#listentoabook

[uacboo]

For years, friends kept telling me to try audiobooks. Again and again, I refused. “I don’t think I could absorb a book by listening to it,” I said. “I just like physical books so much,” I said. Blah blah blah. Thankfully, Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge saved me. While I can apparently ignore the excellent advice of people I love, I can’t ignore a well-designed reading checklist. There is little I enjoy more than the satisfaction of checking things off a list. When I stumbled across the Read Harder challenges last December, I decided, greedily, that I would complete all three of them this year. So, grudgingly, I listened to an audiobook. Then, less grudgingly, I listened to another. Now I must have an audiobook going at all times. I am obsessed. I was not surprised when audiobooks began to enrich my reading life. I’m reading more. I’m also reading a more eclectic mix of books. I’ve read and enjoyed many books (mostly nonfiction and memoir) that I wouldn’t have finished in print. But I was not prepared for the massive impact audiobooks have had on my life beyond reading. Audiobooks have become so central to the way I experience the world that I can’t now imagine how I functioned without them. Audiobooks have made me happier. To start with, there are all the little ways they’ve made my life more pleasant. There’s a whole slew of things I used to find moderately annoying that I now find enjoyable, and often actually look forward to—because they are just excuses to read! I listen to audiobooks while folding laundry, making the bed, packing (I recently moved and it was by far the best packing experience of my life, thanks to audiobooks), emptying the dishwasher, putting away groceries. I’ve never completely hated cleaning the kitchen, but these days, I actually revel in it. Scrubbing pots is no longer just a mundane task— it’s story time. Perhaps the most striking example of this super-annoying-turned-supremely-pleasant phenomenon is traffic. It’s not life-threatening or truly awful, but let’s face it: anyone who deals with traffic on a regular basis complains about it. I used to gripe about traffic as much as anyone. Now all I think when I see a long line of stopped cars in front of me is: Great! More time to read! But the real magic of audiobooks is that, because of them, I do more of the things I love. Audiobooks have motivated me to carve more space in my life for the things that truly nourish and sustain me. I live alone, and I love to cook. It used to take an extraordinary effort to get myself to cook dinner. Cooking for friends or baking treats for work is easy. But cooking for yourself gets lonely fast. I ate a lot of fried eggs on toast. Then along came audiobooks. Suddenly cooking for myself wasn’t lonely anymore. Suddenly I was pouring through cookbooks, planning meals, happily cooking my way through The Goldfinch and H is for Hawk and The Gene. Sometimes I have to stop chopping because I’m crying, or bent over in laugher, or so caught up in the book I forget what I’m supposed to be doing to the carrots. I don’t dread cooking for myself anymore. I look forward to it. I even have a new morning routine—go on a long walk with the dog, stretch for ten minutes, make tea, cook breakfast, eat breakfast while actually sitting at the table, wash the dishes–all while listening to a book. This simple routine makes an astounding difference in my day. I’ve been trying to get myself to do ten minutes of morning stretches for years! Audiobooks have given me a way to be kinder to myself, to take better care of myself, and to do more of what I love. Audiobooks have impacted my life in profound and glorious ways. But the very best thing about audiobooks is this: settling down on a winter afternoon, with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies, to listen to a book while doing a jigsaw puzzle. Puzzles are my go-to comfort. I love the tactile satisfaction of the pieces, and the way my brain stills as my hands work. I didn’t think the experience of doing a puzzle could get any better until I did one while listening to a book. It is, for me, sublime pleasure. It is perfect. It is joy and delight and coziness embodied. This may be a small and simple thing, but it is a small and simple thing I love. This new happiness, a magic made possible by audiobooks—this is the greatest gift they’ve given me. (I turned to audiobooks 20!years ago because of vision issues and have never looked back. The only time I read instead of listen is when there is no audiobook available or I don't care for the narrator. Also, if you are ADHD, you're more comfortable doing something else while listening. And being able to listen to books via browser through your library's DMZ/Overdrive has made it so much more convenient than in the past.)

