I love reading

When I was yonger, I always read paper books. I loved exploring my hometown's library to find new books, and when I bought a book at a store, I loved seeing my bookshelf collection grow. I always had a book with me, and being someone who loved books--especially those printed on paper--was a big part of my identity. E-readers such as the Kindle were popular when I was growing up, but I never wanted to read electronic books because I simply thought paper ones were better in every way.

Later, I would change my mind

Years later, I started working in Japan, and I'll never forget the first time I walked into a Japanese library. When I walked through the doors, I realized I couldn't read most of the books inside. Kanji was difficult for me, and I could never relax while reading a book in Japanese because I was always searching a dictionary for words I didn't know. In other words, when I moved to Japan, I, someone who always believed she was a good reader, became someone who couldn't read. Sometimes I found English books, but my nearby library only had a small collection, and paper ones were much more expensive to buy. This is when I discovered audiobooks.

At first, I didn't want to use them because for so many years I believed paper books were the best. But soon, I realized that if I listened to audiobooks, I could "read" while driving, making dinner or washing my dishes. I didn't have to pay for shipping costs, and I didn't have to wait for a book to be delivered. I could simply download a book and hear almost anything I wanted in English.

My new favorite books

Now, I've lived in Japan for five years. I like to read books in Japanese so I can study and increase my vocabulary, but when I want to read for fun, I listen to an audiobook.

My most recent listen was the novel Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I loved this book because the main character reminded me a lot of myself. We have the same name, we both like acting, and we're both attracted to beautiful nature. I don't know if I could have easily gotten this book where I live now if I didn't start listening to audiobooks.

I hope that one day I can read well enough in Japanese to effortlessly enjoy any paper book, but until then, I will keep studying and keep listening.