Using My Hoopla Credits for Audiobooks

I struggle with listening to audiobooks, but have been trying to use my few monthly hoopla credits on trying out audio.

I can't manage to go above 1.10x speed. Anytime more and I feel like I am pulled immediately out of the story.

Also, nonfiction on audio works far better than fiction for me. Here are a few titles I've decided to try in the coming weeks.

I Tried Audible Plus for Classic Literature Text + Audio Combos

I'm not a big audiobook listener. I like to create my own world. The voices that I imagine for the characters; however, in the past year or so I picked up some audiobooks of novels I know very well (Pride and Prejudice and Anna Karenina) in an attempt to keep me company as I sat bedside with my loved one who is battling cancer and I am the sole caregiver.

What started out as an experiment to keep me entertained and to slow my brain from going into dark and dangerously sad places, quickly morphed into a beloved past time.

I learned to SIT with the audiobook playing WHILE reading a great work of literature.

Up next, was an audiobook for Wuthering Heights. Oh my! I was so delighted to see that I really enjoyed this process.

Things I've noted:

1. It takes longer to read the book this way. If I leave off the accompanying audio, I could finish the book SO much more quickly, but who cares about reading books quickly.
2. All audiobooks are NOT created equally. I have to use the samples of audiobooks. Some authors have voices that grate on my ever loving nerves, and others swing me into a melodic sleep. It's all subjective, but I'm highly sensitive to sound, so it takes a while for me to find someone who agrees with my taste.
3. Speeding up the audiobook too much takes away from the joy of it and makes reading feel like a race. Ignore the 2.5x crowd, and forge your own slow reading way. Savor the work. Pause and reread a section with your eyes or rewind by 30 seconds and re-listen.

Audible Plus With No Credits

I don't get credits from Audible. I just get on the waiting list at my local library. I don't care for much of what is released in literary fiction, so I just use my library. 

I read light novels from kindle unlimited or kindle and it's easy for me to just breeze through those novels. I don't use any audio. There are a few exceptions to this. Audible has (included in the plus catalog) a few cozy mysteries and romances. I don't read along with those because I would need to speed it up greatly and I hate that chipmunk sound- and at that point it's no fun.

All in all, I am a new audiobook convert. While I still don't seek out the audible catalog for every book or classic I read, I have found great joy in making a hot pot of tea at night (all coffee by daytime!) and listening + reading at the same time.

A few novels I've enjoyed as audio + text combinations

I will continue to experiment with audiobook combinations with text alongside, and possibly some of my lighter reads on audiobook from the library to accompany me while cleaning or baking. I will use my library for them rather than paying to "rent" them from Amazon. There is definite appeal in not having a "deadline" for the book, but it isn't worth the monthly fee IMHO.

 I'll report back.

Happy slow listening