Back then, I never thought there would be a far more greater literary experience than reading a book. My Dad, who is also very much a bookworm himself, was the one who exposed me and in actuality “pushed” me into reading. He did not stop giving me books to read until I came upon an author that I would be fond with. According to him, all I needed was a story that would interest me and an author that I would like to follow. Then, the time of reckoning came upon me when my Dad gave me the book Dragon by Clive Cussler. I was fascinated by how the author described scenes in the book that while I was reading it, I could also see what he was describing through my imagination (I have a VERY wild imagination, you know…). Due to this, I have collected all his books and other books from Robert Ludlum, Jeffrey Archer, Tom Clancy, J.K. Rowling and other authors I could no longer remember (should have a visit back to my bookshelves…). I never stopped reading books or anything else that interests me since then.

When I was into the so-called “hot streak” of my reading habit, I was always a customer and an avid visitor of Book Sale in the Philippines looking for titles for a lesser price. I also have searched through the World Wide Web and downloaded scores of E-books. It was also during that time that I ran across audiobooks. But I never gave it that much interest. For me then, the reading experience cannot be surpassed by anything. I have always thought audiobooks were intended for people who cannot read, the blind or just about anyone who were very lazy enough to even turn a page of a book.

That was until now.

When I went here in Dubai, I never had the chance to continue reading and I missed it a lot. As customary for me, I could hardly put down a book until I finish it which is not very ideal considering my schedule at work. To put it more plainly, I cannot do anything else when I start to read. So, I thought of a compromise.

When my sister told me about the new hype on the Twilight Saga back there in the Philippines, curiosity crept on me and I was itching to read about it. While searching for an E-book of Twilight, I stumbled upon its audiobook. Then I told myself, why not try it. Compromise. Since I’m always spending almost 5 hours a day in traffic going to and from the office, this would be a great companion to pass by time and get back to reading (rather listening…) and not getting dizzy in the process. And I was not disappointed. I would not say that it is better than reading but maybe of the same level or maybe yes, a bit better.

Listening to an audiobook is comparable to like listening to your mother when she was reading you bedtime stories before you sleep when you were still a kid. It was very interesting. Of course, it helped that I really have this enthusiasm to read Twilight, but I should say it was just a part of it. Audiobooks are amazing in its own way. The book is literally read to you by a narrator but with added spices. The narrator gives life to the dull words of a book by not just reading it but by giving emotion to every situation in the story. The narrator would even change her intonation and give a different voice for each character in the book. She read the story very convincingly and animatedly that you’ll just not imagine what she’s reading out but you’ll also get carried away and would even see yourself almost as if your watching a movie. Actually, tt’s very much like reading, minus the eye strain and the added weight of a thick 500-page book. I enjoyed it a lot that I downloaded all the four audiobooks of the Twilight Saga (currently at Book 4 – Breaking Dawn!) immediately.

I know having this experience with audiobooks won’t easily take me away from reading books, but at least thanks to it I was able to keep up with one of my favorite past times. If ever I would have a spare time to read, I would surely grab a book rather than listen to it.