Books vs Audio Books ....

jennifer75

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How do you feel about hearing the story as opposed to reading it? Do you feel you don't get as "into" the story when listening as you may when you're eyes are glued to its pages?
 

alleycat

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I listen to quite a lot of books-on-tape and digital downloads (in the car, at work while I'm doing something else, etc.). I think it works better for some kinds of books than others. If there are just too many characters, or the plot is extremely complex, then it can be easy to "lose your place" while just listening to a book. I find listening to books very enjoyable. I mostly listen to fiction, but about 1 out of 4 BOTs I listen to is nonfiction. Some of the nonfiction books I might not have read otherwise, but I enjoyed listening to them.

The narrator can make all the difference as well. Some BOTs I've given up on just because of the narrator. Some of the best narrators include George Guidall, Frank Muller, Scott Brick, and even Stephen King.
 
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childeroland

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Yeah, it depends on the book, and if you enjoy the narrator's voice. A couple of books I've listened to were stories I liked, having read them before, but the reader made enjoying it very difficult.
 

RickN

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My Dad talked me into listening to one of Janet Evanovich's Plum novels when wifey and I went on a road trip. Everyone in the car, including my high-school-age sons loved them. I now own the entire series in print and the audiobooks are vacation favorites.

So, an audiobook led to 18 print sales.
 

darkprincealain

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I would say the biggest variable is the narrator. Some of them are good, some of them are bad, and some humorist books wouldn't sound the same without the author reading their own work (David Sedaris and Chelsea Handler come to mind).
 

Lisa Cox

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I can't listen to audio books. I've tried. I think it's to do with the pace. I'm a quick reader, and narrators in audio books tell the story so slowly (at least, compared to how quickly I get through them). Which they're supposed to, of course -- but I get too impatient. It's definitely a fault of mine, not the narrator's.
 

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I listened to a lot of audiobooks when I had a long commute for one of my jobs. I completely agree that the reader can ruin a book for me. But the narrator can also make a book unforgettable. I used to choose a lot of Agatha Christie books because they aren't too gripping and I could enjoy them and pay attention to the road. I don't remember who the reader was for "The Harlequin Tea Set" but he was brilliant. Perfect. Evoked everything that is "summer" to me. I don't know if I would've felt that way reading the book on my own.
 

ink wench

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I wish I liked audio books, but they just don't "work" for me. It must be something about the way my brain processes information. Even when I really try to pay attention, I don't get anything out of the story. Total lack of comprehension. :Shrug:
 

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I listen to a lot of audio books. Like others have said, the narrator can make all the difference. I don't really use it as a substitute for reading books, though, more of a way to supplement my habit. :) I listen to them in the car, when I'm taking the dog for a walk, when I'm cleaning the house, etc. But I have had to stop a few times because I realized that the book would be better served by reading it, or because the narrator was so bad. Or at least wrong for that book.
 

jennifer75

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I pick up my Stephen King Stories from Night Shift, tonight. Can't wait to drive to work tomorrow!
 

jennifer75

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So I got my audio tapes finally, yesterday. And instead of jumping into SK's stories...I started with Angelas Ashes....and let me tell you! LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Narrated by himself, a great listen. Really didn't want to arrive to work today.
 

MaryMumsy

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I wish I liked audio books, but they just don't "work" for me. It must be something about the way my brain processes information. Even when I really try to pay attention, I don't get anything out of the story. Total lack of comprehension. :Shrug:

I have the same problem. Clients will call and say 'I got this letter from [insert name of government agency here], let me read it to you'. I always tell them to FAX it to me. I don't comprehend and retain verbal info nearly as well as reading it. When I was in college I developed the ability to write lecture notes very fast and almost verbatim. When I read them over later, I didn't remember what I had written, but reading them allowed the info to sink in.

MM
 

aruna

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I absolutely HATE being read stories, and even being told stories. I like to read them. In general I have a "listening" attention span disorder. My mind tends to wander off if something isn't absolutely riveting.
So the only reason I bought my first audio book (actually, it was part of a free trial so I didn't actually buy it, I have to admit. But I think Amazon will pay the author nevertheless!) is because I have a long commute to work (45 minutes each way) and my car radio had broken down. Also because I personally know the author. So I downloaded the audio file and added this book I really wanted to read as my first trial.
And I can honestly say, I am riveted! And I'm actually posting this because I recommend not just the book but listening to it...
It is Archipelago, by Monique Roffey. A story about a man, his daughter, and his dog aboard a boat in the Caribbean, narrated by Sian Thomas, an Irish actress.
I am just enthralled by this story, by the voice, by the language. And normally, I am not excited by books which have beautiful language but not a lot of plot, and this is such a book -- but it's just wonderful. Maybe because I love the sea, especially the Caribbean, so much! And boats.
I'm posting this just to encourage anyone who is thinking of taking the plunge, to try this one as a start.
Only one quibble: there are a few Spanish words, which the narrator pronounces the Spanish way, with z pronounces th -- Chavez, and Manzanilla, for example. In South America it is pronounced s. Quite irritating -- but I suppose that is nit-picking.

So, sorry to resurrect a dead thread -- but it's one of those topic we can still discuss, can't we?
 
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Emermouse

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I wish I liked audio books, but they just don't "work" for me. It must be something about the way my brain processes information. Even when I really try to pay attention, I don't get anything out of the story. Total lack of comprehension. :Shrug:

I'm with you. I just have a hard time processing auditory information unless I write it down and that's not practical with a audio book unless you like hand cramps.
 

DaisyH

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I only listen to audiobooks when I'm on the bus or in bed with all the lights off. Those seem the only two times when I can stand to listen to audiobooks, otherwise it just seems too slow.
 

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I've tried audio books, but I always fall asleep (I don't listen to them whilst driving or anything like that). I then find it hard to pick up the story again because I can never remember what happened before I drifted off. Definitely not for me.

Give me a book or E-book any day!
 

Dave Williams

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I'm not all that fond of being read to... but I've gotten used to audiobooks. I started playing them when I spent a lot of time in the car; I could go through an average one in a week just doing that.

For the last couple of years I've been doing work that doesn't require much thought, so I've listened to audiobooks while working. I see the inter-library loan clerk as much as anybody nowadays...

General rambling:

Some CDs are made from older, low-resolution recordings. It sounds like some of them were made from worn cassettes instead of studio masters. I have so much trouble making them out it's simply not worth it.

Not all readers(?) are good. Unfortunately, there's a guy I call Phlegm Man who seems to read a LOT of the action-adventure books I want to listen to. The guy sounds like he's drowning, and it drives me nuts.

It's still annoying to be stuck at the pace of the reader, and it's a hassle to back my player up to replay a missed bit. I can go for months without a stranger speaking to me. Put the earplugs in, and total strangers will walk up and start talking, then get offended when I pause the player, remove the earplugs, and say "What?"

But here's the big part:

I've listened to a number of audio versions of books I'd already read on paper, sometimes more than once. I'm a fast reader - I put my attention to it, and soak up text. But the slower pace of audiobooks gives me time to think, and... that's when I realized some books I'd known and enjoyed for years were eaten up with stupid. <sigh>

I prefer paper, but in hours per week, I probably listen to 7x or 8x as much audio as I get to read, nowadays.