People who know me well know that I hate beginnings. I don’t usually like the first few episodes of TV shows. I don’t always like the first 15 minutes of movies. I hated 1st grade and my first month of college.
How Do I Get Over My Fear of New Things When I am Starting a New Book?
One strategy that I use to start books and books from a new genre is that I download the audiobook version of the book. Then I listen to the audio book for the first time while I am doing chores or walking. I pay attention while I am listening but not too much attention. I try not to have too many expectations before I start. This helps me adjust myself to a new story. I find this strategy of listening while doing something else works especially well at the beginning of a book to get myself into a book. Sometimes, after listening, I decide that I don’t like the book and I don’t continue. Sometimes I quit listening and then just read the book with the print copy. Sometimes I do a combination of listening and reading. The listening, gets me through the hardest part of the book, which is the beginning of the book where the groundwork for the story is being set up.
Where do I get these audiobooks?
I don’t usually borrow the CD’s of books from my library because I do not often find myself in the presence of a CD player. I do use digital audiobooks and listen through my headphones. I also listen in my car using my phone when I am in my car by myself. I don’t usually listen to the book for the first time in my car though. Sometimes I can’t pay enough attention to a story while I am driving. I can’t always follow a book in the beginning if I am driving. I find unloading or loading the dishwasher is good activity to do while listening to a book.
It is fairly easy to get a trial subscription to Audible.com (they will give you one free month trial every year). There are also a number of other websites to get audiobooks from like Chirp. I also use my library cards to access Libby, Hoopla, and cloudLibrary where I access free eBooks and downloadable audiobooks.
Why Am I Mentioning All This?
Sometimes I need help getting into a book that Is outside of my usual genre of reading. I typically like reading: pop non-fiction, historical fiction, memoirs, literary fiction, chick lit, speculative fiction, and lighter science fiction.
Audiobook listening helps me to get into books that fall outside of my normal reading preferences.
Today’s review is from the genre hard science fiction. According to Wikipedia hard science fiction is “characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic”.
Book Review for Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Published May 4, 2021.
496 pages!
I both read and listened to this book. The audio version is 16 hours and 10 minutes. It is a lot of book. The audio version is an Audible original. The reader is very good, he acts it out more than he reads it and it was very entertaining. The story is told through first person so this works technique is very effective.
Andy Weir is also the author of The Martian which was made into a movie staring Matt Damon.
I don’t usually read hard science fiction so this was a departure for me.
I liked it though. Loner main character is on a mission to save the world, what’s not to like? The main character had been a backlisted physicist, who became a middle school science teacher before the story begins. Then he is sort of chosen to become the savior of earth.
This book has everything: space shuttles, flash backs to the before times, extra terrestrial microorganisms, many discussions English versus metric systems. It has something for everyone!
My honest review is this: there are some parts in this book where the discussion about how the main character did what he did or why he did it got a little boring. I had to lean hard on the memories from the only physics class that I ever took which was over 25 years ago. Project Hail Mary sometimes got bogged down in the details. However, I found it interesting to listen to and read while on vacation. If you the reader/listener can soldier on and tune out the technical discussions when the main character goes on a little long about fixing something on his spaceship, you will see that this book has real heart. It isn’t just about science. It is about human potential, loneliness, cooperation, and interspecies friendship. I enjoyed the emotional aspects of in this book.
I am glad that I read out of my normal brand.
I was growing a little tired of the book about 100 pages before the conclusion but ultimately, I am glad that I finished because I ended up enjoying the resolution of the book.
Happy Reading, if this entices you, I hope that you give it a try.
I give it 4 start out of 5.
This sounds like an example of plot-based fiction! I hardly ever read plot-based fiction, so this was interesting to read about. I’ve been having a hard time getting into fiction books all year. I’ve read a lot of chick lit and some memoirs, but I would like to read some fiction books this summer. Maybe. I will try your method of listening to the first chapter or two or three as an audiobook.
Hi Liz,
This totally is plot based fiction. I think i should read some Michael Chabon and other plot based fiction writers because all the feelings in not plot driven books are sometimes too much! Maybe I need to read some mysteries. Thank you for reading. I hope your summer is going well so far! Katie
I’ve never “listened” to an audiobook- to be honest, I’m not good with earbuds or headphones. I read a lot of fiction/ mostly mysteries – don’t like anything too violent or clinical – I like flawed protagonists.
Hi Aunt Heidi, I don’t like anything too violent either. I hope that you are enjoying your summer.
Love,
Katie