Along with the obvious changes that come form COVID-19 and the necessary steps taken to contain it, 2020 has been highly disruptive to our personal routines. For many commuters, Audible (Amazon’s audiobook service) was an easy way to keep up with reading without necessarily having to deal with the struggles of reading (i.e. finding a place and time to open and concentrate on a book after a busy day). In fact, reading has never been easier with audiobooks universally accessible on our smartphones enabling us to easily pair it with any task (e.g. walks, runs, washing the dishes, workouts, etc.) As a commuter, one could easily manage 5+ hours of ‘extra’ reading during the week without even considering other pairings. While listening to a book is not as efficient in terms of consumption speed (spoken word vs. written), it is a close enough substitute.
Given COVID-19, commutes have shifted to remote work and habits remain slow to revert to ‘normal’. Consequently, I have considered the future of my Audible subscription (especially given my build-up of 8+ credits) and concluded that without a return to pre-COVID habits, it probably does not make sense to keep it. The next step now is to consider how to spend those credit as they do not remain with the account if the subscription is terminated. To that end, I have spent some time to filter some of the most expensive audiobooks along with my own areas of interest (e.g. biographies, history, business, etc.) to ensure I am getting the best bang for my buck before cancellation. The below is a list of books that ought to be worthwhile audiobooks based on review (e.g. Goodreads, etc.). This would also be a good time to point out that I have no association with Audible/Amazon/Goodreads so there’s no direct monetary benefit to me other than the satisfaction of knowing that I have unbolted the door to literary bliss.
John Adams by David McCullough ($62): A highly recommended biography that provides a detailed overview of Revolutionary America
Truman by David McCullough ($101): Might be one of the most expensive audiobooks at $81.17 and lonest at 54+ hours.
Castles of Steel by Robert K. Massie ($58): The naval history of World I, for those that may not know the naval angle as they do the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.
The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order by Adam Tooze ($35): An attempt to understand the financial strains of World War I and the new world it created in its aftermath. My bias to Adam Tooze largely comes from how well Crashed was written in terms of its detail.
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by H.W. Brands ($49): Time to get to the bottom of how this guy ended up on the $20 bill.
Grant by Ron Chernow ($45): After recently having gone through Team of Rivals, this should be the equivalent of reading Shadow of the Giant after reading Ender’s Game.
Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism by Jeff Gramm ($27): Not for the light-hearted, only recommended for those in industry.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell ($26): For those in need of some soul searching, look no further.