[*Embedded links are to UK sites. International versions can be found at the end of this post].
How can you make time to enjoy a good book when you don't have time to sit down and read?
Unlike watching a film or television, reading a book is more often a solitary activity. It's not an experience you can easily share with others in real time. My reading habits have changed over the years. Demands on time evolve with our lives and I seem to have less 'free' time than ever. Between work and family there is precious little time left to be 'selfish'. I still like to enjoy a good book and have had to find ways to make time for reading - even though it's not always me doing the 'reading'.
Gone are the days when I use to be able to settle down with a ‘real’ book and just lose myself in it for as long as I wanted. While Naomi and I are still able to occasionally have an 'early night' and read our books, these treats are increasingly rare. And, when we do settle in bed to read, we invariably succumb to the exhaustion of a busy day.
Electronic editions of books (such as Kindle or Kobo) make it easy to carry your favourite books practically anywhere and at all times. If I find myself waiting at a school gate I can read a few pages on my phone. If the weather is bad I might use Amazon's Kindle Cloud Reader to pick up where I left off while on my lunch break at work and make the most of a larger screen to do so. Every member of the SilentJudge family has a Kindle Fire device of some kind and all get used, in part, for reading books.
The most time I get purely to myself is on the trips to and from work. I am lucky enough to live within walking distance of my job and this gives me somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour or so most days. Reading a book, whether in print or on a screen, while walking is not something I would advise but I can still make use of the time.
I have been an Audible member for a few years now and have built a reasonable collection of audiobooks (around 235 titles including samples). While I mostly listen to them walking I also do so while doing things like decorating or gardening. One thing I often find is that the pace of narration in audiobooks is much slower than that at which I would naturally read. Fortunately, most apps will allow you to choose to speed things up. The Audible app does this by shortening periods of silence so the narrator appears to speak more quickly without sounding like a chipmunk. More often than not, I can comfortably listen at 1.25 times the original, if not 1.5 times faster.
Many of the Audible titles (and an ever-increasing number) will sync positions with the equivalent Kindle version. This allows someone with both editions to switch between reading and listening without losing, or having to hunt for, their place in the book. It is often possible to get the Audible version of a book at a discounted price if you already own the Kindle version (and probably vice versa). I own quite a number of titles in both text and audio versions. I even have a few in print, electronic book, and audiobook.
While I may not get as much time to read as I used to, combining the various options available means I have managed to enjoy 19 books so far this year (and we're only in June)
Links to Kindle stores:
🇬🇧UK click here for Kindle books.
🇺🇸US click here for Kindle books.
🇨🇦Canada click here for Kindle books.
Links to Audible stores:
🇬🇧UK click here for Audible audiobooks.
🇺🇸US click here for Audible audiobooks.
🇨🇦Canada click here for Audible audiobooks.
If you'd prefer to try Kobo for both eBooks and Audiobooks: CLICK HERE.
Another list of things we purchased. This time DIY and loft related.