I am grateful this evening for books. I don’t have nearly the time to read that I once did; these days it is easier for me to listen to an audiobook than to sit down and read either a physical bound book or ebook reader. I will perhaps remedy this lack od reading sometime, but it doesn’t feel like it’s going to ease any time soon. I spend a lot time in my car, which makes audiobooks a good choice. Some of the nonfiction books I need to be reading generally aren’t produced in audio format, so mostly what I listen to is fiction, science fiction and fantasy at that. As is the case with most books, I enjoy finding series–trilogies or longer, multiple books that involve the same characters stretched out over many years. When I find a good series with narrators whose voices I enjoy listening to, it makes for a wonderful literary and theatrical experience. You get to enjoy both the quality of the writing as well as the richness of the vocalization.
Today I listened to the last hours of the 14th and final book in a series I’ve either been reading or listening to over a number of years. It had all the elements you’d want in a good book: twists and turns, pulse-pounding action (okay, perhaps that’s a little overly dramatic), places where I laughed out loud and others that brought unexpected tears to my eyes. Of the 14 books, I read 10 and listened to the final 4. I’ve known over the past several days that I was winding down the series, but even as I approached this day when I knew I’d reach the end of the last book I’d found myself in denial that it was ending. I know, that sounds overly dramatic too, doesn’t it?
I have been an avid reader my whole life; as a child I devoured books. They were a way for me to escape the more mundane aspects of life, and as a somewhat solitary child, helped ease my loneliness. I also realized that I was a writer: as a 10 year old I wrote a couple hundred notebook paper pages of a novel about a black cowboy (I was very much into horses back then and fancied that I would become a cowboy sometime in my future.) I started writing a novel many (many) years ago. I’m not sure I’ll ever completed it and if I do if anyone would like it enough to publish it. One thing I’ve experienced in listening to the recent audiobooks is a sincere wish that I could craft as wonderful and intricate plot lines and characters as I’ve enjoyed the past few months.
I am grateful for books, for words both written and spoken. The power of words, the power of ideas, the power of books to spark thinking, conversations, revolutions. I will miss the characters from my latest books–those who died, those who battled and won, those who rode off into the sunset. I might shift to nonfiction for my next few listens to give myself a break from all the excitement: I have a few options that might be a bit calmer for me. Or I might plunge recklessly back into another science fiction book I have waiting in the wings. Decisions, decisions…
