Audiobook Resources For Crafters
One of the most efficient uses of my time is when I cross stitch while listening to an audiobook. If you’re an avid reader who can’t find time to read enough, or you read so much that you can’t find time to do any other hobbies, audiobooks are for you!
Over the past year, I’ve listened to 24 different audiobooks on different apps. I’m going to lead you through the different ways you can listen to audiobooks (both free and paid).
However, I’m also going to let you know what I’ve liked to read as well. This page will be a great resource for anyone interested in listening to audiobooks.
Best AudioBook Apps
You can listen to audiobooks from your phone, tablet, and even your computer. Audiobook apps come in two basic variations: free and paid.
Free Apps
I’ve used Overdrive for quite a while, and it’s a great app if you’re not very impatient about how long it takes to get certain books. You have to have an account with your local library, and your library needs to have a connection with Overdrive.
You are limited by how large a catalog your library has, and unfortunately there’s typically a wait list for any book that’s even somewhat popular. The longest I had to wait for a book was 3 months, and that can seem like forever when you’re trying to read the next book in a series you’re obsessed with.
This is another free app that is linked to your local library. The problem I found with Hoopla is that, while it had a great catalog of audiobook titles, my library had a limit on how many titles that could be loaned out in any particular day. Once that limit was reached (and that might be at 11 a.m.), you were out of luck trying to check anything else out that day.
That got to be so frustrating for me that I eventually deleted the app. That may not be the experience that you have with the app so I encourage you to try it out as it does have a fantastic catalog.
This is a great open-source site to listen to free audiobooks that are public domain. Many great classics are available through this free website and you could spend hours perusing all that is has to offer.
Paid Apps
This is the app that I’m currently using to listen to Audiobooks. The ability to listen to unlimited amounts of audiobooks every month for just $9 is a big draw. The downside is that there are far fewer audiobooks on this service than on a service like Audible.
The upside is that I’ve found many books that are quite popular that I hadn’t read yet. I’ve also found some great books that I had never heard of before and probably wouldn’t have found if it wasn’t for the recommendation system of Scribd.
Virtually every other paid app for audiobooks doesn’t allow you to listen to multiple audiobooks a month without actually paying to own the book.
You can also read a ton of books as well, if you’re into that kind of thing.
If you’re into physically reading as many books as possible, you really can’t do better than Amazon for finding virtually anything you could possible want. However, if you don’t want to go broke paying for every single book, you should look into a Kindle Unlimited membership.
Personally, I use the Kindle Unlimited membership more for research and work purposes. Even then, I’m still reading those books. I find the interface difficult to use for just looking for audiobooks that I can listen to for free.
My husband and I are the kind of sleepers that need something to listen to at night that isn’t just white noise. Every night we pick an audiobook to listen to, and the only requirements has to be that the narrator is excellent and the book won’t shut off after just a few hours.
Audible suits our purposes for this. When we’ve found very long books where we both loved the story and the narrator, we tend to listen to them over and over.
Yes, it is more expensive than Scribd for far less quantity, but the quality is outstanding. I also like the fact that I can share my Audible account with my husband so he can listen to his favorite audiobooks at work when he needs a break.
Our favorite go-to books we’ve listened to dozens of times include:
- The Martian by Andy Weir
- The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (and the second book in the trilogy as well – The Wise Man’s Fear
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Best Audiobook Devices
Your phone is your best option to listening to an audiobook, but there are many out there that will want a tablet of some kind that they can also read books off of as well as browse the web, etc.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A is another great choice for a tablet and is pretty close to the Amazon Fire in price.
Best Websites To Find Audiobooks You’ll Want To Listen To
GoodReads
This is my go-to for finding great books! It’s also a social platform (totally free) with the ability to see what your friends are also reading (if they’ve joined as well). This has allowed for some great book-sharing between some friends and I.
I love how I can save books in my To-Read list. When I’m looking for a new audiobook to listen to, I usually have that list up and available on Good Reads at the same time.
At the beginning of 2019, I set a goal for myself to listen to 15 Audiobooks throughout the year. Having that goal helped to motivate me to listen more. I ended up listening to 24 books over the entire year, and some of those books have made a big impact on my life.
When you check out GoodReads, don’t forget to look at their “Best Of” Annual Award winners. Always a great gathering of the best books of the year!
Book Riot
A great blog for those that love to read! If you want to stay up to date with what people are loving and wanting to read, Book Riot is a great source!
They have several podcasts and ongoing series where they delve into their favorite categories of books. One could spend days simply reading all the blog articles that they have.
