Listening an audio book versus actually reading a book- just as thorough, entrenching?

[Anonymous]

I love to read but have no time. I just joined an audio book membership. Do audio books deliver all details, tone and passion?

[Anonymous]

The one complaint I have is that you listen to it through someone else's interpretation- not your own. However, listening to audio books in the car is a great way to make the trip go faster and enhances my life. While we listened to children's fiction in the car when they were younger, we know listen to mainly non-fiction.

[Anonymous]

I tend to read a little too quickly and I scan some boring sections of books. Audio books are more thorough for me.

I've enjoyed almost all I've tried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The one complaint I have is that you listen to it through someone else's interpretation- not your own. However, listening to audio books in the car is a great way to make the trip go faster and enhances my life. While we listened to children's fiction in the car when they were younger, we know listen to mainly non-fiction.

Yes, it's a different experience, but still an enjoyable one.

[Anonymous]

I read 50 or more books a year, but listen to at least double that on audio on my commute, travels and at the gym. (Also, while doing routine chores or shopping if alone).

That's enough that the details tend to run together on the books I read, but I remember the audiobooks much better because they're slowed down and can't be skimmed.

I do listen at 1.5X speed, and it's impossible to go back once you try it.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the book. I find there are some books that don't worry as well for audio (for me), and then some books that are better in audio form. If the book features a variety of accents and the narrator is a good one, it's often better as an audiobook. If the narrator is weak then it's better as a regular book. It's harder to go back and skim pages as an audiobook and for that reason I don't like books that are very technical as audiobooks. I don't like listening to dry subject matter in audiobook form because I zone out. Some authors self-read their own books and that can be great, but it can also be terrible because they aren't good narrators. I don't like epistolary form books as audiobooks but I prefer biographies as audiobooks. Etc etc. You will have to find your own list of preferences.

Often what I do is listen to the audiobook and then when it's done, I check the book out of the library so I can see various spellings I might have missed, etc.