I love to do jigsaw puzzles when I’m listening to audiobooks. I put an audiobook on and solve jigsaw puzzles on an app for my phone and iPad. It’s just the right amount of distraction balanced with concentrating on what I’m reading when I’m plugged into a good audiobook. —Sarah S. Davis Since I spend so much time at the computer, I try to get some walking in at the end of the day. I love listening to audiobooks while walking my dogs and strolling around the neighborhood. —Courtney Rodgers I listen to audiobooks while doing almost everything! Cooking, knitting, spinning (on a spinning wheel, not a bike), walking, painting, drawing, taking care of my plants…the pandemic has me living that Beatrix Potter life and I have listened to so many books while puttering around my house. Just about the only thing I don’t have an audiobook on in the background for is cleaning, which requires serious tunes. —Tika Viteri I honestly prefer physical books, but I do listen to audiobooks mostly on my daily commute to go teach about 30 minutes from home. Listening to a nice tale while driving makes the venture so much better and helps me catch up with my long TBR. —Aurora Lydia Dominguez I live in a very noisy apartment block and have embraced the 24/7 earbuds-in lifestyle to try and retain a fragment of my sanity. That said, my preferred activities while listening to an audiobook are cleaning, cooking, or taking a shower (make sure to check just how waterproof your waterproof earbuds are before jumping in or you might end up with a nasty surprise). —Neymat Raboobee While cleaning is my favorite time to listen to audiobooks — it makes chores feel more bearable! It’s the best when I’m in the middle of listening to an engrossing thriller on audio, and I end up cleaning or organizing way more than I initially planned because I don’t want to stop listening! —Sophie LeFevre I love to pair an audiobook with an appropriate activity. While listening to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I took many walks around my neighborhood historic cemetery, imagining the history witnessed by those interred there. While tackling the completely bananas, 50-hour-long gothic tome that is Anne Rice’s The Witching Hour, I worked on a diamond painting. Sticking countless tiny gems to a canvas, I knew each little bit would eventually add up to a magnificent whole. —Isabelle Popp I like to play video games while I’m listening to audiobooks at home. Usually kind of mindless games like Animal Crossing or even phone games like Two Dots are best. But if I’m feeling really feisty, I’ll play a couple of hours of The Sims while listening to a book. It’s just got to be a very engaging book if I’m playing The Sims while listening because otherwise I might get a little too into the game. And then I have to rewind and listen again. Oops. I also love listening to audiobooks while cleaning, driving, and while walking/running/working out. Pretty much any time a “normal” person would be listening to music, I’m listening to a book. —Emily Martin I listen to audiobooks and podcasts whenever possible, including while making Book Riot’s Pinterest pins or gathering bookish goodies for a Book Fetish post. My favourite audiobook experience is while walking the dogs — though I’m often interrupted when people want to chat about how cute the pups are, and I can’t blame them. I even bought a shower speaker so I can listen in the shower! —Danika Ellis My audiobook consumption went way down when my daily commute went away. I’ll listen now on the exercise bike (which I don’t get on enough) and when mowing and doing other yard work. If I take a walk alone, I’ll fire up an audiobook. On long road trips, my wife and I will pick out an audiobook together and listen along the way. —Chris M. Arnone The pandemic also lowered my audiobook and podcast volume considerably without time in the car, but a year in, I’m trying to take longer walks (I’ve had a long recovery from a knee injury that occurred just before quarantine started) to get a dose of vitamin D and exercise, which means I get to catch up on audiobooks that way! Otherwise, it’s nice to listen while doing puzzles or cross-stitch, because my literary mind is active while my math brain gets to activate at the same time. —Sarah Hannah Gomez Want more idea of what to do while listening to audiobooks? Check out our list of 20 Things To Do While Listening to Audiobooks (That Aren’t Chores) for even more idea on how to read with your ears while doing other things.
