Audiobooks discussion
Archives
>
Read vs. Listen - How do you decide?
Regan wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Never heard of OneClick is it expensive? I just joined Audiobooks.com "OneClick is a software/cataloging program for audiobooks used by public libraries. The other system they use is..."
I'm fortunate that my library offers both OneClick and Overdrive, although I use Overdrive much more. That's the main reason I don't have a subscription to Audible anymore. I can get just about anything I want through some of those. THere are waiting periods for the really popular titles, but I usually have enough on my wish list to keep me busy. I also get books on CD through the library, then rip them and put them on my MP3 player. (And just delete them when I'm done with them.)
My library has one of the largest Overdrive collections in their system, and they're great about getting books on CD that aren't available otherwise. However, there are just enough audio offerings that are either unique to Audible, or close enough, to justify remaining a member.
I'll always prefer to read over listen, because I just find those brilliant audiobooks to be a much richer experience, but some books make poor audiobooks. Usually I first check for narrators I know and love and see what they're doing. If there's nothing I'm interested in there, I'll browse audiobook genres I'm interested in on Audible, or check Audiofile, and listen to samples until I find a voice/performance I don't want to stop listening to.
If I find that, I'll check the plot. There's books I want to read but if I don't like the narrator, or if I think the plot is too complex for me to follow in audio format (everything by China Miéville) it'll get added to my kindle instead.
If I'm all out of ideas of what to listen to next, I hit up my goodreads recommendations and see if any of them are on audible, and listen to samples, etc.
I should use audiobooks.com more but it had some issues with Chrome.
I prefer to read over listen but when I listen it is because I am driving my son and his friends to some tournament or race and honestly they are all a 12 hour drive each direction. So, I pick books that are going to be age appropriate for middle school but also likeable by whatever adults are in the car. When I am driving by myself on a long drive then I like books that don't require too much attention and if they have a unique voice then I love listening to them. (e.g. They're Eyes were Watching God - listening to the voice was better than reading). I just can't listen to anything too complicated so that is the driving force behind my choices.
Typically I get my audio books through Overdrive and the library.
Oh, and I was quite frustrated in how few french language audiobooks are available. My son is in French Immersion and I wanted to get some audiobooks so that he could listen and read along to help with getting the flow of language but there were so few available. I did finally find some Harry Potter on cd but that was quite cumbersome. I suspect that there is a unique marketing opportunity into the whole immersion language program.
Instead, Audible seems loaded with books in Swedish! Who knew there is such a huge market for that in the United States?
I do prefer read... But I live in e L.A. Area with a horrid commute, radio just drives me to road rage, mindless chatter and the same songs over and over, so I do audio books, get 95% of them from the library, makes the commute so great, and often have to sit and finish a chapter in the car before I go in to either the house or office. A wage freeze has cut into my book budget, so this helps and gives me the chance to try authors I may not read/listen to, and become a fan of now. And I agree with Shannon, often listening is often better than reading. My mother died 5 years ago, and when I got the call I could not get a flight out, so I drove.. Alone, 12 hours..... Audio books gave me something to listen to... Instead of my own voice says no, no, no.... She can't be gone. They really were a sanity saver
If a book exists in audio I will listen to it. It's just so much better of a use of time. I listen while walking, cleaning, driving, working, cooking, eating. I listen while my kids and husband talk to me (and I nod agreeably). I listen while my girlfriend or mother talk to me on the phone. (with help of mute button) (I hope they are not on this group)It is said multitasking doesn't really work, but I haven't been interviewed on this.
If I sit down to read a book the guilt is crushing...
I've been finding that a really good narrator can add to a book. Particularly with the classics such as Shakespeare and Dickens, the flow and emphasising of words by someone like Juliet Stephenson can really make it a rewarding listen. For books with quite complex story lines or a lot of characters i much prefer to read the book. In a book i can flick back and check a point, its harder on audio.
Last week I had quite a heated (alcohol induced) discussion at a dinner party with a friend who told me pointblank that listening to audio books was not proper reading. In fact he said "what's the difference to watching the movie? You are not actually READING the book, so you might as well catch the movie version if it exists". I thought that it was such a stupid thing to say that I was actually lost for words in response! Not a good thing. Some people I can argue with until I'm blue in the face, and they still say that if my eyes aren't moving across the written word on the page, I can not claim to have "read" the book. Well, technically they may be right, but I still think that I have a better memory of some books exactly because a great narrator read the story out loud to me much better than I could have read it to myself, and with their inflection I remember much more about it. What do you say in response to these audio book "haters", or don't they even deserve a response? :-)
A headbutt is considered a response.
