There is something about a book; the way it feels in your hands, the sound of turning the page, and, yes, even how it smells. If you're a bookworm, like me, you know all too well how oddly satisfying it is to see yet another book added to your too-full-shelf. However, with the uprising in technology it has become possible to take books places they have never gone before. While I am not dissing printed books in any way, I have discovered some very pleasing benefits of audio books that a physical book simply cannot achieve:

1. You can finally multitask while reading a book.

One downfall about reading is that you cannot do much else while holding a book. Audio books are a great way to free up your hands so you can do multiple things at once. While you may want to stray away from tasks that demand a lot of your attention, audio books make doing the dishes while reading Harry Potter possible.

2. It makes boring tasks more entertaining.

There is nothing like a good audio book reader. Most audio book readers are simply wonderful and bring a lot of action to the story. Thus, listening to audio books instantly makes anything you are doing much more entertaining. So instead of listening to music at the gym or while you drive - especially on long card rides – try listening to an audiobook. After all, Times flies when you are having fun!

3. You can finally read in the dark.

Does anyone else miss being read to before bed? Thanks to my mother, I have dreamt about falling asleep to my favorite book on too many occasions. So instead of counting sheep the next time you find yourself restless, try falling asleep to your favorite story.

4. You can literally take them anywhere.

Picking which books to bring with you to college, vacation, or anywhere for that matter, is like having to pick between your best friends. So instead of hurting anyone’s feelings, you can now carry hundreds of books at one time (as long as your gadget can hold that many).

5. It’s a good way to read difficult books.

Have you ever read a paragraph and then realized that you have no idea what you just read? Audio books are great for this reason because the inflection in the reader's voice allows you to better understand the context of a word, even if you have no idea what it means. Also, if the material is something you need to study, you can read along with the audiobook to understand what the author meant, both textually and verbally.

So next time you find yourself in the library, Barnes & Nobel, or surfing the web for your next novel, consider listening instead of reading.