Here's the deal, I never used to listen to audiobooks.
I listened to a few of the Stephen Fry narrated Harry Potter audiobooks when I was a teen but I listened to them whilst reading along with the book because I struggled at the time to take in the story without having the book to 'focus' on. About a year ago, when I had my Kindle I downloaded a couple of books using the Whispersync feature, which is a great way to switch beneath listening and reading whilst being a really good way to get cheaper audiobooks. If you're not aware of this feature, basically, if you have the Kindle ebook copy already, you can usually get the audiobook for a highly discounted rate. Anyway, I tried a couple of different books but nothing really clicked for me so I stopped searching. Then, a few months ago, my sister recommended Audible's free trial to me. It turns out they were offering a 3-month trial to Amazon Prime customers and I decided to give it another try to see if I could find anything I liked now that I had access to the entire Audible library. I started my free trial by downloading an audiobook that I'd already read the ebook version of and loved, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee. BEST DECISION EVER!!! I absolutely loved this audiobook. It's narrated by Christian Coulson (you may remember him as Tom Riddle from such films as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!) and he's fantastic! He captures the very flirtatious, sweet and infectious essence of Monty perfectly whilst also portraying the other characters excellently. I could honestly listen to this audiobook on repeat and it's my go-to when I've had a rough day. After this, I moved onto Leah on the offbeat by Becky Albertalli, a book that I'd been looking forward to reading for ages. I really enjoyed the narration of this book. I think Shannon Purser (Sierra Burgess is a Loser) did an amazing job of portraying Leah, even if I didn't particularly like Leah as a character. I then moved on to Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg which I'd never heard of before until Audible recommended it to me based on the two books I just mentioned. I absolutely loved this book; the narration, the story, the characters, the humour, all of it! I'm currently listening to The Novice by Taran Matharu. I am enjoying the story but honestly, the narration is driving me insane. I'm laughing at parts of the book that aren't even funny because of the way certain words are pronounced, and it's both distracting and frustrating. So, safe to say that the narrator can make or break an audiobook! I think my next audiobook choice will probably be another contemporary novel as I seem to be enjoying those a bit more. Do you have any recommendations? Any favourites I should be aware of? One thing I do want to talk about is something I keep seeing on Twitter. There seems to be a stigma surrounding audiobooks with quite a few people claiming that they don't count as reading. It amuses me that in a world with so many serious issues there are people petty enough that they feel the need to tell others how/what they should be reading. So, I'm going to say this once: OF COURSE AUDIOBOOKS COUNT AS READING!! Yes, the experience is completely different. As I mentioned above, the narrator of an audiobook can make it amazing or awful, which isn't something you have to worry about when reading the book in your own mind, but you're still absorbing a new story, new characters and new themes. You're still building your vocabulary. For some people, audiobooks are their only chance to enjoy books at all. They're also a fantastic way to introduce young children to new stories. Personally, when I've been too ill or tired to read, audiobooks have made all the difference, especially when it comes to having difficulty sleeping. I mean, think about it. The very origins of stories were those that were spoken aloud, shared over fires and in caves, long before they were ever written down. So, how can anyone say that audiobooks don't qualify as reading? What I love most about audiobooks so far is it's almost as if the character is coming to life. Hearing the characters voice can make the story much more vivid and impactful, particularly in powerful books like Openly Straight. So, as I said above, if you have any recommendations, let me know because I now have a rolling monthly subscription to Audible and I'm excited to keep discovering new books and narrators! Thanks for reading :)
Sophie
4/10/2018 11:03:52
Absolutely love this! Lol I was the same at first never really took anything in when I listened but now I love it. Especially if your on a long drive or doing something where you can’t sit and read because you’re on the go. So wish i still had my subscription!!
Kayleigh @ My Endless Shelf
10/10/2018 18:44:56
Thank you 😊 Me too, although I can't read whilst driving. I'm much more of a sing at the top of your voice in the car kind of person! But, I do love listening to audio books whilst working or relaxing. Comments are closed.
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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