Millions of people have discovered a great new way to enjoy entertainment, information and knowledge that they seek; and it’s called audiobooks. Audiobooks are for all of you who like stories well told! If you’re new to the phenomenon here are some good to know-things before you get started.

When I first heard of audiobooks I was skeptic. My biggest concern was if just one narrator could voice different characters in a believable way. And in the beginning I had a hard time focusing on the story. But after a while a got used to it and started to appreciate what a vocal inflection like a pause and a breath could do for my experience. I realized that the statement “you can feel the smile through the headphones” actually was kind of true.

When I’m buying an audio book I usually do it online because it’s easier and cheaper, most of the time. Before I’m buying an audio book from a website I got four basic requirements, a wide selection, simplicity, great service, and cost. I don’t want to go looking in several different places every time I want to find an audio book. I also want it to be easy to download the audiobooks and I should be able to do it from everywhere I am. Luckily there are some great audio book sites out there that allow us to download audiobooks to our computers, kindles, smartphones, ipads, etc. wherever there’s an Internet connection. The hardest part in the process is choosing which audio book to get! Since I’m not made of money and consume at least one book each month I need it to be a reasonably priced. If you’re like me look for a site that has a monthly deal, it will save you a pretty sum.

One last thing to keep an eye out for is the sample service. I always listen to a sample of the audio book I’m going to buy because I want to make sure that me and the narrator “click”. I promise you, it has to feel right and believable; otherwise the whole story is ruined.

As I said before, I used to believe more in reading than listening but step-by-step I have had to admit to my narrow mindedness. The main reasons that brought me over to the other side were that it made it possible for me to “read” everywhere I went. Going out for a healthy walk or doing boring chores are now enjoyable and almost a bit addictive. The other day my friend was complaining about the rain because now he couldn’t go out for a walk and listen to his book. Audiobooks can apparently make our lives a little more fun, even the tedious parts of it!

Happy listening bookworms!