[healthwithouthype]

What do you mean, you don't have time to read? Have you not heard of audiobooks!? . . . . . #audiobooks #readtome #amnarrating #voiceover #VO #Britishaccent #Britintheusa #midatlantic #Audible #listentoabook #yesitcounts #library https://www.instagram.com/p/BxCrTDgHZK_/?igshid=1wl4pv3h5esc5

[layeshia1]

#booklover #books #reading #readabook #listentoabook (at Broward County, Florida)

[kmrice]

#Repost @grshalan (@get_repost) ・・・ Darlings, as some of you know, one of the greatest highlights of this year that keeps giving to me was finally producing two gorgeous novels by @kmriceauthor on #Audiobook (Darkling featuring stunning cover art by @lindsey_crums and an unbelievable recording of Midsummer Song by @eurielle_music and Ryan Louder)✨😱❤️😱✨ If you haven't had the chance to listen, please consider a download (you can get one for free with a one month trial subscription to @audible_com )... Darkling is the perfect mid-October listen...and if you HAVE had a listen, we would love to know what you thought! Please leave us a review: it's quick and easy, you can even do it from the app you listened on! Many thanks. ✨❤️🗣🎙✨ #audiobook #audible #narrator #audiobooknarrator #listentoabook #thewildfrontier #darklingtheaudiobook #darklingbykmrice #kmrice #fiction #ghoststories #loveaudiobooks #storyteller #actor

[bookshopsantacruz]

Get the books you want to listen to from Bookshop Santa Cruz! Bookshop is excited to be partnering with @librofm to offer you digital audio books for download. For more information (& to set up your Libro.FM account!) please visit: www.bookshopsantacruz.com/audio-books #audiobooks #librofm #digitalaudiobooks #download #listentoabook #bookshopsantacruz #indiesfirst #supportyourindependent #readinglife #audiolifesantacruzlife (at Bookshop Santa Cruz)

[healthwithouthype]

Very happy to record my first book for @learning_ally. Donating time and talent so dyslexic children can enjoy beautiful stories is priceless! Did you know you don't have to be a narrator to help? You can also volunteer as a listener to make sure each book is word perfect before release! Go to @learning_ally and sign up! It's easy and they are super nice people to work with. . . . . . #Learningally #dyslexia #listentoabook #giftofreading #giftoftime #bealistener #voiceover #narrator #audiobooks #englishaccent https://www.instagram.com/p/BtOCQmjHANh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=rmgttrwrllmq

[layeshia1]

#behappy #listentoabook #read #readingissexy (at Broward County, Florida)

[healthwithouthype]

Oh my! What a joy to receive this card of thanks from the uber talented @annalouisecookson 💞 I really get to work with the best clients! I cannot wait for her book #TheSoundofYourSoul to come to your ears! . . . . . #audiobook #bookclub #audiobooksofinstagram #listentoabook #tellmeastory #Egyptology #globalwarming #toldfromtheheart #dystopian #London #artist @thesoundofyoursoul https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzu2D4yHHpd/?igshid=1rw2x8ng1skil

[healthwithouthype]

What makes a 1930s society girl become a farmer? Answer: the Second World War. I was privileged to narrate the story of the author's mother, Frances Donaldson, a privileged young woman giving her all in wartime. With her soldier husband, Jack, far away and two young children to care for, she bought a farm in Warwickshire and determined to live off it. Could an emotionally fragile young mother survive the ordeal? During six long years of war she learned to farm, battling with the antagonism of the men she was trying to manage, vulnerable to the demands of the Ministry of Agriculture while coping with small children and no money. War was a test of relationships, character, and endurance. A Woman's War tells how she conquered WWII. An emotional tale from riches to rags, from joy to sorrow, and, at the end of the war together again with Jack, rejoicing. Frances Donaldson would not have called herself a feminist, but her strong character, independence, and determination make this almost a feminist tract, showing in detail how much a woman can achieve in difficult circumstances. She not only showed determination but took on physical tasks which most modern men would find difficult if not impossible.  Now Available on #Amazon, #Audible and #iTunes! #audiobooks #farming #farmer #ww2 #rations #farmgirl #motherhood #strongwomen #depression #buyafarm #voiceover #VO #Britishaccent #narration #listentoabook #tellmeastory #letters #letterwriting #AWomansWar #FrancesDonaldson #rosedeakin @theaudioflow https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx4sbQ1ngWL/?igshid=1l64kmlzz9war

[healthwithouthype]

After a day filled with tech difficulties which brought recording to a halt yesterday, I'm hoping for some plain sailing today. Still, every challenge means I get to learn something new! #entrepreneurlife #justkeepswimming #actorslife #goforexcellence #voiceactor #voiceover #ladyvoice #britvoice #ukvoice #transatlanticaccent #listentoabook #audioediting #lillianrachel

[healthwithouthype]

After a day filled with tech difficulties which brought recording to a halt yesterday, I'm hoping for some plain sailing today. #entrepreneurlife #justkeepswimming #actorslife #goforexcellence #voiceactor #voiceover #ladyvoice #britvoice #ukvoice #transatlanticaccent #listentoabook #audioediting #lillianrachelvoiceover