By: Tiffany Wincek, Account Manager.

We’re experiencing a full weather transition here in Cleveland: a little over a week ago, the precipitation in the morning was so insulting that I claimed it was hating from the sky. The part-snow, part-rain, and part-hail assault caused me to legitimately forget the word sleet.

Three years ago, we hit a record when temperatures rose to 76 degrees on November 5th. Last year the thermometers plunged to 20 degrees on November 11th. November is an odd month in this town. Every day is a guessing game: will I need a light coat, a rainslicker, a heavy winter parka, a tauntaun?

This unpredictability inspired last year’s exploration of the 5 faces of fall and books to match their moods.

No matter the necessary outerwear, I’ve been relying heavily on audiobooks this month. They’re perfect companions for so much of what takes place during the weather change. Here are some of our favorite audiobook and autumn activity pairings:

Raking leaves or shoveling snow

Audiobooks turn mundane seasonal tasks into enjoyable escapes. A cozy mystery may be just the thing to keep you warm as you tidy up your yard, or perhaps something adventurous will propel you to jump into those piles of leaves (if you have to rake twice, you get to listen to your book for twice as long!).

Baking

‘Tis the season for baking delicious holiday treats like pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, pumpkin muffins, and a few delicacies that don’t include pumpkin (I guess). Popping in your earbuds and listening to an audiobook is a great way to do double duty. I’d suggest Molly Wizenberg’s A Homemade Life.

Writing a novel

What? Listening to an audiobook while writing a book? Not quite. November is National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo for short. The challenge is to complete a 50,000-word novella, from start to finish, between the first and last days of the month. I’m partaking for the first time this year and am on track; because I’m spending so much free time writing, I’ve fallen behind on my TBR list. I’m tackling the problem with audiobooks. Whether I’m getting ready in the morning, driving to work, or washing the dishes, I’m always enjoying my next great read and still maintaining my word count.

Working off the turkey

This time of year can lead to indulgence: leftover Halloween candy, large turkey dinners, and coworkers who bring tasty confections to the office regularly (I’m looking at you, Hannah). Most of us try to refocus on health at the start of the year, but try pairing an audiobook with your treadmill routine to get a jump-start on your resolutions!

Road trips

“Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go, with an old Volkswagen, three angsty pre-teens, and one labradoodle in tow.” That’s how that song goes, right? Audiobooks made road-tripping more fun for the entire family. Check out these titles the whole family will love.