Celeste Barber teams up with Audible to challenge Aussies to get 'booky'

Sydney NSW, Australia—Queen of comedy, Celeste Barber has said #ChallengeAccepted to helping time-stretched Aussies get books back into their busy lives, signing on to Audible’s new campaign alongside culinary sensation, Poh Ling Yeow, and busy stay-at-home Dad, Clarke Gayford.

Once upon a time, Australians could get lost in a good book, but our increasingly hectic schedules are getting in the way. Recent research by Audible found two thirds (66 per cent) of Aussies have at least one book on their “to read” wish list, while many (62 per cent) don’t read at all simply because they don’t feel they have the time.

In true Celeste style, Barber shows it’s possible to turn this reality on its head, all with the help of Audible – books that fit in with real life. Whether it’s the chaos of a family car trip, finding time to relax with ‘Hot Husband’ or while squeezing in a session at the gym, in Audible’s new campaign, Celeste shows that it’s possible to rediscover the joy of books anywhere, anytime.

The Instagram sensation is joined by familiar faces, including MasterChef star, Poh Ling Yeow, who whips up a Hemingway-inspired soufflé, and Clarke Gayford, who folds a good book into his daily routine of laundry, bouncing his bub and handling his housework like a true stay-at-home hero.

Celeste Barber says: “I love a good book as much as the next person, but when you’re busy screaming at your children, staring at your shirtless hot husband and becoming an internationally renowned author, it can be hard to find the time. Rather than risk being crushed under the 200 unread books piled on my nightstand, I can take matters into my own hands with Audible and I’m almost half as well read as I pretend to be.”

Clarke Gayford says: “Between spending quality dad time, taking Rex the sheep for a walk or fitting in a spot of fishing, I’d started to see similarities between my reading habit and the last Kingfish I tried to catch - it would forever be the one that got away. Now I can get my dad duties done and go on Audible adventures whenever I have a spare minute.”

Poh Ling Yeow says: “When you’ve got a lot on the boil, books pretty much get the chop. Audible is the perfect recipe for a busy lifestyle, allowing me to multitask to the max in the kitchen and produce my most inspired work.”

Leanne Cartwright-Bradford, Country Manager of Audible Australia and New Zealand, says: “People are becoming busier, and too often we hear that it’s our reading habits that go out the window. Audible is here to take the pressure off and help busy Australians rediscover the joy of books. Audible customers listen to 22 books on average per year, ticking off their literary wish list during the commute, doing housework, in the car with the kids and before bed.”

To celebrate the new campaign, Celeste, Poh and Clarke have put together a list of their favourite listens on Audible, and with over 400,000 titles, there is something for everyone:

Celeste Barber

• Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Eric Idle
• Becoming – Michelle Obama
• Bossypants – Tina Fey
• Breath – Tim Winton
• Do You Mind If I Cancel? (Things That Still Annoy Me) – Gary Janetti
• Life Will Be the Death of Me…And You Too! – Chelsea Handler
• Matilda – Roald Dahl
• The Handmaids Tale – Margaret Atwood
• The Subtle Art if Not Giving a F*ck – Mark Manson
• Yes Please – Amy Poehler

Clarke Gayford

• Born a Crime – Trevor Noah
• Challenge Accepted! – Celeste Barber
• David Attenborough - Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster – David Attenborough
• Dishonesty is the Second-Best Policy – David Mitchell
• Gotta Get Theroux This – Louis Theroux
• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
• How Not to F*ck Up Your Kids Too Bad – Stephen Marche
• Life – Keith Richards
• Talking to Strangers – Malcolm Gladwell
• The Resilience Project: Finding Happiness Through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness – Hugh van Cuylenburg

Poh Ling Yeow

• A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius – Dave Eggers
• At Home in the World: A Memoir – Joyce Maynard
• Call Me by Your Name – André Aciman
• Catch and Kill – Ronan Farrow
• Chocky – John Wyndham
• Medium Raw – Anthony Bourdain
• Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat – Samin Nosrat
• Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari
• The Garden of Eden – Ernest Hemingway
• The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell

Other key takeaways from Audible’s recent research include:

• How many? A third of Australians (6.6 million) listen to audiobooks, with millennials leading the listening charge. More than half of millennials (55 per cent) already listen to audiobooks.
• Multi-tasking to the max: Of those already listening to audiobooks, 90 per cent agree that it allows them to multitask or be more efficient.
• Mental stimulation on the move: Aussies would most commonly consider listening to an audiobook while on a flight (38 per cent), and road tripping or on a long drive (32 per cent).
• Me-time, please: Nearly 1 in 3 Aussies (29 per cent) would consider listening to an audiobook when they want some ‘me time’. A similar number (36 per cent) would listen relaxing at home.
• Celebrity-centric: Two thirds (65 per cent) of Aussies would be more likely to listen to an audiobook narrated by a celebrity. Our favourites are Morgan Freeman (41 per cent), David Attenborough (34 per cent), Barack Obama (24 per cent) and Stephen Fry (22 per cent).
• Keep up with culture: Aussies most often wish they had read the Game of Thrones series (23 per cent), The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (22 per cent), and The Barefoot Investor (22 per cent).