How Audiobooks Helped Me Read Again

Hi. Welcome to Bloom Anywhere. I'm Gwen Moran, a writer, editor, author, and problem-solver. My goal is to share information, ideas, and resources to help you overcome obstacles, reach your goals, and find more joy in life, even when things are messy. Thanks for joining me. (If you got this from a friend, subscribe here: Bloom Anywhere.) I'd love your feedback and suggestions for future topics. Please send me an email: connect@bloomanywhere.com.

Several years ago, I stopped reading. I have been a voracious reader since I was a child. Despite a strict, Catholic upbringing, my parents—my mother, really—allowed me to read anything I wished. Judy Blume books in elementary school. The Women’s Room, Flowers in the Attic, and any grisly mafia or Stephen King book I could get my hands on in my early teen years. Nothing was off limits. Being a quick reader with good comprehension saved me on more than one occasion in college.
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After my mother’s death, lingering grief and anxiety interfered with my ability to focus on a book for more than a few minutes. I was distressed. Reading is important to me in a few ways. As a writer, I read books as part of my work and to stay abreast of current events and thinking. I read for pleasure and relaxation. I am part of a longstanding book club (14 years old this year!) and love our discussions. It was always part of my identity. Who was I if I didn’t have my nose in a book?

Calling an Audible

When I was about to show up for the third or fourth consecutive book club having not read the book, I decided to try an audiobook. I had listened to them before. In fact, promoting audiobooks was part of my role at Random House. Still, they weren’t my favorite way to consume books. I liked the heft of a tome in my hand, the smell of the paper. I liked noticing the endpapers and typeface choice. My mind tended to drift while listening to audiobooks in a way that it didn’t when I was reading a page. But now the opposite was true, and I needed to get back to feeding my brain with good words and ideas.

This time, when I began playing the audiobook from my phone, my mind didn’t wander. I was hungry for stories and to learn new things. I finished the book club book and immediately downloaded a few more. I no longer listened to music in the car or while I was walking. I always had a book in progress—sometimes two. I even had favorite narrators.

Reading, in Any Form, Is What Matters

At first, I didn’t tell anyone that I was listening to books instead of poring over pages. It almost felt like it didn’t “count” as reading. As I got more curious about that, I learned that, while about four in 10 people think that listening to audiobooks isn’t as rigorous as reading, researchers found that the brains of people reading books and audiobooks processed meaning similarly.

In other words, it just doesn’t matter.

Audiobooks may also increase access to books, especially for folks who have vision impairment, dyslexia, or other impediments to reading text. During this time, I learned that others found it difficult to focus on reading during periods of grief, too. Audiobooks helped them read again.

I’ve since gotten back my reading mojo, but I still listen to audiobooks regularly. They let me read while I’m doing other things like driving or walking. If I’m particularly taken with a story, I may split my attention between the audiobook when I’m out and about and a physical book or Kindle version when I’m able to sit and read.

What (and How) Are You Reading?

I just finished Belle Burden’s memoir, Strangers, and subsequently devoured The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams, published in 2016. Lots to say about the latter, so stay tuned. What are you reading? And do you prefer audiobooks or physical books? I’d love to know: connect@bloomanywhere.com.