Friday, August 6, 2010

Book Blogger Hop (5)

Book Blogger Hop
Do you listen to music when you read?
If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?


Yes and no...

Lately, because I've been interested in speed, I've been listening to the audiobooks as I read. I play them through Windows Media Player at 1.7x or higher, which makes the audio about the same speed as I read.

When not reading with audiobooks, however, I cannot read in silence. My mind wanders, or I pick up distracting noises (like my family moving around/watching TV) that draw me out of the story.


Sometimes I choose simple white noise. A babbling brook CD, or a thundering rainstorm. These provide just enough to drown out the random noises of the house, but have enough consistency that I'm not drawn out of my book.




Other times I listen to a soundtrack. I cannot listen to music with lyrics—who could read or write with people singing/talking in their ear? But I find that movie scores allow for drowning out other noises without becoming too jarring themselves. It helps if it's from a movie I've seen multiple times, or if I've listened to the soundtrack enough, so that I'm not actively listening to the music.


 Also, depending on the soundtrack, I'm able to get a better feel for the mood of the book. Certain soundtracks are better for certain books.
Pride & Prejudice, for example, might fit more appropriately to literary books than spy novels. Meanwhile, nothing beats Lord of the Rings for battles of good against evil.


Here are a few others of my favorites:
Titanic, Spirited Away, Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman Begins,
The Dark Knight, Avatar, Happy Feet, Treasure Planet, Catch Me If You Can, Independence Day, Harry Potter, Ever After, Prince of Egypt, WALL-E.

Feel free to post a link to your own blog in the comments,
and be sure to check out other blog-hoppers at Crazy-for-Books' blog!

10 comments :

  1. Stopping in from the hop to say that I hope you have a fantastic weekend. I'm already a follower. Is a thundering rainstorm really relaxing? The real ones don't exactly do that to me...

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  2. Hopping by to say hello! I like the idea of nature CD's--depending on the book, that could immerse you even futher in the reading experience. :-)

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  3. Stopping by- I'm now a follower! I like the sound of rainstorms, too. :)

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  4. Those are some great music choices! I forgot how Apollo 13 had some great music...very soring-through-the-couds type of music if I remember right.

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  5. I totally agree about the silence. Unless I am outside - I can totally read an entire book. But it has been freakishly HOT in Georgia so can't tolerate outside.

    Could chat more... but must get back to hopping. Lets get together more later.

    Happy Friday ~
    ~Tresa @ Bippidy Boppidy Boo
    http://snewo.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/book-blogger-hop-3/

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  6. Looks like some good music you like to listen to!!! I also love to listen to soundtracks as well!! They are so much fun to listen to!!! Hope you are having a good weekend!

    Feel free to come over and visit me Here


    Happy Reading!

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  7. I love quiet when I read. Beautiful quiet. Every now and then a little French music is lovely, too.

    I am now a follower. I hope you will stop by my blog. www.readerbuzz.blogspot.com

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  8. Hello, just stopping by from the hop. I like the look of your blog and I am now a follower. Have a good weekend.
    bookbee
    http://thebookbee.blogspot.com

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  9. Hey! Just dropping in to say hello and I hope your having a great weekend! :D

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  10. I loved Titanic's music, so true. And Spirited Away, that had some awesome music, so did Princess Mononoke. Or is there actually a movie that's not the anime I'm thinking about?...eh, either way great post.

    Thanks for stopping by my place by the way. :)

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