A Journey of the Center of the Earth

John Paul and I drove a lot of hours during the holidays, and I chose this audiobook to listen to.  I figured a classic science fiction book would be interesting, and John Paul agreed.  Mia didn't get a say, but I'm sure she had high hopes for this novel.  Plus, it's only 7 discs (10 hours) long.
You know the story: a geologist finds an old note detailing the way for someone to get to the center of the earth, he enlists the help of his nephew and an Icelandic guide, and they, well, journey down below.  On the way down they encounter dinosaurs, prehistoric sea creatures, get lost in a crazy storm, discover cavemen, and shoot their way back up to land inside a volcano.  It's all very exciting!
But wait, first you have to suffer through five discs of the narrator discussing the earth's layers, how much he misses his girlfriend, how ill-prepared they were for the trip, how thirsty the three of them were.  Honestly, I slept through most of the first 5 discs.  Once they discovered 40-foot tall mushrooms, Vernes grabbed my interest.  Up until then, I was seriously doubting my judgment to pick a decent book for car rides.
Did you know this book was published in 1864?  Jules Vernes would have been astonished to see that almost everything presented in his book, including the theory that volcanoes erupt due to water beneath the earth's crust and that there could be a sea under there, has been overturned.  If you can sit through some mind-numbingly boring, outdated science-speak, you might enjoy this.  Otherwise, watch one of the movies.  You won't be missing much.