Reading books is one of life’s great rewards, but in today’s increasingly distractible environment, it can be challenging to find time for books. In this read-more-books series, I’ll share tips and tricks to read at least 50 books a year without feeling like you’re reading that much at all.
Read more books tip #6: listen to audiobooks on your commute, while you exercise, or while doing chores.
Gone are the days when listening to a book involved the purchase of bulky cassettes or suffering through poorly recorded narration. With the introduction of online streaming, companies like Audible.com have revolutionized the consumption of audiobooks, which is one of the fastest-growing segments of book publishing. Deloitte estimates that sales of audiobooks will grow by 25% in 2020, far outpacing the rest of the publishing industry. For the first time, over half of adults say they’ve listened to a book, usually in the car during their commute.
Is This Really Reading?
I’ve been an off-and-on Audible.com subscriber for the past fifteen years, and more recently, a Libby app user. I had “read” some incredible books during my hour-long commute: Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, Patrick O’Brian’s excellent Aubrey/Maturin series, and over a hundred other audiobooks. I can’t imagine a better way to while away a long drive than on the quarterdeck of HMS Surprise on the vast expanse of the Mediterranean Sea.
There’s an ongoing debate in my household on whether listening to a book qualifies as reading. My spouse is resolute in her belief that listening to a book is not really reading, but some other less serious activity. She frequently scoffs when I mention an audiobook I am currently reading. She uses air-quotes a lot. Her dim view stems from an experience of distractedness when she has tried to listen to an audiobook. Her mind wandered, and she could not stick with the story. The book became more like a radio in the background than an intense reading experience.
I know exactly what she means. The way to fully experience and retain an audiobook requires the right mental environment. The autopilot side of your brain, what Daniel Kahneman calls your System One brain in Thinking Fast and Slow, must be occupied by something mundane like walking, exercising, or driving. This allows the thinking side of your brain, your System Two brain, to entirely focus on the audiobook. Without my autopilot brain engaged on something else, I am as distracted as my spouse during an audiobook. I discovered this after trying and failing to listen to an audiobook during a long, cross-country flight. No matter how I tried, I could not stay focused on the book. Yet, put in the car on a familiar stretch of road, and I am riveted.
This is great news for people who want to read more, but don’t have the time. In addition to your daily commute, you might plug into an audiobook when you’re exercising, washing the dishes or other chores, or taking a long walk. Any time when you’re doing something repetitive or routine is perfect for listening to an audiobook.
While Audiobooks take longer to read (a typical audiobook pace is 150 words per minute vs. the 250-word speed of the average adult reader), you can still read a lot of books in a year by taking advantage of the time you’d otherwise spend listening to the radio or podcasts. Listening to audiobooks for 45 minutes a day, five days a week represents about 20 books a year. That’s a lot of books!
Where to Go for Audiobooks
Audiobooks can be expensive, usually more than the hardback price at Amazon.com, but there are several options you can use to save money:
- Add Audio to Kindle. If you’re a Kindle user, you’ll often see the option to bundle the audiobook with your ebook purchase for a reasonable cost. This gives you the flexibility of both reading and listening to the book. Kindle’s Whispersync keeps your place between the new mediums so you can pick up where you left off. I read/listened to Lonesome Dove this way last year.
- Audible.com Membership. A membership with Audible.com gives you one audiobook per month for a monthly fee of $15. If you’re patient, you can find discounted membership programs on Black Friday and other times throughout the year that can help reduce the cost. If you pause or cancel your membership, you retain access to books you’ve previously purchased.
- Libby App. I’ve written a whole separate post on Libby here, but these days most of the audiobooks I consume come from the Libby App connected to my local library. For no cost whatsoever, you can listen to the very same audiobooks you might otherwise purchase from Amazon or Audible. With some strategically placed holds on popular titles, you’ll soon be enjoying a nearly endless supply of first-rate audiobooks for free. If you’re not using Libby yet, stop reading and do it now. It’s awesome.
Tips to Keep Listening
Narrators Matter. Even the most wonderful books can be spoiled by a poor narration or shoddy audio recording. Audible.com provides in-depth reviews from users on all their audiobooks, including the performance of the narrator. Check these reviews before you buy or check out a book. You may discover that you become fond of certain narrators over time, regardless of the book. I made it through Corrections by Jonathan Franzen with the help of George Guidall’s distinctive narration. And the late, great Patrick Tull will forever be the voice in my head as I reread the Aubrey/Maturin novels of Patrick O’Brian. You might be surprised that some books are best narrated by their authors. I can’t imagine anyone but Neil Gaiman narrating his novel Stardust. Or, Annie Grace relating her direct experiences with alcoholism and recovery in This Naked Mind.
Be Strategic about Holds on Libby. Some audiobooks must be reserved well in advance from your library. Placing holds of a selection of audiobooks, and managing those holds with suspensions (see my Libby post for more on this) will guarantee you always have a book to enjoy. As you near the end of your current audiobook, remember to release the suspension for your next listen.
Always Be Listening. One of my strategies to read more is to always have an audiobook in progress that is separate from the book I’m reading on Kindle or in real book form. Some find it confusing to read more than one book at a time, but keeping an audio story separate from a printed one isn’t that difficult. When you pile in the car for your daily commute or a long trip, you’ll be more likely to press play on a book.
Listen While Doing Something Else. You’ll be able to follow the story better if your autopilot brain is engaged in something mundane, like driving, exercising, or walking.
So, explore the wonderful world of audiobooks. This is a great way to read more books in 2020.