No Time to Read Books? Here’s My Solution.
I enjoy reading. I’m not an avid reader though, like my mom, who still managed to read three books in one week when she came out to help with my last baby. But I do like to read.
But I don’t really have time.
As most of you can relate, a good portion of my day is spent crafting, sewing, cooking, and cleaning.
So my solution to this has been listening to books on audio.
It’s perfect: There’s nothing more relaxing than putting my kids down for naptime, turning on my latest book and sewing for a couple hours.
I used to get my books from the library. But the library is difficult for me to get to and we don’t go much. Then I can never seem to find good books without having to wait forever. I’ve already listened to Harry Potter on audio about three times….the entire series. (Isn’t Jim Dale the greatest narrator?)
So I started buying audio books on itunes. I bought the Hunger Games series because it was reasonably priced. But after that, all the other books I wanted to buy were at least $30.
So finally I caved and really looked into getting a membership at Audible.com.
Have you heard of Audible?
I really like it.
They have a bunch of different plans, and I happened to get a pretty good deal of $7.99 a month for three months and then $15 a month after that.
Every month I get one book credit which covers the price of most audio books (just one book per credit) and once you buy the book, it’s yours. Which means that for the first three months I got three books for $8 each.
The other thing is that once you become a member, you are privy to their sales on books. Every now and then they have great sales and you can buy books for $5 each.
I thought that I wouldn’t like it because I listen to books very quickly, since I spend hours sewing each day. But since they have the sales, I got a few extra books and now I’m backed up on my credits.
Not every book has been awesome, because when you listen to books you have to like the narrator’s voice too. I listened to Uglies. HORRIBLE. The lady who read it had the worst narrating voice I’ve ever heard. The way she did the people’s voices made everyone sound like a robot with a cold. I ended up not enjoying the book mostly because of that (although I wasn’t blown away by the author’s juvenile writing either.)
However, some books I think are actually even better read out loud. I just finished The Help. That was a great book, but the ladies who read it did a SUPERB job. I wanted to talk like a southern black lady for a week. They make you feel like you are right there with them, living their lives. Seriously, it was the best book I’ve read in a long time. I’m sad I’m finished with it.
Just make sure to read the reviews of each book before you buy them because the people there will tell you if it’s a good narration. I wish I’d listened to their warnings against Uglies.
Anyway, to anyone who wants to read more books but doesn’t think they have time, I really recommend getting a membership at Audible.com. I have loved it so far and it makes me happy that I can still read books.
{{And if you decide to go check it out, you can click on that link I have on my sidebar, below my sponsors’ ads….because I am an affiliate.}}
I too, love to read and sadly dont give it enough time. I love to listen to books as well. "Racing in the Rain" was so much fun to listen to. "Water for Elephants" was great also. Another favorite was the "Red Tent". Oh and "A Thousand Splendid Suns"…so good!
I also recommend, "A Thousand Splendid Suns." A few others would be, "The Book Thief," "The Kids From Nowhere." Also, I loved "The Help."
I think the truly amazing thing about Mom is that she works like crazy and yet can read so fast that she wolfs down books in her small amount of down time. I wish I were as efficient…
I actually gave Mark a subscription to Audible for Christmas, but he hasn't used it yet. Maybe you can convince him. I think I would recommend The Book Thief, Island of Saints, and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet. I like the Alexander McCall Smith books like The Ladies Detective Agency and 44 Scotland Street series.Not so sure you'd like Water for Elephants, we tried it for BG and it was too graphic. Also, maybe try some classics: Jane Austen, Bronte, Tolstoy.. ? When you come here, you can get some mp3 books from our library.
I just got "The Help" from the library and I'm excited to read it! Are you on GoodReads.com? Its a lot of fun to see what your friends are reading and gives me lots of ideas for future reads.
Can you hear the books over the sound of your sewing machine? I use an older one so maybe that would just be my problem! :o)
Currently reading "The Memory Keeper's Daughter"….found it at Goodwill so I figured why not? I just finished "A Thousand Gifts" which was incredible. Happy reading!
I loved "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay it was great!
you have all inspired me. I'm headed to the library tomorrow to see if I can find one or two of these on CD to listen to on my way to and from work. Thanks
I may have to try this. I can not for the life of me find time to read. This is such a great idea 🙂
I love Audible! The hardest part is knowing whether or not a book is going to be worth spending your credit on!
There is also a website to get them free. Most of them are classics and I can’t vouch for the narrators as I have only used the site once, but the one book we listened to was fabulous. It’s free so it’s worth a try here and there, right?
http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/