The Beauty of Audiobooks

I’ve been in ARC jail with a tight reading schedule and little time to dig through my TBR pile. However, I’ve discovered a secret: free and cheap audiobooks.

I never used to listen to audiobooks. I can read faster than listening, and I’m super choosy about narrators. Things changed because I really wanted to read Kulti by Mariana Zapata, but I didn’t have time to devote to 570 pages of reading. I decided to listen to it instead, and although it’s 16 hours long, listening to it was very easy and enjoyable.

I’ve developed a routine now, and here’s how I handle it. I read my ARCs (or another book I’m been dying to read ASAP) while listening to the audiobook version of a pleasure book from my TBR pile. It seems like it would be confusing, but I can compartmentalize as long as the two books are very different. For example, don’t try to listen and read two sports romances at the same time. I learned that lesson the hard way.

I listen to the audio while in my car, walking the dog, doing chores, etc. I try to listen to a little bit at least every other day to keep the plot fresh in my mind, but the bulk of my time free time is spent reading. I’ve been able to get through my TBR a lot faster.

For me, Audible is too expensive. Luckily I discovered the magic of Hoopla. It’s a free lending site where you can borrow up to seven titles each month. Just check the website to make sure your library participates. Also, if you’ve purchased a Kindle copy of a book, sometimes you can go back and add on Audible for as low as $1.99 per book.

As for narrators, I’ve discovered some really good ones. They are more than narrators; they are voice actors. My favorites include:

• Andi Arndt
• Callie Dalton
• Kate Russell
• Lidia Dornet
• Julia Whelan
• Sebastian York

 

Do you listen to audiobooks? Who are some of your favorite narrators?

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