The Great Gatsby question

I love to read. But, for the past 12 years, I've had a 4-5 hour daily commute. Yes, I said daily. I don't have a carbon footprint, I have a carbon crater. When you log 40,000 plus miles a year, audiobooks are a godsend. I use the traffic report as commercials. I've seen drivers texting, putting on make-up, singing and dancing with the radio, reading books and newspapers (crossword puzzles are popular), watching TV and cutting their toenails. These are drivers, not passengers. I won't include the guy who shot himself doing 65 mph because A) he was unique, B) I was a half mile behind him and didn't actually see him do it. With this peer group, I see no shame in listening to audiobooks.
Personally, I try to alternate between classics and non-fiction. I don't see any problem with either comprehension or retention. A good narrator can make or break an audiobook. Scott Brick is a particularly good reader and has multiple awards for his work. I found Jeremy Irons reading voice for "Lolita" was appropriately creepy and disturbing.
I think udiobooks for children and young adults are an excellent form of entertainment for roadtrips. I know some children get car/motion sick from reading in the car or staring out the window. I also found I could expose my daughter to books that she would not read despite being an excellent reader.
Are audiobooks destine to replace books (textual or ebooks)? No. But, if you've ever used the cliche "so many books, so little time", then dismiss the option of audiobooks - you deserve it.
Now, some books are beautifully written literature that is wordcrafted at a level that really should be experienced by reading. I've started audiobooks, only to put them aside for the paper edition. But, on the whole, 99% of the bestseller list is just as good on audiobooks. When read by the author, which is becoming more common, there is little doubt about where the author is placing the emphasis. David McCullough reading David McCullough, or David Sedaris reading David Sedaris, or Sarah Vowell reading Sarah Vowell. I own these books, but prefer to hear them read in the authors' voices.

I have always loved books and have collected and read many hundreds in my 70 odd years. I used to read at every opportunity, whether travelling, relaxing or before going to sleep. All this changed about ten years ago when I started my own, one man, one vehicle interstate transport business, driving mainly between Melbourne and Sydney two, often three, times a week, i.e., between 3,500 & 5,500 kms a week.

Naturally, my reading dropped from about a book a week to virtually nothing. When I was not driving, I was probably either eating or sleeping, leaving little time for my favourite pastime. Then I discovered audio books and what a change this has made to my life and to my sanity! I quickly "read" every audio book available from my local library, then from my regional library ... well not every book, there were plenty that I knew wouldn't interest me, and fairly soon I was buying them. This would have sent me broke because the cost of audio books in Australia is prohibitive, between $30 & $50 each book, but then my family gave me an Apple iPod and I was saved!

Now I download audio books, some from P2P networks, others from Amazon etc, and load them onto my iPod which I play through my vehicle audio system. I generally listen to one full book and part of a second each return trip, depending on the length of each book, "reading" three or four books a week. Listening to audio books does not appear to distract me any more than the radio does as I seem to be able to separate the driving part of my brain activity from the listening and understanding part. Sounds a bit weird, but I think I concentrate better on my driving while listening than when I am not.

The two main categories of audio book I listen to are fiction (mainly crime, mystery, action) and non-fiction (mainly the sciences - cosmology, physics, evolution, etc, and the philosophy of religion). I find literature (the classics, poetry, etc) a bit more difficult to concentrate on, although I keep trying. Generally, while driving, I want to either be entertained or informed, and my choices of books reflect this.

On my computer I list all my audio books by author under categories of Fiction, Non-fiction, Literature, Philosophy & Religion, and Science Fiction/Fantasy. Series are listed by number or date of publication and I always try to "read" an author's full works from the first publication to the last, but not all at once of course! Using iTunes, I always have about 100 books on my iPod at any time, giving me plenty of choice. Most readers use different "voices" for each character and this generally works well, particularly the English readers with their use of multiple British accents. I particularly like Stephen Fry's readings of the Harry Potter books - he is amazing!

Finally, a comment on my earlier statement about saving my sanity. Before audio books became a huge part of my working life, I found that I was spending my innumerable driving hours thinking. This in itself was a very good thing as I was able to come to grips with many issues that had had impacts on my life. I guess the major issue was religion (I spent a number of years training to become a priest), which in turn lead to the sciences, particularly physices evolution and cosmology (if no god, how did it all really begin, etc?). Over the years, however, I think this "thinking", while it was undoubtedly beneficial, was leading me, mentally, to places where I didn't really want to go as I started to question my abilities, my self-belief, focussing on my failures rather than the whole of my life's achievements, and so on. I'm not saying I was going bonkers, but I think I was giving myself too much time to think. And along came audio books!