J. wrote: "A headbutt is considered a response."Don't tempt me! I was one glass of wine away from responding like that.
LOL. How ignorant can you get? (Referring to Kats argumentative dinner guest)
I might point out to such a person the differeces between a movie version, however excellent, and an audiobook. You still use your own imagination to visualize the scenes, you still get the author's descriptions, dialogue, etc.
I'm over reading snobs. When you pick up a book you do so to enjoy a story or to learn something new. Whether you listen to the story or read thats your perogative and it has no impact on the words the author has written. All studies show that the cognitive requirements of listening are the same as reading and the comprehension levels are similar if not better. We learn and retain through both methods which is why we read to our children to help them to learn words and why our teachers speak and not just write on blackboards.I would point out to your friend that as an adult you have mastered the art of reading and have now evolved as a human being and can now read a book whilst doing something else at the same time.
you could point out that studies have shown that it takes more cognitive abilitys to listen and process audiobooks than strictly reading - because you have to listen, comprehend and process - which are in different parts of the brain - which is why audiobooks/oral learning is important for some people with learning disabilities
I think this may come from a point of view that audiobooks are some sort of abridged adaptations - point out that you heard every single word of the text.
I'm a working mom with busy kids. If I didn't listen to books while multi-tasking (commuting, walking, sorting laundry, etc.), I wouldn't be consuming more than 5 books a year. I'm too fried to crack a book (or turn on my Kindle) by the time my kids go to bed. The only time I read anything is if I'm sitting somewhere like one of my kids' practices. I used to be more defensive about the fact that I listen instead of read, but I'm over it. I've consumed over 130 books since I started listening to audiobooks in 2010. There are very few people I know with a similar lifestyle to me who can say they read that many books. And as many of you have said, I'm pretty convinced that audiobooks with good narrators make many (most?) book experiences much, much more enjoyable. I advocate the audiobook lifestyle to anyone who I hear lament the fact that they don't have enough time to read.
Kats wrote: "Last week I had quite a heated (alcohol induced) discussion at a dinner party with a friend who told me pointblank that listening to audio books was not proper reading. In fact he said "what's the..."You don't have to respond to anyone. F*** 'em is my response. If the audiobook grabs me, chances are, I'll probably read it anyway. But I sure as hell don't feel the need to justify listening to a book.
But it's a tough question. For me at least. I rarely listen to a book as carefully as I read it. It's just the way it is. I'm driving or cleaning the apartment or something when I'm listening. So I kind of pick and choose what I listen to. Having said that, some audiobooks, The Killing of Crazy Horse, The Day of the Jackal, The Grifters...really reached me as an audiobook. I'll probably go back and read them. I do a lot of books that I've read already, that I don't mind missing a sentence here or there. But man, I check out whatever I come across at the library. There are a few special ones that I know I'll go back to -- like some of the aforementioned -- and which I might even own in that form, but for books I love or I'm really excited about and haven't read before -- I'm probably still going to read them first.
Because of vision problems I do mostly listen and I love good narrators who make a good book even better. Some informational non fiction is better remembered when I read in print. And with some loved books I buy the printed book also to savor the language and skill of the author.
Well so far I have actually experienced the best of both worlds . . . listening to the audiobook while following along reading the eBook or print edition. Especially if it's a non- fiction book with detailed information. Kind of like stereo for the brain . . .
Some books I can't imagine them being as good in print as they were as audio books (e.g., Badass: A Relentless Onslaught of the Toughest Warlords, Vikings, Samurai, Pirates, Gunfighters, and Military Commanders to Ever Live, Beauty Queens) whereas there's some that haven't really worked as audio books, because of the content (many non-fiction science books). For fiction, I'll get an audio book without hesitation if I want that version, but I'll think carefully about non-fiction books.Rob Inglis' narration of The Hobbit really added to the book even though I've read it many times in print. I had the same experience with the production of Dune.
Tomerobber wrote: "Well so far I have actually experienced the best of both worlds . . . listening to the audiobook while following along reading the eBook or print edition. Especially if it's a non- fiction book wit..."I did that the other day with The Crucible. I was listening to a dramatised version and grabbed out my old school paper copy and sat there reading out aloud along with the voices. It was a lot of fun and yes i was alone in the house :).
