Photo by Distingué CiDDiQi on Unsplash, Unsplash License
“I would love to read more but I just don’t have time” cries the overworked student, confronted with their long list of must-reads, or bookshelves full of unread ‘classics.’ Some people say you make time for the things you love, but between (Zoom) lectures, cooking, cleaning, sleeping, and the other time-consuming tasks of adulting, what magical time management tricks do these people possess?
If that resonates with you on any level, or even if it does not but you are interested in new ways to learn and/or escape the everyday (whilst giving your eyes a break), you might want to give audiobooks a try. Everyone has heard of them, but a sizable chunk of people are yet to be convinced that audiobooks are actually worthwhile, or think that they are some kind of cheating. Before I tried them, I too thought I would get tired of listening to someone talk for hours on end. That was before I took a class that required me to read a full novel every single week, and as someone that had not read a book for pleasure (at least not all the way through) in literally years, the prospect was daunting to say the least.
Audiobooks don’t just free up your eyes, they also give you back your hands!
One of my favourite things about audiobooks is the fact that they let you multitask whilst still getting the experience of reading a great book. I use them while doing the dishes, walking to the store, and working out. That way I can enjoy the benefits of exercise, as wisely described in Sam’s blog post, whilst still being able to escape to other enchanting worlds without needing to set aside any special time in my day. No time management required!
If you do have a little time, you could kill two healthy-lifestyle birds with one stone by reading Geneviève’s post to motivate you to declutter, and in turn destress, while listening to an audiobook and doing that ‘late-spring’ cleaning that you have been putting off.
Also, if you have a long commute, why not turn that time staring out of the window and wishing you were asleep into an adventure through a great story or learning experience? You can even listen while driving and escape from all of those radio ad jingles.
Share your newfound universe with your travel buddies! The perfect audiobook if you are on a road trip is the classic ‘On the Road’ by Jack Kerouac. For short trips try the seminal but brief ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell, at around 3 hours of narration by Stephen Fry, or for a long journey you could delve into the 36 hour ‘Dune’ by Frank Herbert.
Is your internal monologue a group of trained actors?
Reading can be a great time for relaxation and reflection, or even excitement and adventure, but audiobooks can offer all of that with an extra level of immersion that reading words from a page would be hard to replicate. After all, it is in our DNA! Humans have been sharing stories orally since long before printed books even existed. I listened to a great audiobook of ‘The Knife of Never Letting Go,’ written by Patrick Ness and narrated by Nick Podehl (a book that is part of a series called ‘Chaos Walking,’ with a movie adaptation of the same name just released). In the book, characters’ (including dogs’) thoughts can be heard, and the audiobook format allows those thoughts to be layered on top of each other and complemented by special audio effects, like getting louder as they get closer, which really adds to the confusion and suspense, and helps you to engage with the story.
Many audiobooks are narrated by talented and passionate people, some even with a full cast of voice actors. The version of ‘On the Road’ that I listened to (mentioned above) was narrated by Hollywood actor Matt Dillon! Not just boasting famous actors, audiobook versions of verse novels give you the ability to listen to the works read by the poets themselves, in exactly the tempo and emphasis intended.
The audiobook adaptation under Penguin Random House Audio of the courtroom-based drama ‘Monster’ by Walter Dean Myers is about a teenage boy on trial for murder. It boasts a full cast of voice actors who passionately argue their case and add to the emotional, human reactions felt by each character in this tense and traumatizing experience.
Learning with your ears
If the ‘saving time’ and ‘extra immersion’ aspects of audiobooks don’t entice you, you might still want to give audiobooks a try to discover whether you have a preference for auditory learning. Some people feel more comfortable learning by reading or looking at pictures, using visualization to understand the world; others are more hands-on, learning by doing. Yet others feel most at home when they learn by listening and speaking. This means that they thrive whilst using audiobooks, and you could be one of them! You will never know unless you try!
Despite considering myself a visual learner, I found myself able to translate what I was hearing into imagery and still get the most out of the experience. So you might even want to try audiobooks to supplement your learning in (or outside of) the classroom. There is a huge selection of non-fiction audiobooks, such as those published by University Press Audiobooks, although if you want to try learning for a class, I would recommend having a text copy that you can refer back to if you need to check over your understanding of something (and to make sure you can spell any new words correctly).
Most audiobook players have the additional option to change the playback speed to your preference. So you can learn at your own pace!
Okay I’m considering it. How do I access audiobooks? (They had better be FREE)
If you live off-campus you are in luck! Most public libraries in and around Vancouver give you access to thousands of audiobooks online through their websites and apps. All you need to do is sign up for a free library card and you can borrow audiobooks just like that for up to 3 weeks! This is my favourite way to access audiobooks due to the sheer number of them available, with new releases and a huge variety of options, all completely free!
Vancouver’s Public Library does not accept registrations from students living on UBC’s campus, unfortunately. However, you can most likely find audiobooks on your hometown library’s website, and registering is usually free and simple. In addition, UBC Library gives you access to a selection of audiobooks, just go to the library homepage, click ‘Advanced Search,’ then select ‘Audio Recording’ under ‘Content Type.’ Here you will find audio recordings alongside complete audiobooks. Not only that, but UBC allows you access to the Naxos Spoken Word Library with over 400 audiobooks! Check out this research guide and find the collection under ‘Streaming Text.’ You can also find many free audiobooks online, at places like Loyal Books and LibriVox, which offer thousands of public domain audiobooks from Emily Bronte and Charles Dickens to Shakespeare.
Finally, if you still don’t find what you are looking for, there are plenty of paid and subscription-based services available, such as Audible, which offer pretty good value and have a free trial period so that you can try out the format to see if they are for you!
