I inherited a love of walking from my mum. Even before moving to Sydney – a city whose sunny disposition affords those living there the opportunity to spend their spare time outdoors – I used to spend ample hours a week pounding London’s pavements; whether training for a forthcoming half marathon, avoiding the always overcrowded tube, or blowing away the cobwebs after one too many glasses of prosecco. My love of walking has been further fuelled by moving down under, and the endless coastal walks the city has to offer, from the famous (and thus often overcrowded) Bondi to Coogee, to the harbour-facing Rose Bay to Neilsen’s Park.

And yet, as an ardent and avid reader, I have always loathed having to chose between an afternoon spent walking, and one curled up with a book. Indeed, as reading has often taken priority over almost everything else, I frequently find myself with a growing to-do list but little time in which to tick said tasks off.

It wasn’t until I recently discovered BookBeat that I considered audiobooks as a way in which I could combine two of my favourite past-times. I used to listen to audiobooks as a girl, but, of course, the technology was much less sophisticated back then, I would journey down to Horsham Library almost every weekend, and in among the stacks of paperbacks proudly piled on the counter would be a cassette tape – more often than not a Point Horror – that I would later listen to curled up in my cabin bed; in my imagination there would be a gale blowing outside; or perhaps my memory is a rose tinted one and the listening to said cassettes was a far more mundane experience.

And so it was, when I first found out about BookBeat when perusing the pages of The Travel Hack, that I decided to rediscover the art of literary listening, to find out if it was still a past-time I’d enjoy, and one that would help me foster my love of books, whichever form they come in.

One thing I loved about using BookBeat, was that in a sense, it fell like browsing for books in a traditional bookshop; the shelves were there, as were the various genres – from fiction to fantasy; from best sellers to editors picks – to classics and beyond. And, much like when perusing the shelves of a bricks and mortar shop, not only did I spend a long while deciding which book to chose; I was also swayed by front covers, and my first audiobook ended up being the eye-catching Lagom by Niki Bratmark.

It was an odd sensation at first; listening to a book and being able to get on with other day to day mundanities at the same time; but I quickly grew to love it. It came in particularly useful on the days that my eyes were frazzled from a day spent tapping away on my laptop, and I no longer had the mental capacity to digest the words on a page. That listening to an audiobook is more of a passive past-time than turning the pages of a well-worn tome made it all the more indulgent, and lighting a candle and curling up with a cup of tea as I escape into the magic of books has become my very favourite way to start – or end – my day.

BookBeat’s unlimited listening feature is perfect for ardent readers, and the choice of audiobooks is both ample and wide-ranging. Whether there’s a classic you’ve been meaning to tick off your list for a while, or are keen to get your hands on the latest in personal development, BookBeat has something for everyone.

The perfect way to double your reading time, up your book game and fall back in love with the magic of storytelling, you might just find yourself under the spell of audiobooks thanks to BookBeat.

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