On audio books and why they’re my new best friends.
If you’re anywhere on the internet, it’s inevitable that at some point you’ll see a debate about audio books. You have the group who insistent that these are somehow “cheating” and don’t have the same benefit as print books. Then you have the group, the one that I fall in, who believes in the power of audio books. I don’t exclusively listen to audio books, I alternate between formats, but I wouldn’t mind if anyone else did! Truth be told, some stories come to life only when told verbally, and I fully believe that narrators are artists.
Anyway, this is a love letter to audio books for being my new best friends. I spent the last two years battling my anxiety, and trying my best to find some kind of normalcy that my brain could cling to. I wanted to read, but my attention span was so horribly compromised. So I turned to audio books. I could listen to them in bite sized chunks, often while doing other things to keep my hands busy. I’d listen while doing dishes, or folding laundry and slowly (ever so slowly) my brain started to quiet. I’d be able to get lost in a story, with the aid of someone else’s lovely voice to carry me into it.
I’d always been a big supporter of audio books previous to this, but last year especially these were my savior. My new best friends! And thanks to them, I’m able to enjoy a print book again this year without feeling anxious or overwhelmed. Those stories were there to support me when I was at my lowest, and I adore every narrator who held my hand and pulled me into an escape for a few hours a day.
So if someone loves audio books, and you’re not a fan? That’s okay. Hush, let them enjoy. You might feel the same someday too.
