audiobooks

For a long time I was an Audible member and listened to audiobooks while I was out walking. Amazingly, my old Audible account still exists and I was able to see that I was a member from 2002 to 2010. I cancelled my subscription because I was not happy with the selection of books available from Audible at the time and because I was not happy with the cadence and tenor of how many books were read. I also discovered The Great Courses. I found the thirty-minute lectures perfect for my walks and the rhythm of the lecture more natural to my ear.

I am rethinking that. There are a lot more books available in audio format these days. It seems that most books from the (few remaining) big publishing houses are available in audio format. Many books are read by the author, which is a big plus. And as much as I love The Great Courses, I have listened to most of the courses they have in which I am interested and their newest courses don’t always match my interests.

But here’s what caused me to write this. Penguin Audio has re-released an old audiobook, originally published on audio cassette (remember those? I no longer even have a cassette player!), of Elaine Stritch reading selected stories of Dorothy Parker.

Did you get that? Elaine Stritch reading Dorothy Parker! Here’s the review in The New York Times Book Review.

That is more than enough to make me think about listening to audio books once again.