It’s summer time and that means road trips and long walks. I love both, but I also love redeeming the time. One way I love to do this is walking with a friend or loved one. But I also love walking with an audiobook or Kindle. Yep, I’m the crazy person walking through my neighborhood reading on my Kindle.

I love that with my Kindle, I’m literally walking around with hundreds of books in my hand, but there’s nothing like a good paperback. I love the feel of a book. I love the texture. The smell. The layout. All of it. And I love that it’s not plugge in. But there are other elements that make audiobooks a nice addition.

• The ability to listen while I’m driving and shouldn’t be using my eyes to read.
• It makes me slow down (even when I’m listening at 1.5 speed) and hear the story in a way that I might miss when I read — the speed reading course an employer sent me to means I can fly through a paperback at high speeds.
• I’m more likely to finish a non-fiction book in audio than in other formats. I’m not sure why, but it’s a quirk of mine.

The thing I don’t love is how cost prohibitive many audiobooks are. Here are a few ways to inhale audiobooks without breaking the bank.

• Utilize your library. Many will give access to apps like Hoopla and Libby. I have found that between these two apps I can get access to a lot of audiobooks that interest me.
• ChristianAudio.com: A couple times a year this site has a $7.49 audiobook sale. I’ve picked up many books through this site. It also gives away a book a month. There are often related books that are priced at $4.99 as well. A great way to pick up fiction and non-fiction.
• Chirp: This service lets you know about deep sales (like $3.99 an audiobook) and it’s a great way to acquire both fiction and nonfiction at a cost of about a cup of coffee.

Which is your preferred way to read? And in the spirit of summer, I’m giving away a copy of one of my audiobooks. Just use the form below. You can also enter a giveaway for books from a romantic suspense Book Talk here. Finally, if you’re ready for cool weather, check out the Christmas in July sale for Christmas in Mistletoe Square.

Need to add a little more love to your TBR pile? Enter to win 20 new releases or a $130 Amazon gift card! You can enter this giveaway here. Good luck! Now use the form below to enter the audiobook giveaway.

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