An Edison Research consumer survey wanted to know when audio book users were listening to their books.  Most of the time, it was while driving, 65 percent.  Relaxing before falling asleep was 52 percent.  Doing housework or chores was 45 percent. Since this adds up to 162 percent, someone’s listening during all of the above.  

Meanwhile. . . .You don’t think authors suffer for their art?  E.B. White, who wrote Charlotte’s Web was asked to record it on tape for audio books.  It took him 17 tries before he could get through the spider’s death without crying.

“Did you know reading aloud with your kids is the #1 way to help them achieve reading success in school?” So says Sarah Mackenzie, author and host of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. Furthermore, “Reading aloud to your kids, even after they can read to themselves, is one of the best academic boosts you can give a child of any age.”  Besides, isn’t it fun for you, too, unless it’s the same picture book every night?

For the older kiddies, the latest classroom sensation is classics in manga, comic books in the Japanese style. Teachers are enthusiastic about the books, which are notsimplified.  Hamlet, for instance, is more than 500 pages.  The goal of the publisher, Manga Classics, is to “create the most faithful adaptation possible in the graphic form.”  The thirteen titles available so far include Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jane Eyre, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Scarlet Letter. Visit mangaclassics.com for more information and lesson plans for interested teachers.  And good ol’ Longmont Library has several Manga Classics for you to enjoy!

Finally, if you should be in Chicago, drop by the American Writers Museum.  One year old, it’s received rave reviews from Fodor’s, USA Today, and others.  Among the many exhibits are a Word Waterfall, a digital map of Hometown Authors, and a table of typewriters for visitors to add a sentence or two to an on-going story.  Learn more at americanwritersmuseum.org

It’s October—-treat yourself to a good book.