HOW READING CHANGED MY LIFE & INTERACTIVE EXCELLENCE

The next best thing to curling up with a good book is listening to Anna Quindlen's essay about her love affair with the great books in her life. Read with humor, joy and appreciation by Susan Anspach, Quindlen's treatise on the evolution and importance of books will make any listener proud to be a bibliophile. While Quindlen suggests that audiobooks may be a poor replacement for the tactile world of books, Anspach's performance proves otherwise as she relishes every word she is reading. Conversely, Edwin Schlossberg offers many great ideas and insights regarding culture and the need for audiences to interact with whatever medium they experience, but he does so in a dry, uninviting manner. While his ideas logically follow Quindlen's as they attempt to steer the listener from rote participation to active enjoyment of art and education, his performance falls short of his message. H.L.S. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 00]