Everyone has a certain method for how they work. Some prefer no distractions, some like to listen to music, and some listen to podcasts. For me, the best way to work is to sit in my TV lounge and watch old episodes of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU). It amazes me how a show that deals with such sensitive and triggering topics is the comfort show of so many people, and I’m part of that crowd.
However, there are times when I don’t have access to the TV lounge, and I have to work in my room where there is no TV. It is a deliberate choice so I can focus on reading books instead of binge-watching something on a streaming service (I have Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV, and Crunchyroll), especially when it is time for me to go to sleep.
In order for me to work, I need something in the background. Sure, music is nice, and I have tried podcasts, but these days I believe many people who start podcasts have forgotten that podcasts are primarily in audio format. Instead, they put it up on YouTube. Putting it up on YouTube is not the problem; it’s just the visual experiences they give in the podcast, and you have to watch it. Interestingly, some of the podcasts are not even on Spotify or wherever people listen to their podcasts.
As mentioned, I needed something in the background when I would work, especially when I couldn’t watch Law and Order: SVU, so I turned to something I had never tried before: listening to an audiobook. This was my first experience of listening to an audiobook. Before that, my experience with books was either physical (I have a Substack for that: Turyal’s Physical Media) or ebooks, and if you ask me to choose between them, I would say Physical books are far superior; however, I’m not picky when it comes to hardback or paperback (although I do care about collecting). My experience with the first audiobook I listened to was mixed.
The first audiobook that I decided to go for was All The Sinner’s Bleed by S.A. Cosby. The story focuses on a Southern United States county’s first Black sheriff in search of a serial killer targeting Black people. It is a heavy subject, and this is not something I would recommend listening to in the background while you are working, but I decided to do it anyway. It is quite ironic that Law and Order: SVU also deals with sensitive themes, but you can easily still follow the show while working, as it is designed in such a manner. All The Sinner’s Bleed is a different beast altogether, and in audio format, it needs your attention.
The story is in the Southern Noir genre, a subgenre of crime fiction (my favourite genre, and you can read my piece about another crime fiction novel of which I have a physical copy: The Prisoner by Omar Shahid Hamid). S.A. Cosby’s novels have been praised by crime fiction royalty writers like Michael Connelly and Lee Child.
I discovered S.A. Cosby by accident, and I’m glad I did. I work as a Senior Associate Producer for an English-language television channel, and I was looking for some interesting entertainment stories, and that is when I read a Deadline piece about his book King of Ashes being adapted into a television series for the American television network, FX. We didn’t pick that story up for the television channel, but I was intrigued by the story about a financial advisor who returns to his hometown after his father is left in a coma following a car crash caused by a drug gang after his brother fails to pay a debt he owes them, whereas his sister tries to investigate the disappearance of their mother, whom the local town blames their father for. Now I will probably not listen to it as an audiobook, but I will definitely pick up a physical copy, as I will with other books of his.
The content of All The Sinner’s Bleed is something I enjoyed. It starts slowly, but it builds up later on, and once you start, you cannot stop. I’m not sure whether it is the audio format or the story itself that puts me in a conflicting position when it comes to audiobooks. However, if I were to guess, it will definitely need to be the content as it requires your attention. I’m in the middle of the story, and I’m going to finish it. As for the experience of listening to an audiobook, this is probably my first and last (though it is not just the content; Adam Lazarre-White's narration also has me hooked; he does a brilliant job). I like trying new things, and sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Audiobooks are not for me; ebooks are only when I can’t find a physical copy, and physical copies reign supreme for me. I will also be watching the Netflix adaptation of All The Sinner’s Bleed, but I have learned a lesson here: the adaptation too is also not for background viewing, and it requires your focus, and I hope it is a solid adaptation.
I discovered an amazing writer with a thrilling book, but the mistake I made was viewing it in a format that does not suit me. You win some, you lose some, I guess.