I’ve never been a huge audiobook person. I loved the Stephen Fry Harry Potter ones as a kid and would listen to them on repeat, but audiobooks never fitted into my life the way they do with others. On the other hand, lately I’ve been making more of an effort to listen to them so I can ‘read’ while cleaning, travelling, and basically any time when I want a story but can’t physically look at a book. Here’s a couple of ways I’ve been getting back into audiobooks…
Audible
First thing I did was log onto my mothers Audible account because she’s an audiobook fiend, and thus began my journey listening to the twenty hours of American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I love the app and the way it’s set out. You can bookmark, which has become my audiobook equivalent of a sticky note. You can speed it up or slow it down depending on your preference. There’s skip 30 seconds either way in case you miss something. And a sleep timer which is necessary for me as I’ve started listening before I go to sleep.
Podcasts
Technically not audiobooks, although you can find readings of classic books in the podcast section. I’ve been loving fictional world podcasts lately- and will be posting about them soon. But the episode style is great for those with a set commute time, as they tend to run 20-30 minutes and won’t have you sat in your car waiting for the chapter to end!
Playster
Playster has been a kind sponsor of Imogen’s Typewriter for a while now so I’ve kept up with how the company has progressed since my first review! Recently they’ve added audiobooks from MacMillan, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins and a bunch of others. For the UK it is just on the website, they don’t have an app for us yet, but the range is good and they have the Lord of the Rings. That might actually make me read something from my ‘Eventually TBR. You can keep up to date on their Facebook page and fingers crossed for a UK app soon.
Reading along with a book
Sometimes there are books that just don’t want to be read alone. They’re classics. They’re philosophical. They’re autobiographical with audiobooks read by the author. That’s when I like to read along with the book in front of me. It also slows me down, which can actually be good when it comes to dense reading. Some books can’t be sped through!
Re-reads
We know I’m not a re-reader. I didn’t even really rate Harry Potter when I re-read it in book form. It doesn’t keep my attention like a first read. But I can listen to the Harry Potter audiobook from now until the end of time! There’s a beauty in a great audiobook that surpasses the usual boredom I get from re-reading. Next time I want to re-read, I’m plugging in my headphones rather than picking up the book.
Imogen's Typewriter. 