I still read "real" books and always have at least two or three on the go, but my limited time, for the time being that is, means I must achieve my reading pleasure from audio books. Peace.

I love all the forms--audio, electronic and print. I sometimes start an audiobook then buy the ebook so I can reread it. Some of my favorite books were audio--Pillars of the Earth, World Without End. James Patterson books aren't worth reading but they are fun to listen to when you are doing other things. Audiobooks allow me to multitask and appreciate how the language sounds and how the dialogue is alive which I hope will make me a better writer in the long run. I must listen to as many books as I have read in the past year. Some books come alive when read aloud and would languish on my virtual bookshelf otherwise.

There is a perfect reason to use audiobooks even though your eyesight is 20/20. That reason is time.
Audiobooks take getting used to but while I have no time whatsoever to read books I can listen to them all the time - commute, house chores, work.

I have an hour drive to and from work & tried audio books thinking this would be a good use of my time, but I found them very irritating & couldnt concentrate on the story. Maybe I just chose the wrong books or the wrong reader. From the comments here a lot of people enjoy listening to their books. Maybe I will give it another go.

I took up audiobooks when my commute lengthened. My husband, who already had a longer commute, got me hooked. Now it's one reason I don't want to retire! I always have one going. If it's history or some sort of complicated nonfiction, though, it's best to have the book, as well. Luckily, Google Books prevents me from wanting to buy the "real" book to go along with each audiobook--I can usually find the quotes I want.

Sometimes the book's reader really adds to the experience--or the dramatization does. Think His Dark Materials trilogy (Golden Compass, etc.). Sometimes the reader is a minus and I have to filter out the impact.

I love being read to--which had ended when I was about six years old when my second younger sibling was born and my mother just got too busy for it.

Now I have been writing some myself, and it really eats into time for reading (in fact, time for everything else). But for audiobooks there is still time, while driving.
Hooray, audiobooks!

I love the smell of a new book, the anticipation of turning a page to find whats there. I love books and i especially love to READ them. the pleasure of walking into a book store for me unmatched. Granted there are technological advancements out there for busy people who dont have the time to sit down and read but I feel the impression one gains or even the perspective for that matter is not the same when someone else is reading it out to u, they put thier own emotions into it that u while reading it urself might not and that changes the effect/impact of the book

Lauren wrote: "Can we really get as much from a book if we listen to it being read aloud instead of reading it ourselves? I find when I am listening that I tend to disagree with how the person reading aloud makes..."

There is no one that enjoys actually reading a book more than I do however, I have found that audiobooks are a good substitute for reading when driving long distances and taking long walks. They definitely encourage me to walk regularly and walk further so I'm all for them in certain cases. As was mentioned above the reader can make a world of difference. I recently listened to a book set in Ireland, Faithful Place, & the reader (can't remember name) did an excellent job with the accent. I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much had I actually read it as we have a tendency to make words sound the way we talk & southern US speak sounds very diff than Irish. So bottom line, in my opinion any way you read (or hear) a book is a good thing.

I wouldn't be able to survive my commute if it wasn't for audiobooks. That said, the books I choose to listen to rather than read in a traditional manner tend to be plot heavy and not terribly deep. I don't mean that in a disparaging way, but while I'm driving I can't get lost in thought. It has to be easy to follow in case I miss a second or two of dialogue because I was avoiding a wreck! I also think the narrator makes all the difference. There are several books made more enjoyable by a good narrator, including some I would never "read" but are fun to listen to.

I love to read books. Audiobooks have their advantages though. Half of the audiobooks I listen to, I read the actual book as well. I have a few authors I only do on audiobook. I probably listen to about 8-12 audiobooks a year, some of them multiple times. In contrast, I've already read over 300 books this year.

