I don’t know about you but what with work, dog-walking, domestic chores and two teenagers to taxi all over Co Durham, I only seem to be able to read for 20 minutes before I switch off the bedside lamp for another day.
By that point I’m so tired I either a) find my eyes shutting and wake up to find my Kindle lying on my chest next to a snoring Shih Tzu or b) I can’t concentrate and have to re-read the chapter again the next bedtime.
Now if you’re a bookworm, you’ll know this is not good.
Even a busy bookworm deserves to feed their habit, despite the chaos of their life.
Thank goodness I now have a solution.
Amazon Audible has been a godsend to me over the past few years. Not only can I double or triple the amount of books I consume, but it also allows me to sneak in some all-important ‘me time’ when I’m at the bottom of the priority list.
I’ve just finished listening to A Man Called Ove and whilst I absolutely loved it, I’ve seen on some book club sites that people have struggled with it (small print apparently) and given up. This is such a shame. But I do know where they’re coming from because if I’d struggled with the print (especially at bedtime) I’d have given up too and missed out on such a fab, heart-warming, heart-wrenching read that I was sad to finish.
So, anyway back to Audible.
It’s easy to use – simply download the app on your phone. You don’t need to be online either to listen to your books – they stay in some fluffy cloud somewhere apparently and just like magic they are waiting for you on your phone whenever you’re ready. ?
You can listen to it anywhere – here’s some of my audiobook habits.
I plug-in to Audible when I’m:
- walking Buddy, my Shih Tzu
- being Taxi Mam to my two teenagers
- ironing
- sorting the laundry
- cooking
- emptying the dishwasher
- changing beds
- gardening
- cleaning out the rabbit hutch ☹
- working (obviously not the stuff I need to concentrate on, but creating memes, adding content to my website etc)
- at the gym
and if I’m really engrossed, I can literally find any and every opportunity to plug in and listen.
It’s free for 30 days for new purchasers – and only costs £7.99 per month after that if you continue.
Another thing I love about Audible is that I get my crime thriller fix without putting the bejeepers up myself – can’t beat a good British detective novel. Some of the books I read are not for bedtime reading, so by listening to them on Audible I don’t give myself nightmares but don’t have to miss out on my favourite genre either.
And one final thing that’s ace about Audible – the range of books. You have all the top best-selling fiction and non-fiction, as well as self-help/business books and all the classics (Dracula and Woman in White were brilliant and so heart-racingly scary that they creeped me out way too much and I had to take a little break and do some deep breathing ‘til the creeps passed and my heart slowed down.
Don’t just take my word for how fab Audible is, you can trial it for 30 days for free by clicking my link here. https://amzn.to/2AAsMk9
And if you’d like any book recommendations, let me know. I have a fair stash in my library archives I can tell you about.
