Yesterday I was watching various videos on youtube and through the rabbit hole was eventually led to this DIY video about creating an at home coffee and tea bar by Blair Fowler, who is best known as juicystar07 for her awesome make-up videos. Blair was also promoting her free audiobook download link from Audible (and specifically the book she was reading at the time – Divergent by Veronica Roth.
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.
I have never been a huge fan of audiobooks, but after being inspired by the Fowler girl’s amount of reading despite leading busy lives (in a different video, Elle Fowler mentioned that she reads multiple books at a time! HOLY CRAP!). After hearing this, I really wanted to get back into reading like I used to before college. The most recent series I read was The Hunger Games series last year, and before that only a few books here and there. Warm Bodies and World War Z are still sitting on my bookshelf unfinished. In high school I would read at least a book a week!
I followed the link listed in the video’s description (http://audible.com/blair) and proceeded to my one month free trial at Audible. A subscription is normally $14.95 a month, which seems a little steep to me for only one book, but I read somewhere that they offer another deal for 50% off the first three months.
After some browsing, I ended up purchasing Divergent because of Blair’s recommendation and because it is going to be released as a movie early next year! Once I downloaded the app on my iPhone, I was ready to listen.
At first I was skeptical. I have not had a lot of experience with audiobooks, and I was not sure that I would have the focus to give the book my full attention (I am a horrible multitasker). But after about an hour, I was completely acclimated into the world and able to visualize what was happening. I listened while I was at work and was mostly able to do both tasks and only had to rewind a few times. So far I am enjoying the experience.
Audible makes listening to audiobooks very simple. My favorite feature is the “rewind 30 seconds” function. I find myself using it constantly if I missed something or wanted to further analyze a section. You can also fast forward 30 seconds, bookmark a section, speed up the speaker, set a timer to stop reading (perfect for bedtime), move between chapters with one click, and probably more I haven’t needed or discovered yet.
Overall, audible is a great way to listen to and purchase your audiobooks. I suppose my only complaint is the monthly price tag.
*edit – Blair was actually promoting the book Requiem by Lauren Oliver in that video, but in this video that I watched next she mentioned Divergent.. my bad :D