Really good narrators, like Patrick Lawlor, Jim Frangione or Victor Slezak, can make a book even more memorable. You can sit back let it run through your mind like a movie. A less talented narrator (too slow, doesn't keep the voices straight, etc.) can definitely ruin an audiobook, though. Nothing knocks me out of the story faster than mispronunciation. (A pet peeve in real life, as well.) When I listen to a book, I can also do other things at the same time. I clean, cook, organize, work on a project or paperwork I've brought home. It makes the less pleasant tasks fly for me and I accomplish far more of the mundane things I need to do than I would've without something interesting to concentrate on.

Audiobooks are obviously not for everyone. If you are someone who really thought you'd enjoy them, but tried one & didn't like it, I would recommend getting one from your library with a different voice actor. You may still hate them, but you also might be pleasantly surprised.

The Great Gatsby is a book that I often listen to; of course, I read it many times and taught it, too. Fitzgerald's style and lyricism really come out when you listen to an audio version of this book. This book is a classic.

Lauren wrote: "Can we really get as much from a book if we listen to it being read aloud instead of reading it ourselves? I find when I am listening that I tend to disagree with how the person reading aloud makes..."

I find there is much more enjoyment when I read a book as compared to listening to one. Moreover, I find that when I listen I can easily get distracted, turn the volume up, and walk away. The next thing I know a chapter has been read and I didn't hear it.

If we are traveling long distances audio books are great since I get car sick, but I love the feel of a book in my hands and prefer the real thing.

I was weary of trying audibooks. I thought they were for old people haha. But I started a job at a data company where we're aloud to have our headphones in while we work and since I love to read I thought I'd try listening to some of the books on my to-read list. I love it. I listen to a new book every two days.

I love audio books, My only issue is that sometimes the voice actor reading the book is "wrong" purely personal, some voices grate, pronunciation is wrong, emphasis is place wrongly in a sentence. But with the exception of the grating voice, the others only happen if I've read the book previously.

I'm a visual person. I need to read with my eyes in order for me to keep up. I like the idea of audiobooks (they've helped a lot of my students, esp. those who are aural learners, get interested in literature, which is absolutely fantastic). However, they are not for me. I can follow a lecture just fine, but for literature, I like to skip back and reread certain passages, or I like to stop and think about what I'm reading (and yes, the 2 seconds it takes to reach for the pause button interrupts both the flow of my thoughts and my ability to get back into the audiobook after the pause, since I have to back it up a bit). When I'm reading, however, I can just shut my eyes or zone out, no interruption to the thought process, then pick right back up again where I left off, since my eyes tend to go right to the place I left off at, and I don't have to search for it.

So audio books are great for people who are aurally inclined, but as a visual person, they detract from my ability to fully experience and enjoy a book.

I love to read. I could lose myself in a book and be gone all day. Now a days, I'm aging and busier than in my younger years. I listen more than I read. I play books of all sorts to my goats as I'm milking each morning. Each has her own taste in readers but content is irrelevant to them. I love both forms audio and visual. :-)

I only listen to books that I have already read. If I try to listen a book on the first run-through, too often I lose my place and then have to rewind and pick up the thread again.

I enjoy hearing authors read their own work occasionally, for instance Douglas Adams reading Long Dark Tea Time of the soul is one of my favorite "listen" books. I don't often "listen", probably one out of a hundred books, but when I do, I've really enjoyed it.

I think it's a matter of personal preference. There are aural people and visual people. This is really true. Some people learn best with aural communication, some with visual. I learned what I was a long time ago in Tokyo when, in connection with my job, I had to take a six-week immersion course in Japanese. As anyone with Berlitz experience knows, all they do is aural. I found out that's just not the way I work. If I see something, it registers. If I just hear something it doesn't. I've never even been tempted by audio books, and since I don't have a long commute I don't feel that I'm wasting time.

The experience of reading a book versus listening to it are very different and they both have potential advantages and disadvantages.

I think that which experience is best depends upon the work in question, the quality of the adaptation and the reason that you're interested in the work in the first place.

The BEST experiences I've had with audiobooks were with some of the plays of Shakespeare. The language isn't easily read and understood by a novice and the actors doing the reading brought a lot of character and understanding to the lines they were reading. Listening to a Shakespeare play is also more diverting than simply listening to music while logging time on a stairmaster.

Another great experience that I had was with a popular best seller that I was only marginally interested in. I listened to the entire abridged version during a long night-time road trip and I enjoyed the story. It kept me more alert than simply listening to music would have and I got the sense of the novel without devoting the hours reading the full unabridged text would have required.

