How do you feel about audiobooks?
A pretty vague question I know, but I'm not looking for any specific answer. I'm just curious what peoples thoughts are on audiobooks. Perhaps how you think they compare to paper books or how listening compares to reading. Any thoughts you have on the subject is welcome.
I really like audio books for long drives. I've gotten through a ton of classics that I never would have sat down and read. A great narration can make a book come alive, but even a mediocre one is fine to experience the story.
I love audiobooks. I used to have a 2.5 hour commute and audiobooks saved my life. The science fiction and fantasy books I was able to listen to were top notch as was the narration.
Wow, 2.5 hour commute seems wild to me. I spend 10-15 minutes in the car to get to work and have been thinking about moving closer so I can bike. đź‘€
It was not sustainable and eventually they let me work from home.
I love them, they're great for listening to while going for walks, while cleaning, or just doing things that don't take alot of mental effort. I think audiobooks get kind of shit on for being "lazy", but if anything, they're a "purer" form of storytelling than books themselves. Oral storytelling is probably one of the oldest art forms out there, and audiobooks are a sort of modern adaptation of this.
I can’t do them
I zone out and miss entire chapters pretty much any time I try. I also find pacing much too slow and most narrators just aren’t pleasant to listen to imo.
Know plenty of people who love them though, and as long as it increases literary reach then they’re only a good thing.
Same here. It's just insanely slow compared to reading, so I just can't cope with them. They're popular though and now that they're available on so many supports, they're at least helping books stay alive, so that's good.
I prefer them. It adds a lot of extra time to my day to slide books in. The simplicity of paper/ebooks is great, but I rarely find time to only read
Here's the thing about paper books; they're like vinyl. I love everything about them. I love the feel, I love the smell, I love the sensation of running your finger down a page. Just like I love vinyl; the way you have to handle each disk with care, blowing off the dust and gently setting the needle in the groove. The pop and hiss as it turns.
But I can't bring a record player in my car, any more than I can read a book while driving.
Life is busy, and complicated, and paper books are slow and simple.
For me, switching to audiobooks meant that I read more in weeks than I had in years before. That's really all that matters. The words are the same, the box just isn't as pretty. I love the pretty box, but I'll give it up to get the words.
I occasionally buy a hardcover of a book I listened to on audiobook if I really liked it. Sometimes I'll even switch back and forth on the same book depending on if I have the time to sit down and read paper.
I’ve been doing this for the more complex books with a lot of world building.
I started listening to A Song of Ice and Fire audiobooks while doing yardwork. It's a lot more passive than reading a book, but you get most of the same information.
Only criticisms, it's not as obvious when someone is talking without seeing quotation marks and there's some clever wordplay you might miss out on.
Example: I thought A Clash of Kings was saying Stannis's banner had a hart (male deer)instead of a stag and I didn't get what the distinction was. Obviously, it turned out they were referring to a heart.
I have found that I cannot concentrate on content if I am only listening to it. I think this is probably because I am not good at multi-tasking. So I listen to audiobooks of books which I have already read before, so that if I miss some point it won't make a lot of difference. In my case listening to audiobooks is particularly helpful when I have a headache accompanied by eye strain. I just close my eyes and listen to any of my favourite books.
Audiobooks are fantastic imo, without them I wouldn't have gotten though so many books. I have a 30 minute commute to and from work and this is when I listen to them. At home I don't have the time to read or listen to a book, my hands are full with two wild children and the house work that comes from them.
Normal audiobooks that hare read by a single individual was hard from me to to get into at first, then I found GraphicAudio. They have a full cast of voices to fit each character and it truly makes listening enjoyable.
I commute two hours a day and have a fairly passive desk job so audio books are awesome for me. I just listened to The Martian and loved it, and also listened to the first 15 lives of Harry August. I also listened to Enders Game at my last job. I really enjoyed all of them.
I agree with some opinions that you don't form your own voices in your head, but in some cases for me that was nice. For instance I didn't really consider the ethnicity of some of the characters in both Enders Game and The Martian. That has an impact on the story that frankly I forget about once I've moved on a few chapters from it being mentioned.
I think I am in the same boat as a lot of people here. I don't use them personally but I am glad they exist for those that do use them.
I love them in theory but every time I've tried it out it hasn't gone right, like the narrator's voice just wasn't doing it for me. It's a shame because I think I'd get a lot more reading done otherwise.
If you want to try one again consider Children of Hurin. Narrated by Sir Christopher Lee. It's like getting a history lesson by Saruman.
I love audiobooks and audio shows. I don't mind reading, but I spend too much time looking at screens, so that's a great way to rest the eyes, especially when such sick in bed. Or when not sick, I can do other things while listening, like cook.
