If you’ve never given audiobooks a try before, it’s never been easier than it is today. While we do still have CD audiobooks in our collection, smartphone apps like Libby and Hoopla make it so easy to find and borrow digital audiobooks, right from the comfort of your own home!
So, if you’ve never listened to audiobooks, should you start? Well, I won’t tell you that you should listen to audiobooks – good old-fashioned print books are pretty great and there’s a lot to be said for ebooks too – but I will tell you about a few types of books that I personally often choose to consume as audiobooks rather than print books. For each of the three types I consider, I’ll suggest a few audiobooks that I’ve really liked and that you might too!
Before I give my suggestions, here are some details on our digital audiobook collections and how to access them. Skip ahead for my picks if you already know how to use Libby and Hoopla! So, for each of the audiobooks I’ve listed below I’ve provided links to the OverDrive or Hoopla pages, but personally I find it easiest just to search and borrow audiobooks directly in the Libby app (for iPhone/iPad or Android) for OverDrive content or in the Hoopla app (for iPhone/iPad or Android). You can find an instruction sheet for using OverDrive/Libby here and one for Hoopla here. If you’d prefer watching a video with instructions, you can watch a YouTube video for OverDrive/Libby here and one for Hoopla here. One thing worth pointing out is that only one person can borrow a particular OverDrive audiobook or ebook at a time, so sometimes there are waiting lists for OverDrive content. In the Hoopla app, there are Flex Borrows that are one-borrower-at-a-time and there are Instant Borrows that you can borrow without ever having to wait. Currently VPL patrons get ten Hoopla Instant Borrows per calendar month. We have audiobooks and ebooks for adults in both the Libby and Hoopla apps, but nearly all of our children’s and young adult audiobooks and ebooks are available through Hoopla. We also have French language digital audiobooks and ebooks for people of all ages available through Cantook Station. So, with all those technical details out of the way, here are three categories of books I often choose to listen to as audiobooks rather than read in print.