So when I got an email a few days ago, informing me that there was just an audiobook released of Emma Thompson (Emma Thompson!!) narrating Henry James' The Turn of the Screw (something I've been meaning to read for ages), it just once again drove home the fact that I really need to listen to more audiobooks.
(There's a proud tradition of amazing celebs reading classics, btw. Case in point, I have Anne Hathaway reading The Wizard of Oz and Alan Cumming & Tim Curry reading Dracula in my neglected Audible account. And there are so many more, all of which I want to get my hands on, but starting with The Turn of the Screw, because Emma Thompson? She. Is. Life.)
And as I said, I have some kickass audiobooks languishing in my account. I mean, I already "read" Exquisite Captive and Austentatious, and they were both amazingly narrated, but YOU GUYS: I also have audiobook copies of A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, and Yes Please by Amy freaking Poehler, narrated by Amy freaking Poehler and a whole host of People Whose Names You'd Recognize, and okay, I kind of can't believe I haven't listened to it yet. What is wrong with me?
So I've been brainstorming ways to get more audiobookage into my life.
- An obvious one (and one that would be the most beneficial, I'd imagine) is listening to them at the gym, on walks with Marley, or any time generally exercise-y things are going on.
And hey, if the book is really good, this would have the added benefit of making me actually want to go to the gym. So this is a thing I should be doing. Besides, at my gym, I always seem to end up in front of the TV that has Food Network playing, and that just seems wrong.
- Also, cleaning is a thing I should do more of, and audiobooks could help with that.
I REALLY need to heed my own advice on this one, because when I was listening to Austentatious, I found myself looking for more chores to do around the house, because I didn't want to stop listening yet, and just sitting on my bed doing nothing while I listened just felt weird. I'm a multi-tasker, people! But a cleaner, I am not, so I need all the help I can get with that one...
- And three? Well, this is where I draw a blank, and where you come in.
There has to be more to my audiobook routine than just a reward for myself for doing boring stuff I don't want to do (though it is a really great reward, and surprisingly effectual!). So, I'm curious, for all of you audiobookers: when and where do YOU listen to audiobooks? Are you a zone out in the bath kind of listener? (Side note: my books would appreciate the switch to audio, seeing how many have been dropped in the tub over the years.) Do you listen as you try to fall asleep at night (a grown-ups bedtime story, of sorts)?
And if you haven't yet tried an audiobook, or have been wanting (like me) to get more into them: What do you think would draw you in? And what's holding you back from trying them out right now? [Psst! No, seriously, what are you waiting for? You can get a free audiobook of your choice literally right this moment. We could be listening to Yes Please together. Twinning!]
Tell me all your secrets and thoughts in the comments! And if you are into audiobooks, please tell me some good titles to listen to! A good narrator is make or break, so I definitely want to know which ones have won you over!
This post was sponsored by Audible, but for realsies, it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately, especially as we draw closer to National Audiobook Month. If YOU'VE been thinking about audiobooks lately, too, or just want to know what all the hubbub is about, you can get a free one-month trial from Audible, including a book of your choice from over 180,000 titles, and maybe together, we can up our audiobook game! ^_^
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Audible. The opinions and text are all mine.
