Thank you, audiobooks

This is week 7 of the Messy Summer Reading Club; it’s hard to believe. I’ll keep my personal melancholy to myself as I feel the summer swimming away…

Today, we are expressing gratitude for the gift that is the audiobook. I feel that audiobooks are a treasure for parents. If you struggle to read in parenthood (like so many of us), here is the secret: listen to audiobooks! Let me share how, in different phases of parenting life, audiobooks have served me:

Tiny baby version: I felt like a real grown-up listening to a book while holding those little creatures until I could no longer feel my butt. Sometimes you want to learn something to keep your brain from being mush, or you want more entertainment than what a newborn can give; you’ve got lots of options. Consider gifting a new mom some audiobook credits if you know she enjoys reading.

Toddler version: Audiobooks were my friend when doing the same action 75 times at the park. The rock goes there, and then it goes there, on repeat. Audiobooks allowed me to have my eyes on the adorable daredevil and the pleasure of a story.

Kid version: As they now do their own thing at the playground, I can bring along my book and still be available to dispense ALL of the snacks we packed in the first 5 minutes of being there (especially when we had lunch right before we left the house).

Plus there are the other places in life that an audiobook fits so well: during chores, exercise, doing puzzles (my current personal favorite), and more…

Find your favorite narrators. Yes, the book has bearing on your audiobook choices, but a bad narrator can really create a bummer experience. When I find a narrator I enjoy, I will search for other books they narrated.

This is a fun Culture Study Podcast episode about how audiobooks are made with Julia Whelan (one of my favorite narrators).

Don’t finish books you don’t like.

This may seem counterintuitive if the goal is to read books, but once you embrace the power of not slogging through something that is not working, you will find that you will read more. Give it a decent try; on average I try the first 50 pages, but sometimes I can tell by the first 30. And I am much more cut-throat on audiobooks. My reading time is precious, and I want to spend it with books that are great (for me).

It’s time to take your earbuds out and take a moment to jump into the comments.

• Do you listen to audiobooks?

• Who are some of your favorite narrators?

• Any good audiobook recs for this summer?

Leave a comment

*I am an affiliate of bookshop.org. If you purchase through this link, I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you)

As always, just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD, is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical, clinical, legal, or professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk. Always seek the advice of your licensed mental health professional or other qualified health provider.