Audio books - an introduction

Do you listen to audio books? I'm normally a podcast listener but every now and then I love having something longer that I can really settle into - especially if I'm travelling lots or home alone.

Finding one you like though, can be a little bit tricky. It took me a little while to adjust to being read to but I've since listened to lots of great audio books, and really respect the special craft that is reading books out loud. Right now I'm listening to Helen Garner's latest book Everywhere I Look, and it's excellent because she reads it herself. Here are two more audio books read by their authors:

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

As for fiction, I often listen to books that I've been meaning to read but never got around to or use it as a way to try out new authors. Here are a few I've loved in the past:

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (which my friend Kristy recommended. It was a lot of fun)

And one more thing - I use BorrowBox from my local library, which I think most Australian libraries have. It's not the easiest catalogue to navigate but I've found and reserved lots of great titles for free.

A mini art library in Canberra

I've always wanted to stay at Hotel Hotel in Canberra, so last weekend we did the next best thing and visited for coffee. Afterwards we made a fun discovery - a small library packed with art and design books.

There were artist books, books about paper craft and contemporary Indonesian art, and an Italian cookbook too. Here's what I picked:

I love the concept and wish there were more spaces like this that are quiet, enriching and free :) I'll be back, especially now I know they change the books regularly. 

Do you ever buy art books? My most extravagant buy was a beautiful and hefty Juergen Teller photography book that I bought when I turned 27. I also own Sophie Calle's Double Game, which was such an addictive read, but most of the time I just browse :)