SuppliedOkay, here’s the deal. I drive a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. Because I attend university in Edmonton but I’m not from here, my only real option to see my family is on weekends. On top of that, now that I’m working a summer job, I live in one of Edmonton’s satellite cities. On average, I would say I drive about 10 hours per week, which is equivalent to 40 hours a month.
You might be asking yourself why this matters. Here’s your answer: you may not care, but I do. I can only listen to the same song on the radio so many times before I begin to contemplate driving into the railing of the overpass. Luckily, I found a solution.
Reading has always been very important to me. Just this past finals season, I often forwent sleep in favour of reading after discovering a certain fantasy series called Throne of Glass. Don’t try that at home, I’m just living my truth. I couldn’t bear the thought of putting those books down for a single second, let alone a two-hour drive home. Then a thought popped into my head: audiobooks.
I’ve absolutely fallen in love with audiobooks. As what some might call a book purist, I’ve always hated e-books, but audiobooks are different. It’s a little hard to get used to at first, but once you do, there’s no going back. I still prefer paper novels, but with as much driving as I do, it’s been really nice to continue reading while I carry out the mundane requirements of everyday life.
On top of all this, audiobooks are also accessible. Since only 2-8 per cent of people who are visually impaired can read braille, audiobooks make written literature much easier to gain access to. As a staunch supporter of books in all forms, I love the idea that more people can have access to them.
I have nothing negative to say about audiobooks. The only issue I can think of is that some narrators may not be up to your personal taste, but I haven’t come across that problem yet. Audiobooks are accessible, convenient, and allow you to read in spite of your daily duties. In my opinion, audiobooks are a blessing and a gift. If you have the same driving habits I do, do yourself a favour and get some kind of audiobook app. Godspeed.
