J is for Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Two things.

One, I listened to this on audiobook which is a very different experience from reading a book (like I tend to fall asleep a lot more often). (Also, since the narrator was British I kept thinking that Jane was addressing the book to Rita, and I was wondering who the heck Rita was, until I read some quotes on tumblr and realized she was just saying "Reader" with a British accent.)

Two, I feel like reviewing a classic novel that's already loved by millions is also an entirely different experience.

I actually wanted to read Jane Eyre because of my new obsession with the Autobiography of Jane Eyre, a web series based on the book (made by Canadians!).

I have to say, these slow romantic books that are mostly dialogue and slower writing are not my cup of tea. I have a really hard time paying attention. Especially since the main plot points happened through long back and forth dialogue, and the parts in between were huge chunks of telling by Jane the Narrator. I just don't like that kind of writing.

I did like Jane, though, I thought she was fun and clever and a strong young lady who definitely stood up for herself. (Go, Jane!) I thought Rochester was weird and didn't really like him (it didn't help that the audiobook narrator's voice for Rochester had a snobby sneer at the end of every sentence), and St John (Sinjin? The audiobook narrator kept saying Sinjin) was also weird. I don't really know how Jane likes either of these guys. The entire story was kind of weird, actually.

I did very much love the happy ending, though, of course.

(Just kidding. Rochester dies.)

All in all, I much prefer the web series, where I actually like Rochester and you get to see more of all of the other characters. You can watch that here, if you so please.

Also check out the book, not that the book needs any more support.

(Also, does Charlotte Bronte have a hard time coming up with names or something? There are like 5 Johns and 3 Marys in this book.)

When Ears Read: The Audiobook Experience

So I'm one of those people that can't read, write, look down, play iPod games, do anything that's not looking out the window, in a moving vehicle. At least, without getting nauseous. So when I went with my choir for a tour down to Minneapolis (if you experienced any random acts of singing two weekends ago, that was me with my choir) I thought that a couple of audiobooks would be perfect for the drive down.

I have actually never listened to audiobooks before, except for childrens books on cassettes that my sister and I borrowed from the library when we were younger. It's a lot different than reading a book. These are some things I noticed:

1. I can read in a moving vehicle (in this case, a Beaver Bus) without getting sick!



My cat, Venus, waiting to be read to.

 2. It felt like I was seven again and my Dad was reading aloud to me and my siblings. (The audiobook I was listening to was also Chronicles of Narnia, which is what my Dad read aloud to us almost every night when we were younger.)

The ape and the donkey from
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

3. I like when the narrator does different voices for each character. And the characters in The Last Battle and The Silver Chair have really funny voices.

4. It is extremely relaxing to just listen to someone talk. (It is also easier to fall asleep... especially on a trip where you are singing and doing stuff all the time on top of getting little sleep).

5. (This is a question more than something I discovered about audiobooks). Does listening to audibooks count as reading a book?