So every December as I prepare for the new year I like to take an inventory of every experience I had during the previous one: good, bad, and ugly. And rather than make a list of resolutions that I know I won’t keep －’cause let’s be real…that diet won’t make it to the end of the month－I choose a word to be my goal for the year. 2019’s word is discipline. I am forever complaining about not having enough hours in my day and too much on my plate to accomplish in those few hours. As a result I tend to sacrifice the things I enjoy doing in favor of the menial tasks that must be done for work and home…and then I wonder why I end up so miserable at the end of the year when I’m trying to cram my entire reading list into the last 2 weeks of December.
So I decided I would practice being more disciplined with my time and tasks in order to accomplish what had to be done while still making time for the things I enjoy. Let me confess right now that I have not mastered this, nor have I come anywhere close to mastering it. By the end of January I had all but convinced myself that I most certainly had picked the wrong word for my year and that I had set an impossible goal for myself. Which then set off the red flag of reason to remind me that my lack of mastery over my time was exactly why I needed to spend this year working toward that goal. Darn that voice of reason.
So here we are at the end of March and I am proud to say that I am a little bit closer to the mark that I was this time last month. My “To-Do” List still doesn’t have an end in sight, but I am pleased to report that my 2019 reading list has a significant dent in it. Which leads me to the topic of this post…
How Audiobooks Have Saved My Reading Life
Now I know this is a controversial topic within the reading community, and I must admit that I had my concerns about whether or not it was cheating to listen to a book versus reading it. But as with so many things in life, it is less about what others will think of me and more about what works for my lifestyle and helps me accomplish my goal. Plus, there’s something nostalgic about having a story read to you.
Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats the pleasure of curling up with a book in your hands and slipping into the oblivion of an amazing story. But for those of us who have hectic schedules and precious little time to dedicate to curling up with a book, audiobooks can be an excellent way to have your cake and eat it too.
Now I am not a morning person at all, but I love making an audiobook part of my morning routine and commute. It makes it easier not to snooze my alarm fifteen times if I have a story to look forward to while I’m preparing for my workday. My drive goes much smoother too as I’m more focused on the narrator than yelling at my fellow commuters who have suddenly forgotten how to drive. Y’all that struggle is so real for me.
When I set my reading goal for this year I knew I was going to have to be disciplined to get it done; but reading is one of my greatest pleasures in life and so I committed to making my goal however I needed to. I still try to make time to read my physical books. In fact, I’m currently reading the Bloomsbury publication of the Harry Potter Series on the weekends (one of my favorite birthday gifts this past year). But having that extra resource to turn to has made my 2019 reading life a better one than 2018.
I get my audiobooks from a variety of places, so I wanted to share a few of them with you. My local used bookstore carries some audiobooks on disc and I have been fortunate enough to snag a few good ones.
Nothing beats the convenience of an app though. LibriVox is a website (and app) that provides audio for books that are in the public domain, so lots of classics, and best of all…they’re free. This app helped me immensely in my college literature courses. Plus, if you’re interesting is recording you can join their community of readers and submit your own recordings of you favorite books as long as they are part off the public domain.
There are also many subscription services that offer high quality audiobooks and fairly reasonable rates. Audible is the most popular by far and can be linked to your Amazon account. The app is easy to use even in the car and Audible has the largest selection of audiobooks available.
When all else fails, I turn to YouTube. Many users will upload official and amateur readings of various stories (classic and contemporary), and like LibriVox, it’s free to listen.
So? Where do you stand on the great audiobook debate? What are your reasons for choosing to listen or for opting out? Do you have other sources for obtaining audio versions of your favorite stories? I’d love to hear what you think.
Peach Tea & Paperbacks 