How I Became Audiobook Obsessed: The Surprising Shift in My Reading Habits

Something I never thought would happen has happened over the last few months—I’ve become an audiobook listener. As someone who lives in their head with constantly wandering thoughts, I often find my mind drifting in the middle of conversations. I’m not proud of it, and I’m working on it, but it’s just the truth. Given this, I never thought I’d be able to listen to audiobooks and fully grasp what was happening.

However, back in March, my life took an unexpected turn. I nearly died due to internal bleeding and had to undergo major surgery. The trauma from this experience was overwhelming (I’ll touch on that at a later date, as I’m not ready to write about it now). For weeks after the surgery, I struggled with sleep, terrified that if I drifted off, I might not wake up again.

In an effort to cope and allow my body to heal, I turned to the Harry Potter audiobooks as something for my brain to focus on to help me fall asleep. I’ve read the Harry Potter series several times and watched the movies (which are different, but I love them anyway) at least fifty times each. The familiarity and comfort of the story helped me relax, and since I knew it so well, missing parts wasn’t a big deal.

After realizing how much I enjoyed listening to Harry Potter, I began exploring other audiobooks, mainly nonfiction, which I’ve always struggled to get through. Thanks to my friend Stephanie H. (who I’ve mentioned before, as she’s single-handedly fueling my audiobook addiction with her Audible account), I discovered Graphic Audio.

Graphic Audio offers full-cast audiobooks, meaning each character is voiced by a voice actor and it features sound effects and music, which make the book come alive and are incredibly fun to listen to. I highly recommend them, especially if you’re just starting out with audiobooks. Once I exhausted the Graphic Audio titles I wanted to hear, I turned to regular audiobooks. I’ve found that listening to audiobooks while cooking, cleaning, and doing projects around the house has made those tasks not only doable but actually enjoyable. I now look forward to deep cleaning or making dinner because I can listen to my audiobook while doing it.

Another great thing about audiobooks is that apps like Libby and Hoopla, which connect to my library, offer a wide selection with shorter wait times compared to traditional or ebooks. Hoopla, in particular, allows ten rentals a month from their “Instant Borrow” collection, which often includes popular titles with no wait. Additionally, Spotify Premium now offers fifteen hours of audiobook listening per month as part of their plan. While I can easily listen to fifteen hours in two days, this could be a great option for the casual reader or listener.

The downside of audiobooks is that they’re not cheap. Some titles are Audible exclusives, and Audible can get VERY pricey at $15.99 per month for one book and an additional $15.99 per credit unless you purchase audiobooks outright or buy a pack of credits. For example, the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas is extremely popular, so the wait time to get them from the library is LONG, and they’re not available on Hoopla. The final four books in the series are currently Audible exclusives, meaning you can only listen to them on Audible.

Another downside is that it’s easy to miss something while listening, so I often find myself rewinding a bit. As a stay-at-home mom with two kids (ages 5 and 1 & 1/2), they are my top priority. I frequently have to pause my audiobook—just as I would with a traditional book—to respond to urgent updates about Ryder from Paw Patrol being in danger or to discuss the best way to craft something.

Despite these downsides, audiobooks have become my preferred way to get my reading in, thanks to the convenience of library apps and other resources. And for those who think it’s cheating, the benefits of listening to a book are comparable to traditional reading. Since I’m a stickler for citing sources (years of higher education and my experience as a college instructor have instilled in me a deep respect for avoiding plagiarism and providing evidence), I want to share some research on this. The article from Sage Journals titled “Does Modality Matter? The Effects of Reading, Listening, and Dual Modality on Comprehension” by Beth A. Rogowsky, Barbara M. Calhoun, and Paula Tallal states the following in their abstract:

With advancing technology, there is increasing interest in differences between listening versus reading comprehension or doing both simultaneously. Ninety-one participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups that received the same instructional material (the preface and a chapter from a non-fiction book), but each in a different input modality (digital audiobook, e-text, dual modality). After completing the material, participants took the same comprehension test in written form to establish both immediate comprehension (Time 1) and 2-week retention (Time 2). No statistically significant differences were found for any analyses pertaining to effects of the three different instructional conditions on comprehension at Time 1 or Time 2. Additional analyses showed that both males and females in each condition recalled an equal amount of information, regardless of whether they listened to an audiobook, read from an electronic tablet, or both listened and read simultaneously (dual modality).

If that was a TL;DR for you, here’s the gist: the study found no differences in comprehension between traditional print books, ebooks, and audiobooks. So, it may feel like cheating, but if you’re engaged in the book, comprehending the story, and enjoying it, I say go for it!

While reading will always be my favorite way to escape into a magical land, with two young kids and a house to manage, audiobooks will be a key part of my reading routine for the foreseeable future.

What’s your preferred way to read? Let me know in the comments!