Today is honorable mention day. That means I am not talking about “books” but instead Audiobooks and Podcasts.

Audiobooks:
The wonders of Audiobooks first became apparent when a long car ride to Flordia (from PA) was made significantly better by the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone audiobook. The way a narrator can carry you through the story using only the voices he produces is simply mesmerizing. There is depth in the spoken word, and you can infer so much about a character from the inflection an author gives to their lines.

Hagrid is a massive half-giant with a huge scraggly beard and a deep voice. Every time the narrator spoke as Hagrid the resonant sound of his voice brought back my mental image of Hagrid as a character. For many people movies that are based on a book stink because the disrupt or shatter whatever the reader’s mental image of a character looked like. Audiobooks strike a balance between providing more information about what a character sounds like and how he/she acts without removing the audience from the creative process. How I saw Hagrid was influenced by what I thought Hagrid would look like. It was as if I was a creative consultant on the character design of every person in a book. Thus I feel that audiobooks serve a niche in my life. If I am going on a long (insert prolonged mindnumbing experience here) then and audiobook will be superior to even music.

Music is great for listing in a car, but on a 4-hour car trip, I want to have experienced a story by the end. Having an audiobook can help me do that.

Podcasts:
Podcasts are a crazy element of the digital revolution, and they come in all shapes forms, sizes, and varieties. Podcasts can be hour long unscripted videos, a bunch of people talking into a microphone for half and hour, or a highly scripted 60 min news broadcast.

Some of my personal favorites include Serial, Dan Carlton’s Hardcore History, and anything from the NPR 1 app.

Serial follows the investigation of a real-life crime as the reporters try to wrap their head around the situation and attempt to figure it out with you. The reporter will often take a break and discuss what is going on in her head as you try to formulate your own opinion on what may have happened. More often than not the case is ambiguous and doesn’t have a truly correct answer allowing the intrigue to build even further. If you like Mysteries at all, I highly recommend you check this out.

Dan Carlton’s Hardcore History, on the other hand, is not for the faint of heart. Each episode is highly produced and can be up to three hours in length. I am sure many people would find it mind-numbingly boring, but I like history. It’s right up my alley.

But best of all:
1. They are almost all free!
2. They are all sponsored by Squarespace!

That was a podcast joke I am sorry if you didn’t get it.