Best Book of the Season: Audiobooks

I love reading

When I was yonger, I always read paper books. I loved exploring my hometown's library to find new books, and when I bought a book at a store, I loved seeing my bookshelf collection grow. I always had a book with me, and being someone who loved books--especially those printed on paper--was a big part of my identity. E-readers such as the Kindle were popular when I was growing up, but I never wanted to read electronic books because I simply thought paper ones were better in every way.

Later, I would change my mind

Years later, I started working in Japan, and I'll never forget the first time I walked into a Japanese library. When I walked through the doors, I realized I couldn't read most of the books inside. Kanji was difficult for me, and I could never relax while reading a book in Japanese because I was always searching a dictionary for words I didn't know. In other words, when I moved to Japan, I, someone who always believed she was a good reader, became someone who couldn't read. Sometimes I found English books, but my nearby library only had a small collection, and paper ones were much more expensive to buy. This is when I discovered audiobooks.

At first, I didn't want to use them because for so many years I believed paper books were the best. But soon, I realized that if I listened to audiobooks, I could "read" while driving, making dinner or washing my dishes. I didn't have to pay for shipping costs, and I didn't have to wait for a book to be delivered. I could simply download a book and hear almost anything I wanted in English.

My new favorite books

Now, I've lived in Japan for five years. I like to read books in Japanese so I can study and increase my vocabulary, but when I want to read for fun, I listen to an audiobook.

My most recent listen was the novel Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I loved this book because the main character reminded me a lot of myself. We have the same name, we both like acting, and we're both attracted to beautiful nature. I don't know if I could have easily gotten this book where I live now if I didn't start listening to audiobooks.

I hope that one day I can read well enough in Japanese to effortlessly enjoy any paper book, but until then, I will keep studying and keep listening.

英語	ネイティブ
日本語	日常会話程度
スペイン語	カタコト
ポルトガル語	カタコト

英語

ネイティブ

日本語

日常会話程度

スペイン語

カタコト

ポルトガル語

カタコト

メニュー

レッスン

初めての方へ

講師

ヘルプ

キャンペーン

言語

保存リストに追加済み

教えるカテゴリ

講師の言語

Laura P講師の人気コラム

この記事を読んだ人は、こちらの記事も読んでいます