Category: Lifestyle/Advice

I decided to finally suck it up and listen to an audiobook for the first time. I know. It’s a shame that it took me this long to give in to the audiobook craze, but I’m stubborn so here we are. I’m a bit of a print snob and expected myself to hate audiobooks, so I simply ignored that they exist. As I dove more into the world of books online, it seemed that readers everywhere were hooked on audiobooks. So I downloaded audible to see if it’s worth the hype.

I want to focus on three main things in this post. First, I’ll be going over what I expected listening to an audiobook would be like and how much I expected to enjoy the experience. Second, I’ll cover how I feel about audiobooks now. Last, I’ll be giving my thoughts about the Audible platform specifically and whether I think it’s worth a try.

1. My Audiobook Expectations

I’m going to be frank. My expectations for this were low. I’m a hoe for a good print book, and I really didn’t expect to feel satisfied by audiobooks. Auditory learning is not my strong suit, so I really expected that I would have a more difficult time processing the more minute details of the book and lose some of the complexity along the way. I was also concerned about audiobook length. Have ya’ll ever looked at the total length of the average audiobook? The average is around 10 hours long. Others are over 24 hours of listening time. I assumed that I would be extremely annoyed with the amount of time required to listen to the entirety of each book. On a lighter note, multiple friends stressed just how important a great narrator is to the audiobook experience, so I was looking forward to finding a really well-narrated book to listen to.

2. Actual Thoughts on Audiobooks

I chose two different books to listen to for my Audible trial. The first was Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I’m a huge fan of Trevor Noah and have been meaning to read this book in print for a really long time. After finding out that Trevor Noah narrates his own book and hearing rave reviews from friends I figured it would be the perfect choice to dip my toes in the audiobook world. It’s a fairly short comedic autobiography with a total listening time of 8h 44m. The second book that I chose was an audible original that was available for free this month called How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe. This short fantasy had a total listening time of 5h 28m.

I have three main takeaways from listening to these two books.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed actually listening to the text of each book read aloud as they were supposed to be read. There are so many moments, especially in fantasy, when it’s unclear how a word/words should be pronounced. And while I’m a firm believer that imagining the characters and settings while reading is one of the best parts of the book, understanding the author’s intentions with words from other languages or even the tune of a written-out song can seriously increase the overall reading experience!
Listening to books while I was working gives me mixed feelings. I did most of my listening while completing other tasks. Some home-related others work-related. Unlike with a print book, I felt too restless simply sitting on my couch and listening, so I had to keep myself occupied with other things simultaneously. On one hand, it was super great to be able to listen to books while I was at work. I usually spend my work hours listening to music and podcasts and often wish I had more hours that I could dedicate to reading. It was super awesome to be able to continue reading at work especially once I got to the last chapter of Born a Crime #iykyk. On the other hand, trying to work and listen to books at the same time was a challenge for me. If I focused too much on the book, I ended up making careless mistakes in my work tasks. Other times I would be focusing heavily on work and forget I was listening to a book in the first place.
Last, listening to an audiobook doesn’t feel quite as special as sitting down with a physical copy. I love the feeling of being so engrossed with a book that the world around me disappears and I didn’t feel like I could do that with an audiobook. Again, feelings of restlessness kept me from focusing solely on the audiobook. Overall they felt too passive when compared with reading a print book.

3. My Thoughts on Audible

I think Audible is a great deal if you really enjoy listening to your books. The monthly rate after the free trial is only $14.95 and includes one book credit and free access to a select number of Audible Original books. So so many of the books that you can choose will cost you way more than $14.95 in the bookstore, so you’re saving money. Plus, I was super excited to find out that books you buy are yours forever even if you cancel the membership. I was under the impression that this was structured like a library service, so this was a huge deal. I probably won’t keep my subscription, but I will be able to listen to Born A Crime or any Originals I’ve selected at any time in the future which is awesome!

Let’s talk about Audible Originals. Audible Originals are audiobooks that were written and recorded just for the Audible platform. Think Netflix original tv shows, but the audiobook version. I was super stoked to try these out in the beginning because a friend recommended an original that she really loved. I quickly found out that you can’t choose from just any audible original as your “free” choice. It has to be from a select number of “free” titles for that month, and they seem to rotate. This was a bit annoying if you’re paying for the service every month, but would be good for getting out of your comfort zone in terms of genre. The Audible Original title I ended up listening to (How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps) turned out to be in the Literary RPG genre. I definitely wouldn’t have picked that for myself, but it was nice to try out something new. Another thing I noticed is that most Audible Originals books (or at least the ones available for free with membership this month) were shorter than average. How to Defeat a Demon King was under six hours of listening time, and I wish they had longer options available in their original content.

Let me know in the comments how you feel about audiobooks/audible and if you have any favorites! I’m always open to good recommendations!