On the downside...
Last year I listened to an unabridged version of The Scarlet Letter and it was all I could do to finish it. The adaptation was not inspired and the work was NOT really suitable for absorbing in this fashion. I now think that reading the text would have been the better way to go.

I have also listened to an unabridged audiobook of the novel Twilight. It was enjoyable but since I'd already read the book, I was familiar with the story and hearing it aloud made clear several sections that could have been better written. It was a writing lesson from that perspective and I've learned a few lessons that will improve my writing as a result. So, my opinions on that one are mixed.

I listen to audio books every night (to help me sleep and not talk my husband to death!) and they are really brilliant. the reader needs to have an appropriate voice though. I thoroughly enjoy Jurassic Park and The Lost World (i have physically read both and enjoy them just as much on audio book). I still like the feeling of finishing a really good book and wont stop but audio books definitely have their place.

When I had an hour commute each way to work, I listened to a few audio books. The experience just isn't the same, it doesn't seem to engage that part of my brain which allows me to experience the story. I will always be a book reader rather than a book listener.

While I still read voraciously, I listen to ebooks when I run (I'm a distance runner). I no longer have a commute (yay for telecommuting to the day job) but I used to listen then as well.

Usually I don't find much difference between the audio and visual books, but I do find it frustrating when I can't flip back in the audio to refresh, who was that character?

My book, The Professor, was acquired by Audible – and I can’t bring myself to listen to it. What if the reader uses a different emphasis than I intended? I would find that incredibly frustrating as an author, but to anyone who might listen to it – hope you enjoy it!

I wouldn't be sane anymore without audiobooks!
I have to read all study books (university) in print form and it seems I don't have the time nor energy to read anything else. But as I spend twice a week 250km driving on highway + daily one hour commuting (I hate the noise in metro: a good book makes commuting bearable, even I have sometimes missed my stop...) I have a chance to "read" all those book I'd miss otherwise. My native language is Finnish*, but audiobooks in English are so much cheeper and easier to download to iPhone. I've been a member in audible.com for ten years already and I see no reason to quit!
*) Finnish audio books are seldom in MP3-format ;( - 'course I can convert them to it, but that's too much trouble.
Yet I do buy a "real" book on average twice a month.. They are waiting me on the night stand...

I had a stroke in my right eye, and I lost some of my vision for a couple of months. It was a real blessing to be able to listening to audiobooks at that time. It also helped to have a Kindle Fire. I can enlarge the font, and have a black background, so the light screen doesn't hurt my eyes.

I have always loved to read books. I started listening to audiobooks in the car. Now I listen to them before I nod off to sleep. Then I have to listen to the CD or cassette again, while I'm awake. I also love to garden, and I listen to audiobooks while I'm working in the yard. I read one book, and then I listened to it by a good narator. The narrator brought the characters alive for me. I have read all of the Harry Potter books, and I have since listened to all of them several times. There are things I get out of audibooks, that I don't get out of reading them, and visavera.

I tried listening to audiobooks while walking the dogs. I just couldn't do it. My mind would keep drifting off onto other things and I'd end up having to rewind repeatedly.

For me it kinda defeats the purpose of books. And it is the same as watching the film version instead of reading the book, IMO. I do think it's a good idea to have them though as there are certain people who for whatever reasons may not be able to read a book. I wouldn't purchase one though.


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There is nothing like the feel of a real book--especially a hard cover edition when reading for pleasure. Reading a book on book reader, while convenient and wonderful in itself, does not fully duplicate the experience of holding a real book for me. But as many other have noted, for those of us who commute significant distances to work or who travel significant distances for other reasons, audiobooks are a a gift from heaven. I would go insane if I had to commute listening only to the radio with inane programming and commercials accounting for nearly half of the content. Satellite radio does not do it for me either. And music CDs become tedious after a time if that is all one has. Because I do a lot of reading for work, filling the otherwise tedious, dead-time in the car with an eclectic mix of fiction and non fiction is a wonderful boon. Audiobooks rock!

I discovered audio books when I was doing very repetitive, mindless data entry. Listening to music or books helped keep me from losing my mind to boredom. Several people would rent them and share them with the room. I got to do a lot of reading I wouldn't normally have done.
Now I have an hour drive to work and I'm back to listening to books during my drive. I prefer print but my drive is much more bearable with the books.

