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Bunny SHARE

Last month, I signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon and I've started training. Everyday as I run through my neighborhood, this little bunny runs across my path. At first, I thought it was a fluke, since I live in a large subdivision with lots of concrete. But, each day, this little guy is still there, so now I look forward to seeing him. Today, I took my phone and snapped his picture. Cute, huh?

A couple of months ago I posted my thoughts on SHARE: the guilt that comes with feeling that you Should Have Already Read Everything.

One of the big ways I find time to read is auidobooks. I am a big fan of audiobooks for lots of reasons.
  • First, they are excellently performed. Have you listened to an auidobook for children/YA lately? I just finished listening to Rotters, written by Daniel Kraus and performed by Kirby Heyborne, which won the 2012 Odyssey Award and is brilliant! Last year, The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex and performed by Bahni Turpin won the award and it, too, was brilliant. Some are performed by movie stars such as the Curse Workers series performed by Jesse Eisenberg and others are performed by the author such as Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
  • Audiobooks often include an interview with the author at the end. This is a special treat! John Green discussed his writing process in an interview at the end of The Fault in Our Stars and Libba Bray, who also performed Beauty Queens (which is amazing!) discusses her thoughts on the concept of beauty in our society.
  • Audiobooks are portable. I have an audiobook in my car, on my phone and on my iPod at all times. I have a two hour round trip drive to and from the university. It's not something most people would look forward to --- unless, you're listening to a fantastic book and you can't wait to get in the car to hear more! I listen on long car trips and on vacation, too. But, I also listen when I'm gong to the grocery store or other places not so far from home. Twenty minutes here and fifteen minutes there adds up and before I know it, I've finished a book. I also listen to audiobooks on my iPod when I run. I know that for some people, it would be hard to concentrate while sucking air and sweating profusely, but it doesn't bother me at all. However, I have been known to have tears running down my face or to burst out laughing as I'm running, too.
  • Audiobooks are abundant and accessible. There are a lot of children's and YA books available in audio format. I check them out from the library, order them through interlibrary loan, and download them from Audible. There are other sources as well.
If you haven't given audiobooks a try, I urge you to consider the  possibilities of how they can help you SHARE the joy of reading!

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