Hard time reading books?

I've heard a lot of writer's say they don't read the way they used to read before they became writers. A lot of times, they just can't get through a novel they're reading, because they're too critical, not reading the book like a non-writing reader reads--just for the pleasure of reading the book and enjoying the book. This is a problem for me as well. I can't tell you how many times I've began a book, even best-sellers, only to quit reading them, because they just don't measure up to what I expect from a book.  Obviously, the problem is mine. I'm too critical.

I know a way around this problem, where I can once again "read" books just for the pleasure and enjoyment. How? By listening to recorded books. There's a world of difference between listening to someone read the book and reading it yourself. Your inner critic turns off, unless the book is just not your cup of tea. I've listened to many, many books that I couldn't or wouldn't normally read: Meet Me Under the Umbu Tree, Last Voyage of the Valentina, (those two are romances), many thrillers, James Rollins among others, Maeve Binchy, The Horse Whisperer, biographies, science books, just hundreds of different books.

Listening to recorded books may return you to that innocent state in which you can read a book just for the pleasure of it.

Recorded Books

Before I retired, I drove about forty minutes to work, and forty minutes home, five days a week. That was about six hours a week riding in my car. How I used that time was a challenge until I discovered recorded books. Then it became a pleasure to drive to and from work. I actually looked forward to it.

There are thousands of recorded books to choose from. I browsed the library book shelves for books I thought I might enjoy. It was a constant experiment, because I listened to books I never would have read. I tried all genres, and found I enjoyed women's books, perhaps romantic books one might say. I enjoyed listening to Mave Binchy's books and Santa Montefiori's. I couldn't get enough of them. I enjoyed travel books, such as The Old Patagonian Express, Toujour Provence, and various other books, such as Bangkok Tattoo, Farewell Summer, Free Fire, Peony In Love, The Judas Strain, Codex 632, The 47th Samuri, Love Is A Racket, Tall Grass, and The Forest.

What is it about recorded books that makes them so wonderful? They're almost like a play or movie or drama. It's the reader's voice and style that makes the books even better than they would be if I read them to myself. Some of the readers are fantastic. They help put some of the books above the rest, making them even better than they would be otherwise.

So what are my favorites, the one's I'd recommend as the best? What are my top ten?

1. Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil.
2. Angela's Ashes.
3. Sir Vidia's Shadow.
4. Meet Me Under the Ombu Tree.
5. Luncheon of the Boating Party.
6. The Horse Whisperer.
7. A House In Sicily.
8. Plague of Doves.
9. Rasputin's Daughter.
10. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.