I don't think there are "official" rules regarding audio books - but my personal opinion is that audio books do count. Because I know that my dad listens to tons of books in the car (as the only time he has to be able to "read") and those books certainly count in his life/mind/education/etc.
I've been keeping track of my books on LJ. In addition to the 50 books goal, I've set the goal that at least 12 of them (ie, one a month ish) be non-fiction.
1. True Devotion -- Dee Henderson
2. True Valor -- Dee Henderson
3. True Honor -- Dee Henderson
4. Winter of Fire -- Sherryl Jordan
5. Unprotected -- Miriam Grossman (NON-fiction)
6. Ask Me Anything -- J. Busziszewski (NON-fiction)
(this is where I started adding commentary about the books {g})
7. Locked Inside -- Nancy Werlin. (YA character driven, but also suspense. Pretty interesting. Would recommend it, but not with a "drop everything and read it now!" tone. One of her others, though, "Double Helix," I *DO* highly recommend.)
8. A Novel Idea -- Aimee Friedman (YA...romance. Pure and utter cheese, seriously, of no literary value whatsoever, but a fun, mindless romp for spring break.) (I wasn't going to count this kind of book, but you know, hey, it *IS* a book. And as long as the entire list isn't filled with cheese, a *little* bit of cheese never hurt anyone...right?)
9. Wildwood Dancing -- Juliet Marillier (YA fantasy, based on the 12 dancing princesses fairy tale - you know, the one where they disappear at night and come back with worn out shoes? So that's just the barest basis - there's SOO much more in this book. Very well written, very interesting, the kind that you just *have* to keep reading to find out what happens. A couple character things I didn't quite buy - that felt too much like "It's a fairy tale, I can have them do this with no real justification" cop-outs - but overall, VERY worth reading. Highly recommend.)
10. Impossible - Nancy Werlin. (Based on the song "Scarborough Fair." Kind of a dark fantasy, but set in modern times. Very interesting and makes me want to go listen to as many versions of the song as I can, now.)
11. Singer in the Snow - Louise Marley. (Fourth in a "trilogy" - or at least, I thought it was a trilogy, but the author apparently has more ideas to visit the universe. YAY! It's fantasy, set on a planet with winter lasting 5 years. Singers create a bubble of light and warmth to keep the Houses warm (houses as in the style of a Keep, not the modern houses we have). But there's political intrigue and drama and love and FUN and it's marvelous. This one continues the world, but follows the next generation of Singers after the main character from the first trilogy. Whole series = Very much recommended.)
12. Asterix le gaulois - Rene de Goscinny. (It's a comic...it's only about 45 pages...but it's in French. That counts, right?)
YAY BOOKS! (And my wallet says - Yay libraries {g})
Bethy
