It sounds a bit dramatic but audiobooks have changed my life. When I was younger used to read a LOT. Then I had kids, you know the story… But a couple of years ago I discovered Audible. It seemed expensive at £7.99 a month when the library is full of free books but at that point I was getting books out of the library and never finding enough time to read them. I treated myself to just one month and I was hooked.
Suddenly going to Tesco became a slightly guilty pleasure, I looked like I was shopping but actually I was in another world, being read an amazing book by a talented actor who brought things to life in a way that I never could in my head. They don’t just have fiction though, there are a lot of business and personal development books too which has meant that I have managed to ‘read’ things like the 4 hour work week (Tim Ferris), Rework (Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson), The Big Leap (Gay Hendricks), Playing Big (Tara Mohr), Thrive (Arianna Huffington) and . I’ve also been inspired by some autobiographies like I am Malala (Malala Yousafzai), Year of Yes (Shonda Rimes (if you just pick one, pick this one!)), A Year of Living Danishly (Helen Russell), Wild (Cheryl Strayed) and Lessons I’ve Learned (Davina McCall). I may have also indulged in some fairly trivial fiction. Yes Jilly Cooper did feature, as did some other trashy comedy romances but this brilliant balance of serious and escapism helps me get more done each day. Be it learning, resting or escaping I can do it all through Audible.
The app means that wherever I am, my books are with me and it magically knows where I left off on other devices if I switched from my computer to my phone. There are often deals such as 2 for 1 and book of the day for £2.99. I don’t spend more than £10 a month but I get way more value than that. If you wish you read more then please give it a try. They offer a free month so you can get a book and see if you like listening.
One more thing, they do free returns if you don’t like the book too. I’ve returned a couple where I just couldn’t get into the book. You just click a button and you get the credit back, no questions asked. You can sign up here.
And the result… I’ve listened to 51 books in the last 2 years (and started to read more paper books too!) Game changer…