Until recently, I absolutely hated Audiobooks. I had tried listening to a few over the years, but I would usually get distracted or not be able to hear them over my kids talking and need to replay parts I missed. If I tried to listen at night, I would always fall asleep. What was the point in listening to a book if I didn’t actually hear the book? I just did not understand the love. I am happy to say that with these few tips from fellow readers in my book club, I have officially fallen for audiobooks.
1. Try Different Books and Narrators
The first few audiobooks I borrowed were nonfiction, resource type books. The kind of book I wanted to have read but didn’t actually want to read. It should have been obvious that if I wasn’t excited about reading the book, I wouldn’t be excited about listening to it either. I finished them out of pure stubbornness. Trying books from different genres, and even different narrators has made a big difference. You can do this for free through apps like Libby and Hoopla – all you need to access digital borrowing is a library card.
2. Noise Canceling Headphones
This had a major impact on my audiobook experience. I have two small children. My house is loud. I wanted to enjoy the book, not spend thirty minutes replaying the same part five times. A good pair of over-the-ear, noise canceling headphones have made all the difference. Now I can tune out the world and get lost in the story.
3. Adjust the Speed
Let’s face it. Some narrators speak at a snail’s pace. I am so distracted by how slow they are speaking that I don’t actually hear what they are saying. Adjusting the playback speed solves this problem, and you can change the speed whenever you want. While I prefer to start an audiobook at a slower pace, by the end, I usually have it set at double speed. This honestly mimics how I read a physical book as well. I want to know the conclusion so I speed read to the finish.
4. Move Around
I love curling up on the couch with a blanket and a good book. But curling up on the couch with a blanket and an audiobook is a recipe for disaster. I either get restless or fall asleep. There is no in between. I have discovered that doing something while I listen makes a big difference. Sometimes that means doing the dishes or folding laundry, and other times I color or play a game on my phone. As long as my hands are busy, my brain can pay attention.
5. Use a Sleep Timer
Sometimes I like to read before bed, but when I would listen to an audiobook before bed, it would keep playing and I had no idea when I fell asleep. Thankfully most apps have an integrated sleep timer that will turn off your story if you doze off. This helps narrow down the last section I heard and minimizes the time I spend replaying.
Learning how to love audiobooks took trial and error, but it was worth the effort. I now understand the hype. The only thing left is to decide which book is next.