Reading: 5 Good Reasons To Switch To Audio Books
Do you like reading? What if you took advantage of the summer vacations to switch to audio books? Stories to be listened to are becoming increasingly popular with the French, as this medium has many advantages. If you're still hesitating, we've listed 5 good reasons to switch to audio books.
1- Audio books are for everyone
Although originally designed for the visually impaired, audiobooks are now reaching an increasingly wide audience.
For many French people, the Covid-19 pandemic and various confinements have been an opportunity to get back into reading but also to try listening to books. According to the latest barometer of the SNE, France has 9.9 million audio readers, a majority of whom are young people.
The first good reason to switch to audio books is that this medium is for everyone:
- it is suitable for people who cannot read paper books because of a visual disability
- it is suitable for children who cannot yet read
- it can be enjoyed even by those who usually don't like to read...
By listening to the story instead of reading it, everyone can enjoy the joy of reading in a playful and accessible way.
2- Audio books follow you everywhere
If you often forgo the pleasure of a good book due to lack of time, you would be well advised to switch to audio books! Indeed, a book in digital format can be downloaded on tablet or smartphone and can therefore follow you wherever you go.
Most audio readers listen to audiobooks on their phones, which is very convenient for finding time to read.
The second good reason to adopt this format is the ability to listen to books anywhere, while riding public transit, cleaning the house, or riding an exercise bike.
3- Audio books can be shared
The third good reason to switch to audiobooks is the ability to share listening to stories with others.
For example, you can try the experience of listening to audiobooks with your children. Younger children especially enjoy this medium, which helps make car rides more fun and rewarding.
Listening to books is also a good alternative to TV screens and video games to keep kids occupied on a rainy afternoon, for example.
4- Audio books develop concentration
To enjoy listening to books, you have to stay focused, otherwise you may lose the thread of the narrative and then it is complicated to go back.
Some people think that this is one of the disadvantages of the audio book, but it can be seen as an advantage because this medium develops concentration in both adults and children.
In a world where our eyes are constantly engaged by screens and writing, this different format forces our ears to be opened wide to immerse ourselves in the story. Listening offers a different access to stories and allows our eyes to rest.
But it is no less an effective brain workout for developing concentration and exercising the imagination.
It is even possible to use this type of book to learn a foreign language. By listening to stories in English, for example, you will of course improve your understanding of the language, but also your vocabulary and pronunciation.
5- Audio books are cheap
With the growing success of audio books in France, it has become easy to find this type of media online or in public libraries. You can easily find on the Internet the great classics of French literature in the form of free ebooks.
If you want to discover thousands of audio titles in French, you can also try the Audible application. The choice there is very vast, with nearly 600,000 audio titles, including 15,000 in French.
Audible the audiobook listening service from Amazon offers you to discover your first free audiobook with the trial offer cancellable at any time.
Finally, even if you love reading on paper, know that these two ways of reading can be practiced in parallel. One doesn't preclude the other... So you can continue to devour paper books and switch to listening to audiobooks when you need to keep your hands free, for example in the car or while doing the dishes!
