Books: my entire undergraduate studies revolved around them! Podcasts: something I consume on a daily basis. Based on these two facts, one might assume that I enjoy audiobooks; however, I’m here to tell you that it’s not that simple for me. As audiobooks grow in popularity, I’d like to share some of my experiences. Who knows? Maybe this will help you realize whether or not they’re right for you.

As an English major working towards the goal of becoming a physician (and one day being at the forefront of narrative medicine!), my undergraduate coursework has been pretty expansive. Running from Park Hall to the Entomology Lab in Biological Sciences was almost a daily occurrence for three semesters. Having to shift gears from studying for the MCAT to writing a paper on a remediation of Hamlet is something I just did the other day. When it feels like my mind is being pulled in two completely different directions, I’ve had to get creative in order to maximize my efficiency…

That’s where audiobooks come in.

Remember when I said I’d run from Park Hall to Biological Sciences? Well, I’d often listen to an audiobook on my little journey across campus. What about when I got there and had to spend three hours in the lab? Yep, you guessed it, the same thing. And my drive from my apartment to campus (as well as my hour and thirty-minute drive on the weekends to my home)? Of course! How’d you know?

Since high school, audiobooks have allowed me to increase my productivity. The ability to turn the audio speed on a book to 1.25x or even 1.5x, especially, has often been godsent. In fact, that function has even translated to film a couple of times (I may or may not have watched the three-hour-long monstrosity that is The Birth of a Nation on 2x speed for my Films about the South course…).

I know what you’re thinking. You’re smart, that sounds amazing!

After all these years, however, I’ve come to avoid audiobooks unless absolutely necessary. Here’s why:

1. You don’t have a physical text that you can manipulate. That means it’s significantly more difficult to use quotes from the text or jump back to points of interest (no page numbers, no annotating, and no way to see the author’s grammar usage). For a writer, these abilities are basically a necessity. I understand that you can bookmark places in the recording, but it just doesn’t make up for the affordances of a physical book. At least as a student, I’ve always needed a physical copy even when I chose to use an audiobook. Which brings me to my second point…
2. Audiobooks can be expensive… especially if you still need the physical book! These days, most listeners opt into a subscription service rather than buying audiobooks individually. Currently, a Gold (standard) subscription to Audible.com costs about $15 a month and allows access to one book and two Audible originals (works created specifically for Audible). Being limited to one credit over the course of an entire month seems kind of restrictive to me, but if you want another credit it’s going to require the Platinum subscription which is almost $23 a month. Alternatives such as Audiobooks.com are priced using nearly an identical subscription model. I’m not going to lie; I’ve started and canceled a lot of free trials to these websites… While I think these prices are reasonable for those who listen sparingly, enjoy Audible originals, or have no need to double-dip and also get the physical book, these websites are just not for me. You can find many free audiobooks on YouTube or LibriVox, but then you increase your risk of being affected by my last issue…
3. There’s no guarantee that the narrator’s voice compels you. I can’t even count the number of audiobooks that I’ve given up on because I’m having trouble keeping up with the narrator. Perhaps it’s because a narrator is lacking emotion, or because he/she is reading at an abnormal tempo. Regardless of the reason, it’s no fun to have to constantly rewind or just give up on a book that you’re halfway through because it’s frustrating to listen to. Services like Audible have reviews you can check (these really help a lot with finding a good narrator), but there isn’t ever a guarantee that a book clicks with you. With free recordings (often done by volunteers instead of professionals), you’re just increasing this risk.

Rant over.

While my concerns are substantial, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the value of a good audiobook. Like I talked about at the beginning of this piece, multitasking is powerful. As students, professors, working professionals, parents, etc. most of us lead busy lives. If you have to choose between listening on-the-go or not consuming literature at all, audiobooks are a must! While I try to limit my use, personally, I still listen to them occasionally through the free services I mentioned above and Scribd.com. Scribd is a nice alternative to the audiobook subscriptions I already listed– while their library of audiobooks is more limited than those services (and you don’t get something like Audible originals), you get unlimited access to their offering of ebooks, magazines, and audiobooks for $8.99 a month (I’m not sponsored haha just providing options). Lastly, when you get a good narrator, I can attest to the fact that audiobooks are amazing. Being able to hear the emotion or even added sound effects is certainly immersive. One of my favorite novels, Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, for example, makes for an amazing audiobook.

Perhaps I’m just hard on audiobooks because–as an English major–I feel like I should be ACTUALLY reading. Hmm… Yeah, that’s definitely part of it. Whoops.

Anyways, until next time, happy reading/listening!

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