Reading Versus Listening
A few days ago, I was with a three other authors answering questions about books and writing at a local bookstore. Big fun, of course. I love hearing the variety of different answers and opinions. Anyway, a teacher in the audience asked each of us to share what we were reading. Many of the authors admitted to listening to books rather than reading them. Wow, I thought, what am I missing? The truth is, I can't get into audio books. Believe me, I've tried. For me, there is something engaging about holding a book or an e-reader and letting my eyes scan the text. I zone out when listening to a book. I guess I can't get into a story unless my eyes are playing along with my brain, but it would be great if I could lose myself in a novel while driving or exercising or doing some chore that insists on getting done, or after a long day of staring at a computer screen.
How about you? Do you ever listen to books? What are your thoughts and opinions on audio books. Do you ever prefer listening to a story rather than reading it? Do tell. : )
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Your take on this is really interesting, Linda. And I'm envious! I would love to be able to listen to a good book while driving. I think I must be too much of a visual learner. Thanks for commenting and happy reading! : )
What I've discovered about myself is that I prefer some books for audio and others are more enjoyable reading traditionally. Huge books with other worlds and large casts work really well for me as audio books. I am more patient, not skimming, and take in more while driving. But books with a single focus, more emotional, touch me more if I read the words. So basically, if I want to travel to a magical place, I choose an audio book. But if I want to look into my own heart and share someone else's emotions, I need to touch paper and consume words.
I recently finished the Steig Laarson trilogy on audio and started reading a paperback YA titled THE LIAR SOCIETY. I love books (g)