I’ll admit it, I was a book snob. I used to live by a very strict set of book rules. Unspoken and vague as they were, I was very set on following these rules I’d placed for myself.

One of these was that if you don’t read every single word on every page with your own eyes, you aren’t actually reading. Which meant, of course, that I forced myself to finish books that I didn’t like, but also - and more to the point of the actual topic of this article - that I completely ruled out audiobooks.

Then life got busy.

I became a college student, desperate for a dose of fiction. I found myself whipping out my headphones, snatching up a free trial-membership, and diving into a book, read to me by a voice actor.

And I loved it.

I quickly learned how many of my misconceptions about audiobooks were absolutely false and why, especially for a busy person, audiobooks are worth a go.

Without further ado, let’s start busting some myths.

“Audiobooks aren’t real books.”

To some, this might sound a little ridiculous, but there are others out there who just know.

It took me years to get over this book guilt. I took reading very seriously. I forced myself to read books very slowly. I had to absorb every word or I hadn’t succeeded. I had to read it myself and read it through.

Audiobooks were like cheating on a quiz to me. It was like getting someone else to do your work for you.

But guys.

Reading isn’t meant to be work.

Reading is about diving into a story and having adventures and learning things about people and the world and about yourself.

You can achieve that very thing through audiobooks. Sometimes, I can even get more into an audiobook than a regular book.

I know. Scandalous.

So can we set this in stone, please?

Audiobooks are books too.

Thank you.

“Audiobooks are expensive.”

This is a valid concern many first-time audiobook readers might have. Audiobooks are typically more wallet-draining than e-books or classic physical copies. People don’t want to pay more for a medium they’re not even sure about. And I get that.

But have no fear! A wise aardvark once said, “Having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card.” And buddy, I live by those words.

Any self-respecting public library will have a decent collection of audiobooks that you can borrow. And not just dusty cassette tapes — pristine digital copies. If you don’t want to leave the house (I feel you), apps like Overdrive and One Click Digital make it that much easier to plug into a story.

“Audiobooks are harder to get into.”

You might worry that you wouldn’t be able to get into a book if it was read to you rather than you reading it yourself. You might worry you won’t like the narrator’s voice. What if it’s simply too hard to follow?

I get this too. It is a little different and you do have to get used to it, but there are so many brilliant performers making amazing audiobooks that it’s kind of a shame that many readers never try audiobooks.

“Audiobooks take too long to finish.”

Sure, you probably read in your head faster than an audiobook narrator reads the book aloud, but think of all the time you could be spending listening to a book that you wouldn’t otherwise be taking in literature at all! There are so many little opportunities to listen to a book that you wouldn’t have if you had to focus on and interpret words on a page. Driving, doing the dishes, doing the laundry, drawing — the multitasking possibilities are almost endless.

So actually? Audiobook listening is a time saver.

If I'm perfectly honest, I much prefer to read a physical copy of a book. If that’s what you prefer too, that’s lovely! The simple purpose of this article is to urge those who were like the old me to bravely try something new.

I think book freedom is a thing to fight for. So if you’re holding back from including audiobooks in your reading routine for any of the reasons above, this ones for you. Don’t be afraid to give audiobooks a try!