Read WHILE You Toil! Listen to Audiobooks!

I have recently begun listening to books on CD while I work in my cubicle at Aegon. I don't have to talk to anyone or answer any phones, so I decided, instead of listening to my Ipod (which is broken anyway), I would listen to a classic or two while crunching through the numbers of numerous insurance producers whose licenses I must renew daily. That being said, I am now listening to the last few chapters of Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. Despite what people may think about it's naval jargon and dry passages of the physiology of whales, I have found Moby Dick to be a thoroughly entertaining tale. It's action doesn't really arrive until the last few chapters of the epic, when Captain Ahab's obsession with the white whale finally sends he and the Pequod into utter peril. My favorite aspect of the book is Ishmael, the narrator. He tells the story from the angle of new eyes to the whaling voyage and high knowledge of many matters because of his background as a schoolteacher. Ishmael observes all action on the Pequod, all it's motley crew of characters and events that happen, with a curious eye. I really appreciate detail in novels, and Melville's descriptions through Ishmael gave the book's language some of its allure. Ultimately, I wouldn't suggest sitting down to read this novel in as short of time as I listened to it (about 8 days). The recording I listened to was 21 hours long, divided into 18 CDs. The book is like, 1, 946 pages (or something like that) and can be really overwhelming, especially if you are not used to reading very long novels. I liked listening to Moby Dick because the gentleman who was doing the reading (Frank Muller) was very expressive and articulate; he did a great job keeping me interested in the descriptions and dialogue. If you would like to find an audio recording of Moby Dick, or a hard copy version of the book, click here for audio and here for hard copies. The audio version listed is the same one that I listened to!

Next book on my listening agenda: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Happy reading! :)