Are you a fan of audiobooks or do you prefer reading? June is Audiobook Appreciation Month, so I decided to step outside my routine and “read” my very first audiobook. Read on to find out how it went and whether I’ll make audiobooks part of my life in the future.
The history of audiobooks
The goal of Audiobook Appreciation Month is to increase awareness and engagement with this format that has been around for longer than I realized.
National Today reports that Thomas Edison recorded the first audiobook in the 1870s shortly after inventing the phonograph. Edison wanted to make books accessible to the blind, so he recorded a verse of Alfred Tennyson’s poetry. While a single verse of poetry doesn’t sound like much, it’s all Edison could do with the technology he had available at the time.
Audiobooks have come a long way since Edison made that first 4-minute recording. In the 1980s, the advent of the CD was a game changer. The increased storage capacity of CDs made it possible for full books to be released in audio format. Today, audiobooks are widely available through libraries and streaming services like Spotify.
Although they were invented for the visually impaired, audiobooks have evolved into a popular digital medium. Even so, the idea of listening to a book instead of reading has never held much appeal for me, largely because I’m a visual and hands-on person and have a hard time focusing when I simply hear audio.
Storytime memories
When I was a child, I loved to read. As an adult, I found myself with little time for books amid the busyness of work, parenting, and life.
For many years, story time with my daughters was the extent of my reading. I have fond memories of reading favourites from Robert Munsch and Eric Carle to my girls when they were small.
In recent years, with my daughters grown up, I’ve had more time to expand my reading beyond children’s books. My love for books has been reignited, prompting me to set a lofty retirement goal of reading 1000 books.
Paper books remain my preferred format for reading, followed by e-books when I travel. Despite their popularity, I have never paid much attention to audiobooks. Audiobook Appreciation Month felt like a terrific time to give one a try.
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My first audiobook experience
During our vacation to Prince Edward Island last month, I read Colleen’s copy of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. I enjoyed the classic tale of the redheaded orphan adopted by Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla, so I wanted to continue the series.
With short chapters, simple plot lines, and descriptive language, I thought this series would be good fit for an audiobook. I found Anne of Avonlea on Spotify, downloaded it on my phone, and started listening.
As I expected, just sitting and listening didn’t really work for me, and I found my mind wandering. To give it a fair shot, I started listening to a chapter or two on my morning walks.
I also tried listening while driving, with mixed results. Driving in city traffic requires my full attention, so I missed details in the book and needed to listen to some parts over again. It was much easier to focus on listening when driving on quieter country roads.
The verdict
I enjoyed the audiobook more than I thought. Anne of Avonlea was a perfect choice because the content wasn’t too heavy. I can’t imagine listening to a non-fiction book or a complicated thriller with many plot twists. For those kinds of books, I need the flexibility to slow my pace and reread things to let them sink in.
Audiobook Appreciation Month was a fun experiment, but I concluded that I’ll mostly stick with real books in the future. That said, I liked listening while walking, so I’ll continue my morning walks with Anne, Diana, Marilla and Gilbert as I enjoy the other books in the Anne series.
Are you a fan of audiobooks? What are you favourite genres? Drop me a comment below to let me know.
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Michelle! Love the timing of this…I’ve only dabbled with audio books as a “reader”/listener and was totally caught off guard at the book launch for “Slivers” when questions about when (not if) I’d be recording the audio book. Huh. Not on my radar…not even a teensy bit. So now I’ve got some research to do because I know less than nothing about the topic. Always learning…yes we are! Loved reading about your experience while on vacation. “Anne” seems like a perfect book given the location! 💝💝💝
I do admit I’m a bit fascinated now. Since writing this, I’ve finished “Anne of Avonlea” and have moved on the “Anne of the Island”. I was very interested to hear that audiobook narrators can earn up to $250 an hour. Seriously thinking I could do this as a side hustle in my retirement. 😂
Ummmm — heck yeah! You’ve got the pipes! And not just for singing Queen!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️
💚🎶🎙️🎧💚
!!!❤️❤️❤️!!!
I thought of you this morning as I listened to several chapters of “Anne of the Island” on my walk. Yesterday, I reached the end of my free audiobook hours on Spotify for the month. Not wanting to pay $12 a month to listen more, I went in search of a free audiobook to continue.
I found one on this website:
https://www.digitalbook.io/audiobook/5d5d7ccfa24d193cb158907ca0f689de/Anne%20of%20the%20Island
It definitely highlighted the importance of a good narrator. I loved the version I was reading on Spotify because the narrator had a wonderful tone, and added spice to the voices for the dialogue. (I suspect she might of the $250 an hour kind.)
For the free version, the first several chapters I listened to were read by someone who was quite monotone and spoke a little too quickly. I thought about waiting until next month when my Spotify hours reset. Then the next three chapters had three different narrators who were all an improvement over the first. If you want to listen to see what I mean, I’m referring to chapters 29 to 32.
So, if you do an audiobook, choose your narrator carefully. You want someone who’s animated enough to make the dialogue interesting.
Sorry for the long message, but I wanted to let you know while it was all fresh in my mind.
Enjoy your day my friend. 🤗
Oh my gosh!!! What a keeper of a message! Thank you, dear one! ❤️😉❤️
My pleasure. You know I am invested in your success.
Have I told you lately I adore you?!?
❤️😉❤️
The feeling is most definitely mutual! 💚😉💚
!!!❤️❤️❤️!!!
What a great experiment! Like you and others, audio books don’t keep my attention the way books do, but I know many people that listen to books while gardening and doing chores who absolutely love double-dipping, if you will.
I can honestly only focus on one thing at once. 😂 Listening while walking is okay, but doing anything else and I lose concentration.
Same! 😂 😂 😂
You two are making me giggle. Can I chime in with “same” and make that a trio? I can see myself literally getting lost in a story…bumping into walls, etc., etc. 😜😜😜
Ha ha. Glad to hear I’m not alone. 😂 We could give the three stooges a run for their money.
Ohhhhh — yes! 🤪🤪🤪
I’m a hard copy reader, but I think that maybe devotional or prayer books are a good fit for the audiobook format.
Like you Edward, I prefer hardcopy books. I think the Anne stories are easy listens so it worked for me. I was actually thinking about bible readings and reflections as my next audiobook experiment after I finish the rest of the books in the Anne series.
Yes, those are good too. I might need to try a couple of them.
An interesting experiment. I’ve never “read” an audiobook, but I have a friend who swears it’s the best way to go. She says she listens to them when she’s gardening, walking, or driving. Like you, I’m curious and plan to give it a try. I suspect it won’t work as well for me. I prefer reading without any distractions. I taught students who could read with all kinds of other activities going on in the classroom. I could never do that.
I have quite enjoyed giving it a try, Pete, although I feel the same as you about distractions. I definitely wouldn’t choose audiobooks for most of what I like reading.
I have a good friend who loves audiobooks, because it helps with her commute and multitasking as a busy parent. I can definitely see the appeal, as I’m getting more into podcasts.
I definitely enjoyed the audiobook more than I thought I would, but I can only listen when I’m not in a situation where I can be distracted.
Good for you for branching out, I applaud you! I have never been able to get into audio books. Podcasts are much the same. I just can’t keep attention focused when I don’t have to do the work of reading words on a page 😉
Thanks, Deb. It’s was fun to give it a try but I agree that it’s much easier to focus with an actual book.