Audible

July 6th 2016

Today I started my free try with Audible. Now that my work day is bookended by an hour’s commute, I thought that Audible would be a good way to feel like my commute was productive. I enjoy listening to music when I drive, because it’s one of the rare occasions were I get to just listen to music, usually I’m listening to music whilst doing something else. I mean, I guess in this case I am doing something else too – driving – but you know what I mean. I’ll sit and watch a film, I’ll sit and read a book, but I’ll rarely sit and listen to music (unless I’ve got my headphones in whilst I’m asleep) 

I have a Spotify subscription that allows me to download and listen to basically anything I want, and I’ve listened to football podcasts too, but today I decided to start listening to a book – which is an odd thing to say. I guess I should have explained for those who are unaware that audible is an app where you can purchase audio books. And – just in case – an audiobook is pretty much what it sounds like. It’s someone reading a book to you.

What I was previously unaware of was that a subscription to Audible only affords you one free audio book per month. Which is crap. The book I’ve downloaded is 5 and a half hours long, which is like 2 and a half days worth of commuting time out of the month. I previously, and naively, thought that the subscription was unlimited if you paid for the full version after the free trial. I figured it was like Netflix or Spotify, but for audio books.

The reason I first thought of downloading audible was because one of my favourite recording artists/poets/rappers – a guy called George Watsky – just released a book  named ‘How To Ruin Everything’ which is just like a memoir of his life, except he straight up refuses to label it a memoir, so maybe I shouldn’t either.

Anyway.

I basically just love everything this guy does, from his raps to his YouTube videos to his spoken word poetry, and so I bought, read, and loved his book. I actually finished reading it yesterday, and then I started the audiobook this morning. Perhaps getting the audiobook version of a book that I’ve just finished was a waste of my free audiobook token this month, but it was the sole reason I downloaded the app in the first place – to hear the book narrated in Watsky’s own voice. I mean, in the writing you can hear his voice, but you can hear it even more in the audio book.

Obviously.

I feel like listening to a book is a decent way to make the most of a commute. I enjoy music, but I don’t get as much from it as books. I tend to just listen to the same songs over and over, because I like what I like and I don’t see any need to change it. I might start listening to a bunch more podcasts, so that I can be learning about stuff whilst on my way to and from work. It is a bit annoying that I’d only get one free book a month even if I paid the 7.99 for the premium audible subscription – so I probably won’t continue after my trial.

Until tomorrow, Amazon don’t need any more of my money.

Jacn

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