If you, like me, are an avid book lover, you will come to dread certain places, activities and situations, as they are not suitable environments for reading and enjoying your favorite books. Driving, working out, doing housework all seem so boring without a good book! It was not until quite recently that the thought of -- gasp-- listening to a book no longer filled me with as much dread and disgust as the thought of choosing to not read a Hemingway novel, but instead to watch the miniseries adaptation!

But recently, when I needed to make an unexpected cross country drive, I made the split-second decision of picking up a few audiobooks to help keep me awake during the long hours at the wheel. It turns out that I couldn't have been more surprised or pleased.

The audiobooks I chose were unabridged, meaning that every word from the book's written version was melodiously read in the spoken version. Two of the audiobooks I greatly enjoyed were Julia Robert's smoky-voiced reading of The Nanny Diaries and George Watson's deep, expressive reading of The Norwalk Watch.

When I returned from my trip, I began incorporating audiobooks into my daily reading routine. On my morning commute, while doing light paperwork or research, at the gym, and even in the shower with waterproof headphones, I "read". I "read" at work, while housecleaning, and while cooking.

The concept of audio books to download has changed the way I "read," and has meant that I have access to hundreds of thousands of titles not only conveniently, but also much more cheaply as well because it's considerably cheaper than buying an actual book at the bookstore.

From self-help to the sciences, from finance to fiction, there is a very wide variety of audiobook titles available, in genres as broad as for written books. Additionally, some works, such as lectures by top professors, self-help and instructional works, are available only by audiobook.

Audiobooks can be even better than books because it is just as enjoyable, perhaps even more enjoyable, and you will be able to catch every word and tone from unabridged audiobooks. The portability of just listening means that you can also have your book on hand, even when you aren't actually carrying a book.

Recently I picked up a few audiobooks when I needed to make a drive across the country. The books helped me stay awake and alert during my many hours behind the steering wheel. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed listening to these books. When I discovered that there were hundreds of thousands of audio books to download online, my "reading" habits became even more obsessive. I discovered that to download audiobook was not only simple but also inexpensive -- cheaper than buying a new trade paperback or hardcover at the bookstore.