On the second day of Lent I find myself grateful for audiobooks.

I fell asleep last night listening to a novel set in WWII Berlin involving British spies, Churchill, the German resistance, and a whole host of Nazi bad guys. I love books of any kind—paperbacks, hardcovers, kindle editions, first round manuscripts. But with audiobooks, I can take a book to bed, turn on the sound and turn out the lights. The storytelling helps me escape the stress of an abundant life or sparks my curiosity or puts me to sleep. Sometimes the book runs all night. (Or until I determine that four hours of sleep is essential before editing can commence on the morrow, and turn it off.) The downside of letting it run unchecked is that I have to go backward in the audio the next day to find the last thing I remember. Bother!

My hubby is a quiet man. I just love road trips with him.
“Whatcha thinking about over there?”
“Nothing.”
“How are you doing, sweetie?”
“Fine.”
“What do you think about thermal nuclear fission?”
“Dangerous.”
“I’m thinking we should remodel the house, add a fireplace to the bedroom, update the bathroom, install a pool, maybe a sauna, and cover the deck. What do you think?”
“No.”
“Chimpanzees or orangutans? If we adopted one, which would you prefer? Both are apes. Both are smart. Both probably shed hair as bad as the cat. Chimps are smaller. But orangutans are funnier. We could makeover Jackie’s room when he gets married and make it a primate room. Wouldn’t that be fun? Do you think they use a toilet or wear diapers? That could be weird. If you were sitting down to breakfast and were going to share a banana with one, which would you prefer?”
“Orangutans.” *

And so it went before we discovered audiobooks. Now I can borrow them from the library, download them to my kindle, plug in an adapter, and, voilà, instant conversation for the long trips to Missouri, Wisconsin, or Minnesota. It keeps him awake while he drives and keeps me entertained without having to dig words out of him.

The hard part is finding a book we both like to listen to. We like a little mystery, a bit of romance, a dose of intrigue, a villain to loathe, and, if possible, someone whose antics make us laugh. And if the person reading the book has an accent, all the better. We are very cosmopolitan after all. Surprisingly, we have found several that fit the bill. Road trips are now more exciting and go by faster than ever.

I am grateful for audiobooks. What are your favorites?

*Disclaimer: Actual road trip conversations vary and occasionally last long into the journey with both parties contributing exciting and relevant dialogue.