To you last point, if you sit down to listen to the audiobook, you may as well just read the physical copy! You've put into words so many of my thoughts about audiobooks.
I think what it comes down to for me is I'm just not an effective auditory processor. It takes so much more mental energy for me to listen to something than for me to read it. I like podcasts but rarely listen to them for the same reason. It's just not how I prefer to put information into my brain. When available, I often read transcripts of podcasts and videos. My son has severe dyslexia and his auditory processing is next level. He is basically the opposite of me- he prefers to hear it but will read when necessary.
THIS!!! Everything you said is spot-on. Truly comes down to processing – I am an excellent visual processor, very bad at auditory processing – I wish I was stronger there! I always read transcripts like you do because I can ingest them faster and more coherently. Thanks so much for reading and for your great thoughts! 💗📚
This is 100% the same for me! I can only listen to podcasts that are casual conversations, not really about any heavy or complicated topic, bc I CAN NOT retrain the info! I am very visual and seeing the words on the page is so helpful for me to retain the story. I wish I liked audiobooks…I feel like it would make long drives so much more enjoyable!
I enjoy audiobooks. I always have both an audio and physical book going. I don’t disagree with your points though, but I find my mind can wander with either type of book and have to reread sections sometimes. I appreciate audio so I can read when I otherwise couldn’t (chores, driving, walking). The narrator is make or break and with the right one my reading experience is greatly enhanced (e.g. Meryl Streep reading Tom Lake and Elle Fanning reading Margo’s Got Money Troubles). I also love dramatic adaptations (especially the classics - Audible has a fantastic Jane Austen collection of all her books dramatized, and really long books that feel less intimidating in audio). I’ve also fallen hard for a physical book and can’t bear to put it down and have obtained the audio so I can keep reading (this recently happened while reading Rebecca and the narrator was incredible). I cannot listen at 2x speed though, I generally stick with 1x.
I agree with everything you said here. The processing is so different! My exception is memoirs, narrated by the author (particularly celebrity memoirs) can be fun on audiobook and can enhance my experience. But it’s a totally different experience from reading a physical book.
this is the correct take!! The only situation i listen to audiobooks is when i am reading a classic that i’m either having trouble focusing in that moment, or have a hard time following the narrative voice due to phrases/ways of speaking i’m not used to, and in that case i will listen to an audiobook at the same time i’m reading the physical copy, so that the audio voice carries me through. with classics, too, there are so many options for audiobook readers so it’s easy to choose one that you think suits the story, so there is less of the issue of their timbre/pitch/general style influencing how much my interpretation is altered. when reading the physical copy while listening i do have to speed it up, yes, but i think it’s definitely different than the listening-only at 2x which i also take issue with
i totally agree that reading physical/audio at the same time is different and i’m sure actually very helpful for interpretation and retention! i love your point about the different readers of classics— you can pick the person who suits you which i love! thanks for reading 💗📚
I have to agree with the listening at 2x speed…are you even taking the time to process what you’re hearing? Makes me think of the broader topic of attention spans getting shorter and shorter. I enjoy audio books when I know my surroundings will be relatively silent (walking in the park, going on a long drive, etc)
completely re attention spans! feels like it’s just performative reading at that point. and yes, i need to try on long, uninterrupted walks. usually i have my dog with me and he is the distraction!
You touch on a very important point here regarding attention. I’ve heard some people say they have to listen to it on 2x speed or faster because that’s just how fast their brain works. Perhaps their brain is moving that fast because they’re consuming your content so quickly. The same people are also the ones who will say “omg you have to read this book it’s so good” and then be unable to tell you anything about it.
I listen to a lot of audiobooks simply because I prefer them over podcasts and like to listen while I do chores or work out BUT I agree that it’s hard for me to retain and miss a lot of details. I’ll usually listen to my less detail-necessary reads on audio. Romcoms or non-fiction where I know there will be a lot of information but I’m most interested in the main idea. I also love audio for rereads of my favorite books. I usually have different perspectives and take aways after because of that narrative voice difference. If I want to think deeply about it, I can’t do audio.
omg such a good idea for rereads! i always want to reread books but then feel like i don’t have time— im going to try this!! and i totally get it for chores and working out, i do it too! but yea has to be something fluffy usually. thanks for reading and engaging! 💗📚
Love this! Finally someone else who hates audiobooks as much as I do. I feel there are not too many of us out there. But one thing I think you would enjoy listening to are audioplays (or radioplays? I am not sure what the right translation is). It is like listening to a movie (kind of). I am not really sure if that is much of a thing in other countries, but in Germany we have a huge audioplay culture which many stories to choose from.
Funny - I don’t think I subvocalize; I had never heard of it until *now*, but wonder if I would retain more if I did?
