Listening to audiobooks regularly is new to me. I’ve attempted to use them before but checking CDs out from the library or taking the time to transfer files over to my ipod was never convenient. Last year I discovered the app, Libby, and that changed everything.
I was able to easily access both of my library accounts and check out audiobooks with my phone. You can listen to a 5 minute sample to get a feel for the narrator before committing to a loan. After check out they can be downloaded over wifi or streamed to listen to.
Browsing genre, what’s available, and what’s new is simple on the app. It’s easy to put books on hold (though mine has a 4 holds limit for each card), monitor that, and then be notified when the book becomes available. It’s just as simple to check out ebooks but I prefer to read those on my kindle rather than my phone.
The real reason I love Libby is the ease of having audiobooks on my phone. I can plug my headphones in, listen over the car stereo on my commute, or have it playing through the phone in the background while I do things around the house. I also like the sleep timer which allows you to pause it after 5, 10, 15, etc minutes or at the end of the chapter. I think about a third of the books I’ve read this year have been audiobooks. I wouldn’t be able to consume so many books without multitasking this way.
Some people say listening to audiobooks isn’t really reading but I disagree. I’ve read some great articles on Book Riot debating this:
- Audiobooks Vs Reading: The Rules Are, There Are No Rules
- “Listening to Books is Cheating” and 7 More Myths About Audiobooks
This Forbes article, Is Listening to Audiobooks Really the Same As Reading?, also shares facts proving listening is the same as reading.
I do find it easier to listen to nonfiction. Listening to Mary Roach’s Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers really sold me on audiobooks. It’s also good to consider some books may be more powerful to read with your eyes. Books with a lot of statistics you’d rather highlight or complicated theories that you’d like time to pause and process. I think I would have absorbed all the information in Angela Ducksworth’s Grit if I had read it. Similarly there’s books I prefer to have a physical copy of rather than an ebook as well for post its and easy reference.
I’ve experimented with listening to several genres in audio form this year. I especially enjoy memoirs particularly if they are narrated by the author themselves. I have recently taken to essay collections. I tried rereading a favorite book, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, with great enjoyment. It’s a nice way to revisit already read favorites.
Some of my favorite books on audio
- Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence
- Yes Please by Amy Poehler
- Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
- The Beekeeper’s Lament by Hannah Nordhaus
- Hunger by Roxane Gay
- Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
- This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
- Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart (fiction)
- Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg (fiction)
Are audiobooks part of your reading life? What are your favorites?
