June is National Audiobook Month, so I’m squeaking this one in at the last second, but it still counts! There’s a lot of debate in book world about if audiobooks count as reading. I used to say no. That is, until someone pointed out that it’s an ableist stance since there are many people who don’t have the luxury of reading words on a page for a variety of reasons.

Despite now supporting the ‘audiobooks count as reading’ tribe, I admit that I do still struggle with counting it for myself. It’s something I’ve been asked about over the last couple months of working on this mindset, so here are a few situations that have helped me wrap my head around justifying an audiobook over turning the traditional pages.

• At the gym: Maybe it’s just me, but I am not crazy about getting pages sweaty. Also, it’s pretty hard to read while getting in some intense cardio on an elliptical or treadmill. There are also some perks of listening at the gym, like it distracts you from the physical effort and makes time pass faster.

• In the car: I have a 20-25 minute commute each way for work, so listening to an audiobook makes it a little more entertaining. Think of it like a long podcast. Audiobooks also improve road trips, both alone and with someone.

• To share the experience: My boyfriend isn’t as voracious of a reader as I am. Audiobooks give us a way to go through a book together at the same time and same speed. We play it on a speaker and pause it if it sparks a thought or conversation.

• To enjoy a great performance: There are some readers who are just excellent. I was going to read Matthew McConaughey’s memoir Greenlights in the traditional sense, but couldn’t get ahold of a copy right away. That’s when I heard that the audiobook was fantastic. I would have to agree with those assessments. Matthew’s voices for other people and inflections are delightful.

• To feel like the author is telling you their story: This specifically applies to memoir. Like with Greenlights, it is Matthew’s story, so clearly he’s going to be the most excited to tell it. Other memoirs I’ve enjoyed the audio to include Leap Of Faith by Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed from “Love is Blind” and That Sounds Fun by Annie F. Downs.

• Because of a celebrity reader: There are a plethora of TV and movie actors who have voiced audiobooks over the years. I opted to listen to Midnight Sun instead of read because of Jake Abel, aka Adam in Supernatural, and Panic because of Sarah Drew from Grey’s Anatomy.

• So you can multitask: If the first two reasons on this list weren’t clear enough… listening frees up your hands for stuff, like cooking, cleaning, or creating. Get more done if you want.

• Because you don’t have to hold the book: Allow yourself to be a little lazy from time to time. Holding a book up over your face can be awkward, tiring, and annoying at times. Save yourself the effort of trying to find the best way to hold that epic fantasy novel and just listen.

• Because the book is hella long: I’m currently listening to Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon and it is a 45 hour audiobook. Yikes. I read the first three Outlander books in the traditional sense, but procrastinated the series for a couple years because I didn’t want to devote that much time to one book when I was trying to hit 100 in a year.

• Because you can speed it up: I’m a big fan of listening to books at 1.5x speed. The only exception thus far for me has been Greenlights, because an excited Matthew McConaughey talks too fast for extra speed.

• When you’re at the pool: Because getting your pages wet is no bueno.

• Because you can get it faster: I am not a patient person, so waiting for a buzzy read just ain’t gonna do it for me sometimes. Audiobooks are instant. No shipping required. This was more suited to my demands for The Last Thing He Told Me. Or, if you are into library apps, the wait lists tend to be shorter for audiobooks than e-books and physical copies.

• Just because you can: Seriously. Do what you want. Do what brings you joy. That’s what books are for.

There you have it, folks. A list of reasons, situations, and justifications for audiobooks. Did I miss anything? What are your favorite audiobooks that need to be on my TBL shelf? TELL ME ALL THE THINGS!

Also, join me on Audible and listen to books, podcasts and other exclusive content. You can get all of that on Audible Premium, plus an audiobook to keep each month (and my link gets you two free audiobooks to start things off, not to mention helps pay the bills to keep this site alive!)