Road trips were a staple of my childhood, with annual (at least) 12-hour drives to visit family. We listened to a lot of music — I still remember the first few songs of my dad’s favorite road trip playlist — but we also listened to audiobooks. And by “we,” I mean my parents. I much preferred to stare out of the window and daydream, thinking up plots to books that I never wrote.
Audiobooks were annoying to me because of how often my attention would drift; I couldn’t keep up with a plot to save my life. That stayed true for me until about two years ago, when Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson changed things for me.
I am deeply in love with Tress of the Emerald Sea, but I will save details for another day. The important part is how much I enjoyed that book. I read it for the first time on a whim in September 2023 and quickly became a little obsessed with it — so much so that I needed to read it again right away. I held off for a few months, but I decided to listen to the audiobook during a 12-hour drive to visit family, hilariously reminiscent of when I was a kid. I figured that I loved the book enough that it could keep my attention and, even if it couldn’t at parts, I already knew what had happened, so it’d be easy enough to jump back in.
I was right, and I absolutely loved it.
The audiobook of Tress of the Emerald Sea was narrated by Michael Kramer, and he did a phenomenal job. Since then, I’ve listened to many audiobooks, some better than others. It was a process of trial and error, as I’m sure it is for many people. I learned a lot quickly:
- I can’t listen to an audiobook for a fantasy novel unless I’m already familiar with the setting. I’ve tried it with a few different books, but my brain just can’t comprehend the world-building unless I’m physically reading the book.
- Audiobooks are really handy for getting through books you aren’t necessarily enjoying. I know, I know, it sounds insane to force yourself to read a book you don’t enjoy — maybe it is. There have been a handful of times that I’ve been in this situation, though. The first was with the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, because I wanted to know what all the hype was about. I ended up really disliking the first and last books, but I got through them thanks to audiobooks! I’ve also utilized them when deciding whether or not I wanted to buy a really pretty special edition (I ended up not getting it, thankfully).
- Graphic Audio audiobooks are not for me. Graphic Audio is a traditional audiobook on steroids, with a full cast to narrate for each character and sounds to replace a lot of action/description verbiage. I know people that love them, but the acting and audio effects just take me completely out of the story. Tress of the Emerald Sea was the only exception to that, which only further illustrates my love for that book. As of now, I’ve read this book four times — twice physically and twice as different audiobooks.
- If I’m not in the mood for an audiobook, I’m just not in the mood. There are many times when my mind is just too scattered and/or active to try to focus on an audiobook. When I get in that mood, there’s no forcing me to pay attention and it’s best to just accept it.
I’m still learning, though, and it’s very much been a fun journey. I started out with only being able to listen to audiobooks when driving or doing cardio, but I was able to listen to an audiobook while baking scones (for the first time) the other day and it was a really fun experience. I have the most fun listening to books that are romances, thrillers, or memoirs, but I’m slowly branching out.
So, where can you find audiobooks?
- Your local library: A lot of local libraries are connected to apps that you can use to access digital content. My local library uses Hoopla, and it has saved me a lot of money over the years.
- Spotify: If you already pay for a premium Spotify subscription, you have access to 15 hours of audiobooks each month. Be careful when choosing books, though – if the book you’re listening to is longer than 15 hours, you’ll have to wait until the next month to finish it.
- Audible: This is a classic, but its usefulness depends on how often you listen to audiobooks. Since I only listen to 1-2 per month and a lot of books I’m interested in are available on Hoopla or Spotify, I ended up pausing my membership.
Find what works best for you, because you are a beautifully unique person — some of these things may ring true for you, but you also could have completely different interactions with audiobooks. I hope you give them a chance and experiment with them, though!
Thank you for exploring with us! Until next time, may the pages and paths ahead of you be great.
