Trying To Find The Time

[smallhobbit]

A while ago I took out an Audible subscription, which means I can have a new audiobook every month, which is great.  Except that I don't seem to find time to listen to them, which is frustrating.  I'd like to find a regular time to spend say 15 minutes a day listening.  But it's just not happening.

In the car I listen to the radio and I'm currently enjoying audio CDs of Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn stories - I'm on the third of the stories read by Benedict Cumberbatch, and have two more lined up, this time read by Anton Lesser.  They're great because they don't require major amounts of concentration which is ideal for driving.

I have a regular time in the evening for doing my cross-stitch, and I'm still working on Duolingo German - I finished the basic level (yay! - see icon) but am continuing just because 10-15 minutes each day is good to help it stay lodged in my brain.  Counted cross-stitch requires too much concentration to listen to anything - I enjoy it partly because it totally absorbs my mind.

I can generally sit down and write, and have challenges/exchanges lined up to keep me going.  And I always read actual books in bed last thing at night.

There are times when I will listen to an audiobook, but nothing regular, and if I'm going to get the most out of my subscription this would be helpful.  Why must my brain be so unco-operative in this matter?

Comments

[howsmyenglish]

Hi again! :)
Just wanted to share: I used to listen to audio books _a lot_ while doing things like cooking, cleaning, washing dishes etc. - stuff that has to be done regularly and does not require much concentration. (I would pause a book if I had to concentrate on how many spoons of oil I had to add to the dough...)

For me, listening to audio books was (and still is) a way to escape real life - whenever I'm tired, I don't want to deal with something and just want to turn off my head for some time.

Well, some time ago I just stopped being interested in audio books - I guess, I feel better in my skin now and do not feel the need to escape.

Why do you feel the need to listen to audio books?

[smallhobbit]

Firstly, I listen to audio books in the car, which makes a change from the radio when I'm driving. Part of the reason for getting Audible was to have something to listen to when on long journeys. Also, as you will discover if you spend long enough on my journal, I like an actor called Richard Armitage who has narrated a number of audiobooks, which I'd like to listen to. I enjoy a good story (check out my book reviews to see what I've been reading this year) and since I don't watch much television audio books are a different way of enjoying a story, especially when doing mundane chores.

I'm curious - what drew you to my journal?

[howsmyenglish]

The "Man in the Mirror" story is what sparkled my interest - I read it in a community... fics-something... Honestly, I just opened an account a couple of hours ago, then looked for communities interested in books - to find people, who are interested in books - and your story was the first that I liked and could relate to. So, this is why I'm here.

I don't know Richard Armitage, but I do like to listen to Benedict Cumberbatch. I think I've listened to the book by Ngaio Marsh that you mentioned in the post, I even listened to some fan-fic books about Sherlock Holmes only because he narrated them. :)

If you don't mind, I'd like stay, read on and keep commenting from time to time...

[smallhobbit]

I think that must be ficlet_zone

I find Benedict Cumberbatch a good narrator - he seems to disappear inside the characters which is great.

I'd be delighted if you were to stay - I've subscribed to your journal and given you access to all my posts.

I'm not sure whether it is helpful to know, but where you have written sparkled (as in glittery) you mean sparked (as in a sudden bright light from a fire, or electric wire).

[howsmyenglish]

Yes! - it is helpful to know, thank you! Learning languages is my life, I'm always grateful to people, who are prepared to correct my mistakes.

I'm glad to have met you on my first day here!
Subscribing to your journal as well, of course.