Week Eleven Prompt: eBooks and Audio Books

I love eBooks. I am so happy that my library has embraced this new format. There is nothing better when a book comes to mind and I pull up OverDrive or 3M Cloud Library and download the book moments later. I am an eBook hoarder. Many Kindle books are fairly inexpensive and it is just so quick and easy to push the 1-click checkout button. After I watched Divergent, I just had to get the books. The series was only $15 as a Kindle book, so I couldn't resist. (Have I read yet? No, not yet. But it's there when I want to! Like I said, I'm a hoarder...)

When it comes to readers' advisory, eBooks make things somewhat difficult. Many authors seem to be writing books that are only available as eBooks. I get a lot of requests for books that are part of a series, but they are short novellas that the author only releases online. I don't read a lot of series, so I am not sure how much is missed in a series when a reader doesn't read these extra novellas.

Even though I am an eBook junkie, I feel for those who are not. If people prefer physical copies, they should be able to read a series' entire cannon. Veronica Roth wrote some shorter novellas that were about the character Four. While they began life as eBooks, they were eventually released together as a print book. I think that is the smart way for authors to go. Another option might be to release the eBook novella first, and then include it as a print copy bonus when the next full novel in the series is published.

One of the things my patrons love about eBooks is the fact that the font can be increased to very large sizes. With eBooks, a patron doesn't have to wait for a large print copy because the regular copy's font can be changed to accommodate those with limited vision. I have helped many older patrons in their 70s and 80s setup their OverDrive accounts and have shown them how to make the font bigger. They are thrilled when they see how large the font can get. It's also nice that a tablet user can oftentimes change the default font to one that is easier to read.

There is one thing I don't like about eBooks: page numbers, or the lack thereof. Sometimes it is difficult to gauge where you are in the book. Amazon Kindle books at least have a general time left estimate, but it is very difficult to cite eBooks in a paper. Kindle books also include a Kindle location number, but who knows what that really means?

Audio books are an entirely different animal. Some patrons who listen to audio books only listen to audio books and do not read the book. Some patrons use audio books because of vision issues and others listen to them while driving in the car. The nice thing about audio books is a person can multitask and do two things at once while listening to the story.

I haven't really thought much about how audio books differ from print books, but I think there is actually more than I ever assumed. The narrator can make or break an audio book. My mom loves audio books and there have been a few she wouldn't listen to because she didn''t like the sound of the narrator. The story might be great, but if a person doesn't like the narrator's voice, the person will stop listening to it. "For some listeners the kind of audio book may not even be the most important element of the next book they listen to. A listener may want any book on tape narrated by their favorite voice regardless of the subject matter," (Mediatore).

I haven't listened to many audio books and for the most part I prefer to read a book. There is one exception: David Sedaris. My mom actually introduced me to David Sedaris' books through audio book. She listened to Me Talk Pretty One Day and told me I had to listen to it. I actually can't imagine reading his books because listening to his narration is just such a joy. Because these stories are parts of his life, he both tells the story and seems to relive the moments at the same time through his narration. I think authors make excellent narrators because the story is a part of them. It also gives the reader a chance to hear how the author envisioned the story being read.

Another aspect I hadn't thought of is books that just don't work as audio books. I assumed every story would work as an audio book, but Mediatore makes a good point: "Some stories, due to structure, might work better on the page than on the CD. There may be some visual arrangements of the text that a reader needs to see to understand an author's intention. A book with newspaper article excerpts, diary entries, e-mails, or letters might not make the transition to tape as well as a book with a straightforward story line," (Mediatore).

Before reading Mediatore's article, I had never heard of frame when it comes to audio books. "In an audio book, frame is the feel or tone of the book the reader garners from the narrator. The frame may also be enhanced by music, sound effects, or additional readings. These audible frills elevate the quality of the recorded book," (Mediatore).

Overall, when it comes to eBooks and audio books, I think it's important to realize that there is more to recommending a book than simply the story. Before this week, I didn't even realize this! I am going to have to listen to more audio books to get a better sense of these differences. Also, if you haven't listened to a David Sedaris audio book, I highly recommend it!

Work Cited

Mediatore, Kaite. "Reading with Your Ears: Readers' Advisory and Audio Books." Reference & User Services Quarterly 42.4 (2003): 318-23. JStor. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.