Reading Is a Luxury. Here’s My Solution.

It’s been over a year since I sat down and read a book. Magazines, yes. Newspapers, a little (at least when my father-in-law’s visiting). Books, no.

I don’t know why. I love to read. But for some reason, sitting down and reading a book feels like a luxury. And trying to run a business while working part-time and raising two young kids?–it’s a luxury I don’t have.

I’ve found the perfect solution with audiobooks. Audiobooks are my multi-tasking solution. It’s like having my cake…and eating it, too!

For example, I drive to my clients. Why waste time listening to the radio when I can listen to excerpts from a book? I also like to run. Again, listening to audiobooks while I work out is a beautiful way I keep learning and stay entertained.

Audiobooks used to be expensive because, until recently, they were only available on CDs (and tapes before that, but I’ll just focus on CDs). An entire book may be on 16 CDs and could easily cost $40.

To save money, you could check audiobooks out from the library. But it can be a hassle making a trip to the library every week to check out a new set. Plus, they often don’t have the books I’m interested in.

Recently I discovered that you could purchase digital audiobooks from iTunes. Cool! These digital books cost the same as their hardcover brother (for the most part) and were downloaded right to my computer. No trips to the library, no CDs to lug around, no costly audio program to buy. Simply download the book to my computer, put it on my iPhone, and voila! Six-eight hours of listening bliss.

However, I now have a new favorite: Audible.com

Audible is a monthly subscription service, similar to Netflix. Just $15 a month (less than the cost of most books) buys me 1 credit. 1 credit = 1 book. My credit card is automatically charged every month and my account automatically credited. All I need to do is pick out and download the book I want to read.

I have now used Audible.com for a couple of months and absolutely love it! I go through 1 book a month (they have other subscription options if you need more) and have a “wish list” of the books I’m waiting to download.

To be fair, Audible does not have every single book available. I couldn’t find Peretz and Zatorre’s The Cognitive Neuroscience of Music, but I did find Oliver Sack’s Musicophilia. That said, you will find plenty to keep you occupied, entertained, and learning for a long time.

If you want to try out Audible.com, they have all sorts of cool deals to help get you started: Try Audible Now and Get A FREE Audiobook!

And if you have any book recommendations for me, I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a comment in the field below.

P.S. Right now, I am listening to Levitin’s This Is Your Brain on Music. If you like this blog, you will LOVE this book. You can check out my review here.

Tagged as: audible, audiobooks, review