I am sure, however, that I would not enjoy the read as much, as having someone else read would limit my imagination’s ability to illustrate the text, fill in missing bits of the characters, etc….
Are you familiar with Marshall McLuhan's famous 1964 maxim "The medium is the message"? McLuhan anticipated what I think of as "the modality wars" - the ongoing conversation about the validity of engaging with books across the multiple modalities in which they're produced now (e.g., physical books, audiobooks, e-books).
The medium in which you experience the book changes the manner in which you experience the book, and while saying this is often interpreted by people who favor one medium over another as a moralistic statement, it's not - at least not when I say it. I'm agnostic about mediums, knowing that I have a preference (physical media for me!) but also knowing that people process information differently from one another and that human experience is never absolute.
But being agnostic doesn't mean I think we should pretend that these differences don't exist, or that certain mediums don't confer benefit in specific cases. For example, I think an audio cookbook would be detrimental, as it would preclude easily re-referencing information that had been provided already, and it would require the listener to either cook at the pace of the audiobook narrator OR to memorize the recipe with a precision and fidelity that would be unlikely, if not fully impractical.
That being said, as a poet, I can imagine there being a case to make for audiobooks of poetry collections, particularly those read by the poet themself. It still wouldn't be my preferred method of engaging with the work, but it would offer an opportunity for the music of the poem to be rendered outside the sonic imagination of the reader.
There's also a larger conversation to be had about the intersection of aesthetics and consumerism with regard to audiobooks, particularly in terms of the humblebragging about consumption levels that is so pervasive on "bookstagram" and Goodreads. I know folks who are very self-satisfied with the amount they read per year, but they're essentially engaged in the Nathan's Famous hot-dog eating contest - which is to say, there's a difference between "eating" and "dining."
This is such an astute and thoughtful comment. Thank you so much for reading the piece, and for taking the time to engage with it. I totally agree with everything you said above, beautifully said.
I think your reasons for disliking audiobooks are very understandable and you articulated them well.
I don’t exclusively listen to audiobooks, but I do like them because when I find a really great narrator, they can add extra life to the story. I am, admittedly, quite picky in this respect and I always listen to samples before picking an audiobook. This also led me to finding my favorite narrator, Marin Ireland, and I’ve now actually listened to books I would not otherwise have read because I enjoy her performances so much.
I also think that I tend to be a bit of a distracted reader no matter the medium, so I don’t mind rewinding to hear something I didn’t quite catch the first time around.
All that said, I totally understand wanting more agency in your reading experience and favoring physical books for that reason.
I love that you've found a favorite narrator; that's so smart! I imagine that helps you connect to the story much more, which is exactly what I want out of reading! I'll have to give it a try. Great advice, thank you & thanks for reading!
I am also not a huge fan of audiobooks for a lot of the reasons you mentioned. Your point about voice really resonated with me. I once read a book where the male narrator portrayed the female mc as incredibly whiny and irritating, yet the words of the story didn’t match that interpretation at all. I could tell from the writing that as the reader I was supposed to view her as this strong, smart woman and yet the narration was causing me to really dislike her as a character.
I love audiobooks, but this year I have been REALLY struggling with them. At this point, I can only do nonfiction, rereads, or very very light books. I agree with all of your points. Yes, narrators contribute so much to my understanding of the tone and characters...that can be extremely helpful for classics, but over informative for more contemporary books. And the speed thing! I know people who listen at 3X speed!!! To me, that is finishing books, not reading them.
Totally agree! A few others have made the nonfiction/rereads point, and I'll admit I haven't tried it with audiobooks, and definitely need to– I can see that being a place where they really work for me!
3x is ridiculous!! There's no way you can even understand it– I barely can at 2x speed! Thanks so much for reading, Sara – and for inspiring some of the learning behind this post! 💗 📚
I like them— for long non-fiction usually and yes, while doing other things. I have only tried fiction by audiobook a few times as that has usually been unsatisfactory for me. But these days I have been listening to Maggie Gyllenhall narrate ANNA KARENINA and it is amazing! I save it for long walks and it definitely motivates me to get up and go!
Smart to do it for non fiction! i’ve actually never tried that. i’ll have to give it a go. Also totally agree the narrator make a huge difference!!! From the comments it sounds like i need to try a little harder to dig for some good ones, since i know they’re out there! Thanks for reading, Abra 💗📚
Try it with a book you otherwise might not read but that interests you, if you do try again. And sample it first. Some narrators are just unlistenable.
To you last point, if you sit down to listen to the audiobook, you may as well just read the physical copy! You've put into words so many of my thoughts about audiobooks.
I think what it comes down to for me is I'm just not an effective auditory processor. It takes so much more mental energy for me to listen to something than for me to read it. I like podcasts but rarely listen to them for the same reason. It's just not how I prefer to put information into my brain. When available, I often read transcripts of podcasts and videos. My son has severe dyslexia and his auditory processing is next level. He is basically the opposite of me- he prefers to hear it but will read when necessary.
