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I could never listen to an audiobook. It just feels so cheap, fast, uncomfortable. I like rereading some of the paragraphs or sentences if I really like them, l

I could never listen to an audiobook. It just feels so cheap, fast, uncomfortable. I like rereading some of the paragraphs or sentences if I really like them, looking up footnotes, maps, diagrams and drawings (if there are any), putting the book back for a moment and starting again because I get lost in though (not always related to the book). Never imagined demand for audiobooks is so great.

nescioquid 3y ago
Consider podcasts. Most of them are (by contrast to audiobooks) low-effort and depend on a kind of parasocial relationship with the listener. You can listen to Joe Rogan or instead listen to a well-researched audiobook on modern maritime piracy or Byzantine history, for example. But if we're to listen to something more literary or more technical, I find myself joining company with you.
jfengel 3y ago
One interacts differently with audiobooks. When you read, you set aside time for it. It's all you do during that time. It's meant to be immersive. Audiobooks are meant to be consumed while you're doing something else: exercising, driving, eating, or something else that gets only partial attention. It's not impossible to sit down and just read an audiobook, but it's not the main use case. You might even want to read different books in different ways. Some books you want to devote your full attention to. Others might be best as light entertainment during other activities.
dendrite9 3y ago
I rarely listen to audiobooks for similar reasons, I like to go back and reread lines that are worth rereading. Or I'll flip back and double check something, either a story point that might become relevant, or a fact I didn't grasp. But there are some advantage to audiobooks for example on road trips where several of us can get the same material and discuss it. I got a recording of 'Basin and Range' for a drive through Nevada to Salt Lake and back. Listening was interesting as we drove, but I'm glad I read the book first. Early on in 2020 I came across Kelly Cordes reading his book during the covid shutdowns. He's clearly not a voice actor, but his book is a story and history of climbing and I thought he did a good job with it. If not for that recording I probably wouldn't have tried listening to other books. https://kellycordes.com/book/audio-book-sort-of/ https://kellycordes.com/book/audio-book-sort-of/ "Professional audiobook narrators need not worry. I’m no threat. But during this coronavirus pandemic, when many climbers seem challenged by the social distancing directive (surprisingly enough to me—hell, I damn near invented social distancing), I figured this bizarre time makes a good time for storytime: I’m reading my book, The Tower, cover to cover, and releasing the readings for free, daily, no ads and no bullshit. "

nescioquid 3y ago

Consider podcasts. Most of them are (by contrast to audiobooks) low-effort and depend on a kind of parasocial relationship with the listener. You can listen to Joe Rogan or instead listen to a well-researched audiobook on modern maritime piracy or Byzantine history, for example. But if we're to listen to something more literary or more technical, I find myself joining company with you.

jfengel 3y ago

One interacts differently with audiobooks. When you read, you set aside time for it. It's all you do during that time. It's meant to be immersive. Audiobooks are meant to be consumed while you're doing something else: exercising, driving, eating, or something else that gets only partial attention. It's not impossible to sit down and just read an audiobook, but it's not the main use case. You might even want to read different books in different ways. Some books you want to devote your full attention to. Others might be best as light entertainment during other activities.

dendrite9 3y ago

I rarely listen to audiobooks for similar reasons, I like to go back and reread lines that are worth rereading. Or I'll flip back and double check something, either a story point that might become relevant, or a fact I didn't grasp. But there are some advantage to audiobooks for example on road trips where several of us can get the same material and discuss it. I got a recording of 'Basin and Range' for a drive through Nevada to Salt Lake and back. Listening was interesting as we drove, but I'm glad I read the book first. Early on in 2020 I came across Kelly Cordes reading his book during the covid shutdowns. He's clearly not a voice actor, but his book is a story and history of climbing and I thought he did a good job with it. If not for that recording I probably wouldn't have tried listening to other books. https://kellycordes.com/book/audio-book-sort-of/ https://kellycordes.com/book/audio-book-sort-of/ "Professional audiobook narrators need not worry. I’m no threat. But during this coronavirus pandemic, when many climbers seem challenged by the social distancing directive (surprisingly enough to me—hell, I damn near invented social distancing), I figured this bizarre time makes a good time for storytime: I’m reading my book, The Tower, cover to cover, and releasing the readings for free, daily, no ads and no bullshit. "