I read at work, I read while waiting for meetings to start or friends to arrive at lunch. I read while I eat, I read while I bathe and brush my teeth. With all this reading going on you might not think that I could find a way to fit in even more “reading”, but I have found it!
I now read while driving believe it or not! And not in some crazy, unsafe, book in my lap, eyes off the road kind of way. The Conundrum bookshop has now partnered with Libro.fm to offer an audiobook option to our customers. I just plug my ipad or phone into the USB jack in my car and it plays over the car speakers. This is a great additional resource for me, I’m in the car a lot! As many of you know I split my time between New Orleans and St. Francisville each week which is about a two hour commute each way. Until now I have filled that time with Satellite radio or singing show tunes but that can get a bit repetitive and the time drags. Now I can’t wait to get back into the car to hear what happens next and the trip flies by in seemingly no time. I spent some time trying the system out before sharing it with you guys listening to A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and all I have to say is that I was making up excuses to get back on the road.
Now, audiobooks will never replace paper for me, but I certainly appreciate that I have the option available to fill the time on the road while also hearing more terrific stories. I try to stay abreast of current literature so I can speak knowledgeably to you guys when you come in the store and this just added at least 4 hours of “reading” time to my schedule each week without having to give up anything except a boring drive and repetitive music on the radio.
Libro.fm works just like other audiobook companies. By that I mean that you can either buy a monthly subscription that gets you one book at a great discount each month or you can buy individual books. But unlike other audiobook companies Libro.fm partners with independent bookstores . So if you are coming to a book club meeting at the store, or you come in to talk about and learn about new books, but you know you are going to listen to them in your car; now your bookstore can “sell” them to you for the same price you would have paid that other company. This partnership helps to keep bookstores like ours relevant in an ever digital world. To learn more about Libro.fm or to sign up visit our website at: http://www.conundrumbooks.com/audiobooks/ or go directly to our partner site at: https://libro.fm/conundrumbooks .
So for those of you who find yourself driving to and from work, kid’s schools, running errands etc you no longer have to listen to the same old, same old. Use that time instead to step into worlds not yet explored or to learn something new. I hope those of you inclined to audiobooks enjoy it ( I hope the rest of you come into the shop and buy a paper book ) but either way I have to go now because I am heading back to New Orleans and I just started Tangerine by Christine Mangan so I really must find out how my new friends Lucy and Alice are doing in 1950’s Tangier.