When college students have a break in between two classes, nothing screams academia aesthetic more than taking a nice mid-autumn stroll through campus, grabbing a seat on the grass or in your campus library, and reading a good book. While many people prefer the ability to touch the pages of a novel and read a physical book, audiobooks are another great way to read all the books on your TBR list, while allowing you to take in your surroundings visually and being environmentally friendly. And now there’s great news for all of the bookworms out there that love audiobooks and want to crush their end-of-the-year reading goals: Spotify is coming out with a new feature on Nov. 8 for Premium users that makes listening easier than never.
According to a Spotify survey of 1,000 adults in the United States conducted in partnership with The Logit Group in September 2023, 41% of people actually prefer audio books over physical books because of the cognitive benefits they provide, such as memory improvement — a great benefit for college students who are always juggling a million things at once and want to multitask. Audio books are also convenient for college students in particular because not only can they allow you to finish books faster, but they make for one less item you need to carry in your bag, if you can use the same device to take notes in class and indulge in your daily reading whenever you please.
Starting Nov. 8, Premium users can now reap these benefits because they’ll have access to up to 15 hours of audiobook listening per month, as a part of their existing Premium subscription (so if you already pay for Premium, this is basically a free perk).
Here’s how it works: Go to the search bar in Spotify and type in the title of whichever book you’d like to read next. Hit play on the first chapter (or listen to the preview to make sure it’s the book that you’re looking for) and you’re good to go.
You’ll have lots of options to choose from, as the Spotify Premium audiobook catalog includes 200,000 classics and new modern reads and 70% of bestselling titles. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re looking for a romance novel that’ll put you in your feels, a science fiction story that’ll leave you for hours thinking about what you just read, or a mystery that’ll leave you wanting to know what happens next. You can even download audiobooks for offline listening, too, which is perfect if you want to keep reading through issues with your dorm’s spotty WiFi or on your winter break flight home.
If you’re reading on campus but realize you’re running late for class, don’t worry because just like with a physical book, you can save your place with the automatic bookmarking feature. And if you like to fall asleep to the sounds of your favorite audiobook, Spotify’s Sleep Timer allows you to decide how long you want to listen to the audiobook that night, saving you from rewinding or losing your place the next day.
You can even hook your friends up with your latest audiobook discovery by sharing your recommendations through Instagram Stories and DMs, Snapchat, or by scanning the unique Spotify Codes for each audiobook you want to share.
The best part? For the audiophiles who just can’t get enough and finish their 15 hours before the monthly billing cycle is over, you can purchase a 10-hour top up to finish the series you’re in the middle of.
For any college student looking to implement more literature into their life with the ultimate convenience and accessibility, try out this new Spotify feature — and crush your reading goals before the year is up.