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Hi everybody and welcome to a new post!
Let’s start with a little story-time, shall we? Up until the beginning of 2019, I was super intimidated by audiobooks. I had all these notions in my head that they were cool, but not for me. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to focus on them. I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy them as much as regular printed books. I wasn’t sure I’d find the time to listen to them. So I just stuck to my printed books.
But then I started a new job a few months ago for which I would need to spend more time on my daily commute and would lose the possibility to use my lunchtime as reading time. In conclusion: this would have been lethal to my reading life if I didn’t make any changes. So I tried an Audible audiobook for the first time in the car to work. AND I FELL IN LOVE.
Audiobooks saved my reading life. I’m actually ahead on my reading goals for the first time in forever. So I want to share the love for anyone who, like me, is still unsure about audiobooks. I hereby present to you: 6 benefits of audiobooks, according to…me!
1. become multitasking royalty and Make boring tasks and daily commutes go by faster
Normally I wouldn’t be in favor of multitasking as I’m a focus-on-one-thing-at-a-time kind of girl. EXCEPT when it comes to boring tasks and daily commutes. Things that don’t require too much of your brain power and can even be boring. THAT’S the perfect time for audiobooks. I listen to audiobooks in the car and I’ve found they make my daily commute go by much faster. I’m even looking forward to it. And the same goes for other boring tasks. Listen to books while ironing, while cleaning, while walking the dog, while working out, whatever you wish, and achieve all your reading goals WHILE doing those chores. Win-win.
2. Be entertained by amazing voice actors
Who doesn’t like being read to? Who doesn’t like being read to by amazing voice actors that make the story so much more entertaining? From books read by one actor to full cast audiobooks, they are all so amazing to listen to. Full cast audiobooks like Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid or Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff feel so real and are a unique experience for sure, but even one- or two-actor audiobooks are quite amazing. The life they bring to the characters is really a surplus and I’m often just entranced by their voices. Example: the way Perdita Weeks narrated Circe by Madeline Miller. I’m in awe.
3. achieve your reading goals at SUPER-SPEED
I don’t know about you, but I tend to finish my audiobooks waaay faster than my print books. Horrible for my wallet, but quite perfect when it comes to my reading goals. All because of that handy little option to increase the speed. I almost always listen to my audiobooks at 1,25x speed. Still feels natural to listen to, but gets you through the book in record time.
4. Experience old favorites from a new angle
Though I actually haven’t done this myself yet, I just know I will love this possibility of audiobooks. A lot of us are always saying we wish we could reread more, right? I know at least that I am always saying that anyway… Well, I think audiobooks are perfect for this goal! Because not only can you reread more, but you get to experience an old favorite in a new way. So it’s kiiind of like experiencing it for the first time, which is just brilliant and something we all want for sure!
5. Learn Language and practice vocabulary
For a non-native English speaker, I love listening to English audiobooks because it sharpens my language skills. It keeps me on my toes and I learn pronunciation. An added bonus? If you’re learning a language and already have some basic understanding of the language, you can listen to an old favorite in that other language! How about reading The Hunger Games in German? Or Harry Potter in French? Fun AND educational.
6. easily try something new or intimidating
Not sure why this is exactly, but it sure as hell works for me so I’m just rolling with it… For some reason, it’s easier for me to try books I wouldn’t try otherwise in audiobook. Or books I’ve been intimidated by and kept procrastinating for FOREVER! The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is an example – I’ve been wanting to read it for ages but kept putting it off because it intimidated me. But with audiobooks I just dove in, got hooked and fell in love. I also want to listen to non-fiction more through audiobooks. I mean, who doesn’t want to read Michelle Obama’s memoirs, narrated by Michele Obama herself?
I really need to start listening to them more!
Lotte | http://www.lottelauv.blogspot.co.uk
Definitely 🙂 I hope you enjoy them when you start listening to them more!
I’ve tried a few, and I LOVE the idea, but I just can’t focus. I tend to start repeating what they say back to myself in my head and it drives me crazy. haha I like the idea of full-cast audios though.
-Lauren
I totally understand! I thought I would have the same problem with audiobooks, but eventually I didn’t, so lucky for me I guess 🙂 Full-cast audios are wonderful though the physical books are pretty wonderful too!
Yay! Audiobooks are the best 😀 I listen to them mostly in the car and while cleaning, but if I get super sucked in and don’t have chores then I will listen to them while coloring or doing puzzles too 😀
I’m glad you liked The Night Circus on Audiobook! I struggled with the time jumps. I need to see numbers and dates so listening to them didn’t help me.
Haha yeah I’m supposed to only listen in the car, but I’ve found myself sneaking in listens at other times too – sometimes the book is just too good to put down 🙂
I had that too at first and was thinking of DNF’ing for a bit, but then luckily it got better for me so I continued the listen. But either way, print or audio, it’s still such a good book <3
I really like listening to audiobooks during my commute, too, definitely makes the time go faster! Listening to Harry Potter on audio actually helped me learn how to pronounce some of the spells!
It does make the time go faster, not even music works like that for me 🙂 I need to try the HP audiobooks, it sounds like such a wonderful way to get to know the series again 🙂
Love this post!! I completely agree–I started listening to audiobooks on my hour commute to work every day this summer and it’s crazy how much reading I can get done! I also love listening to them while getting ready in the morning. Everything goes by so much faster! And the Becoming audiobook is just SO GOOD <3
Yes, I mean I get almost double the reading in with less actual time where I get to sit down to read so it’s awesome!
I love audiobooks! I listened to more of them last year because I’ve been listening more to podcasts now but I’m a big fan of them. It’s fun to listen to them while taking public transportation because I can’t physically read a book in a moving vehicle.
Yeah you’re so right, audiobooks really are best for reading in a moving vehicle! I should try podcasts more 🙂
I also began listening to audiobooks at the beginning of 2019! My first was …Becoming!!! And I fell in love . I totally agree about making chores fun and about improving my pronunciation! But I am very picky as far as voices are concerned! Last but not least, I also try new genresq in audio.
Ahh Becoming it’s one of the very next ones on my audio TBR (TBL?)! Yeah, the downside of audiobooks is that a narrator can really make or break the story.
They’re definitely great for when you’re doing mindless tasks, although I tend to read print books way faster, and I learn language better when I can see the word (and lately I’ve been writing new words in my book journal). But in addition to getting new books read, they’re great for learning how some names are pronounced. I get the audible originals and a lot of the time they have middle grade choices which are great for listening to with my boy in the car.
Yeah that’s true that you don’t get to learn how a word is written with audiobooks. I’m often struggling with reviews because I have no idea how the character names are written 🙂 But for pronunciation, they’re great!
Great post, Lindsey! I love them for many of these reasons, but especially the multitasking aspect. They make doing chores so much better.
Yes, I don’t know how I ever did any chores without audiobooks, haha 🙂
I love audiobooks too! They truly make boring chores go by so much faster. I haven’t been able to get into an audiobook in about a month yet, although that may be because I’m kind of in a reading slump…
Ah hope you get out of the reading slump soon, those suck! The weird thing is I’m a little slumpy right now when it comes to physical books, but I can’t get enough of audiobooks so it balances out 🙂
Yes, I was like you for so long, but now that I’m retired, I find myself turning to audiobooks over and over.
I love that audiobooks won both of us over eventually 🙂