RiverBender Blog: I Tried Listening to Audiobooks

I’ve always been a pretty voracious reader. I took a break during college — too many textbooks, too little fiction — but quickly found my way back to the novels I had missed. And now, I’m discovering a new way to maximize my reading time. That’s right, I’m talking audiobooks.

I can now read all. The. Time.

Well, sort of. I can read while I’m driving, at least, or doing mindless tasks like pulling weeds. I cannot, however, listen as I type up stories at my job. I know some people do the audiobook thing all day long at work. I don’t have that kind of focus.

But still, now I’m able to multitask! Driving has never been so much fun. I blink, and the drive is over, and I have a whole new chapter embedded in my brain. What a great use of my commute.

There’s a school of thought that audiobooks (and graphic novels, for that matter) don’t count as real books. It’s not words on a page. You’re not actually sitting down and flipping through a book.

To those who feel that way, I say, pishaw. I think there’s a streak of elitism in that way of thinking, personally. But hey, if you’re all about the physical, heavy-duty books, live it up! Just don’t judge me when I pop in my earbuds.

I had actually never listened to an audiobook until about three weeks ago. I just had never tried it. I had this idea that audiobooks were for people who can truly focus in, and, again, I’m not that focused. I’m not even that interested in podcasts. An entire book seemed daunting.

But there was one book included in my Spotify subscription that caught my eye. It’s a romance novel, and I knew there was no way I’d be able to get it from the library anytime soon because it’s super popular right now.

So, with a little trepidation and a lot of curiosity, I figured I’d give it a try. I plugged my phone into the aux cord in my car and turned it up.

And it was…fine. Actually, it was really cool. My hesitations fell away. I could focus enough to get the story. I didn’t miss important details like I feared I would. Instead, I enjoyed a story, and I was able to double my normal reading time because I could knock out entire chapters on my commute to and from work.

And, it turns out, there are a ton of audiobooks available?? I knew this on an intellectual level but had no real appreciation for how many books are actually out there for me to listen to.

(Plus, if you were curious — I’ve been listening on Spotify, but your library card gives you access to other e-books and audiobooks for free. Stop by your local library and ask them to show you.)

So, I finished up my romance novel and I’m now listening to a popular memoir, and it’s been fantastic. I’m still halfway through a physical book at home, but now I can also listen to books on the go, which is awesome. I’m having the time of my life, and my Goodreads account is proud of me as I speed toward my reading goal for the year. Goes to show you what you can gain if you try something new.

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