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 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.
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 use audiobooks to fill in time when I can’t read, like driving and what not.
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.
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.
