2008 Resolution: The Audiobook Diet

Now here's a great idea. Cancel the gym membership & listen to literature while burning calories by walking. That's what Belinda Webb suggests in her January 1st column in the UK's Guardian. Take a moment to read her advice and suggest your favorites for her daily walk!

Now that my term on the Odyssey Award committee is nearing the end, those fabulous boxes full of the latest titles from publishers will stop magically appearing on my porch, and I will have to start finding other ways to satisfy my addiction. Audiobooks are a pretty expensive habit, if you want the newest release that isn't yet available from the public library. When the publishers were feeding my addiction, I had the luxury of listening to my no-cost audiobooks at the gym. But if it comes down to working out at the gym or listening to the newest title, I know which one I'd pick.

However, both options have one drawback - the public display of listener engagement. Every audiobook addict knows the loony-lady stigma of laughing out loud in a crowded room of serious treadmill-focused gym rats, or the concerned expression of the sidewalk passer-by who sees the denouement-induced tears. But better to consume audiobooks while becoming physically fit - as my other favorite way to listen is while cooking elaborate treats in the kitchen!