If you want to hear my specific thoughts on the two audiobooks I listened to, keep an eye out for my May Reading Wrap Up in a few weeks!

Follow along with all of the different books I’m reading, or hoping to read, by checking out my Goodreads page!

Much Love,

Taylor

Reading in the Time of Corona

By Taylor

On April 20, 2020

In Lifestyle/Advice

I can’t deny it. Part of what prompted me to begin this blog is quarantining during the coronavirus, so it’s only fitting that my first official post is focused around it (well around quarantine reading, that is).

My childhood self would’ve been elated at the idea of being in quarantine. Not the idea of a global pandemic that causes many deaths and economic collapse, but that I would’ve had a license to sit around my house and read as many books as my heart desired. I was 100% that kid that always had their nose stuck in a book. I wouldn’t get in trouble at school for talking too much, but I would get called out for trying to read my latest find under the table when I was supposed to be paying attention. But can you really blame me? Magic Treehouse was definitely more interesting than math!

All-in-all, kid me would’ve read at least 12 books in the month that I’ve been social-distancing at home. How many books have I read since being at home? TWO! You heard me. That may seem like a lot to some, but for me, that’s way under par considering my normal rate of reading. Pre-quarantine I had been averaging three books per month. That was along with going into the office full-time, studying for the GRE in the evenings, and dealing with other components of regular life that have since stalled. My pile of unread books stares at me every day, begging to be read, but for some reason, I can’t seem to devote my seemingly infinite time to them. This period sounds like a booklover’s dream, but for me (and I’m guessing many others) it hasn’t worked out that way. Books have always been an escape for me during stressful times, and I know that reading more could help make this period more pleasant. As time has passed, I’ve tried a few different things that have helped ease my brain back into reading mode, and I’d like to pass those on to you!

1. Listen to your needs

This is a stressful period, so the number one focus should be on your physical and mental health. I found that I was mentally berating myself for not reading as much as I felt like I “should” be. The truth is: there is no amount of reading that you SHOULD be doing. Reading is supposed to be a fun and enriching activity! It’s ok to step back from it if you aren’t feeling it as much as usual, or if it’s causing stress in your life. I was not enjoying trying to force myself to read books. Instead, I’m trying to focus on making reading fun for myself and truly enjoying the process. This is the MOST important suggestion I can make. Go easy on yourself.

2. Dedicated reading time

The first major difference I noticed about my reading habits is that I’d lost my built-in reading time. I live in NYC, so public transportation is an integral part of my life. I use my morning train ride to work as designated reading time, and I sometimes do the same on the train home. Having a scheduled, but brief, time set aside for reading allowed me to progress through books fairly quickly even if I was too busy after work to read more. Additionally, frequent reading kept me invested in the plot and itching to read more, so I was more likely to spend time reading in the evenings as well. Since I’m not train commuting every day, I’ve tried to replicate that experience from my apartment. Whenever I want to get some reading done I pick up my book and set my timer for 30 min. After that’s over I usually move on to the next task in my day, but occasionally I’ll be dying to know what happens next and keep on reading! This adds some dearly needed structure to my day and my reading. Plus, I find I’m more satisfied with reading a little bit than from staring at my pile of books and never picking one up!

3. Book clubs

To make reading more exciting and fun, I turned to a book club! I work with a sizable group of new graduates (including myself), so we decided to begin a virtual book club to stay in touch. While the first book we chose, Circe by Madeline Miller, was very good, the focus was not on the reading or even on our Zoom discussion session. The main goal was to designate time to socialize, but with the added element of reading and discussing a book. We have yet to discuss the book, but I imagine it will be 10% book focused and 90% goofing-off which is something I can definitely get behind!

4. Pick an old favorite and keep it cozy!

For some reason, dealing with the COVID-19 has brought out a lot of nostalgic feelings in many people, myself included. As a reader I rarely re-read books, but I’ve decided to reread the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. I know, it’s a little cheesy reading middle-grade books as a 23-year-old, but I’m doing it. It is one of my favorite books series of all time, and I’m on a little bit of a mythology kick after reading Circe. So, why not. I ordered the first two books from a local bookshop and dove right in. I sped through the first book, and it definitely scratched my nostalgia itch. And nothing goes better with a good book than a cozy blanket and a cup of hot tea. I always try to make a cozy reading environment for myself! Try it out for yourself, and bring one of your old favorites along too!

I hope these tips help some of you as they’ve helped me. Nothing is one-size-fits-all especially when it comes to books, so find what works for you and run with it! The best advice I can give on how to be bookish during quarantine is to go easy on yourself and find what works for you!

Much love,

Taylor

Category: Lifestyle/Advice

Listening to an Audiobook for the First Time || First Times #1

Reading in the Time of Corona