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People in the past have asked me why I don't listed to audiobooks more often. I'm often multitasking, knitting or sewing or doing something that means I can't hold a book in my hands or keep my eyes focused on an e-book on my laptop screen. If I took advantage of audiobooks, I could be more productive, increasing the number of books I get through in a year while being more productive with my crafting or cleaning.
There are a few reasons I don't like audiobooks that much. First of all, interpretations differ on how narration or dialogue sounds. A word that I would stress while reading it might not be stressed by somebody else, or stressed too much. The person reading the audiobook may try different voices for each character, but they sound nothing like how the character would sound in my head. There's too much difference for me to really enjoy audiobooks that way.
Second of all, I enjoy reading. I don't just read to find out what happens at the end of a story. If that was all I wanted, I'd read summaries and let it be done. No, I enjoy the whole experience. Turning the pages, letting my eyes slide over the words. For me, reading is an active experience, much more so than listening. If I listened to an audiobook, my participation would be passive, my mind more apt to wander, and I'd find myself missing chunks of the story that I couldn't go back to without rewinding and potentially listening to certain passage all over again in an attempt to find out where I stopped listening. Books can be put down at any time and picked up again at any time. Audiobooks rely on tracks or timing that don't always match up well with other things I'm doing.
If I listened to an audiobook from beginning to end, I wouldn't count it as a book that I had read, because I didn't read it. It's the same reason why I don't see movies based on books and then say that I've read the book. I did not read. Therefor to me, it doesn't count.
Lastly, I don't listen to audiobooks because I have a few zillion podcasts that I have to catch up on. It seems like they download faster than I can listen to them, and I've got quite a backlog waiting for me. No sense in adding even more listening to my pile.
For many people, audiobooks are good things to have around, handy and helpful, and I don't begrudge them the chance to listen. But they aren't for me. Believe me, I have tried, and I find the experience falls short of actually picking up a copy of the book and starting to read.
There are a few reasons I don't like audiobooks that much. First of all, interpretations differ on how narration or dialogue sounds. A word that I would stress while reading it might not be stressed by somebody else, or stressed too much. The person reading the audiobook may try different voices for each character, but they sound nothing like how the character would sound in my head. There's too much difference for me to really enjoy audiobooks that way.
Second of all, I enjoy reading. I don't just read to find out what happens at the end of a story. If that was all I wanted, I'd read summaries and let it be done. No, I enjoy the whole experience. Turning the pages, letting my eyes slide over the words. For me, reading is an active experience, much more so than listening. If I listened to an audiobook, my participation would be passive, my mind more apt to wander, and I'd find myself missing chunks of the story that I couldn't go back to without rewinding and potentially listening to certain passage all over again in an attempt to find out where I stopped listening. Books can be put down at any time and picked up again at any time. Audiobooks rely on tracks or timing that don't always match up well with other things I'm doing.
If I listened to an audiobook from beginning to end, I wouldn't count it as a book that I had read, because I didn't read it. It's the same reason why I don't see movies based on books and then say that I've read the book. I did not read. Therefor to me, it doesn't count.
Lastly, I don't listen to audiobooks because I have a few zillion podcasts that I have to catch up on. It seems like they download faster than I can listen to them, and I've got quite a backlog waiting for me. No sense in adding even more listening to my pile.
For many people, audiobooks are good things to have around, handy and helpful, and I don't begrudge them the chance to listen. But they aren't for me. Believe me, I have tried, and I find the experience falls short of actually picking up a copy of the book and starting to read.
