Hello darlings!
So, this post is a bit late but on December 22nd I got a trial subscription to Storytel and unlimited access to their audiobooks.
There was some Christmas promotion back then and I thought ‘well, now or never right?’ AND I’M SO GLAD I DID!! I still have the subscription because I messed up the dates and forgot to cancel it in time but I don’t regret it. I get to listen to SO MANY AMAZING BOOKS during that time!
I’ll probably cancel it this time for now so I can catch up on my ebooks but I would love to get back to it soon.
Because audiobooks make such a big difference in my reading life!
Now, let me get into the details of that.
15 AUDIOBOOKS IN 30 DAYS
In the 30 days of the initial trial I went through 15 audiobooks.
15!
This is roughly a book every two days. With this speed I could half of 365 in a year!! Imagine THAT!
I only reached higher monthly stats when I was binging short stories and graphic novels, seriously. Audiobooks make you go through books SO. FAST.
And since the end of my trial I listened to 19 audiobooks MORE. Remember, the 2nd month is still going so that’s 19 audiobooks in even LESS time.
Some of those babies were THICK and I can’t imagine myself going through so many of them in so little time were I keeping to the physical/ebook format.
FROM 1X TO 2X SPEED
Before getting the subscription I rarely listened to the audiobooks so I was always sticking to the 1x speed. Regular. Boring.
Now sometimes I start a book in 2x speed and it’s still too slow? I feel like I can’t pay attention properly unless the narrator talks FAST.
It not only makes the experience faster and lets me read more but also I’m more likely to pick up stressful books because I don’t have much time to let my anxiety overwhelm me which before was a big issue and caused me to put off so many good books!
READING BOOKS WHILE DOING CHORES
I love that my mum may ask me to do A Thing and the book just keeps going in my head!!
I may cook diner and the book is still on. I may clean some stuff and the book is still on. I may browse tutoring materials AND THE BOOK IS STILL ON!
I have awful issues with starting things so not having to get out and back into the world is such a relief. It’s a huge reading mood killer to just go back to the same sentence for 100x time because something distracted me and audiobooks allow me multitask and addictionally make boring tasks interesting.
DEPRESSION CAN’T STOP ME
As you may know, I have certain mental health issues.
This means that some days are just me sitting in my armchair not wanting to do anything — if it’s familiar to you, I am sorry and we keep fighting!
Being able to put on a book and at the end of the day feel the accomplishment of finishing it is a huge motivator at those times. Because, my brain may be a mess but I did a thing! I still did a thing today!
And not only that but also if I put on a book, all my awful thoughts are suddenly drowned out! I can’t hear you over this awesomeness, sorry! I may even pick up a sketchbook and draw or something!
NON-FICTION IN A DAY
Non-fiction always takes me AGES to finish. This is why I’m always so reluctant to pick it up.
But with Storytel I finished a few non-fiction books this year already and they took me 1-2 days to finish! I like this development.
FORGOT HOW TO READ REGULAR BOOKS, OOF
Ok, so this one is less cool and more embarassing. Since starting my subscription I have finished only audiobooks, four graphic novels and two art books.
I haven’t read a physical book or an e-book since DECEMBER. Yes, you heard it right. December.
And I have some eARCs to go through.
So my next challenge is getting back to reading and taking a break from listening. I will try to find some balance between the two later but for now I have things to catch up on and I think I’m reaching my limits of my audio attention span anyway.
I won’t be renewing the subscription for now, although I had a great time and WILL come back to it.
- Do you listen to audiobooks?
- How is listening to audiobooks different than reading FOR YOU?
- What audiobooks can you rec me?
- Would you like me to make a post about audiobook recs after my 2nd month of subscription ends?
Local Bee Hunter's Nook 
I do listen to audiobooks but only sometimes. I have no idea why because I totally adore them and listening to them is so convenient! I’m so glad that you were able to listen to so many of them with Storytel. It sounds like a good app. I have a Scribd subscription, but when I do cancel it, I’ll check this one out! Wonderful post!
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I want to check out Scribd as well! I loved Storytel but it’s the first app like that I’ve ever used and I want to know my options 😀
Yes, audiobooks are so convenient! And, I forgot to mention that, but MY EYES DON’T HURT!! I think that’s the most important thing lol
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OMG, that’s a very important thing for me too! I read a lot of books on my phone and my eyes hurt a lot! I should definitely listen to more audiobooks than I do now. 😣
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I used to do that too before getting a kindle… Dark times! Now I just spend too much time playing dumb phone games and on my laptop 😅
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I have truly started listening to audiobooks only this month and it has been such a great experience – I can now read while cooking! I’m still really slow (can’t listen on 2x speed, I’m bad at discerning sounds) but I reread an entire series since the beginning of the year, which I almost never do (Wayward Children; the audiobooks are really good). Since I’m slow, for me it works better for novellas, but who knows, maybe that will change as I get more used to this format.
I would love to read a post about audiobook recommendations!
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I have troubles with discerning sounds as well (I need either headphones or subtitles while watching things) but the more I listened the better I got and actually I found I can process the words faster with faster speed? Maybe it’s because you have to heighten your focus & it allows for fewer distractions? IDK, but I always need headphones and to have my hands occupied somehow. 😀
I started with rereads as well the summer before the last one and it’s a good way of getting into audiobooks! So are novellas. It’s difficult to just jump into a bigger book right off the bat and even I had to calm down a bit after nearly 2 months and I’m mostly sticking to books around 200 pages lol
I hope you’ll have fun with this format in the future! My subscription is ending this week so I’ll be drafting the rec list after that probably 🙂 Thanks for dropping by!
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I still haven’t gotten into audiobooks. My mind tends to wander if I’m doing other things but I really want to try to make more time to listen to audiobooks as soon as I make it through my TBR stack. Can’t wait to see what you listened to.
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My today’s posts are about getting into audiobooks & the recs 🙂 (yes, I accidentally posted 2 and decided to just leave it…) So hopefully I can get you into the audiobook world! My mind kept wandering as well and I think it’s good to start with some rereads maybe? You don’t have to pay so much attention to those 😀
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I love audiobooks as well for pretty much all the reasons you listed. I especially love being able to listen while doing other things.
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Right? It’s such a time saver! 🙂
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Hmmmm, I have been very reluctant to listen to audiobooks because I don’t like people talking when I can’t see them BUT some of the perks (such as reading while doing chores or when reading ‘with your eyes’ would be too difficult) you have noted here sound appealing. Maybe I need reconsider my stance 😛
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Definitely give them a try! I have a hard time focusing on the sound alone as well so I try to do something to keep my hands busy while listening to audiobooks. Like painting or playing solitaire? I made a whole list of things to do while listening to audiobooks! I posted it sometime in February if you’re interested 🙂
Thank you for dropping by! ❤
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