I have had an on/off relationship with audiobooks for several years. I have an extensive library of audiobooks and in the past have tended to listen to them while also reading the actual book. This is slower than reading myself but I do find it engaging to hear someone else’s voice read the words. Of course, one issue with this approach is making sure the book and the audio match up. I once listened to Don Quixote while the text was a completely different translation!
Some friends have advocated using audiobooks to help with insomnia. Thankfully, I am not as insomniac as I have been in the past but I am torn between the soothing sounds of a voice reading to me to send me to sleep and the anxiety of missing part of the story and having to rewind to the correct place!
A colleague recently suggested I listen while walking the dog each morning. I was reluctant at first as I walk Rousay off lead and need to have full attention on her while we are on the street or busy areas. However, I have slightly altered our route to a safe, off-road area where she can explore safely while I plug into a good book. I decided to begin with Animal Farm by George Orwell for two reasons: It is short enough to test out the experience but is also a very familiar story so I do not get anxious about missing parts if my attention is taken by anything happening around me.
I enjoyed listening to Simon Callow reading the story although I was a little perplexed that Napoleon, “a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar”, had a strangely Scottish accent at times! However, I was off to a good start and continued with The Benn Diaries, 1940-1970 read by Tony Benn himself. I have always admired people who keep a diary throughout their lives. I have tried and failed on more than one occasion. I guess this blog is the most recent incarnation of a diary attempt!
Diaries are useful for seeing how people think and talk about events in their lives but, as a historical document, they are also suspect evidence of the past depending on whether there was an expectation that they would remain secret to the writer or were always intended for a wider audience through publication. Editting out the problematic entries is always possible of course if the writer wants to withold certain parts. At the beginning of his political career Tony Benn would probably not had much thought that his diary entries would have been of interest to a reading public and that is somewhat reflected in the writing. The diaries contain emotionally revealing moments such as the death of his older brother and the birth of his children while other parts describe various disagreements and infighting within the Labour Party which are useful for historians and commentators but probably quite dull for more general readers/listeners. Nevertheless, the diaries are an interesting insight into Benn’s early career and thoughts and a reminder for an old gal like me of events in my childhood that I remember but never fully understood at the time.
Today I started Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, my all-time favourite writer, and I am. once again, transported to Monterey, California with Doc, Mack and the gang of colourful characters at The Palace Flophouse and Grill. It must be forty years since I read the book and I am reminded of what a joy it is already, having only listened to the first chapter on our walk this morning. I think I may have moved my audiobook relationship firmly into the ‘love’ department!
Significantly Different 