Audiobooks vs Reading

[Oracular Spectacular]

So I have been an avid reader since I learned to read at the ripe age of 4. I have read an obnoxious amount of books and It has always been a love for me.

I am 23(going on 24) and don't find as much time to read. I used to read at night but now I am usually to tired to read.

Thats when I discovered the greatness that is Audiobooks.

It all started on a drive from Indiana to Montana(24 hours) I listened to 2 books(now and then mixing the 45 days worth of music I have on my laptop) Now I can't seem to stop listening to Audiobooks. I even find myself listening to books I have already read. I recently even purchased an Audiobook over the real book (Patton Oswalt's Zombie, Spaceship, Wasteland. check it out)

I have a 45 min drive to my College and a 35 min drive to work. So I find myself listening a lot in the car and finishing usually a book a week.

I mentioned this to somone at my College while we were sitting outside drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. They told me they felt that you didn't get the same effect out of an audiobook and actually used the term "cheating." Obviously this started a debate on the value of retaining knowledge from listening vs reading and even the overall value of enjoyment you get out of it.

So, Readers of Wrestlezone....How do you feel about Audiobooks?

 

[Барбоса]

While I am not sure about the whole idea of "cheating," I can certainly see the argument that perhaps audiobooks lack some part of the whole experience of a book that comes with reading either in terms of retaining knowledge from a textbook or being able to use your imagination for a work of fiction. Also if you are listening in a car, how much attention can you really be paying to the book?

While I understand the usefulness, versatility and handiness, personally, I love the tactile pleasure of owning and collecting actual books rather than a CD. I feel the same way about e-books but with the added problem of the potential damage that they and technology like the Kindle could be doing to the hard/paperback book industry (although this is only idle speculation on my part).

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Audiobooks FTW. I have no clue how someone could see them as "cheating.' Sorry, but I can't exercise or drive while reading at the same time. I'm a very avid reader and I can't tell you how much audiobooks have helped me to stay on top of all of the books I want to read without sacrificing the little free time that I do have. Unless I'm in the mood for talk radio while driving or an iTunes mix that'll motivate me to exercise, I always have an audiobook on while I perform these daily tasks.

 

[Oracular Spectacular]

I understand the asthetic behind owning a real book. I own majority of the books by my favorite authors. But I have found it sometimes more interesting hearing the book if the author(or narrator) is more interesting.

For example; I own every Chuck Klosterman book, They are a fantastic read but for a few of his books he does the narration on the Aduiobook. I have actually listened to all the books I had formerly read because he is just so interesting to hear. Not only that a book of essays like that you sometimes get a little extra when reading it.

Recently I have started listening to the whole Steven Kind's Dark Tower series. its literally 5 days worth of listening and will take forever but I have found it really interesting. I had only read the first book int he series and found myself having to reread things to catch stuff I missed(The Graphic Novel's that Marvel Comic's puts out is fantastic as well) Listening to it on audiobook has really given be a better visual understanding of the book as well as made it a lot more enjoyable.

 

[That Other Guy]

I doubt I would go so far as to say reading an audiobook is "cheating", but I personally don't like them. There's just nothing that can replace holding an actual book in your hands. I understand that things like the Kindle and iTunes make it much easier to access books, but it doesn't seem right to me. But I get that some people don't agree. To each their own, as they say.

 

[Davi323]

I will never listen to an audio book in place of reading an actual book. Perhaps it comes from my upbringing. My mom and dad always read books, so it was something I grew up in, reading books is a form of entertainment for me, just like watching TV, listening to music, etc. Its enjoyable. I read every night before going to sleep. It calms my brain down, relaxes me. The actual act of reading a book, flipping through the pages, is something that neither an audio book or eBook can replace. Plus, when I read a book, I also listen to music for background noise. I couldn't do that with an audio book.