Bobby wrote: "But it's a tough question. For me at least. I rarely listen to a book as carefully as I read it. It's just the way it is. I'm driving or cleaning the apartment or something when I'm listening. So I..."I'm glad you said this - I have also experienced this. Sometimes I start off listening while doing something and the next thing I know, I don't know what is happening and have to rewind quite a bit. The split focus doesn't always work...
Tomerobber wrote: "Well so far I have actually experienced the best of both worlds . . . listening to the audiobook while following along reading the eBook or print edition. Especially if it's a non- fiction book wit..."I like to do this too but, as someone mentioned in another topic, I have to really up the speed of the audiobook to keep up with my reading!
Tim wrote: "Rob Inglis' narration of The Hobbit really added to the book even though I've read it many times in print. I had the same experience with the production of Dune. ."I completely agree, and yes, some books just would not be as good in print;
in particular comes to mind - I probably wouldn't have finished it in print.Yesterday I read the first 3 books of Tamora Pierce's Circle series which begins with
. I've listened to one of the books in the spin-off series, so as I read I could pause and in my memory hear the voices of the various characters from the audio, which was fun. I chose to read rather than listen, since each book runs 5-6 hours in audio, and I read 3 of them in about that amount of time, and have started the 4th book.Listening is a multi-tasking thing for me. I can't just sit and listen; I need to be knitting, walking the dog, driving around on errands, or doing things around the house or garden.
It's a multi-tasking thing for me, too. I can read 4 books a week if I do it while driving, folding laundry, or other mindless tasks, but if I was to sit down in a quiet place to read a book, I'd read 4 books a year. I simply don't have the time.When people tell me that's not reading, I say something like:
"last week I listened to and reviewed Isaac Asimov's I, ROBOT. I'd be happy to show you my review. Would you really say that I haven't actually read I, ROBOT?"
When I put it that way, they will say that yes I have read I, ROBOT. That has always closed the case for me.
Kat wrote: "last week I listened to and reviewed Isaac Asimov's I, ROBOT. I'd be happy to show you my review. Would you really say that I haven't actually read I, ROBOT?"That's another great argument! I better work on some of my reviews now so that I can make that point, too! :-)
I look for books that I can listen to only. I mark books with no audiobook version as want to read. The reason for this is that I am always busy making homework. Audiobooks provide me the opportunity to watch a movie in my mind at the same time.
Sitting down with a book and reading that usually makes my neck hurt and eats my day away. (I do read faster then if I listen to an audiobook though. but I remember the audiobooks better then the book that I've read)
Audiobooks_Rock wrote: "I look for books that I can listen to only. I mark books with no audiobook version as want to read. The reason for this is that I am always busy making homework. Audiobooks provide me the opportu..."
You grade papers while listening to audiobooks? Wow - I can't split focus like that!
I used to have this huge monthly spreadsheet (20+ columns and 400+ lines) that I had to do at work - and couldn't do a majority of it until the last couple days of month - I did audiobooks all the time then to help me concentrate
Nearly all my pleasure reading these days is audio. Since I became a publisher, I find that what I *have* to read takes over, so when running and driving, it's audio every time...which means I read only things that are in audio.
Bobby wrote: "But it's a tough question. For me at least. I rarely listen to a book as carefully as I read it. "I have the opposite reaction ... I listen much more closely than I read. I read really fast, partly out of habit, and partly because my "sit down with a book" time is so limited, and so I've developed some (probably "bad") habits over the years ... skimming, skipping ahead, and my greatest sin ... reading the ending first. HA! Listening to an audiobook "forces" me to "read" it all, and no skipping ahead. It really helps me to concentrate on the story.
As for the decision to read or listen, I commute about two hours a day, and once I'm home, I'm immediately obligated to chores and other tasks. So, I pretty much stick to books these days that are available in audio. I just don't have the time to sit and read. Going the audio route lets me multi-task, and I find I much prefer it now. I pretty much have to already be invested in a series to sit down and read it in hardcopy or on my Kindle, and that usually happens because Book 1 came out in audio, and Book 2 didn't (I'm looking at YOU Josephine Angelini.) I know authors have little to no control over what does or doesn't get an audio treatment, but I HATE IT when a series starts in audio and then finishes in print only. GRRR. ARGH.
I mainly listen to audiobooks when I would like to read something but know I am not likely to get around to it. Thus, I listen often to classics, YA and nonfiction. Availability and the narrator do play a factor in what I listen to. I rarely buy a new audiobook most come from the library or UBS. There are, however, a few books or series that I have liked the narrator so much that I would opt for the audiobook over the written book. There are also a few that I would both read and listen to. Reading and listening to a book are two very different experiences to me (both a pleasure) and some books do lend themselves better to one or the other. I find that some of the audiobooks that I have enjoyed the most have been books I never would have chosen to read in the traditional fomat.
