Someone may look at me and think, “Wow. This girl has no time to breathe because her schedule is packed. Does she even have any hobbies?” I will admit it’s not easy taking fifteen credits, being active in four clubs and taking time for hobbies, but I found ways to integrate my interests into my everyday life. My favorite one: audiobooks.
One of my favorite hobbies over the summer and weekends is to curl up with a good book and disappear into the story. Whether I’m solving a mystery or falling love or running through a high-stakes fantasy, I jump into each story with the characters. Despite loving to read, when it comes to deciding whether to read a fictional book or my class textbook, I usually opt for the latter.
If I go without a book for a long period of time, I genuinely get upset because my reading goals are thrown off. I had to determine how to reach my reading goal without necessarily picking up a book and sitting for hours. My solution was, and still is, audiobooks.
Audiobooks are the perfect way to finish books and embrace my hobbies because I can listen anytime, anywhere. When I’m completing my internship work, writing notecards in the office, walking to class or cleaning my dorm, I can throw my headphones in and listen to a story.
However, audiobook platforms can be hard to find or just not worth the monthly cost.
I’ve tried Audible, Hoopla, Spotify, Libby and, regretfully, Youtube.
Youtube was a last resort. I couldn’t find the book I was reading anywhere so I figured someone on the internet pirated the copy. I was right. Youtube readers typically stumble over the words and don’t produce the best audio. What can you expect from a pirated audiobook though? I definitely don’t use Youtube every time I want to finish a book.
Audible is straight up dumb. Why do you pay $9 per month for one book credit? You’re paying a $9 subscription fee for one book. I started an Audible subscription for one free week. I listened to “Stone Blind” by Natalie Haynes, then cancelled the subscription almost immediately.
Hoopla started my audiobook obsession. In middle school, I listened to “The Selection” by Kiera Cass while folding laundry and knew I would never watch television again – I had audiobooks instead. Hoopla is a platform that runs through town libraries. My hometown library had a Hoopla subscription included on my library card, but when I moved, my new town’s library did not share the partnership. Instead, they had Libby.
I love Libby. It’s another platform through the library and allows readers to download a book on Amazon Kindle or audio with ease. Libby operates as any library, so readers do have to place a book or audiobook on hold and wait for their turn. You can place as many holds as you would like, but I have found that all of them tend to be ready at the same time (I currently have “Just Kids” by Patti Smith and Sarah J. Mass books “A Court of Silver Flames” and “Crescent City” available to borrow). The audiobook voice actors tend to read on the slower side, so I have found I can listen to an audiobook on 3x speed and still understand what they have to say, getting through books even quicker.
Spotify Premium has a great audiobook selection. Readers can enjoy 15 hours of audiobook time per month. When I had Spotify Premium, I only hit that number twice. As a college student, I didn’t find Spotify Premium worth the money or commitment because it’s exceptionally cheaper to follow the student plan. Once I lose my Hofstra email, I’m going to switch back to the premium level and continue listening to Spotify audiobooks.
Audiobooks are the perfect way to tune out the rest of the world, especially on morning walks to class. I can enjoy my hobbies while keeping up with my schoolwork, and that’s really all a girl can ask for.