🎯 Finding Your First Audiobook (Without Losing Your Sanity or Your Credit)

by Audiobook Obsessed | Jun 4, 2025 | 🎧 Audiobook Life

Let’s be honest—there’s no magical “perfect” way to start your audiobook journey. But I’ll tell you what won’t help: asking your gym bro for his favorite “Alpha Mindset Warrior” audiobook. Or listening to Dave from accounting drone on about the one self-help book that “changed his life.” Don’t be like Dave.

✅ Step 1: Build a List

• Ask people you actually like for recommendations.
• Search the internet (you’re already here, so… great job).
• Use your audiobook app’s recommendations (the ones that aren’t trying to upsell you vitamins).

Just… filter for taste. If a guy uses “grindset” in casual conversation, skip his book list.

✅ Step 2: Start Free (Yes, FREE)

Use Libby.
Why? Because it’s free and I’m too lazy to look for anything better. And it works.
Got a library card? You’re golden. If not, you know… get one. You’re not on a watch list. Probably.

Other options? Sure. But Libby’s the MVP for figuring out what genres you like before burning real money or credits.

🧠 But What If You’re “Too Alpha for Free”?

First off: calm down, Spartan.
Second: most paid subscriptions (like Audible) come with included audiobooks—originals, series, even some hidden gems.

Are all of them good? No.
Were the first wave of Audible Originals kind of a trainwreck? Absolutely.
But they’ve gotten way better—and The Weirdies kids’ series? Surprisingly awesome.

🧪 Step 3: Experiment (You’re Not Getting Married)

Try a little bit of everything—sci-fi, romance, space cowboys with emotional trauma—whatever sounds good. Use Audible’s finder tools to spot high-rated books, then check if Libby has them. Waiting list? Fine. You didn’t waste a credit. Big win.

🎧 Final Thought from the Guy Ignoring Dave’s Book Club

There’s no wrong way to start—unless you’re making it weird.
Sample a bunch. Stick with what clicks. Bail on what bores you.And may your listening journey be ever in your favor.
(Said in your best narrator voice, obviously.)

Why Audiobooks Are Awesome (Even If You Haven’t Touched a Book Since High School)

by Audiobook Obsessed | May 21, 2025 | 🎧 Audiobook Life

Let’s cut to the chase: reading is hard. Not like hard hard, but “I-have-kids-and-a-job-and-no-time-to-sit-in-silence-for-300-pages” hard. Enter audiobooks: the glorious loophole that lets you “read” while mowing the lawn, folding laundry, or pretending to care during school pickup.

This isn’t a guilt trip about not reading more. It’s a survival guide for squeezing stories into a dad’s life that’s already stacked higher than a Costco cart before a three-day weekend.

Why Audiobooks Rule (And Paper Books Drool)

I became hooked when I realized I could deep-dive into a spy thriller while scrubbing a toilet. Instant addiction. Why? Because I’m finally getting stories into my life again—and doing it without sacrificing time, sanity, or muscle cramps from holding a book at eye level.

Multitasking Magic: Stories for the Overbooked

Let’s face it: our lives are a three-ring circus of chores, work, and “Dad, can I have a snack?” moments. Audiobooks let you:

• Listen while driving, walking, gym-ing, pretending to work…
• Feel productive while folding socks (yes, that counts).
• Escape, even if your escape route is the garage with headphones in.

The Narrator is Everything (Seriously)

A good narrator can turn a decent book into an all-out binge-worthy event. A bad one sounds like your high school math teacher reading The Iliad. No thanks.

Look out for:

• Narrators who act, not read. Voices, accents, emotion—the whole nine yards.
• Bonus: you’ll find yourself stalking favorite narrators like they’re celebrities. Totally normal.

Try New Stuff (Without Regret)

Audiobooks are low-pressure ways to try:

• Genres you’ve never touched before (sci-fi? noir? cozy mysteries with talking cats?)
• Authors you’ve heard of but never had the time for
• Books in other languages (for the overachieving dads out there)

Worst case? It sucks. You move on. No bookshelf shame. No sunk cost panic.

End the Day with a Story, Not a Doom Scroll

Picture this: you’re lying in bed, your kids finally asleep, and instead of doomscrolling TikTok until your brain turns into applesauce, you hit play on a killer audiobook.

Boom. Instant decompression:

• It’s like watching a movie, but you can close your eyes.
• Bonus: it won’t recommend 47 more shows you’ll never finish.

How to Get Started Without Losing Your Mind (or Wallet)

Look, don’t overthink it. Pick an app, hit play.

Dad-tested favorites:

• Libby – Free with a library card. Good for trying stuff without commitment. Like dating, but for books.
• Audible – Monthly credits, big library, shiny exclusives.
• Audiobooks.com – Same vibe, different flavor.

Pro tip: Start with Libby. Zero risk. Zero regret.

Final Word from the Garage

If you’ve ever said, “I’d read more if I had time,” congratulations—your loophole is here.

• Start with something fun.
• Don’t read what you should—read what keeps you hitting “next chapter.”
• And if someone recommends a book that “changed their life”? Cool. You’re just trying to survive Monday, not achieve enlightenment.

So go on—hit play, and welcome to your new favorite way to “read.”