You might try increasing the narration speed. Many (most?) audiobooks are recorded at WPM comfortable for a narrator reading aloud for long periods of time but far slower than natural speech. Maybe your mind is wandering because the gap between words is too long for you to process aurally. Audiobook apps (like the Audible app, for instance) allow you to speed up playback without changing the pitch.

Agreed. I regularly listen to audiobooks at anywhere from 1.2x to 1.6x, and find that much more satisfying.

Frustratingly (for me) Audible only supports faster reading speeds on its mobile app.

Its webapp doesn't, neither does its Alexa skill, nor does iTunes (which is what it recommends if you download, since it can negotiate the DRM). Anything else requires ripping the DRM.

Many years ago I used to play Audible files on a 2nd generation iPod nano, and it supported speed adjustment for books too. That's still a mobile device, of course. But maybe it's an alternative? The only scenario I can think of where playing them in a mobile app is a problem is if you don't have a smartphone.

> The only scenario I can think of where playing them in a mobile app is a problem is if you don't have a smartphone.

What a thought!

But yes, and in the context of partial sight / blindness, smart phones are not great for accessibility.

I like to play tetris on lower levels while listening to audiobooks, it keeps me focused for some reason. There was another game, which I can't find at the moment... an OpenGL demo of a car at night driving down an infinite highway in a low polygon city. That was great for audiobooks.

It depends on how strong your urge to drift is, but doing some small physical task can help. Some ideas: household chores like washing dishes or folding laundry, going for a walk, going for a drive, maybe knitting?...

I love audiobooks but I can only stay focused while driving or walking. When I try them while sitting I either fall asleep or get distracted. It seems somehow they don't satisfy all senses.