THIS!!! Everything you said is spot-on. Truly comes down to processing – I am an excellent visual processor, very bad at auditory processing – I wish I was stronger there! I always read transcripts like you do because I can ingest them faster and more coherently. Thanks so much for reading and for your great thoughts! 💗📚
This is 100% the same for me! I can only listen to podcasts that are casual conversations, not really about any heavy or complicated topic, bc I CAN NOT retrain the info! I am very visual and seeing the words on the page is so helpful for me to retain the story. I wish I liked audiobooks…I feel like it would make long drives so much more enjoyable!
I always knew I disliked audiobooks. And now I know why. Couldn’t articulate it like you did but this is exactly it!!
I enjoy audiobooks. I always have both an audio and physical book going. I don’t disagree with your points though, but I find my mind can wander with either type of book and have to reread sections sometimes. I appreciate audio so I can read when I otherwise couldn’t (chores, driving, walking). The narrator is make or break and with the right one my reading experience is greatly enhanced (e.g. Meryl Streep reading Tom Lake and Elle Fanning reading Margo’s Got Money Troubles). I also love dramatic adaptations (especially the classics - Audible has a fantastic Jane Austen collection of all her books dramatized, and really long books that feel less intimidating in audio). I’ve also fallen hard for a physical book and can’t bear to put it down and have obtained the audio so I can keep reading (this recently happened while reading Rebecca and the narrator was incredible). I cannot listen at 2x speed though, I generally stick with 1x.
I agree with everything you said here. The processing is so different! My exception is memoirs, narrated by the author (particularly celebrity memoirs) can be fun on audiobook and can enhance my experience. But it’s a totally different experience from reading a physical book.
Oh yea, i imagine that’s quite different since you’re hearing it exactly as the author intended it if it’s their memoir— great point!
I do too, no worries.
hahahah best comment— the validation i needed!
this is the correct take!! The only situation i listen to audiobooks is when i am reading a classic that i’m either having trouble focusing in that moment, or have a hard time following the narrative voice due to phrases/ways of speaking i’m not used to, and in that case i will listen to an audiobook at the same time i’m reading the physical copy, so that the audio voice carries me through. with classics, too, there are so many options for audiobook readers so it’s easy to choose one that you think suits the story, so there is less of the issue of their timbre/pitch/general style influencing how much my interpretation is altered. when reading the physical copy while listening i do have to speed it up, yes, but i think it’s definitely different than the listening-only at 2x which i also take issue with
i totally agree that reading physical/audio at the same time is different and i’m sure actually very helpful for interpretation and retention! i love your point about the different readers of classics— you can pick the person who suits you which i love! thanks for reading 💗📚
I have to agree with the listening at 2x speed…are you even taking the time to process what you’re hearing? Makes me think of the broader topic of attention spans getting shorter and shorter. I enjoy audio books when I know my surroundings will be relatively silent (walking in the park, going on a long drive, etc)
completely re attention spans! feels like it’s just performative reading at that point. and yes, i need to try on long, uninterrupted walks. usually i have my dog with me and he is the distraction!
You touch on a very important point here regarding attention. I’ve heard some people say they have to listen to it on 2x speed or faster because that’s just how fast their brain works. Perhaps their brain is moving that fast because they’re consuming your content so quickly. The same people are also the ones who will say “omg you have to read this book it’s so good” and then be unable to tell you anything about it.
hahahah exactly!! "how fast ur brain works" you mean its mush? Got it 😂
I listen to a lot of audiobooks simply because I prefer them over podcasts and like to listen while I do chores or work out BUT I agree that it’s hard for me to retain and miss a lot of details. I’ll usually listen to my less detail-necessary reads on audio. Romcoms or non-fiction where I know there will be a lot of information but I’m most interested in the main idea. I also love audio for rereads of my favorite books. I usually have different perspectives and take aways after because of that narrative voice difference. If I want to think deeply about it, I can’t do audio.
omg such a good idea for rereads! i always want to reread books but then feel like i don’t have time— im going to try this!! and i totally get it for chores and working out, i do it too! but yea has to be something fluffy usually. thanks for reading and engaging! 💗📚
Love this! Finally someone else who hates audiobooks as much as I do. I feel there are not too many of us out there. But one thing I think you would enjoy listening to are audioplays (or radioplays? I am not sure what the right translation is). It is like listening to a movie (kind of). I am not really sure if that is much of a thing in other countries, but in Germany we have a huge audioplay culture which many stories to choose from.
Funny - I don’t think I subvocalize; I had never heard of it until *now*, but wonder if I would retain more if I did?
