Photo credit: arstechnica.com
At House Hutchinson, audiobooks are a cherished part of our daily routine. My wife and I frequently immerse ourselves in various titles while managing our day-to-day tasks. Over the years, we’ve amassed a collection of more than 300 audiobooks, sourced predominantly from online platforms like Audible and older physical formats, primarily “books on tape,” which are mostly housed on CDs. While I enjoy the process of converting these to digital files and integrating them into the Books app on my Mac, my wife prefers the convenience of Audible’s app for its speed and ease of access, despite occasional functionality issues.
Recently, however, the Audible app encountered a significant problem. When trying to access the “Library” section, it displayed nothing but a perpetual loading icon. Despite attempts at common troubleshooting practices—such as logging in and out, reinstalling the app, and exploring various online forums for solutions—the issue persisted. This search yielded frustratingly little help, with many users echoing the same plight but little to no feedback from Audible or Amazon.
After exhausting these conventional solutions without success, I sought an alternative and found a lasting resolution with Audiobookshelf.
Audiobookshelf has proven to be an effective solution, seamlessly integrating my audiobooks with my wife’s.
Introduction to Audiobookshelf
Audiobookshelf serves as a self-hosted audiobook and podcast server, and after two weeks of use, it has consistently outperformed Audible’s app in terms of functionality and reliability. My wife can finally enjoy her audiobooks without encountering a frustrating loading screen.
To establish Audiobookshelf, you’ll need a computer that can work as a host; even an unused desktop should suffice as its system requirements are quite minimal. The software can be installed in two primary ways: through a Docker image or directly on either Windows or various Linux distributions. The latter option includes a repository to facilitate updates, streamlining maintenance by removing the need for manual installations.
Source
arstechnica.com