I have a lot to say about audiobooks

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #34:

Listening

I didn't used to listen to audiobooks, but as I've gotten older, I've become more a fan of them. In my younger years, I considered it "cheating," but now I have a different perspective. In my opinion, it takes more skills to listen to a book than to read a book. It requires a level of focus and attention that is not my forte. Therefore, it is most definitely not cheating! 

I hear comments from people all the time about how they can't listen to audiobooks because they get too distracted. Guess what! Me, too! I can't even tell you how many audiobooks I've finished and only understood 50% of what happened. I also can't tell you how many I've quit half-way through because the narrator suddenly mentions a character, and I go, "Who dat?"

So I get it.

But at the same time, I've also gotten absorbed into some wonderful audiobooks. I've had some pleasant surprises and some really great adventures. So despite having issues with focus and sometimes checking out mentally and losing my grip on what's going on, I still listen to audiobooks, and that's what I'm going to write about today. I'll tell you how I choose audiobooks, what sources I use to listen to them, some of my favorite audiobooks, and more. 

How I choose audiobooks

I don't have a set criteria for the audiobooks I listen to, but I have some preferences. I like to listen to books with a compelling storyline that holds my attention. Of course, I can't always predict whether a book will do that or not. I also like simpler listening (again, not always something I can predict). I steer away from science fiction, classic literature, and complex fantasy books because I'm not very likely to comprehend them via audio. 

A lot of my audiobook choosing is guess work. If I'm familiar with an author's work, I usually have an idea of whether I can listen to the book or not. The same can be said of the narrator. There are some excellent audiobook narrators out there. So the author and the narrator are a couple of factors I consider when choosing audiobooks. 

I get a lot of recommendations for audiobooks on Pinterest and through Goodreads. Sometimes I get recommendations from friends. Sometimes I just choose randomly and hope for a good turn out. It's definitely a "hit and miss" process, but I tend to have more hits than misses. 

(Read more about how I get book recommendations here).

Sources for audiobooks

I have a few different ways I listen to audiobooks. My main resource for audiobooks is the Libby app which I access through my library account. When signing into Libby for the first time, if your library works with Libby, you just select your library and enter your library card number and info. Using Libby is the electronic version of checking books out from the library. I can access audiobooks and e-books through Libby, and I utilize both (I used to be anti-e-book, too, but I have since changed my mind. It’s okay to change your mind about things). Through Libby, I can have 10 items on hold at a time, and I keep my holds stacked to the max. As soon as a book comes in, I download it (the equivalent of "checking it out") and put another book on hold.  

I utilize Audible off an on. Audible does a monthly membership allowing you one download per month. I sign up for Audible when they have a promotion - so across several years, I have gotten quite a few books for free, and I have had many opportunities to have a discounted membership (sometimes they offer things like four months at half price). The advantage of Audible is that you can get the book right away rather than waiting for it through the library. Once you've used your credits for the book, you own it. You can listen to it right away, or you can listen to it in five years. Even if you unsubscribe from your membership, you still own the audiobook and can listen to it through Audible. I got all of the Harry Potter audiobooks this way. Another nice thing about Audible is that you can return a book and get a new one if you don’t like it... unless you're me... because I returned too many, and then they flagged me and won't let me do it anymore. I returned so many that even I was wondering why they were still letting me swap books! Then I eventually got the notice that I was forbidden from hence forth!

Another app I use is Deseret Bookshelf +. I pay a monthly membership fee for this one, which allows me unlimited listening. There are also e-books available through this app. This is my resource for religious books. I try to listen to (or read) at least one faith-based book per month. 

There are a lot of sources out there that I haven't tried, but with these three options, I feel like I have plenty to listen to. 

Things I do while listening to audiobooks

One thing I really like about audiobooks is that I can listen to them while doing other things, whereas, with a paperback, I have to just read (that has its time and place, but it's nice to be able to "read" guilt free while I do my household tasks and such). 

Some things I do while listening to audiobooks are:

• Clean (dishes and laundry especially)
• Yard work
• Drive 
• Cook or bake (only if it’s something I’m really familiar with)
• Exercise (sometimes. Other times I need loud music)
• Eat lunch
• Play Wingspan (it took me a while to get to the point where I could do this)

I don't listen to books while I'm shopping or out in public. I've never felt good about having my hearing impaired while I'm in stores. Plus the store is too stimulating for me - I'd never be able to focus on an audiobook when there are meat markdowns to sift through, ice cream flavors to contemplate, and unit prices to calculate. 