Also lots of productions have audio effects, music etc, which can enhance the experience. Some people don't like it, but I've started with audiobooks with Star Wars books, and how awesome it is to start a book with that iconic SW music?
Main disadvantage of audiobooks is difficult searching. If you remember hearing something and want to get back to it, it's a lot more difficult. Also especially with sci-fi themes, you don't get to know how things are spelled, making it hard to look up.
Most of my "reading" is via audiobooks so I'm a fan. I'm busy and don't have a lot of time to sit and read, but I spend hours every day on activities that don't require my full focus. Audiobooks are a great way to make the time go by faster.
Listening to an audiobook feels different than reading, but a good narrator can create an engaging and immersive experience.
As someone with aphantasia (can't visualize) and no inner voice, I prefer audiobooks, if the narrator is even mediocre. They also work well with my ADHD, since I struggle with mental tasks without multitasking - audiobooks help me do the chores and commute - even if I don't remember the audiobook lol. I frequently have to rewind.
Audiobooks are hard because my brain wanders. I have trouble when my mind wanders and I don't pay attention to the story. Eventually, I snap back into focus and I don't know how far back I have to rewind the audiobook to find my place again.
My wife and I are both devoted readers and read dozens of books every year. However, about 7 years ago I took a job that made me commute 50 miles a day.
I also love to listen to music, but the 30 minute to 1 plus hour drive each way was boring as hell. So I decided to look into audio books and the first one I listened to was "Leviathan Wakes" book 1 of "The Expanse." I went from hating my commute every day, to actually slowing down and taking more time to consume more books.
I love audio books now and have listened to hundreds over the last several years. I still read books of course and my wife has not listened to audio books with any consistency, unless we are traveling. Audio books are excellent at keeping the kids entertained on those long trips to see family.
My wife and I often read the same books and series and we discuss them at length. I have not found any difference in my ability to understand and debate the material, whether I've read or listened to it. I do find it a bit easier to remember smaller details if I've read it, other than that there is little difference. At least for me.
I have read hundreds of books since my 'discovery' of audio books about 15 years ago.
I have read books of genres I would never ever be able to physically read.
They have helped save my sanity - possibly my life.
I am a better human now because of them.
I suggest them to everyone.
My wife and I have basically replaced TV with audiobooks. We get to read a book together and we can do something while listening.
I love them.
I can't keep my focus for a long time when I am listening to an audiobook. I drift away easily. I read everyday on my e-reader and I have no trouble focusing even when extremely tired. Listening to an audiobook makes me fall asleep.
This is my biggest problem, but my eyesight is worse even with corrective glasses. I just listen a chapter at a time, it’s the only way I can do it.
When I was a kid we used to have audiobooks in the car on long car journeys and that was brilliant.
But at some point I lost that part of my brain which can retain information like that because even if I know I'm finding the story interesting, these days I'm more likely to find my mind wandering and thinking about what to cook, other things that need doing and I just can't get it. I think maybe because I'm quite a fast reader it's a bit of a slower pace and my brain is waiting for them to hurry up.
What I do like though on audible is there's lots of dramas and comedies, usually from BBC but not always. So on commutes I'll listen to that sort of thing and it keeps me engaged.
But different things work for different people. I am definitely someone who takes in written information better whether it's reading for pleasure or work stuff
Yeah I'm similar, I can't really get into them if it's just someone reading, then I'd rather just be reading, but these audio-drama things with multiple actors and sound effects are great.
I used to have a boring data entry job and I listened to audiobooks every day. It was great. Now I mostly listen in the car or while doing chores. I kind of miss having those long lengths of time to listen.
I don't do them myself, but for some friends they're the only way they read or consume books, so i'm fine with them as it lets us discuss the same books.
Also, some folks with disabilities have an easier time if reading small text is hard.
I've gotten through almost all of the Dark Tower, books 11-13? Of WoT, stormlight archive book 1, all of Foundation?, All of Asoiaf, On audiobooks. I'd recommend them all as they each have great orators with unique voices for characters.
I used to work lawn care and it was perfect to basically read for 9 hours every day while getting paid.
These days it's way more desk work and unless I'm doing specific tasks which are rote, it's harder to do.
They have their place, but you'll read way faster than you'll listen.
Most books are in the 36-48 hours of listening range. Meanwhile I could bang out a book regular in about 24 pending distractions. I used to read a lot faster but found I was brimming a lot of content.
Is there a version of Foundation on audiobook that isn't from forever ago with a guy that sounds like he is a 1950s radio host?
Not that I've found, that's the version I listened to.
Most books 36-48 hours of listening? Hmm?
So here are the ones I've done in the past few weeks:
Project Hail Mary: 496 pages, audiobook 16 hours 11 minutes
The Martian: 416 pages, 10 hours 53 minutes
We are legion (We are Bob): 308 pages, 9 hours 30 minutes
So say about 30-40 pages per hour, which would put 36-48 hours at about 1100-1900 pages.
