Can Alexa read audiobooks aloud? You need to know

Amazon's Alexa assistance system has a few tricks up its sleeve. For example, the voice assistant can announce the latest news to you or read out the weather forecast. Alexa's repertoire also includes reading audiobooks aloud. Find out how you can have Alexa read audiobooks aloud.

Listen to audiobooks via Alexa: How it works

In order for Alexa to play audiobooks, you must have the title you want in your Audible library or own it as part of Kindle Unlimited. You don't need an active Audible subscription to play audiobooks that are in your library.You can start playback using a variety of voice commands:

• "Play the book, [title]."
• "Read [title] aloud."
• "Play the audiobook, [title]."
• "Play [title] through Audible."

If you want to pause playback, it works by saying "pause". To have Alexa resume the audiobook, simply say "Resume my book." Playback will then start from the previously stopped point.

How to control audiobook playback

In addition to "Start" and "Stop," there are other voice commands that are useful when listening to an audiobook with Alexa.

• The "Fast Forward" and "Rewind" commands allow you to fast-forward and rewind the audiobook by 30 seconds.
• If you want to jump to a chapter, this works via the voice command "Go to chapter [no.]".
• To jump back and forth between chapters, use the commands "Next chapter" or "Previous chapter".
• Say "Restart", the current chapter will be started from the beginning.