Reading on the Road

I learned a new word today!

mel·lif·lu·ous
məˈliflo͞oəs/
adjective: mellifluous
(of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear.
“the voice was mellifluous and smooth”

See, my blog can be educational! Don’t you feel clever now?

I came across it as I was skimming an article arguing that listening to an audiobook is just as good (and good for you) as reading a print version. Earbuds didn’t seem to do the journalist any harm, since she routinely peppered her sentences with words like “mellifluous.”

Personally, I prefer holding a good story in my hands. I enjoy being able to pace myself as I ingest the characters, setting, and dialogue—just as I wish. Sometimes I’ll read a section slowly, or stop and reread it just to “chew” on an interesting quote. Boring or redundant parts get skimmed through. If the story is suspenseful enough, I might race through a few pages, eager to find out what happens. Unfortunately, audio books lack that sense of control over the movement of the story, as the narrator drones over every word and chapter at precisely the same rate.

That said, I do hold a special affection for audio books. Literally hearing, rather than imagining, the character’s voice and thoughts makes her seem more real, like a confiding friend. Those discs give me something to anticipate on long, monotonous drives to and from work. Because the drive is the same every week, I probably make more reliable progress on books I listen to rather than read.

Right now, I’m tuning in to a novel by relatively new author Connilyn Cossette. I’m not telling which one, though, or I might spoil a future post! Have you read anything by her? I love the narrator so far. At first I thought she was a little rigid, as if she were impersonating a robot (can you impersonate a robot? It’s not a person…) but later I decided it suited the heroine’s rich upbringing and skeptical, questioning nature.

Well, that’s all for now, folks! I’ll close with a Bible verse to linger on…

Psalm 19:9-10

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.