I also don't listen to audiobooks around my kids very often because they won't have any of that nonsense! Every now and then I check out in the car while we are on a long drive, but on the daily, I only listen to audiobooks when they're not around. 

My dream is to be an audiobook listening family. I would love to experience some books together whilst driving across the nation to our various vacation destinations. Alas, my kids don't join me in my love of reading. We've had a few successes with Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but even that has come with a cost since someone always has to whine and cry and make everyone else miserable any time we try to have a positive family experience. I’m quite bitter about it.

Audiobooks I’ve enjoyed

I can’t write about audiobooks without giving a few recommendations, can I? 

But first, here’s what you should know about my book preferences: I don’t really do “light and fluffy.” I’m not a Hallmark romance kind of girl. I like to be disturbed. So keep that in mind any time I write about books. 

For audiobooks, I always recommend the Harry Potter books as a great starting place. These were some of the first audiobooks that held my interest. Jim Dale gives a fantastic performance and does a unique voice for every character. These books are so fun!

Other suggestions: The Hunger Games 

Even as an adult, I enjoy the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. They are the only audiobooks my whole family will listen to (though some of them won’t admit it). They’re also really short - about two hours - so they aren’t a huge commitment. They are hilarious and have some great gems for parents (oh, how I can relate to Greg’s mom!) The narrator is perfect for Greg, and you can listen to them in any order. 

Other suggestions: Al Capone Does My Shirts, The Wednesday Wars

Non-fiction can make for good listening when you’re a little distracted. Since there’s not really a plot to follow (other than in memoirs), you can check out mentally for a while and then come back and not feel like you have to rewind. My problem with listening to non-fiction is that I like to highlight a lot of information, and I can’t do that if I listen, so that’s my main downside. 

For true crime enthusiasts, I have enjoyed some of John Glatt’s books. The Doomsday Mother (about Lori Vallow) and The Lost Girls (about the abduction and captivity of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus) were very interesting; however, I will throw out a content warning because these stories depict some of the worst in human beings, and some of the details will make you absolutely sick. 

A couple of memoirs I have enjoyed are When Breath Becomes Air and Unorthodox. 

A brief warning about Unorthodox - it does have some descriptive content regarding a sexual disorder and the difficulties the author experienced as she became sexually active. 

For historical fiction, one of my favorite audiobook experiences was listening to The Chilbury Ladies Choir. 

I’m a little self-conscious about this book because I have recommended it to so many people, and not one person has ever come back and said they read it and loved it. So I often wonder, is it as good as I thought it was, or did I just have a really abnormal listening experience?

I listened to this book while on vacation in Lake Tahoe, and I stayed up after everyone else fell asleep so I could listen. The audiobook has a full cast, meaning there is a different narrator for every character, and there is also some music incorporated throughout. It’s been eight years since I listened to it, so maybe I’m due to listen again, but I hesitate because I don’t want to taint my first experience by having a subpar second experience. 

Other recommendations: The Things We Cannot Say by Kristin Harmel and (almost) anything by Ruta Sepetys. I also recommend The Book Thief with the disclaimer that you need to read a physical copy first. The Book Thief has some formatting and illustrations that you need to experience, and then later you can listen to it and enjoy Allan Corduner’s slow, deep voice and British and German accents. And for those who don’t know, The Book Thief is a story told from the perspective of Death, a surprisingly deep and sympathetic character, which I have always thought is genius.  

This recommendation list has the potential to get very long, so I’m going to just throw out a few ideas and the call it good. I personally enjoy most of Jodi Picoult’s books. She has a way of making me squirmy with ethical questions and hard topics, and I like it! Kate Morton’s books are usually enjoyable and read by Caroline Lee, whom I like listening to, but they tend to be very long (Caroline Lee reads for several other authors as well. I enjoyed her reading of Wildflower Hill by Kimberly Freeman). I usually find thrillers to be great companions for household chores. They aren’t the most high quality literature, but they get me through a long cleaning session. Sometimes I listen to books from my childhood. One of my favorite books from elementary school was The Cay by Theodore Taylor. I remember reading along with the book on tape in my third grade class. I recently listened to it again along with the sequel, Timothy of the Cay. 

Even though I really like audiobooks, I’ve been in a bit of a listening rut lately. It happens. Sometimes my mind is too muddled to listen, and other times, I go through a spell of mediocre books. Right now, I’m experiencing both. But that’s okay, because I know at some point, the right book will cross my path. I can’t wait to find another good audiobook to be overly enthusiastic about!