How to Read More with Audiobooks

This post is sponsored by Audible. All opinions are 100% my own.

I hadn’t always been an audiobook listener, but when I was in university, I didn’t have much time to read physical books and I started listening to audiobooks via Audible instead. I would listen to audiobooks on my commutes to school or while I was doing chores around the house. I soon realized that if I got in the practice of listening to more audiobooks in my day-to-day life, I could get more reading in—and I loved the sound of reading more books!

According to a recent article, listening to audiobooks isn’t cheating—to your brain, listening is quite similar to reading a physical book, but one thing that is different is that I can listen to audiobooks while doing the laundry, or exercising, and even while driving or on the train.

When I first started listening to audiobooks, I only listened to memoirs or autobiographies because they were easy books to get into. I was looking for audiobooks that didn’t just allow me to read while I was out, but for books that would be even better on this type of platform. I didn’t just want audiobooks to be a substitute for the written word, I wanted Audible to enhance my reading experience. To me, that means a good narrative and my Audible library is full of great fiction, self-help/career books and fascinating memoirs, read by terrific narrators.

Additionally, audiobooks help me meet my reading goals because I view them as bonus reading. For those readers who already read a lot of print books and are hoping to up their game, audiobooks can be a great supplement.

Here’s how I read more books with audiobooks:

1. Set yourself up with an audiobook service like Audible
2. Know what you’ll be listening to (fiction, plays or memoirs)
3. Have an audiobook TBR
4. Make a plan to listen!

The joy of listening to audiobooks is that you can multitask. Like physical books, some audiobooks might read more slowly than others, but I’ve discovered some new beloved authors and great books this way. I make sure to get in the custom of listening to an audiobook whenever I’m commuting or trying to finish some work. I am quite incapable of doing the dishes without listening to an audiobook these days.

For me, the best part about adding audiobooks to my reading life is that I can increase my “books read” list by a few books every month without having to give up a lot of time in other areas of life. Definitely give audiobooks a try if you haven’t, but be warned: you may be increasing your reading goals for the following years!

Do you read audiobooks? Do you have any audiobook recs I can add to my reading list?