How Audiobooks Changed My Reading

Audiobooks have been around for a long time and have become popular among many people. They're fast, and easy to follow, and you can listen to them any place and any time you want, even while doing your daily chores. I think it would be fair to say that audiobooks have changed many people's reading habits. 

I, however, have been avoiding them until recently, not because I thought there was anything wrong with them, or because I thought I wouldn't like them - on the contrary, I've always been intrigued by them. I've been avoiding them because when I tried listening to fiction books, I struggled to get used to the narrating voice, especially regarding the characters' voices. Don't get me wrong, most of these narrators are usually amazing and do a great job, it's just that I as a reader want to imagine the characters' voices a specific way and when the narrating voice, accent, and general demeanor don't match the voice in my head I have a problem to fully emerge to the story.

I tried listening to several fiction books and realized that it didn't really work for me, so I didn't really give audiobooks a second chance until I realized that I could try listening to non-fiction books! As it turned out, this was one of my best ideas regarding reading, it had a lot of perks, and it completely changed my reading!

So, below I'll list some of the pros of listening to audiobooks, some of the things I've gained from listening to them, and some of the ways my reading habits have changed because of them.

• Audiobooks help you read more: By nature, they are fast and easy to consume, and you can listen to them at any place and at any time. So naturally, that will increase the number of books you read and will help you reach your reading goals. Especially if you are like me and have limited free time, they seem like the ideal solution.
• They increase the variety of the books you can read: The most significant change that has happened for me in my experience of listening to audiobooks is that they got me into reading all different kinds and genres of books that I never thought I would be into, and which I wouldn't have read otherwise. Audiobooks helped me get through heavy classics that I would have otherwise found boring, but most of all, they allowed me to read plenty of non-fiction books that I normally wouldn't have picked to read and I surely wouldn't have the patience to read any other way.
• Similarly, they can get you into new authors: Authors that you never thought you'd try reading, authors that you wouldn't have gone for... Audiobooks will get you acquainted with their various writing styles and different genres and will open your eyes to new worlds and experiences.
• Listening to a book is an entirely different experience: It gives you a whole new sense of the book, and each narrator can bring something new and unique to a book. Granted, not all of the narrators are equally great, there will be some that you won't like, but most of them are very passionate and really talented. Some of the narrators can bring an entirely new feeling to the book and they can draw you into it.
• More time spent productively - less time wasted: Reading (or listening) to a book is not only an enjoyable but also a very productive activity that exercises your brain and engages all your senses. It's certainly a much preferable investment of your time, rather than scrolling through social media or procrastinating, doing nothing. You'll find that the more you use your free time to listen to a book, the more you'll learn, the better you'll feel and your bad habits and procrastinating will gradually be reduced.

These have been some of the positive changes I have noticed after I started listening to audiobooks more regularly. Audiobooks have now become a big part of my reading and I've grown to love them and the positive impact they've had on me. I will possibly discover even more facts about them as I listen to them more and more and I will be back to discuss them with you again...