Apparently, June is audiobook month. Who knew!

If you’ve followed this blog much in the past year, by now you’ve learned I’m a huge proponent of audiobooks. I did a blog post about them a few months back, but to sum up, you can get them for no additional cost to you through your library (I never say free because you are already paying for them with your property taxes or rent), you can entertain yourself during frustrating drive and traffic time, and you can open yourself up to genres you would never have dreamed of wasting precious eyes to paper or screen time on.

So look what I found when I was supposed to be writing but was trolling the internet instead.

The Book Nympho is challenging us to listen to more books in 2014 than we listened to in 2013. She offers several different levels of participation from “newbie” to “binge listener.” Click on the icon or here for more info.

A few tips if you are just getting started:

As mentioned, you are paying for audiobooks already through your library system. (In Tennessee we have reads where you can download books through the Overdrive program.) There’s a little frustration in getting set up, but once you are there you have thousands of audiobooks at your fingertips. I’ve discovered so many new authors this way, and the best part is if you just can’t stand a book, you just delete it off your device and you had no out of pocket expense (other than your precious time of course). **One note — Overdrive works with iTunes, and with the latest iTunes upgrade, WMA version will no longer work with iTunes, so you need to select the MP3 version.

Audible.com has a base program that offers your first book free then $14.95 per month for one book a month. I’ve seen audiobooks cheaper than this, but more often they are over $20. One drawback with the library audiobooks is you usually have to get on a waiting list for a hot one, so if you aren’t the type that wants to wait, and you don’t mind paying, this may be a good option for you. Also, Audible has little hassle getting set up, and virtually no hassle once you are initially set up. One click ordering, baby!

One thing I’ve also been doing lately on certain titles is purchasing the Kindle version of book, then tacking on the professional narration for an additionally, often low price. For instance, for Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins, I paid something like $5.99 for the Kindle book then $3.99 for the professional narration. (I don’t think that same deal is running, but just giving an example.) You can also flip back and forth between your Kindle and your audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.

Finally, I will leave you with a few great audiobook suggestions. These books are ones that I truly feel like my experience was enhanced by choosing to listen rather than read, due to stellar narration.

Women’s Fiction: Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple, narrated by Kathleen Wilhoite

Young Adult: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl

Suspense: Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge, narrated by Billy Baldwin (and several others)

Chick Lit: I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella, narrated by Jayne Entwistle

Time Travel: Mariana by Susanna Kearsley, narrated by Carolyn Bonnyman

Humor: Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich, narrated by C.J. Critt

Classic: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, narrated by Sissy Spacek

Happy listening!