I Gave Audiobooks A Second Chance

I decided to give audiobooks a second chance.

My first encounter with audiobooks was when I was reading Big Rock by Lauren Blakely. If you are a Kindle user, you’d know that sometimes they offer whispersync if you purchase a book which its audiobook is available. So, I decided to give it a try when I was offered the audiobook along.

I have to say that I couldn’t deal with it. It’s not the actor (he was wonderful), but I think it has to do with the slowness. IT IS SO SLOW, at least for me. I find it frustrating because I’d already finish reading the line but the audio is way behind. I gave up. I then convinced myself to try listening the audiobook on its own. I chose to listen to another Lauren Blakely novel, Well Hung. Still, NOPE. For whatever reason, I couldn’t make myself listen to it – no matter how hard I try. So again, I gave up.

The story above happened about two years ago. Last year, I decided to give it a try. If you ever read my blog before, you’d know that I’m completely obsessed with Podcast. I had my doubts about that particular entertainment form before, but after I tried it again, I’m hooked. So, I decided maybe I should give audiobooks another try – third’s time is the charm, right?

I decided to try Audible’s free trial and my choice of read this time is Shiny Broken Pieces by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra. This time, I MADE IT THROUGH! I was really giddy when I realised that I finished a whole book. It wasn’t bad, you guys! To say that I was completely hooked and in love with audiobooks would be an overstatement; although I don’t hate it anymore. Soon after this though I cancelled my subscriptions because I wasn’t sure I was going to use it.

Earlier this year, I decided to start my Audible subscriptions again. I drive to work and I had the idea to dedicate my commute to work as my designated audiobook time. This time I picked The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee and guess what? I FINISHED IT. I feel that this time round I’ve found my groove with this form of entertainment. Since then, I’ve finished two more audiobooks; Bro Code by Kendall Ryan and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Right now I’m currently listening to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. I’ve come a long way, haven’t I? 

How to Enjoy Audiobooks

Like I said above, I struggled with audiobooks and now I’ve found ways of listening and enjoying audiobooks without being distracted.

Listen to audiobooks when you can be present

For me, I can’t listen to audiobooks when I need to concentrate on tasks at hands. Listening to audiobooks during working is a big no for me. I simply can’t focus on the story while also working on whatever I’m working on at that moment. The last six months I’ve tried listening to audiobooks, I find that audiobook is an excellent commute companion. My favourite time to listen to audiobooks is when I’m driving.

Find the narration you enjoy

I realised that the voice and the narration are really important. The voice will definitely be the first thing you notice and pay attention to. Since you’re going to listen to this audiobook for more than 5 hours, finding the voice you enjoy is absolutely critical. After all, I don’t think you’ll be able to finish an audiobook if you don’t enjoy the actor’s voice.

Every actor also has different way of delivering the story. Same with the voice itself, you have to find the narration that you enjoy. You definitely won’t be able to finish the book if you can’t enjoy the delivery of the story.

If you use Audible, they provide you with sample so you can try listen to it first before you decide to grab the audiobook.

Start easy

My first successful audiobook experience wasn’t the easiest young adult novel to read or listen to, but I finished it because of the narrator’s terrific performance. However, I don’t think I’d enjoy audiobooks if the first book I listen to was a Shakespearean books. If it’s your first time listening to audiobooks, I suggest you listen to light hearted reads. Comedy works are usually audiobook-rookie’s choice for their first listen. One of my friend started listening to audiobooks by listening to books she already read before. According to him, it was a good way of familiarising yourself with audiobooks.

Where to Find Audiobooks?

If you are unsure where to start, you can find audiobooks in these following websites:

LibriVox. LibriVox is a website that provides you with free audiobooks read by volunteer from all around the world. Because this is a free website, you can freely use this website to try out audiobooks. It has a vast collections so you’ll most likely find an audiobook to listen to.

OpenCulture. OpenCulture is another website that provides you with wide selection of free audiobooks. From Descartes to Jane Austen, you can find definitely find something for you.

Project Gutenberg. I’m sure any book lover will be familiar with this website. Not only they provide you with free eBooks, you can also find free audiobooks in this website.

Scribd. Another amazing audiobooks service. As a bookworm, you may have heard of this website. You can enjoy an unlimited number of books, audiobooks, magazines, and more on this website. Like Audible, if you are unsure, you can try their 30 days free trial.

Audible. This service from Amazon is probably the most famous audiobooks service. I personally use Audible and I enjoy it. As a Kindle user, I enjoy the whisper-sync feature. Sometimes I get free audiobook companion of the book I download on my Kindle. You can try their 30 days free-trial if you are new to audiobooks.