Lutzka wrote: "If a book exists in audio I will listen to it. It's just so much better of a use of time. I listen while walking, cleaning, driving, working, cooking, eating. I listen while my kids and husband tal..."Couldn't state it better, myself. I will beg, borrow, but not steal and sometimes wait quite awhile in order to obtain an entire series of books on audio. Unfortunately, I'm pretty much a "listen or read in order" nazi. Fortunately, I have a friend in the UK who is willing to loan his treasures to me as long as I send them back, and another buddy who lives in DC, who is willing to loan. I, also, have Overdrive from my libraries, and Audible.
I began reading when I was 2 or 3 years old. I'd sit in my daddy's lap and follow along with his finger as he read the Sunday Comics to me. My mother would do the same with hymns every Sunday morning. I'm not quite sure just when the squiggly dots and lines began to connect and make words, but it was extremely early. By the time I began kindergarten I was reading at a fifth grade level, so I really can't recall being unable to read, which is, I suppose, another reason I love just being read to, instead.
I read books and listen to audio..both...every week. It is rare that I don't have one or two audio books and 1 or 2 regular books going at the same time. I tend to listen to audio more when I am doing more busy work (I have an audio book in my ear when I am logging on to the PC for example), am working out or am in the car. If I have time to "read" I pick up a book. So I would never sit around, doing nothing and listen to an audio book.
I tend to read business books and finance books. I read anything that I think I will want to take notes on or highlight. Although if I am in the mood to cuddle up with a good book, I'll often grab fiction or biographies.
When I am working at the computer I listen to books that are a bit lighter so if I phase out for a bit I still know what is going on. I have been on a quest to "re-read" all of the classics as an adults and have in actuality "listened" to them while doing EZ work on the computer.
For longer car trips I listen to something light too. However, for the gym or shorter car trips I'll listen to something more educational (in general I am a non-fiction girl).
If a biography or memoir is read by the writer I always choose audio over the book. Hearing how the author says things really adds to the book, especially if it is someone like Dolly Parton.
oh...with that said...what I choose is probably more a factor of what I feel like reading at the moment, than the format. .. When I want to "read" I start by looking at what I have on hand or what is at the library (either at the library or online) and choose from there.
I have a huge library of books (absolutely ridiculous)in my home and on my kindle. I also buy at least 10 or so ebooks or audio books a month. I tend to buy if I see something I think I may like that is on special...when I want to read something I choose what is available, no matter what format.
I always have a ton of books, ebooks (or audiobooks) on hold at the library, so I am often reading or listening to what just came off hold.
since I love to travel and to be mobile I am trying to move away from hard copies of books and go to digital versions. I love the fact that I can have access to the 3000+ kindle books and the 30+ audible books I own and haven't read yet in my purse.
The way I listen to my books depends on where I get them. I often do audible books on my kindle, Overdrive books on my PC. Anything that I have in MP3 format goes on my Palm TX (ancient I know)...but even after purchasing 4 different MP3 players it is still the easiest to load and remove books. The Palm TX has an SD card so I can load the books directly to the card and then easily delete books when I am done. Its quicker and I don't have to worry about cleaning the hard drive of my phone, my PC and kindle as often. It also keeps my place when I pause an audio book and I can see the entire title and chapter of the book. I wish other phones, MP3 players and my kindle had SD cards it really is the way to go.
I'll often have an audio book going (a different one) on the computer, kindle and Palm...so my choice also depends on the format and the effort it takes to load and listen to the book.
If I have high hopes and/or expectations for the book I read it. I love audiobooks but there's an extent to where they're still kind of second-class citizen in my head. If I'm listening to the book, I'm probably doing something else. Cleaning my apartment, driving, something. Sometimes an audiobook is so good I have to go read the book as well. But yeah, if I think I'm just going to love the writing I read it. Sorry, I'm thinking as I write here. So, yeah, I think actually what happens is I pick up audiobooks based on if they sound interesting and I'm not going to miss so much the reading experience. Or if I've already read the book and loved it.
I started with audio books 2 years ago to occupy my mind on my commute, but I continued to read as well. Now I have a rather large "floaty" in my left eye which make reading very distracting. It looks sort of like a pac man running back and forth across the page. I function normally in every day tasks - I work full time, use a computer, drive a car, but reading for enjoyment is frustrating. I am so grateful for audiobooks. I can continue my love of reading. For me it is real reading.
