Audiobook Week 2012: My Audiobook Year

I was really struggling for a while with exactly what focus I should take this year for Audiobook Week. As a blog that is almost exclusively Audiobook content, I don’t need a specific week to celebrate my love of audiobooks. I have talked a lot about audiobooks over the past year, and when I discovered the first day’s topic would be my audiobook year, I continued to try to figure out exactly what I should do.

Since I review every audiobook I listen to, you can pretty much see how my Audiobook year has gone. I was involved in a few special events, including Zombie Awareness Month and Armchair Audies, but I have talked about that a lot elsewhere. I could play Audiobook evangelist again, like I did during Armchair BEA this year, but for Audiobook Week, I would be preaching to the choir. I have told my audiobook enthusiast origin stories many times before including interviews at The Literate Housewife and I’m A Book Shark.

So, I started to think about my audiobook year, in terms of how I have changed as a listener. Back before I blogged, my listening habits were quite different than they are now. I used to find authors I liked, and listen to their entire backlist. I often times had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to listen to next, particularly because I relied so heavily on my Library and Overdrive. Yet, now, I almost never listen to authors back to back, and I have such a huge TBR pile that I often have my listens planned out weeks in advance. A lot of factors have made me a different listener, but the biggest factor that has turned me into the listener I am today is The Audiobook Community.

Publishers, bloggers, narrators, authors and the listeners I have interacted with over my blog have transformed me into the listener I am today. I have developed relationships with Publishers, beyond them just sending me review copies. I have received encouragement, suggestions, support, promotion and recommendations tailored to me and my blog. Other bloggers have encouraged me to read outsider of my comfort zone. I have received kind notes of encouragement from authors and audiobook listeners who have told me that they have discovered new authors and narrators through my blog. And narrators are a source of information, encouragement and amusement on an almost daily basis.

The Audiobook Community has made me want to be a better blogger. They have pushed me to bring out consistent content and timely and relevant reviews. Blogging can be a frustrating, and sometimes thankless experience. Sometimes you can question what the point of it is, and ask whether it’s worth the time and the effort you put into what is basically a hobby. Yet, when I am frustrated, someone does something that let’s me know it is worth it.

So, this week I decided to focus my Audiobook Week posts on the Audiobook Community. I have chosen titles for review that I discovered through blogs, social media or other interactions with audiobook people. The majority of these titles are a bit outside of my comfort zone, or titles I had been on the fence about, but someone did something to push me over.

Also this week I will be posting interviews I did with Audiobook people. So, I hope you enjoy. If you are a regular reader/follower, expect a marked increase in content this week. If you are new to this blog, welcome, and if I help you discover one book to add to you pile, then I have done my job. Feel free to leave comments, interacted with me and make suggestions or recommendations. Have a great Audiobook Week.

 

Today For Audiobook Week:

A Review of A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka read by Cassandra Campbell

An Interview with Ted Scott, Audiobook Editor with Skyboat Road Creative Productions and 50 Nugget Wash Productions

Update: So many people are talking about how many Audiobooks they listened to since last years Audiobook Week, that I had to count. Using my reviews as a barometer, from week after Audiobook Week 2011, to today, I’ve reviewed 185 Audiobooks, which is roughly in line with what I did in all of 2011. For just 2012, I have listened/reviewed 96 Audiobooks.