Sunday Post: The Birthday Week, Audiobooks & My March TBR List Poll Winner

The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimba, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and gives us all a chance to recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. 

We take birthdays very seriously in our house. At least my daughter and I do (my husband just goes along with us). This past week we celebrated Mouse's fifth birthday (how is this possible?!) almost all week long in one way or another. When I asked her on her actual birthday if she felt any older, she replied, "No, I don't feel older," and then proceeded to ask if I would measure her to see if she was any taller.

The celebration continued into this weekend. We could not pass up having ice cream at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. If you've never been, you need to try to go. The wait staff really make the visit fun, singing and cracking jokes with guests.

What are you up to this weekend? I hope you are enjoying your Sunday!

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Do you believe audiobooks are the future? Why or why not? (submitted by Vicki Lee) 

Audiobooks may become my future if I ever lose my eyesight. A possibility I haven't completely ruled out, although I hope it won't come to pass. I cannot imagine a life without books or stories. I think audiobooks play a valuable role in our society for many people, and I do not see them going away any time soon.

I know it is controversial to say, but reading and listening to a book are not exactly the same thing. You are using different senses, triggering different synapses in your brain. I have always been a more visual learner, remembering more of what I read than what I hear. That's why in school taking notes proved to be vital to my learning process. This isn't to say listening to audiobooks is any less of a worthwhile experience than reading a print or e-book. It differs for each person.

My own experience with audiobooks has been mixed. I really want to love listening to audiobooks, especially because I would like to improve my auditory learning. The fact that I am easily distracted, my mind frequently wandering, is an issue. On the other hand, I sometimes find audiobooks give me something to focus on and stop the negative chatter inside my head when it gets to be too much. Then there is the time factor. For some, fitting in listening time is a breeze. Not for all of us though. It takes me for what seems like forever to get through an audiobook. I can't listen on the job. And I won't listen while with my family. This greatly limits my listening opportunities. I fit it in when I am able, but even then sometimes I prefer listening to the news on the radio or to music. I love music.

That said, I do get enjoyment from listening to books, especially when it is an engaging story and there is a great narrator. Since I began listening to audiobooks six years ago, I have discovered which books work best in that format for me. Definitely no nonfiction (goes back to that retention and wandering mind problem). Conversational memoirs tend to work well as do fast paced mysteries (which hold my attention more easily) or perhaps books in which my full attention isn't required--like re-reads.

Reading the written word is often cathartic to me, whether it's the book I am reading itself or just the process of reading. I find it relaxing, and it gives me the opportunity to pause and reflect whenever I want without worry of losing my place or missing something. I can more easily visualize the world I am reading about, become part of the characters lives. I find it to be a very thoughtful and more personal process. When I am listening to an audiobook, I do not have quite the same experience. This isn't to say I haven't been swept off my feet by an audiobook--because I have. It's just rare. I get that not everyone feels the same way--or has the same obstacles when listening to an audiobook.

Audiobooks are definitely not my preferred method of reading at this point in my life, but I think they have a very solid place in our society. I imagine everyone has different experiences--some of you love listening to audiobooks and others of you don't. Several of you may even share my thoughts on the matter. However you take in a book, whatever works best for you, is the right way to do it. No matter the format.

What do you think? Are audiobooks the way of the future?

What I Am Reading: I finished reading Clea Simon's The Ninth Life this past week and am well into Kemper Donovan's The Decent Proposal. My husband actually selected my current read. I was trying to decide between two books, and gave him the choice of a romantic comedy or a disaster novel. He chose the romantic comedy. You wouldn't be surprised if you knew him. He is not a fan of disaster stories. The Decent Proposal is about two strangers who are offered half a million dollars each on the condition they meet once a week--just to talk--for a year. I am enjoying it so far.


What I Am Listening to: I was able to listen a bit more to Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America by John Waters this week, albeit not much. His humor is a bit crude at times, not quite my style, but I'm finding it interesting nonetheless. 

What I Am Watching:  I am about to go into Doctor Who withdrawals. I haven't had my Doctor Who fix in over a week now. Being as it's the little one's birthday, I have seen the Lalaloopsy Prep-School episode just about every night for a week. It's better than Masha and the Bear, I admit, but both are shows I would be happy to never see again. I have been able to keep up with The Walking Dead, at least, and I caught the new episode of Quantico. Does anyone else watch that show? 

Around the Blogosphere:

• Charlie from The Worm Hole looks into the Analyses Of First Lines.
• Rita from View From My Home has an Honest Discussion: Dissecting DNFs
• Kay's Left Coast Crime 2016 experience - To be a mouse in her pocket! 

What's Going On Off the Blog: As I mentioned earlier, it was a week of birthday celebrations. I actually did make it to work for part of that time, enjoying some vacation time mixed in there as well. Our visit with our family went well. Living so far away from family has its disadvantages to be sure, but it also makes reunions especially sweet. Mouse was thrilled with the extra attention and love.

We got the promised rain (in fact, it is raining as I write this), but Mother Nature was kind enough to let the sun come out for a couple days. My daughter was able to have her outdoor party with her friends after all. The rainbow mane, blue unicorn piñata was a big hit.

I picked up Mouse's immunization records from the hospital yesterday in preparation for registering her for school. Initially when I arrived at the hospital, I drove around the parking lot of just over an hour looking for a parking spot to no avail. I ended up leaving, figuring I could come back after my visit to the hair salon, which was long overdo. Kindergarten registration still feels far off, but it's really only a few short weeks away.

Thank you for helping me choose my next read from my TBR collection:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow. While I will attempt to post my review that same month, I make no promises--it may go up the following month. 

Thirty-six of you took the time to vote in my survey! The most since I began participating in this meme. I don't know if it was because you all felt so strongly about the choices or what. Whatever the reason, I am grateful for the help in choosing what I should read next.

By a majority, Robert Gailbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling came in first with 21 votes (58.3%); it was followed by Jane Casey's The Burning which received 10 votes (27.8 votes); and in last place was Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark with 5 votes (13.9%). From your comments, I had a feeling The Cuckoo's Calling would come in for the win. Even my husband admitted to voting for it.

Thank you again to all who voted! 

I hope you all have a great week! Happy Reading!

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© 2016, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.