Oooh the bobiverse is so much fun
As you could tell from the books I listed... I read high fantasy and epics lol. Foundation was the lightest of the bunch but had the slowest reader.
Add in time you have to rewind because something important came up which actually required your attention. Easily 36+ hours. Way of Kings was a monster at 45:30. - 1007 pages.
The Wheel of Time series is made up of 11,898 pages. This amounts to an average of 793.20 pages per book in the series.
Not doing them all. First 4 which are the least page #s: 28:57. 28:23. 24:48, 41:13,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheDarkTower(series) - 224. 400. 512. 787. 714. 432. 845.
Frank Muller RIP then George Guidall 7:20, 12:47, 18:14, 27:35, 26:20, 14:09, 28:50.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundationseries - 255, 247, 210, 367, 356.
Via Audible Scott Brick: 8:37, 9:33, 9:21, 16:14, 18:44
The Way of Kings
The Stormlight Archive, Book 1
By: Brandon Sanderson
Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
Series: The Stormlight Archive, Book 1
Length: 45 hrs and 30 mins
I don’t retain as much when I listen. My mind wanders sometimes, or I get interrupted. Sometimes I listen while falling asleep.
For all these reasons I rewind a lot and replay the same sections more than once.
I know they are the main, or even, the only way some people engage in literature, so I'm glad they exist, but I personally don't use them.
It's strange but I feel like with audiobooks the information is transferred directly into my mind. With reading text I have to convert the text into words in my mind so it can then be understood. This is a nearly instant process and almost imperceptible, but it does make listening to an audiobook an easier form of reading with a higher level of comprehension for me. I can get the same from a paper book, but it takes a little bit more mental work to achieve the same level of comprehension.
Perhaps some people can look at a word and have it directly understood without thinking about how the word sounds. I probably can do that just fine for individual words, but when it comes to painting a complex scene in my head it just doesn't work without a bit more effort.
It's unfortunate because I have a misophonia problem and sounds, especially the sounds of peoples voices annoys me greatly. It's completely out of my control. I just hear specific sounds and I can feel my body getting anxious. Some voices cause this problem and others don't. I have no idea what about someones voice annoys me, but it is a completely involuntary reaction no amount of logical reasoning can get rid of.
Listen to Cyberpunk/science fiction novels nearly every morning on my walk. Have got through a few now.
Daemon 1 and 2
Difference engine
Snow crash
Nexus 1,2,3
Children of time
Altered Carbon
Dune
Cryotonomicon
I did read the Neuromancer novels but I do most of my "reading" audibly now.
I listen to audiobooks a lot, but mostly (like 95% of the time) I`m only listening to books that I've read as book previously. I love to dive back into these beloved stories again without needing to put in the extra time for reading them again. I hear them for example when I'm walking my dog (which is already like 1,5h each day).
Honestly I'm more of an ebook guy. However, there is something you can do with audiobooks that you can't really do with ebooks — experience them together with a small group of other people.
My first time listening to a book together with friends was over a car ride. But then, me and my friends got into this book series, and we listened to it together over Discord.
There's probably a neat parallel to be made with listening to a story around a campfire.
Nonetheless, mostly I stick to ebooks. There is something to be said for reading at your own pace, not the pace of the narrator.
I use audiobooks to fill in time when I can’t read, like driving and what not.
I like the idea, I’m just not willing to pay for it. I’m happy listening to a decent text-to-speech output, and I wish companies would stop making it difficult to do that.
Libby or other apps your library uses are great for free audiobooks. They don't have everything though.
Thanks!
I love audiobooks. They're easy to fit into found time, mostly as bed time reading, I just set it going and fall asleep. It's a win-win, if I'm constantly re-reading the same chapter it's because I'm getting lots of sleep. If I can't sleep, at least I'm getting through the book.
Reading a physical/e book means I'm awake with energy and willingness to do something, sure I could read, but I could be doing something else. I read a lot more as a kid, but I also had fewer responsibilities. Also less access to motorcycles, games consoles, bars etc.
I have always been an auditory learner. I get more information and can remember details easier by audio than i ever could by reading directly. Trying to physically read a book is a fantastic way for me to never finish it and quickly fall asleep.
I originally thought I would like them, but I apparently don't multitask very well. I lose the thread if I'm doing something else and I also apparently read much faster than people speak and I can't as easily skip passages like I can when I'm reading. Because of this, it just seems strange to sit still and listen to a book for hours straight. It should probably also feel weird to just sit still and read a book for hours at a time, but I guess I've normalized that.
