Both audiobooks and eBooks give us the opportunity to read books in different ways. Audiobooks have provided an easier way for us to get through the books we want to read but never have the time to. eBooks allowed us to carry around multiple books with us on one device so that we are never left bored. People usually have a preference to which one they use but with Kindle Unlimited, you don’t actually have to choose. You can actually listen to audiobooks with Kindle. If you don’t know how this article will give you simple steps to listen to audiobooks with Kindle Unlimited.
How to find Audiobooks on Kindle Unlimited
You can enjoy Kindle Unlimited audiobooks by simply looking for the ‘With Narration’ icon on Kindle book pages. You can also browse the catalogue of titles available with free audiobook companions. There are over 50,000 Kindle ebook titles that come with audiobook narration.
You can actually read and listen to the book at the same time. You might think that is a waste of time but it is great for kids learning to read or those learning a language.
Whispersync for Voice through Audible
Whispersync is a feature that will automatically sync your devices to the point you have read or listened to. This means you can switch from your eBook or audiobook and vice versa.
So, when you stop reading at night but want to listen to the same book on your drive to work in the morning, you don’t have to manually try and find the page you were on before you fell asleep. Pretty neat right?
How to set up Whispersync
- On your Kindle Reading App or Audible reading app, Start by downloading the audiobook you want to listen to. You can see which audiobooks are free by simply looking for the headphone icon. It will have “With Narration” attached to it.
- Once you have downloaded Audible narration, launch your desired audiobook. You can easily switch between listening to reading by simply clicking on the little book icon that will take you to the eBook version of your book and vice-versa.
- Sometimes, when you launch the desired audiobook, you will be prompted with an alert that gives you the last location of the audiobook. It will ask you if you want to go to that last location. Click okay. Once you click “OK” you will be taken to the last synced location of your Kindle Unlimited book. You canthen begin listening to your audiobook.
I should point out here that only free audiobooks will have the “With Narration” icon. Other audiobooks, will have Whispersync companions but will have to be paid for.
Listen to Kindle Books with Alexa
Yes, that’s right, you can ask Alexa to read to you. If you have an Amazon smart speaker Echo device, you can let the intelligent voice assistant Alexa to read you Kindle books. It is obviously not going be as great as the human narration provided by Audible, but it might be an option if there isn’t an audiobook available or you don’t want to pay for it. You can listen to certain Kindle titles with Alexa, including eligible books purchased from the Kindle store, borrowed from Kindle Owner’s Lending Library, borrowed from Kindle Unlimited or Prime Reading, and shared with you in your Family Library.
If you already read the book on another Kindle device, Alexa will pick up from where you left off last time.
As expected, you can control the book reading just with your voice. Here are the commands you can use:
- To start reading the book: “Alexa, play the Kindle book [title]”
- For controlling the playback: “Alexa, pause/skip/stop/resume”
- To control playback speed: “Alexa, speak slower/speak faster/speak at your default rate”
In conclusion, now that you know how to switch up the way you digest your books, there’s no such thing as not having time to read. Whether you are at home, or the gym or even shopping, there’s a way to read that book you’ve always wanted to. Reading has many benefits and can allow us to escape, learn, grow and teach others. Having a way to both read eBooks and listen to audiobooks is a major advantage! So, what are you waiting for? Start reading now! You can check out our reading lists for awesome book selections and our other articles about getting into reading habits again and how to love reading. Have fun!