I am sure, however, that I would not enjoy the read as much, as having someone else read would limit my imagination’s ability to illustrate the text, fill in missing bits of the characters, etc….
It’s such a wild phenomenon— my guess is that you don’t because (like me 😉) you’re such a fast reader!
Are you familiar with Marshall McLuhan's famous 1964 maxim "The medium is the message"? McLuhan anticipated what I think of as "the modality wars" - the ongoing conversation about the validity of engaging with books across the multiple modalities in which they're produced now (e.g., physical books, audiobooks, e-books).
The medium in which you experience the book changes the manner in which you experience the book, and while saying this is often interpreted by people who favor one medium over another as a moralistic statement, it's not - at least not when I say it. I'm agnostic about mediums, knowing that I have a preference (physical media for me!) but also knowing that people process information differently from one another and that human experience is never absolute.
But being agnostic doesn't mean I think we should pretend that these differences don't exist, or that certain mediums don't confer benefit in specific cases. For example, I think an audio cookbook would be detrimental, as it would preclude easily re-referencing information that had been provided already, and it would require the listener to either cook at the pace of the audiobook narrator OR to memorize the recipe with a precision and fidelity that would be unlikely, if not fully impractical.
That being said, as a poet, I can imagine there being a case to make for audiobooks of poetry collections, particularly those read by the poet themself. It still wouldn't be my preferred method of engaging with the work, but it would offer an opportunity for the music of the poem to be rendered outside the sonic imagination of the reader.
There's also a larger conversation to be had about the intersection of aesthetics and consumerism with regard to audiobooks, particularly in terms of the humblebragging about consumption levels that is so pervasive on "bookstagram" and Goodreads. I know folks who are very self-satisfied with the amount they read per year, but they're essentially engaged in the Nathan's Famous hot-dog eating contest - which is to say, there's a difference between "eating" and "dining."
This is such an astute and thoughtful comment. Thank you so much for reading the piece, and for taking the time to engage with it. I totally agree with everything you said above, beautifully said.
I think your reasons for disliking audiobooks are very understandable and you articulated them well.
I don’t exclusively listen to audiobooks, but I do like them because when I find a really great narrator, they can add extra life to the story. I am, admittedly, quite picky in this respect and I always listen to samples before picking an audiobook. This also led me to finding my favorite narrator, Marin Ireland, and I’ve now actually listened to books I would not otherwise have read because I enjoy her performances so much.
I also think that I tend to be a bit of a distracted reader no matter the medium, so I don’t mind rewinding to hear something I didn’t quite catch the first time around.
All that said, I totally understand wanting more agency in your reading experience and favoring physical books for that reason.
Audiobooks aren’t for everyone and that’s okay! 😊
I love that you've found a favorite narrator; that's so smart! I imagine that helps you connect to the story much more, which is exactly what I want out of reading! I'll have to give it a try. Great advice, thank you & thanks for reading!
So here’s the thing. I agree with every single point you’ve made.
But counterpoint: audiobooks rule.
uhahahhahaha no i feel you so hard tho
I am also not a huge fan of audiobooks for a lot of the reasons you mentioned. Your point about voice really resonated with me. I once read a book where the male narrator portrayed the female mc as incredibly whiny and irritating, yet the words of the story didn’t match that interpretation at all. I could tell from the writing that as the reader I was supposed to view her as this strong, smart woman and yet the narration was causing me to really dislike her as a character.
That narrator was probably Scott Brick.
I love audiobooks, but this year I have been REALLY struggling with them. At this point, I can only do nonfiction, rereads, or very very light books. I agree with all of your points. Yes, narrators contribute so much to my understanding of the tone and characters...that can be extremely helpful for classics, but over informative for more contemporary books. And the speed thing! I know people who listen at 3X speed!!! To me, that is finishing books, not reading them.
Totally agree! A few others have made the nonfiction/rereads point, and I'll admit I haven't tried it with audiobooks, and definitely need to– I can see that being a place where they really work for me!
3x is ridiculous!! There's no way you can even understand it– I barely can at 2x speed! Thanks so much for reading, Sara – and for inspiring some of the learning behind this post! 💗 📚
I like them— for long non-fiction usually and yes, while doing other things. I have only tried fiction by audiobook a few times as that has usually been unsatisfactory for me. But these days I have been listening to Maggie Gyllenhall narrate ANNA KARENINA and it is amazing! I save it for long walks and it definitely motivates me to get up and go!
Rachel took advantage of our love with that book.
Smart to do it for non fiction! i’ve actually never tried that. i’ll have to give it a go. Also totally agree the narrator make a huge difference!!! From the comments it sounds like i need to try a little harder to dig for some good ones, since i know they’re out there! Thanks for reading, Abra 💗📚
Try it with a book you otherwise might not read but that interests you, if you do try again. And sample it first. Some narrators are just unlistenable.