Read more books without trying

Even though I love reading, I often start books and then lose track of them a few pages in when I get busy with some other task or distraction. It never seems like I have enough time in a day to squeeze in reading.

So instead I squeeze in audiobooks. I borrow them from my library and listen to them while I clean the house, drive to and from places, or while I do other things online.

My library offers audiobooks in four formats: books on cassette tape (these are phasing out since most people do mp3 players now instead of tapes), books on CD, "Playaways" -- a kind of pre-loaded mp3 audiobook about the size of an mp3 player, and electronic audiobooks which I can download through my library website. Not all libraries offer those, but many do.

You can also buy audiobooks at booksellers, or through itunes or other online audio vendors. Audiobooks on CD are expensive, often double the price of a book, but digital audiobooks cost about as much as the print version -- $10-$20.

There are also sites online that offer free audio versions of public domain books read by volunteers. A simple google search will pull up several options, but I've used Librivox.com and like it, especially since it offers several versions of the same works.

The only word of caution I can offer is while most audiobooks are done by excellent readers, some voices may not sit well with you. I chose a book early on in my new hobby that was read by a celebrity reader. The voice was so grating I could not get very far into the story. And with the free services, not all volunteer readers are equal. Try a different story, or start with books read by actors whose voices you know and like.

The nice thing about audiobooks is they can be shared by more than one person at once. A long road trip or just family night can become an event with good memories for everyone.

I'm in a friendly competition this year with two friends to read as many books as we can this year. We have agreed audiobooks count, so I might have a chance.