My Journey With Audiobooks

From Skeptic to Enthusiast

Photo by Juja Han on Unsplash

Hello my lovely readers!!!

Welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet where I talk all things books.

I just finished North and South yesterday, but I didn't read a good chunk of the book. I mean, I listened to an audiobook while commuting to work. And that’s what I want to talk about in this week's letter.

I know audiobooks are one of those topics that keep the book community heavily divided. For the longest time, I used to believe I won't like audio books. But had it not been for audio books I probably won't be reading now.

I’ve already talked about how I had pretty much stopped reading in my early 20s. The less I read, the more daunting reading started to feel. In those days, all I read was graphic novels, anything more than that I did not have patience for. I tried a few times, but could hardly make it through one page.

Then in 2022 I started reading again. But I could only read very slowly, a few pages a day. Then the day I started reading Jane Eyre, I found an eBook on Spotify. I just played it on my speaker, not expecting to like it. But I was proven wrong, not only did I enjoy listening to the audiobook, I realised it took a lot less effort than reading. So I kept listening to it and finished the book in two days. It was like I was back in my teen days when I used to spend hours reading, I simply couldn't put down the book, I had to know what happened next. The audiobook brought that old familiar excitement back to me. And then, I was listening to books after books. I remembered why I loved books in the first place, all thanks to audiobooks. 

And just last week I was talking to a bookstagram friend who suffers from long covid and hence is very limited in terms of how much energy they can exert. So they listen to a lot of audiobooks. And that reminded me that there are other people with disabilities, for example blind people, who cannot ‘read’. So even from that perspective, audio books are a lifesaver.

And when I think about it, my introduction to stories was through audio. Ever since I was young, long before I even learned to read, my parents and my grandmother were always reading me stories. Even as I grew older, when I could read very well, whenever my grandmother would visit, I’d bring my books to her so that she would read them to me. Thinking about it now, it was also a form of audiobook.

With that said, reading to me still is a lot more fulfilling. When I'm listening to an audiobook and I like a part, I go to the physical book/ eBook and read it. Because there is a different type of closeness in it that I can't find in audio books. But there are times, when I’d pick listening to an audiobook over reading a physical book.

Like back in 2022, my father suffered a stroke. I had spent the whole day at the hospital, taking him there and getting him admitted. In the evening, when I was finally returning home, I sat on the bus, put my earphones on, played Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, and closed my eyes. Instantly, I felt so relaxed, so far far away from the chaotic day. It couldn't have been possible with a physical book because I didn't have the energy and also I can't read on a bus because I get a headache.

So, I might not speak for the majority of the book community, but I really love audiobooks. 

What about you? Do you listen to audiobooks? Don’t forget to let me know.

For more of my bookish ramblings, you can also find me on Instagram

Also, if you’d like me to write for you, you can contact me at joyiewrites@gmail.com

That’s it for today, I'll be back in your inbox next week.

Until then,

Joyie 🌻