I love physical books. But when I first started out reading, it was audiobooks that were the catalyst for building a solid reading habit. I was a novice reader, reading really slow, and I'd usually fall asleep after just a few pages.
Going from never reading at all to reading every day — that's a big lifestyle change. It takes time for the habit to fully develop. And one of the easiest ways to add a new habit to your life is to build upon an already existing one.
Most of us already use headphones every day — listening to music, maybe podcasts. Replacing one of those well-established habits with audiobooks is probably the easiest way to get into reading every day.
Why Audiobooks Are So Powerful
- Learn on the go — walking, pushing a stroller, at the gym, commuting
- Brighten up monotonous tasks — dishes, vacuuming, chores become learning time
- Always available — you might forget a book, but you never forget your phone
- Expand your reading time — you can "read" in moments when picking up a paperback isn't an option
Best Genres for Audio
📖 Memoirs
Perfect as audiobooks — they're usually a chronological account of someone's memories and don't require heavy note-taking. Just listen and absorb.
📜 Classics
Some older books use old-fashioned language. As a non-native English speaker, I find listening to a skilled narrator makes classics flow much better than reading through dense pages. Plus, many classics are long — audio helps you power through.
🎙️ Author-Narrated Books
One of the awesome things about audiobooks is getting the information straight from the horse's mouth. When the author narrates their own book, it adds a personal touch to the delivery that you can't get from text.
🔁 Books You Reread
Books you love and want to revisit are great to have in your audiobook library. Pop them on at double speed for a refresher — easily accessible at any point.
Where to Get Audiobooks
I've been on Audible for years and it's great for several reasons:
- Unmatched selection — If it's on audio, it's on Audible. I read a lot of niche, fringe content and Audible almost never fails to deliver. Swedish services usually only cover the top sellers.
- You keep your books — Even if you cancel your subscription, your library stays. Not all services offer this.
- Credit system — One credit = one book. Plans range from 1 credit/month to 24 credits/year (Platinum Annual), bringing the cost down to about $9.57 per book.
As Benjamin Franklin said: an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. 📚
🎧 Try Audible Free
Start with a free trial and get your first audiobook on the house. If it's not for you, cancel anytime — no strings attached.
Start Your Free Audible Trial →Affiliate link — helps support BookLab at no extra cost to you
Looking for what to listen to first? Check out the Great Books List Book Picker or let the Book Finder pick one for you.