I think if you DON'T have little kids in the car ALL the time, it could be feasable, and useful on long drives or commutes. But I am destined to reading the old fashioned way for years to come:) I think it shows children a great example when the see their parents with a book. My 9 year old likes to curl up next to me and read quietly before bed. You can't get that with audio. Just from a parents and a 1st grade teachers point of view.

I love reading :) but i also use audiobooks when i am on the go. Usually when out and about, pottering around the house or at the gym. I tend to by old classics that i know well and love.

But there is nothing better then sitting down with a book "A BOOK" not a Kindle or iPad....

I think that it depends on why you are reading or listening to the book.

For instance, reading some books that are extremely personal and are meant to make you think or feel new ways such as Jane Eyre or Frankenstein I would never consider listening to. You (or at least I) need to be able to read and re-read sentences and to stop and ponder them. There is something magical about the written word. And listening to it just doesn't have the same effect.

However, I listen to audiobooks frequently while cleaning house or traveling. Those light books that are fun. Mysteries and a few chick flicks. Nothing deep and just to pass the taime. So I would say it depends most assuradly on the type of book you are reading and the reason why you're reading it.

As a child, some of my earliest memories are of my grandmother reading to me. I have fond memories of teachers reading to me and of listening to stories on cassette with my little brother. I enjoy radio dramas. I'm a very auditory person.

However, I also LOVE paper books. I'm actually pretty sure at least some parts of heaven will smell like a room full of old books. So my first choice is to read a physical book.

BUT I am a full-time student and mother of four teenagers, so I stay fairly busy and a lot of my activities are necessary, but do not require a lot of focused thought. At these times, audiobooks are wonderful, wonderful things. Also, when my husband is not out of town, he often must go to bed very early. I can listen to an audiobook with headphones on in bed without disturbing him. They are also great when exercising. I can read a book and walk at the same time fairly proficiently, but I can't do it very fast. Walking while listening to an audiobook is more enjoyable and safer.

I'd read nearly constantly if I could and audiobooks come pretty close to allowing that.

I have nothing against audio books. If I commuted I might try them. They just don't work for me.

I can't concentrate too long when I listen to a book. I get distracted and I really hate it. Prefer reading.

I have a couple of perspectives on this. When I was very young I got hooked on the radio dramatizations of the Sherlock Holmes stories and I still thoroughly enjoy them. While those are dramatizations and simply narrations of the text, they were very similar.

I disagree with the people that say that you might as well not bother if you're not going to physically hold a book and turn the pages. That's a rather narrow opinion to me. Some books have to be held and read to be properly appreciated and some are better appreciated aloud, but I think both are valid ways of reading.

In education, we frequently read to students (I have read every novel this year to my high school students) because so much of how we understand language is oral. There's also the advantage of not just having a large vocabulary (which most avid readers have), but also knowing how to pronounce them (which most avid readers do not). Writers, the best writers, are wordsmiths and sometimes the only way to appreciate that skill is to hear it.

Having said that, not all authors are wordsmiths and not all readers are talented. Some audiobooks aren't very good because the weaknesses of the writing are more evident when they're read aloud, and some audiobooks aren't very good because the reader's style or delivery is poor or too heavy for as a listener.

Like every medium, it has its weaknesses, but audiobooks are definitely a legitimate way to read. I have many books that I've read physically and listened to and I find that my experience of them is only enhanced because of the multiple formats.

An interesting aspect of listening to audiobooks on long car trips is that long after listening to a book, I still associate it with some place that I was passing through at the time. For instance, I associate the Virginia Beach area with "The Egyptologist", and Birmingham with "Killing Mr. Watson". It works both ways. That is, as I approach Birmingham I start remembering "Mr. Watson. For me, listening is as good as reading, if the reader is somehow in tune with the tone of the book.

I have just started listening to audio books during my drive to work. I love listening to them and find it a productive use of time. I don't think it's quite the same as reading a book, but it helps me compleate more books than I would otherwise, and make my ride to work a bit better.

