Heard any good books lately? Earful of Books owner David Rasmussen switched careers so he could hustle audiobooks out in Beaverton.

FEATURE
Audiofiles
A mind is a terrible thing to waste in traffic. Audiobook emporium Earful of Books hopes to make our modern misery more literary.

by SUSAN WICKSTROM
243-2122 ext. 328

We're so busy, we don't even have time to think. In this hectic life, the simple pleasures are falling away; sinking into a juicy novel on a rainy afternoon or reading a whodunit to a sick parent just doesn't happen anymore. Now we're stuck in traffic when it rains, and our invalid relatives are propped up in front of idiot boxes killing time. But even though we're overworked and isolated, we can still enjoy a good book--just pop one into the stereo.

After a slow start (Lynn's Talking Books, anyone?), audiobooks have become wildly popular in recent years, thanks in part to the increasing straps slapped on our time. But rental options have been narrowly limited to costly mail order or the overused library. Now, that may be changing.

David Rasmussen opened Earful of Books in the hinterlands of Beaverton a few days before last Christmas. It's the 18th superstore in a nationwide chain that rents and sells audiobooks.

"I was looking for something new and different," says Rasmussen, a former corporate suit. "I wanted to be on my own." Earful stocks more than 7,000 audiobooks--bestsellers, classics, mysteries, poetry, inspirational, educational, children's books--that members ($10 a year) can rent for one to 30 days for just a few bucks. He's already developed a steady clientele, including many book lovers who drop by on their way to the 24-Hour Fitness next door. "I'm surprised by how excited people are when they first come in," says Rasmussen. "Nearly everyone who comes through is ecstatic."

But not every lit lover is so pumped. Purists find the passive action of listening to books instead of reading them downright disturbing. If people were meant to hear books in their cars and on the treadmill at the gym, then authors would have recorded them, not written them. But that's one of the wonderful things about audiobooks. What true bibliophile can resist hearing Ken Kesey read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or Eudora Welty read The Optimist's Daughter? How about Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda and Sylvia Plath reciting their own poetry?

Still, burning controversies remain: abridged or unabridged? CD or cassette?

To many, the thought of listening to an abridged version of a book is sacrilegious--it's just so Reader's Digest. But audiobook publishers argue that it's the only way to make some books affordable. Consider Sophie's Choice by William Styron. The abridged version, read by the author, runs three hours and costs $16. The unabridged version runs over 28 hours and costs $152. Yet many think the extra time and money are worth it.

Technology puts another wrinkle into the abridged vs. unabridged battle. Some people prefer cassettes to CDs because it's easier to find your place when you stop and start the audiobook. But newer cars come equipped with CD, not cassette, players. Yet most of the books on CD are abridged. It's quite vexing for auto-didacts.

Rasmussen's clientele, the upscale 35- to 65-year-olds who spend a lot of time in their cars, can afford any kind of gadget to play whatever audiobook they choose. He hasn't really tapped into the emerging urban hipster market--the under-35, NPR crowd that craves esoteric entertainment. These hardworking highbrows would just as soon pop the latest Nick Hornby novel into their Discman as a Sublime CD. But Rasmussen insists that his customers are the commuting 'burb dwellers. Consequently, he plans to open one or two more Earful stores in the Portland area but has his eye on Tanasbourne and Lake Oswego.

Yes, it's a long haul out to southwest Beaverton, but true audiobibliophiles can probably manage a trip out there once a month to stock up. While there, sit a spell in the sound dome: a futuristic device that allows someone to listen to a book without disturbing the rest of the room. And before leaving with your goods, bother Rasmussen about opening a store a little closer to where Portland's literary action is.