We All Love a Good (Audio)Book By Amy Drewicz

​There are few things that compare to settling into a cozy chair and opening your book to the spot that you so unwillingly left it last time you read. Sometimes, it’s even as easy as pressing play on your favorite device! As technology invades our lives more and more these days, there can be some great literary benefits. Books can be easier to carry, and more accessible because of electronic reading tablets, though I prefer books made from paper, personally.

With the creation of new mediums in which books can be presented, I am grateful for audio books, and cd sets and apps that have someone else read them out for you. Some of the things we do in our day to day lives are just boring, like folding clothes, cleaning, or doing the dishes.  In the same way that a book can take you from sitting on the couch and into another world, an audio book can too, but you now have use of your eyes and your hands.

One time I ran five whole miles because I was so into my audiobook that it didn’t really phase me that my legs were dead tired. A good story can easily distract you from whatever less desirable task you are doing at the time. I also once took a road trip with my mom where we had an audio book playing, and other drivers on the road must have thought, when looking in the car, that we hated each other. We were both just looking straight ahead and not saying anything at all. Little did they know that we were in the middle of unveiling a murder mystery plot and we were riveted!

Audio books are a fantastic way to pass some time, and you can even be (semi) productive as you listen. I would recommend listening to them while driving, working out, or even having a nice bubble bath. As a listener, you get the same fantastic effect of reading a book with your own two eyes. Your imagination is still activated and you are still learning and thinking, but with an audio book, it just takes two ears instead of two eyes.

If you haven’t already, try it. If you have a long commute to work, listen to it on the way there and back. It will most likely wake you up in the morning! If you are doing a long workout, you can knock out multiple chapters in one shot. And if you are taking a bath while listening, well, you might just turn into a raisin. It is a great way to continue to enrich your literary life while still being able to do the things you would normally do in a day. I encourage you to give it a try! And if you don’t like the one you are listening to, get rid of it! You can’t work out to something that you find extremely dull and boring. It kind of defeats the point of getting your mind off of your aching muscles!
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It is a new and refreshing way to ‘read’ and I am hoping that you will try using an audio book to liven up your day, and through that, see that books and stories can make even the most boring of things exciting! Time to spice up those chores!