A surprising number of people will tell you that listening to audiobooks isn't reading, is cheating, or something along those lines. I was raised on this mentality. I did listen to a few audiobooks growing up. I think I read some chapter books as a little kid. I definitely read some assigned books for school in high school, such as Picture of Dorian Grey and Heart of Darkness. Still, anywhere from middle school through college, it just felt like I was doing something wrong if I chose to listen instead of looking at a page. This hindered my love of reading when college came around. It took me a couple of years to read my favorite book, Cloud Atlas. I'm on my third year of "reading" Dragonfly in Amber. Audiobooks saved my love of reading and I'm so sorry to my past self that it took me 22 years to embrace them.
It started with Lord of the Rings. I had been trying to read it for at least 5 years by the time I was 22. When I started a clerical work temp job a few months after graduating from college, I found I needed something to listen to in order to get me through my days. I listened to new music, some musicals, and then Lord of the Rings. I hadn't discovered Overdrive yet, so I was using YouTube. Luckily YouTube had an amazing recording of Lord of the Rings! It was akin to an audio adventure. It had ambient nature noises, background overlapping conversations, music, and great voice work! Now, most of the books I listen to aren't like that, but it was the spark I needed. When I did finish Lord of the Rings, I needed more! And so I utilized YouTube for the rest of the job.
Now I'm 24 and I read around 83 books in 2021, plus however much the fanfics and daily webcomics amount to. I still read books physically, but I would never get through that many books if I was relying on that alone. While it isn't about the quantity, there are so many books in the world I want to read, and I decided to be kind to myself and read them!
I want to advocate for audiobooks here. I have seen so many people lamenting about how they still think of themselves as avid readers but haven't picked up a book in over a year. I hear you, and I'd like to help.
Audiobooks Are Readily Available
There are so many ways to get your ears on an audiobook now. Many are free or accessible through your local library! Overdrive has served me best. It has an app for my phone and can be used on a desktop/laptop as well! It is organized, well stocked, although it allows for recommendations, and includes a history so you can keep track of what you've read! My mom will argue that Hoopla is better because you don't have to go on a waiting list like on Overdrive. She explains that it is like Netflix, if it is on there, you can listen immediately. There's also audible, YouTube, going in person to a library, and so many more sources!
Audiobooks Are Faster
If you are a slow reader and can't seem to get any faster, consider looking to audiobooks! You'll know from the start exactly how long it will take you to get through it. It's already been recorded, so all you have to do is hit play! I can go from taking 3 years to read a book down to 3 days, and I do. Even when I was avidly reading physically, I couldn't read very fast. I think I would've gotten more school work done if I had been audiobooking.
Audiobook Readers Are Great
Obviously some books are read by celebrities like David Tennant, Chris Colfer, or Tim Curry, but those aren't the only readers worthy of appeal. Those that make it their career are practiced in getting the voices just right, creating nuances to help you keep track of characters, and selling the emotions explicitly and implicitly indicated on the page. It's a little different from voice acting, because they read everything, not just the spoken lines. If you listen to enough audiobooks, you may find yourself choosing books just for the reader!
Audiobooks Deserve To Be Normalized
Audiobooks aren't going to work for everyone, and that's okay! Some say that they end up zoning out, and I am sure there are other valid reasons too. Audiobooks Are obviously a good accommodation for those that can't physically read, but they shouldn't be seen as just an accommodation. The more people that read audiobooks, the better! We can make it something that people just do. You can multitask by putting one on as you drive or do the dishes, you can use it as something to do at a mundane job, or you can just listen to it on its own.
Audiobooks are wonderful and I'm glad that I have them in my life. I've not only gotten back to being an avid reader, but I've also gained a new passion for books. They've become my life and I just want to share that with other people.
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