@Donna - I agree that it is real reading! Sorry to hear about your vision problem but glad that audiobooks have been a winner for you! Happy listening :)
Donna wrote: "Now I have a rather large "floaty" in my left eye which make reading very distracting..."You get used to them and almost forget about them after a few years...stupid toxoplasmosis.
I have a difficult time sometimes following audiobooks if I haven't read the book before hand. I guess I just have to have the visual sometimes. I choose a book if I want to cuddle but if I want to work on something then its an audiobook.
I have always really needed the visual, so I still prefer reading, but I am gradually losing my vision, and I began to listen as a way of training my ear. In the future this may be my lifesaver. I do think listening works best for memoir or fiction. I still like to read history and usually find that I prefer to have an index and to have the opportunity to check back on something read earlier. And certainly the quality of the narrator is crucial. I never realized how much until I ran headlong into a couple of badly read books.
Sue wrote: "I have always really needed the visual, so I still prefer reading, but I am gradually losing my vision, and I began to listen as a way of training my ear. In the future this may be my lifesaver. I..."And certainly the quality of the narrator is crucial. I never realized how much until I ran headlong into a couple of badly read books.
...Amen! :)
I scrolled through the responses to see if anyone else does this too, but I actually DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!? Now that may sound weird and sometimes I do feel weird for doing it but it's my preferred way to read/listen. I used to do what some above said, have an audio book for the car ride to work, then switch to a completely different print book when I arrived at work.Here's the thing, with the Audible app allowing you to listen at 3x speed, the fact is I can't really truly understand at 3x speed UNLESS I am reading along. And I don't always read along to the print book. I usually use AMAZON WHISPER-SYNC which I know many of you are familiar with so I won't go into what that is. But, I don't even have a Kindle which is the ironic thing, I use the Kindle app for iphone. Sometimes I feel by using the Audible app and the Kindle app, I am so deep into my iphone and technology that I am several steps away from the print book, but, this is my personal choice to read and listen. I still of course, use the "listen only option" when I'm driving or out of the house. But when I'm home and have the time to sit and relax, it's audible app at 3x speed plus the Kindle iphone app version! I wonder, does anyone else even do that??!
Abigail, that is hilarious. I cannot imagine doing it. So you are listening to the same line you are reading? This is actually kind of interesting... using 2 portals at once. It's probably kind of rewiring your brain. Probably in a good way. You might get more out of books than the rest of us.
John wrote: "My library has one of the largest Overdrive collections in their system, and they're great about getting books on CD that aren't available otherwise. However, there are just enough audio offerings ..."John, where is this special library so I can move there? I think the San Frnacisco library overdrive collection is pretty sad, too much genre not enough lit.
Abigail wrote: "I scrolled through the responses to see if anyone else does this too, but I actually DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!? Now that may sound weird and sometimes I do feel weird for doing it but it's my prefe..."I sometimes do that. I read A Game of Thrones that way.
Lutzka wrote: "Abigail, that is hilarious. I cannot imagine doing it. So you are listening to the same line you are reading? This is actually kind of interesting... using 2 portals at once. It's probably kin..."
>>I think I realized why I enjoy reading and listening at the same time. Well one reason is, as I was saying earlier that I sometimes listen at 3x speed, when I do I get through a long audiobook fairly quickly. But as mentioned at 3x speed unless I'm reading along the narrator is hard to understand that fast.
Also, I'm hearing impaired, I play drums so I've lost a substantial amount of my hearing. This is ironic as you may hear of people with vision problems using audiobooks but not people with hearing issues! I just have to be careful with how loud I listen. I hope long term audio book listening (with ear buds) doesn't worsen my hearing! But anyway I ALWAYS use the closed-captions when I watch TV and DVDs as with the tinnitus that I have, captions help me. And this, I believe, is where I picked up the habit of listening and reading at the same time.
Abigail wrote: "I scrolled through the responses to see if anyone else does this too, but I actually DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!? Now that may sound weird and sometimes I do feel weird for doing it but it's my prefe..."Well, I just saw a new feature for the Amazon Fire HDs called immersion reading which syncs the audio and ebooks real-time. If they're willing to go through the effort of programming it, you can't be the only one who likes to read/listen that way!
Audiobooks
Books mentioned in this topic
Thankless in Death (other topics)Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption (other topics)
A Game of Thrones (other topics)
Gone Girl (other topics)
Sandry's Book (other topics)
More...
The SRC is tons of fun - and I learned about this group from something Dee posted on that group!