Check out openculture.com for a selection of free audiobooks.

I’ve been getting into audiobooks lately. My friends are all avid readers which is something I never got into for a number of reasons, and I feel a need to make up for lost time by absorbing as many stories as possible while still having time for my hobbies. My first audiobook experience–at least my first since early childhood–was a collection of H.P. Lovecraft stories hosted free online. I listened to Call of Cthulhu and The Dunwich Horror while knitting an oversized scarf. A few months passed while I read paperbacks, but then I took up my boyfriend’s Loot Crate copy of Ready Player One. When I found out Wil Wheaton did the narration for the audiobook, I used my free 30-day membership to Audible to listen. During most of the story, I engaged in immersion reading, reading along with the paperback while listening to the audiobook. This has proven most useful in helping me focus, and since then, if I didn’t own a physical copy of the audiobook, I purchased the Kindle edition to use Whispersync.

So why should you try Immersion Reading?
My personal experience with reading has been somewhat of a struggle. I like to finish a book in one sitting if at all possible, because if I put it down, I’ll likely never come back. Most of the books on my shelves contain a bookmark about 3/4 through. I’m interested in way too many things! With audiobooks, if I want to work on other things, I don’t have to interrupt the story to do so. This works most of the time, but say I really need to pay attention. Having a written copy to read along occupies my brain and forces me to keep pace without daydreaming or having my eyes jump around the page. Whispersync is even better, because it highlights the line of text being read so that if you do have to put your device down, you can find your place again.

Easily distracted? IR engages your visual and auditory processes.
Slow reader? Let the narrator set the pace and keep up.
Synaesthesia? Maybe that’s just me, but there’s a 1% chance that you have it too. Do the colors of the letters make it hard to pay attention to the meaning of the words?
Daydreamer? No more drifting off into fantasy only to find you’ve been staring at the same page for ten minutes.
Dyslexia? So there’s no jumping around or misunderstanding, let the narrator keep your place.

I’m currently immersing myself in N0S4A2 by Joe Hill.  It’s narrated by Kate Mulgrew (Red from Orange is the New Black, Captain Janeway from Voyager).  It’s definitely an adult book with harsh language and themes, but so far I’m loving it!

If you think you’d like to give audiobooks a try, Audible.com will give you a free 30-day trial membership.  If you decide to cancel after the first month, they will also offer you three more months of Gold Membership at 50% off.  Each month you are a member, you get a credit for one audiobook.  The book will stay in your library so you can enjoy it even if you cancel your membership.  Audible connects with your Amazon account, so purchasing the Kindle version for Whispersync is easy.  Enjoy!