Audiobooks saved my life

Some folks say that listening to audiobooks isn’t really reading. But for me, they let me fit books into a life that is crowded to the gills.

When I was a kid, there were books on tape. I even had books on record, ones that gave you a tone as a signal to turn the page of the matching book. I wasn’t much interested in them, overall, though I was very fond of my recording of Ferdinand the Bull. They seemed like a gimmick to me, something not necessary for reading, something created for people who needed help with their reading, maybe.

Then, I grew up, got a job, became a mom, and started to try to have a writing life and I realized that 24 hours a day were not enough to do all this and keep up the reading life I was accustomed to. I’m a devourer of books, given my preference. I gobble them like Halloween sweets and, as soon as I put one down, I’m ready to begin the next one.

When I don’t get to read enough, I get cranky. It’s like stories are part of the fuel I need to make it through my days, and being short-changed was leaving me hungry. And I was going hungry a lot.

So, I tried audiobooks again. And I discovered that audiobooks had grown up while I wasn’t looking. In this age of smartphones and online access to anything you want, I…