Reading books has never been my favorite past time.
Don't get me wrong, I love learning, and being enraptured into stories to the point I laugh, cry, and
think so hard it takes me days to process. However, I've always been a slow reader compared to my novel-devouring family and friends. Most of my siblings are voracious readers who can quickly lose themselves in a good book while the rest of the world doddles along. I, on the other hand, find one-hundred-and-one things to "doddle"
at BEFORE I eventually dust a book off from the top of my current reading stack. [which, let's be real... changes very slowly and deliberately... and rather painfully]. If left with leisure time to, say, bake muffins
or read a book, the muffins will win
every time.
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However, over the past year I've entered the world of audio library books. Audio books are especially great for long car rides (think: Pennsylvania to Michigan and back again), because they deliver the exciting worlds of big old (or new) chapter books to my ears, mind, and heart, without my eyes ever having to land on the overwhelming mountains of words, or my hands ever having to move the hefty, picture-less pages themselves.
Last December, in order to meet a 2015 goal I had set for myself... I spent a few hours finishing reading ONE hard copy book.
This year, I've wormed my way through about a dozen titles via my iPod and earbuds (
I have even been known to bake muffins AND read a book at the same time! happiness :) ). For those of you who are crazy readers, you've likely already devoured all of these titles long ago, but in case you haven't yet met up with some of the books listed below, here are a few of my top audio book picks (in no particular order) from 2016:
Argo- If you liked the movie, definitely read the book, which gives the full, captivating story of the development and ultimate success of a CIA plot to rescue US diplomats from Iran in 1979. Thrilling.
To Kill A Mocking Bird- A classic, I know, but I'd never read it before. Heather inspired me to read this book, and I was so glad I did. A deep story set in the historic South (1930s) with both white and black main characters-- heavy and sad, but a good read.
Unbroken- the unbelievable story of Olympic runner Louis Zamperini (American) who spent most of his WWII days suffering in dreadful prison camps in Japan. As if surviving a plane wreck in the Pacific wasn't remarkable enough, Louis and one buddy survived 47 days on a life raft without food, water or basic provisions. After the war, although a national hero, Louis was unable to recover from his atrocious prisoner-of-war experiences and was tormented by nightmares until he met Jesus at a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles. Horrific story with a powerful message of Hope.
Monuments Men- Again, if you enjoyed the movie, check out the book. The fascinating true story of a team of "army" men (museum curators, etc.) whose job was to preserve and recover countless pieces of art-- including paintings, sculptures, and buildings-- across Europe during WWII. Excellent book.
Call the Midwife- The true story behind the popular TV show of the same name. A peek into the every-day life of a midwife in London's East End during the 1950s. Plenty of medical details for a non-medical person like me, but not too many particulars to keep me from enjoying the amazing birth/life stories.
Detroit: An American Autopsy- I hesitate to list this as a top-pick, but it was a good, and well-written (albeit depressing) book. The book is written by a New York Times journalist who grew up in Detroit and chose to return as an adult. He describes the shell of a city that remains today. Nothing is sugar coated, and bad language is definitely part of this story... I found the book incredibly sad and rather depressing, but the writing was excellent and the story is true. I found it especially interesting since I grew up only a couple hours away from big, bad, internationally-famous Detroit. There are some parts of the book I think are easier for Michiganders to identify with than perhaps those geographically distant from Detroit.
The Boy On the Wooden Box- Another WWII story, this one from Europe where the author tells his story of growing up during the war and under Nazi occupation in Poland... and eventually as an imprisoned Jew. The providential care Leyson received is remarkable.
The Boy On the Wooden Box was one of the 1,000+ Jews protected as much as possible by the famous Schindler (
Schindler's List).
The King's Speech- Once again, watching the movie inspired me to dig deeper into the true story of King George VI and his speech impediment-- and Australian Lionel Logue who became the king's personal speech therapist. Their close working relationship led to a deep and unique friendship which spanned many years, and weaves a wonderful true story.
Other books which did not make the fave titles cut included:
The Silent Wife (sad/disturbing murder mystery... listened to it on the way to/from Canada in July)
Betsy Ross (soooo much history it was hard to find the "story" of the book... didn't finish)
The Great Gatsby (a classic book, but absolutely empty. Set in the roaring, unfulfilling 1920s in New York)
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School (the story of a chef who holds cooking classes for about a dozen American women of various ages who want to learn how to be confident in the kitchen. An interesting read with a generous dose of cooking advice sprinkled in)
Something Fresh (just a fluffy PG Wodehouse read)
One Thousand Gifts (popular religious... it was fine, but such a
bandwagon thing and a unique writing style. Don't get me wrong-- I love thankful journals, but... this book still only ranked "fine" on my review scale)