Audiobooks have been a godsend. In a day I will have perhaps 10-15 minutes to sit and read a book, usually before I fall asleep, and I am a slow reader. The rest of my time is filled with looking after my kids, housework, errands and writing. If I have to drive/walk somewhere or do some boring job like washing up/laundry I can now 'read' a book. I now get through books very quickly as a result. Some of the narrators out there are very talented actors, it's a joy to hear them bring a book to life. I'm fairly sure that books I might have given up on had they been text have been lifted considerably for being in audio, and as a result I have enjoyed them a lot more than I would have done.

What an awesome discussion on this topic. I do both read and listen to audio. I find polling other people on their interest in this area helps me to understand mostly that some people read, and if they do they may listen. If they do not read they'll generally have an endless supply of excuses of why they won't listen to books either. though their ability to read is never hindered when in regards to friend's comment posts on their social media blogs, or finding out about the latest reviews on their newest movie/video game/ television topic. Not to say one activity excludes the other, only that certain people do. I figure either you are or are not a reader/listener. The joy of the freedom to listen while doing other tasks is what keeps bringing me back to gratitude for the advancement of storytelling to the digital age. Although the pleasure of a quiet calm absorbing read can not be undone either.

I could not appreciate F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing until I read it for myself. I was just miserable when I had to listen to the recording. When I read it on my own, I loved the way he wrote and I find it quite eloquent. I was shocked to see how much of a difference it makes.

I love to read but find I have less time than ever to sit down and read. I've also always had jobs that require a lot of reading so even when I do have time, it's difficult for me to sit down and read for pleasure. I like audiobooks for my commute--they make the time spent in the car pass much more quickly. I recently found that when I use headphones and do house work, I accomplish so much more because I don't want to stop listening to my book! Finally, audiobooks keep me from turning on the television as much as I used to.

Audiobooks make my life so much better. My husband and I run a market garden farm and I spend most of my summer out in the field picking beans. I'm talking about picking from about 9am to 6 or 7pm. It's not the most stimulating of jobs and your own company can get old pretty quickly.

Once I discovered audiobooks and the supply of them at my local library I was hooked. Not only could I spend most of my summer 'reading' but I could get paid for doing it. Granted, I've been having to venture further and further afield from my favourite genres as I use up the supply at the library, but broadening your horizons is a good thing.

I love to use audio to "read" super long books. My husband gave me "Atlas Shrugged" in audio book form and I put it on my iPod. I love listening to audio books while at the grocery store because I hate grocery shopping. The only problem with this is yelling at John Galt in the grocery store is not advisable. Also, during certain parts I got so into the story I forgot what I was shopping for.

I cannot say I have listened to a book (only partially once I did not finish) but I have never thought much about doing that. I guess I was afraid that I would get so used to it that I would never read a book again and go through so many books without experiencing the reading aspect. I do not know if you lose anytype of "engagement" with the characters or plot. . . imo but don't take my word for it it probably doesn't change anything at all!

I tried audiobooks after Stephen King's recommendation of them in "On Writing" - which came around the same time that I stopped enjoying the music that was being played on the radio. I tend to stay away from Literature on audio, unless I have already read the book, because I don't understand as much, and it's too involved to "reread" a previous passage. So audiobooks is where I indulge my love of Genre fiction.
I agree that it is usually good when you can have the original author read their work - as an author, I love seeing what they emphasize in their performance. Michael Chabon reading "Summerland" and Neil Gaiman reading "Stardust" and "The Graveyard Book" are fantastic.
Sometimes a celebrity reader will give a good reading, as in Ethan Hawk reading "Slaughterhouse Five", or Elliot Gould reading "The Big Sleep".
Professional readers that consistently give extraordinary performances are Patrick Tull (The Aubrey/Maturin Series), George Guidell (Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series, and Elie Wiesel's "Night"), and Simon Vance (Steig Larsson's "Millenium Trilogy").
My only issue with audiobooks is their price. If my library doesn't have it - I'm not reading it.

Audiobooks can be helpful to pass the time on a long car trip or to entertain yourself while you clean the house.

The only problem is that they are SO SLOW. It takes hours and hours to listen to an audiobook, so I'm more likely to listen to part of a book on CD and then read the hard copy when I am able to.

Even in the case that the book is a total snooze fest, I can't tolerate listening to it. I feel as if I lose some connection with the text when I simply listen to it. Also, sometimes the speakers tend to drag, and the slow paces are just agonizing!