I've never heard of anyone actually just sitting on the couch and listening to an audiobook while doing nothing else. It's usually while doing some other mundane activity that doesn't require much thought. Or at least something that doesn't require the language part of your brain so you can do them at the same time. I can't work and listen because my work involves thinking about words.
But at all times I am in the middle of a paper book and an audiobook. I listen to the audiobook when driving, doing chores and am in the shower. All other times I will read the paper book I am in the middle of.
Yeah, I know it's strange, but I have a hard time, say, cleaning the dishes and listening to something I want to concentrate on (i.e. I don't want to miss story beats because I got caught up in what I was doing). I usually lose the thread if I don't listen to it, or I bounce off of listening to it because it goes so slow. Even chores that require no language processing. I would end up cleaning the same dish again or something.
I think it might be related to my having aphantasia. I can't visualize anything, and I don't have an audible internal monologue so I'm not really used to multitasking what I'm seeing internally with what's going on in the outside world. If I'm watching an youtube video, I'm just sitting there watching it and not doing something else on the computer at the same time. I've watched podcast videos where there's just a static picture, and I'm still just sitting there staring at the screen listening to it.
I'm weird, I guess.
I prefer reading and having a book in my hands, don't know why but it's just a better experience for me.
I picked up Audible since I would have some long drives at my previous job. Now I use it for falling asleep. I put on a book, set the timer for 45 minutes and then the next night I just back it up to the last thing I recognize and reset the timer.
I know he isn’t supposed to be likable, but whoever chose the VA for Paul Atredes needs to find a different line of work
With the right narrator, I absolutely love them. The lady and I listen to them after work most nights. It lets us both do our own thing, but also have some shared experience. Better than TV, anyway.
Useless since I don't remember what the narrator says a minute after he said something. Plus I take notes when reading so I tend to copy paste.
When I'm reading a book I can't remember what I read a minute after I read it, so it's much if a muchness to me, audio or reading.
Depends on what you like. Obviously they're easier to consume during commute and doing chores. And from being little kids, people like someone to read a book to them.
I always wonder what exactly people like on them. (And I can't empathize with the experiences they describe.)
For me they are annoying, in that I need an empty room or headphones; way too slow; non-responsive in that I need to follow their rithym. They need as much concentration as reading (maybe more, depends on the narrator), specialized equipment (the headphones), and a lot more time.
I get that you feel this way, very occasionally I still feel that with some narrators or authors.
I had to put in conscious effort with my first audiobooks too though. All that I need now is to clearly understand the narrator and have nothing I need to actively focus on. So it's so easy to do while cleaning, cooking, driving, working in the garden etc.
I can also just put them on when going to bed and set the timer to 15 minutes. I accept that I might have to rewind a couple of minutes. I heavily prefer it over holding a real book in my hands and ruining it in my bed.
The biggest downside for me is that I dislike some narrators, which is annoying when you know you like the author's work.
I can also just put them on when going to bed and set the timer to 15 minutes.
Hum... I get the idea, but if I did that, I would just sleep 15 minutes later than otherwise. The "sleep doing some activity" is also something I'm unable to relate :)
But then, a lot of people do it.
Did you like being read to as a kid? I loved it and it’s a bit like that for me. With a good narrator at least.
When I listen to audiobooks it’s usually while driving or doing chores. I have my car stereo and my earbuds anyway so there’s no additional investment on that end.
I do thing some books and some narrators are more suitable than others but for me it’s a great way to enjoy books where I normally wouldn’t.
Love them have one going anytime I am in the car comuting to work.
In general, I don't like people talking at me as entertainment, so audio books and podcasts are not my thing.
They're an every day thing for me. Doing housework, walking the dog, gardening, all wonderful times to take in a book when I'm doing things with my hands but not really my brain. I also keep a library of comfort books, podcasts, YouTube videos and other things it's okay to phase in and out of and listen to them as I'm drifting off to sleep.
Apparently I got old enough to require reading glasses now (FML) - so reading before bed isn't as easy an option.
So I found audiobooks via my local library (in the U.S.) that I can just download - w00t!
I still PREFER the old "dead-tree" format, but audiobooks have become a replacement.
And don't forget - you can increase the speed of the narrator if you feel like their speaking-cadence is too slow.
Requires it be both a good book and an awesome narrator. No fricking Wil Wheaton!!! Just shut up Wesley!!!
I think listening to a book is inherently different than reading. With paper-reading, jumping back is easy, as is slowing down and speeding up. But that’s close to impossible for audiobooks. Thus books that work well with audiobooks are books that are written too be read at a constant pace and not require going back on. I think novels for that description, but I struggled to listen to non-fiction and I wouldn’t try to listen to “hard” books either.
Personally, I can only listen to audiobooks when I am performing a repetitive task (mainly driving around). Otherwise I get distracted, either by the task or by my own thoughts. So I don’t use audiobooks much.
