Consuming Books While Broke

The first audiobook I ever got was years ago when I won a contest and got the CD form of an audiobook. It was a huge pain. First of all, I had to find a CD player and figure out how to use it. Second, I had to find the time to listen to the audiobook in my room and I couldn’t bring it with me very easily. Third, I had to switch CDs throughout. I never finished it that audiobook.

The second time I tried an audiobook was when I book a commercial in another city and knew I had to keep myself awake and entertained for two 3-hour drives. It backfired on me. The audiobook was boring and the narrator had such a calm, mesmerizing voice that listening to him made me sleepy. I never finished that one either, and stuck to physical books for years after that.

But I’m broke now, so buying new books is impossible at the moment. I no longer have a car, so going to the library takes more energy and time than it used to, and I work four jobs plus have a dog to take care of, so I am lacking in both areas. The Toronto Library got hacked, so putting books on hold has also been impossible until very recently, and even now you have to go to a library in person to get a book put on hold for you. However, my library card(s) (I still have my Calgary Library card and use it too) gives me access to the Libby app, which allows me to borrow from a huge collection of e-books and audiobooks. I hate reading e-books off my phone (although I may be getting past that slowly, I’ve only read one graphic novel and half a novel in e-book format) and I can’t afford an e-reader (and even if I could, I think I’d rather spend the money on…real books?), so my last remaining option was audiobooks.

I figured I’d give them one more shot, but I was methodical about it. This time, I listened to audiobooks of memoirs read by the author. They were actor memoirs that I’d been curious about but could never justify spending money on. This was a good idea. Actors know how to speak in an engaging way, and they have the right accents and voices for their stories, and sometimes you can hear them get emotional during certain parts, and it makes the experience that more powerful. Eventually, I tried other books, ones that were too long or intimidating to read on my own. I found they were a lot easier to get through with audiobooks. (Even this one.)

There were other perks that came with audiobooks. The fact that they were on my phone meant I could listen to them while walking my dog, riding transit, or doing chores. Suddenly, I didn’t mind taking the time to fold my clothes perfectly or cook more involved recipes because I was entertained the whole time. Unlike physical books, I had my hands and eyes free for other things while I listened. Suddenly, the amount of books I was going through skyrocketed.

There were tradeoffs though:

If my mind wandered or there was a loud noise or I was otherwise distracted, I’d miss things, and the narration would continue without me until I went back.
If there were pictures, footnotes, or other visuals on the page, they either didn’t translate well or were missing entirely from the audiobook.
Skimming and searching an audiobook for certain quotes or pages is 100% more difficult.
I don’t always remember or absorb audiobooks as well, so my favourite books will always be best read in book form.

Despite those, audiobooks were such a boost to my rate of book consumption that the cons were worth it.

8 books in 2018
11 books in 2019
10 books in 2020
4 books in 2021
2 books in 2022
4 books in the first 6 months of 2023 (pre-audiobooks)
17 books in the last 6 months of 2023 (with audiobooks)

After my movie-a-day challenge in 2023, I was wondering how I’d push myself in the new year. I’d already set a goal of reading 24 books this year, more than double what I’ve read in a pre-audiobooks year since I started keeping track six years ago. But my movie-a-day challenge had been difficult, and really pushed me to not only cross movies off my to-watch list, but also opened me up to films I wouldn’t have considered before, just so I’d make my goal. I wanted to be challenged in a way that exposed me to new things like that. So I upped my reading challenge even more: A book a week. 52 books in one year. That was something I hadn’t managed in well over a decade, since I started reading longer and more difficult books.

So how’s it going? Well, today is February 15th, 2024 and I have finished my 14th book of the year. Not only that, but all this reading has ended a two-year hiatus and I’m working on my Big Bad Book again. I’m only six weeks into this new challenge and the results have already exceeded expectations.

Some of my favourite audiobooks so far: