On Audiobooks

Reading books has always been a difficult task for me. Not that I don't like reading, I do, but I rarely can find the time to sit down and focus on reading. Also reading while my commute to and from work is impossible because even if I'm not driving, I easily get nauseous by keeping my head down all the time. But I wanted to read books.

A few people pointed out to me that I could, instead of reading the physical books, listen to the audio versions of them. This didn't sound pleasing to me at first because I like listening to music, and I wasn't sure if I have the choice between listening to music and listening to audiobooks, I would choose the latter. But I'm glad I was wrong.

I signed up for a one month trial on Audible, which offered a free book of my choosing and I was instantly hooked. Well maybe my choice of book was accidentally good enough for my first time, that made the whole experience better. I listened to "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari, which is narrated by Derek Perkins. And let me tell you it was a delightful experience. After the trial, I continued my membership with Audible.

There are a few other alternatives to Audible if you don't want to use that:

• Apple iBooks
• Audiobooks Now
• Scribd
• More...

Books I enjoyed in 2018

There are some books that I'd recommend after a year of listening to audiobooks. It doesn't actually matter if you want to read the actual books or listen to the narrations.

Science Fiction

• The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
• Bobiverse Trilogy by Dennis E. Taylor
• The Singularity Trap by Dennis E. Taylor
• Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Artemis by Andy Weir
• The Marian by Andy Weir
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Science & Tech

• Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
• Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths
• Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark
• The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr & George Spafford
• Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom
• Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda

Fiction

• [1984](Nineteen Eighty-Four) by George Orwell
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Nonfiction

• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

Biography

• Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
• The Innovators by Walter Isaacson
• Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly

Hope you enjoy reading or listening to these books as much as I did!