When was the last time you read a book purely for enjoyment?

Most likely, your answer is “never.”

According to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, almost half of Americans between 18 and 24 years old never read books for pleasure. Furthermore, the average person between 15 and 24 years of age spends approximately 2.5 hours a day watching TV and seven minutes reading.

In other words, most college students prefer slapping buttons on plastic guitars or watching twiggy models display oversized clothes to reading bestsellers.

Literary authorities speculate about why national adult and young adult readership has decreased over the past decade. Many blame the visual distractions of video games or television. Others insist that the succinctness of Internet articles makes it difficult for modern readers to adjust to longer, more intricate novels.

But for college students struggling with balancing homework, part-time jobs and other responsibilities, I recommend the audiobook.

For those unfamiliar with audiobooks, they essentially consist of someone reading a story out loud, using different voices and accents for different characters. And while audiobooks are basically the adult counterpart to bedtime stories, they are also convenient opportunities to enjoy everything from murder mysteries to National Book Award winners.

And audiobooks are highly popular. Open Book Publishing estimates the retail market for audiobooks at about $2 billion, which is larger than that for mass market paperbacks. This means that virtually every modern bestseller published nowadays has an audiobook counterpart, making it easier to absorb cutting-edge American literature.

Due to their popularity, it’s very easy to obtain an audiobook. Popular Web sites like iTunes or Amazon.com have audiobooks available for instant download at a cost only slightly higher than a paperback novel.

Personally, I recommend borrowing audiobooks from your local public library because they’re free. (Unfortunately, the ASU library system doesn’t have audiobooks.) All it takes is simply burning audiobook CDs onto your computer and converting them to readable file formats for your iPod or portable MP3 player.

Once they’ve been transferred to a portable MP3 player, listening to audiobooks is remarkably convenient. Anytime you aren’t engaged in doing something thought provoking is an excellent opportunity to start listening. Some examples include: driving to and from campus, walking from class to class, eating meals on campus and doing household chores.

And audiobook listening is addictive, too. I’ve found that I look forward to performing menial tasks such as washing dishes or doing laundry because it enables me to listen to my audiobook. I’m not alone, either. According to MarketWatch, audiobook listeners listen to books an average of 4.9 hours per week. And considering that audiobooks are usually about 12 hours long, that’s an impressive accomplishment.

Beth Staples, managing editor of the Hayden’s Ferry Review, a literary journal published by ASU, supports using audiobooks to help college students absorb literature.

“Any way people can get other people excited about reading is fine,” said Staples. She encourages everybody to try finding the most interesting writing available in whatever ways possible.

If you’re one of those students who have seemingly no available time to read for enjoyment, remember this: Sometimes listening is the best option.

David can’t listen to your comments because he’s currently listening to his audiobook. Instead, submit your comments in writing to david.k.edwards.1@asu.edu.