I am now more than halfway through my first complete¹ audio book, Stephen King’s Misery. And having now listened to more than 7 hours of the book, here are few thoughts:

• This is one really good book. I had no idea! I seem to recall seeing bits and pieces of the movie once, a long time ago, but the book is so much better, so much richer. It is just fantastic so far.
• I love the metafictional aspects of the book. I love the work within the work (Misery’s Return) but even more, I love the multiple levels of recursion that are taking place. I’ve got to imagine that this was a fun book for King to write.
• The book is narrated by Lindsay Krouse and so far, if I had my way, I’d have her narrate every future audio book I read. She is outstanding.

Now for a few of the downsides I’ve discovered:

• I can’t really multitask while listening to the book–not beyond walking or working out on the elliptical machine. And even then, if I don’t focus on the story and let my mind wander, I soon discover that I’ve missed something and have to go back.
• It’s not as easy for me to pick up where I left off. When reading a book, it’s easy to open to where you left off and continue, but I find I tend to have to back up a little when listening to the audio book in order to more easily slip into the narration.
• I think Lindsay Krouse is a fantastic narrator. She has the perfect voice for listening (as far as I am concerned) and the trouble with that is the chances are very good she won’t be narrating the next audio book I listen to. And I suspect that whoever does narrate it simply won’t be as satisfying to my ears.

I have not yet decided what I’m going to listen to next. I do enjoy working out listening to the book. I enjoy my morning walks listening to the book, too. I take a quick 1 mile walk every morning at 10am to get some air. The last two mornings have been bitterly cold and windy. I would have ordinarily cut my walk short both days, but I pressed on mainly because I was so absorbed by the story and Lindsay Krouse’s voice, and I wanted to keep listening, at least for a little while.