I am a huge bookworm, I have been since I can remember. I would love to be able to sit and read for hours but those days are long gone. I think the last time I read a full novel was before my daughter was born.
Post may contain affiliate links.
Between running a blog, another side business, wrangling a 2 year old, and trying to keep my house from looking like a tornado ran through it, I just don’t have the time to read anymore. But I still want to enjoy a good story or learn something new.
I found that the best way for me to do that is to listen to audiobooks. They are AMAZING! I can “read” when I am cleaning the house, working out, during a commute, etc. They were a life saver when I was breastfeeding in the middle of the night! I love being able to multi-task!
I searched high and low for the best audiobook sites that are actually affordable, too. I was looking at the regular price of an average audiobook and it’s around $40-$50 for just one!
That’s crazy to me, but I have found a few ways to listen to as much as I want for as little as possible.
Audible.com
This site is #1 on many people’s list for very good reasons. It has the best selection out of any of the ones I have researched with over 180,000 to choose from. They offer a free 30 day trial where you can get TWO audiobooks for free (even if you cancel, you still get to keep the books)!
They offer a “Great Listen Guarantee” where you can exchange your audiobook for another one if you don’t like it.
A membership is $14.95 per month and you get one audiobook for free each month, considering the average cost of one is $40, that’s a great price. You also can get as many other audiobooks as you want for 30% off!
You really have nothing to lose to try this out. If you hate it, simply cancel before the 30 days is up and keep your free books!
Scribd
Scribd is another great resource for affordable audiobooks. I couldn’t find an exact number for how many audiobooks they offer but it is in the tens of thousands, so still a pretty good selection.
They offer a membership for $8.99/month. You get 1 audiobook, 3 ebooks, and unlimited access to sheet music, documents, and special select titles.
They do offer a free 14 day trial so that you can see what it is all about. If you don’t like it, you can cancel anytime.
Hoopla and Overdrive
I am going to put these two together because they are very similar. Hoopla and Overdrive are free to use, you just need to have a library card.
They work together with your local library to give you access to free audiobooks, eBooks, movies, and music. They have a great selection of recent releases. You just have to see which program your library is working with.
To do that just go to either site and look under the “Find a Library” tab. You should then be able to search your zipcode or enter your local library. My library uses Hoopla and I love using it!
If you aren’t tech savvy, don’t worry. Scroll to the bottom of Hoopla and click HELP or scroll to the bottom of Overdrive and click “Getting Started” and it will walk you through the set up and how you can start downloading everything you need.
Local Library
I know this isn’t a website but some people don’t like downloading things on their phone or computer and just want a CD of the audiobook.
These can also be pretty expensive so I highly recommend getting them from your local library. They may not have the best selection but if there is a particular audiobook that you want, you can ask if they can order it for your or have it transferred from another library.
There are more sites out there that you can try but these are my personal favorites. I am one of those people that likes to read a book before I watch the movie or TV show that it is based on. With these best audiobook sites, I can finally get caught up on Game of Thrones!!
Leave a Reply