June is Audiobook appreciation month!
First and foremost, audiobooks are books, just like e-books are books and physical books are books. Listening to audiobooks is as much reading and good for your brain as reading print books. Nothing about listening to an audiobook is “cheating.” Don’t let anyone tell you differently.
80s children, do you remember books on tape from the library? The ones in the giant plastic bag with the handle that snapped together? It came with a book and cassette so you could read along, and there was a delightful bell when you needed to turn the page. Given the ways technology has evolved, audiobooks are a bit different now (CD, Playaway, downloadable to your device) but the benefits of reading a book as you listen to it (or listening on its own) haven’t.
Benefits of Audiobooks
As an avid audiobook READER, Erin can tell you that she almost always has an audiobook downloaded from the public library. She will listen to anything, but prefers listening to “meaty” fiction, high fantasy, or nonfiction that she finds fascinating but doesn't have the attention span to attend to in print. The immersive quality of audiobooks improves her focus and allows her to fall into different worlds.
Emilee will read almost any audiobook and has tried audiobooks from all the platforms below of every variety. She is a binge reader who goes through an entire series in a couple weeks and loves to test out new authors or genres; she finds it easier to abandon an audiobook that has a designated time listed. Emilee also loves to consume high fantasy through audio where the names are pronounced for you.
Books are portable, but audiobooks take portability to the next level. You can read an audiobook while driving, walking, sewing, mowing the lawn, doing chores, watching a myriad of kids’ sports, playing a game on my phone…the list goes on and on.
Audiobooks don’t have to be a solo endeavor, either! Erin’s family used to get books on CD from the library for road trips and have graduated to downloading a book (and a backup in case it is boring, they don’t like the narrator, etc.). When the kids were little, they would get a new book everyone would enjoy to make the drive go a bit faster. Now that they’re older, they tend to share books that they loved as kids or young adults, and it gives those who can’t read in the car the opportunity to still enjoy a book.
Not an audiobook fan? Maybe you haven’t found the right one. Does it feel slow? Downloadable audiobooks can be sped up, and sometimes it is just the thing to boost your enjoyment. Don’t love the narrator? We will both 100% stop listening to an audiobook if we don’t love the narrator. Sometimes the wrong narrator can ruin even the best story. Likewise, a great narrator can make mediocre prose seem fantastic. Don’t know where to find audiobooks? We can help!
- Your local library should have books on CD and Playaways (where you just add headphones).
- Libby, the free library app. Add your library card and download audiobooks (and e-books) with ease.
- Audible is Amazon’s audiobook subscription service. They have some original material and new recordings of beloved classics (like full-cast Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings read by the actor who plays Gollum)
- Libro.fm is an audiobook membership that directly supports the independent bookstore of your choice, offering free monthly audiobooks to Educators and Librarians.
The Reliable Narrators is a column about reading and books for readers and non-readers, alike from two moms who also happen to be educators and library personnel. Emilee Williamson and Erin Roth are a school-proclaimed “dynamic duo” who love kids, books, and hosting gatherings in the library. You can expect conversations about reading (for yourself and your loved ones), book and media recommendations, and the occasional recipe inspired by a current read.
