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When you’re Here, you’re on Island Time... (L): Jonah Cummings (R.) The latest bestsellers are available as audiobooks.

While more folks are listening to Charles Dickens and Mary Kay Andrews and Bill O’Reilly through their earbuds, Cummings laments that 66 percent of Americans still have never listened to an audiobook. To perk readers’ interest, he has collaborated with Live Oak Public Libraries to showcase the thousands of new and classic titles available — for free — from local libraries. The next session takes place Monday, June 24 at the Bull Street Library. “It’s something I can do at a grassroots level to make people aware of audiobooks,” he says, adding that June is National Audiobook Month. “People don’t realize how easy it is.” Many library titles come in CD and cassette format (not all tape players have disappeared from the world!) as well as in downloadable form via the free app Overdrive. Audiobooks are filed under “e-books” on the LOPL website, liveoakpl.org, and can be downloaded straight to an iPod or smartphone via Georgia Download Destination. “We have more than 20,000 audiobooks in our collection, many in MP3 format. If you’re taking a long drive this summer, a good audiobook will definitely make the miles fly by,” says Karen Reichardt, LOPL’s director of Technical Services. “We also hear from our customers that they love to listen to audiobooks while exercising, cleaning house, walking the dog, or just relaxing in their favorite easy chair.” LOPL also has students covered with more than 1,500 children’s audiobooks. Yes, hours logged listening to Harry Potter definitely count towards the library’s Summer Reading Program, which offers rewards

like a Barnes & Noble gift cards and entry into a grand prize drawing for a fabulous family getaway in Atlanta. New children’s titles include the comical Crush by Gary Paulsen, the YA Cinderella makeover tale Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick, sci-fi thriller Cydonian Pyramid by Pete Hautman and the spectacularly creepy The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry. “We also have many of the classics on audio, which are a great way for students to check off titles on their school reading list,” adds Reichardt. The educational value of audiobooks has also inspired Cummings to keep setting up his table at the library. He cites studies about how jointly listening to and following the pages in a book helps kids learn to read as well as support different kinds of learning styles. “Nothing gives me a greater sense of accomplishment than knowing I have contributed to someone’s education or simply helped them learn something new,” he says in that distinctive radio voice. “People still think they’re for the visually-impaired or learning-disabled, but this really is just a great way to read a book.” cs

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“Have You Read A Good Audiobook Lately?” with Jonah Cummings When: Noon to 2pm Monday, June 24th Where: Bull Street Library, 2002 Bull St. Cost: Free Info: liveoakpl.org and weproduceaudiobooks.com

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