I’m about to take a long drive … down to Berkeley, California for a dear friend’s wedding on April 12. So I’m driving down on Thursday the 10th and when it comes to a long trip like that I’ve discovered that I actually do enjoy books on CD. If you’re traveling with others listening to a book is tough, because not everyone enjoys the same thing. But seeing as this is a solo trip for me, I can pick whatever I want! Being a reader and a book lover, listening to a book has always felt like cheating to me, but I was quickly converted on my last drive south. I listened to three books on that trip: The Reluctant Fundamentalist, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, and The Fourth Bear. I did miss my music a bit … another joy of driving by yourself is you can crank up the stereo as loud as you want and no one asks you to change the CD. There is a certain joy to be found cruising down I-5, a joyless stretch on its own, and twisting the knob clockwise and being washed over by tunes from your favorite bands (for me, Wilco, Flaming Lips, vintage X and Throwing Muses).
So this time I may do one or two books on CD and some music. I’m thinking about listening to a personal hero, Joseph Campbell … perhaps The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I’m also considering a good classic, such as Hesse’s Siddhartha or Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Hmmm. I also very much want to read Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (so twisted!) … but that I may save to read rather than listen to.
Decisions, decisions. Regardless of what I listen to, it will be a great trip. A weekend spent with life-long girlfriends, sharing a hotel room and laughing into the wee hours. It’s hard for any book to beat that.
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