After struggling to read in early childhood, Marina French, junior, discovered audio books in school. This was her gateway to the world of reading and this new discovery allowed her to enjoy books.

“I really enjoy the voices of audio books, along with the accents and even sometimes there’s music,”  French said. “You can get a really in-depth vision without reading it.”

French said her favorite audio book is The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer and the accent is Russian which she really enjoys.

This month, the Library is hosting No Page November. Running from Saturday, Nov. 1, to Wednesday, Dec. 3, the event challenges students and staff to listen to 15 hours of audio books for prizes; there is also a bookmark in the library available to log hours. 

“It’s fun to participate in something I was already doing and have other people participate,” French said. 

French said she is confident she will win this challenge because she listens to audio books daily and makes them part of her daily routine. 

Ray Holmes, librarian, said the inspiration for No Page November came from the librarians’ love for audio books and the goal of promoting a different form of reading.

Holmes said one of the reasons he loves audio books is because of the way they are produced and how high quality audio books almost feel like a movie, his most recent audio book being Garden of the Cursed by Katy Pool.

Holmes recommends Libby, Destiny and the Destiny Discover app for students interested in audio books.

Jocelyn Fretwell, language arts teacher, originally started by listening to podcasts before transitioning to audio books later in life.

“When I had kids, that love and need for audio books became prominent because of time,” Fretwell said.

Fretwell said she prefers to listen to non-fiction audio books but wishes she had time to read more paper books because she enjoys reading fiction rather than listening.

“It’s kind of my time that’s dedicated to me, when I work out or drive,” Fretwell said.