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Lately I have found myself distracted.  Distracted by technology is much to blame.  Twitter, facebook, Words With Friends, imdb, all from the comfort of a small handheld device. Not to mention tv.  I just realized.  This is not recent. 

I’ve also been reading more than I’ve been writing.  This is a frustrating truth, but books are great.  I love books.  I just need balance.  That is what I need, balance.  Balance between the day job, my family, reading writing, and sleep.  And life.  I follow enough authors on their blogs, facebook, and Twitter to know that this is a pretty common thing.  I think that we, as a society have become so busy, so inundated with sights and sounds, that we respond by thinking that we have to do it all.  It is all too much.

If you have read this far hoping that I’m going to give some grand insight, I’m sorry to disappoint you.  I think that we have to strive for balance.  Figure out what our priorities are and try not to lose sight of those.  I’m thinking maybe I’ll Twitter stalk, er follow only every other day.  Make myself write something, anything for a set amount of time before I read at night.  I haven’t ironed it all out yet.  Looking at things realistically, I know I’m not going to be perfect.  Ever.  What works for you?  Do you have a pattern?  A method to your madness?  Seems like all I have these days is the madness.  The worst part is, I’m not sure I am doing any of it right, but I’m trying.  That’s about all I can do.  There’s just. So. Much. Stuff. Out there. 

Awesome Audio Books

I’m picky when it comes to listening to books.  The reader makes such a huge impact.  I have stopped listening just a few minutes in when the reader rubbed me the wrong way.  For a long time I stuck with books read by performers with British accents.  Occasionally, an audio book read by the author is less than entertaining, but I’ve had good results there.  Lord of the Flies, read by William Goldman for example is quite good.  Then I discovered Neil Gaiman.  Who wants anything read by anyone else when you’ve heard his rich storytelling voice?  But the audio of Anansi Boys is read by Lenny Henry.  I like Lenny Henry.  British accent.  Funny.  Yes, this could be good.  It. Was. Wonderful.  (I first became acquainted with Mr. Henry watching Chef! on PBS) 

One day I checked out Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, performed by the author.  Oh heavens, what a treat.  Not only is the book smart, funny, and well, just GREAT, but she is an incredible actor.  Ms. Bray gave each character a distinct voice.  From Miss Texas (Taylor Renee Crystal Hawkins), to Miss New Hampshire (Adina), her accents run the gamut. You forget that all of these characters are voiced by one person sometimes.  This is a good thing.

Here is the trailer.