Welcome to Audiobook Week!

Did your parents read to you as a child? Did you ever go to a library storytelling? Was it not magical to just lose yourself listening?

I love reading, I really really do. But there's just something different and unique about having a story told to you. And these modern versions of audios, it's not just anyone reading. It's people--readers-- who really know how to do it. Readers who act out, change voices, and put their whole effort into pulling you into the story. Their sole purpose is lure YOU into a different reality in the form of a story.

When I'm driving, exercising, walking around campus, doing chores in the house, flat-ironing my hair or anything that does not take my full attention, I lose myself listening. Music is awesome, I'm also a music lover so I balance them. But it's easy to tune out music. You don't dive into it and forget the world unless you make yourself do that.

Audiobooks? GOOD audiobooks? They grab at you, pull you, suck you in into them. Time races by and you're inside a book, hearing the words drift out and fill the moment. How can one NOT love that?

Plus, here are some of the benefits of listening to audiobooks:

• Increases vocabulary, speaking and writing skills
• Learning the proper pronunciation of words (As a second-language English speaker, I can say this is SO TRUE. And it can help keep your speech more neutral, less accent-driven and pushes slang away.)
• Improves listening and comprehension skills — essential in this multimedia world (Again as a non-native listener, it has trained my ear to understand different accents better too)

Also, you can "read" in times when you would not be reading paper books or e-books, like driving or walking the dog at night. So for those of you like me, who have SO MANY books you want to read that it seems like you'll never get to all of them, if you start using audiobooks that monthly book count will increase severely. I listened to 36 audiobooks last year, all of them in this extra time that I would not be reading otherwise, so that's 36 books I would NOT have read if I didn't use audio-versions. It makes a HUGE difference. At least to me.

Anyway, if you want to try them you are in the right place. Many publishers like MacMillan, also publish some of their books in audio. I will be posting about where to find audiobooks, my favorites and lots of info during this week.

If you read my first post and are planning on doing the audio-thon with me this week, I will use #audiobookweek hash-tag on Twitter to post my updates and read yours. Tell me in the comments if you are participating so I can follow your progress too and see what you're listening to! 

Giveaway!

Thanks to the awesome people at MacMillan, one person will win a Shimmer by Alyson Noel audiobook! (Cd version)
US Only. Ends August 31st, 2011.