Updated May 2021

(Original Post Date: 02-05-21)

This post has been updated to reflect titles for Haitian Heritage Month and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

This time last year, I made a promise to myself to listen to more books and I started the year off with a plan to "read" — in my case, listen — to more books. It was a pretty humble goal of two audiobooks a month, for one fiction & one non fiction. As a longtime Audible user, this seemed more than doable. I started the year reading The Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo and Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem by Daniel R. Day. By the end of the year, I'd listened to 57 titles — books & news digests combined — for a total of 67 hours.

While I'd planned on listening to more book titles by the end of the year, I can't say I'm disappointed either.

I listened to some really good titles — really insightful & entertaining titles. 

Having "survived" January, all things considered, I decided to make an Audible wishlist — literally & figuratively, and I'm kicking off my book tour with a nod to Black History Month.

I have always been impressed by the Audible library but even I was surprised at the very robust assortment of listens showcasing Black voices & the Black experience.

There's no guarantees I'll make it through every title on my list this month — and it's a very ambitious goal — but with it, I am also setting a goal of dedicating time in my day to just listen... a quiet hour. Typically I listen while multitasking — washing dishes, working out, cleaning around the house, etc. and that totally works for my lifestyle... it's why I love Audible in the first place!

My goal with a quiet hour, however, is to force myself to actually stop for an hour — no multitasking, no stopping & starting...but actually putting a stop to the hustle & bustle of the day to just be still. To help with creating stillness, I am being very intentional with the books I want to listen to — fiction and nonfiction — so that the time I set aside is spent truly decompressing & escaping.

Being still doesn't exactly come naturally to me...but I'm up for the challenge, especially with so many great titles available to listen to.