Nothing too heavy or that requires too much brain power from me.  When I read books of that nature, I generally like to have a pen in hand with minimal distractions.  What I'm "reading" in the car is what would typically be classified as "beach reads."  Where do I find the CDs?  Many libraries have wonderful selections of audio books that are relatively inexpensive to their patrons.  My local library does not have such offerings, so I am relying on Cracker Barrel.  It's a bit expensive for the first book since you basically purchase the CD set, but becomes more cost effective as you continue.  You are charged a weekly fee for the CDs; the rest of your deposit is returned when you return the recordings or can be applied to your next book rental.  Be prepared.....many of the Cracker Barrel employees rarely rent the audio books to patrons, so you can expect the transaction to be a little more time consuming than normal as they will probably need to ask for a manager. 

Enjoy the beginning of your summer!  I'm off to do a little reading now.