Audiobooks are a lifesaver
Coming late to this thread...
Audiobooks are essential in this household. They have been, literally, a life saver.
10 years ago my husband injured himself playing cricket, tore a muscle in his leg and 3 days later collapsed with a pulmonary embolism. 5 1/2 weeks later when he came out of a coma he had suffered brain damage and lost his sight at the age of 40. To say it was not the best time in our lives is an understatement, and after several months of rehab a very depressed man, blind and with mobility problems, came home with no interest in anything.
The solution was audiobooks. I started with a Terry Pratchett book on a player with loud speakers. It took a few days but he started to show an interest, then asked for another book. We then went on to the excellent Amelia Peabody series read by Barbara Rosenblatt - excellent narrator - and after that it was hard to keep up with the demand. Ancient history, philosophy, World War 1, more Terry Pratchett and so on.
10 years on we have amassed a few thousand audio books and the collection is growing and now all nicely catalogued in Calibre. Audiobooks are also something we can share as we can listen to them together. Now he is able to use a speech enabled computer and has access to the BBC iplayer, he can access Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra dramas, which I also download to listen to in the car.
So for this household, audiobooks are a big part of our lives. I'm not sure my husband would still be here without them.
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