Audiobooks. Everyone’s listening to them and loving them. Bloggers are doubling the books they are able to read in a month or year because of ’em. But me? I’ve been clinging to the visual experience of reading: holding a book or Kindle in my hands and seeing the words. This is a comforting experience for me, and I’ve been doing it for a long time, so I know it works.
But recently, a dearly loved author ripped me out of my comfort bubble and asked if I would like to “read” his Audible Original book, available ONLY as an audiobook (at least for now). How could I say no to that? And so I embarked on listening to my first audiobook, with some, err, bumps along the way. Here’s my experience:
- Let’s start with the hardware. I had to buy earbuds because I didn’t have any. Yes, you read that right. How sad is that? And then my daughter had to show me how to set up the bluetooth connection. Yes, I’m feeling really old right now. Then I discovered that one of my ears is deformed and the earbud wouldn’t stay in (insert laugh/cry emoji here).
- I’ve always been a visual person. Always. I’ve always had more trouble processing information aurally. Seeing something solidifies the information I need. Even in school, listening to lectures alone didn’t work for me. I had to take notes, write down the information so I could see it. With audiobooks, you have to rely on your ears. When I first started listening, I was trying to turn the spoken words into visual, written words. Like my brain was saying “Nope.” So I heard the words and then imagined them as written, typed sentences. How weird is that?? Clearly that didn’t work very well, because the narrator kept going and I was missing the story.
- The book I listened to was done by one narrator, who did all the different voices in the story. And I think he did a good job. Only I have nothing to compare it to since this was my first audio experience. So it was weird to hear a grown man doing the voice of an older woman who is addicted to drugs and trying to get clean. Or that older male character with an accent. Or that Alexa-like AI character who is clearly female. I did get used to it after a while, but it caught me off guard. I didn’t know what I was expecting, honestly.
- The story I listened to is fantasy/science fiction and as you may know, those genres are notorious for having elaborate character/place names that are impossible to pronounce. The problem I immediately ran into was that I had no idea how to spell most of the proper names in this story. And for someone who is going to write a review of the book, I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull that off. (And as I’m writing this, I still don’t know…) Could I go back to the author and ask him? Sure, but I did not want to bother him with such an inane question. Many of the characters in this book are Hispanic, so not only did I have the non visual spelling problem, I had to worry about how to spell something in another language.
- Apparently, no one listens to audiobooks at normal speed. I was told I should try 2X the speed, and it was ridiculously fast for me. Maybe it depends on the narrator, but I thought this narrator spoke fast to begin with. I finally settled on 1.30X speed and that seemed to work fine.
- I was told by some trusted blogger friends that audio was great for all those times you want to read but you can’t actually sit down and read. Hey, I could clean my house while listening to a book! I could walk my dogs while listening to a book! I could listen while driving/commuting to work. Hell, I could even listen at work. Turns out, although those ideas sound good, none of them really worked for me. Work? I work in an open office in a department where we frequently need to talk to each other. And I support a sales team who constantly come to me with questions and tasks they need help with. My phone is always ringing. I get a couple hundred emails a day that need answering. So it would be impossible to “read” during work. And yeah, I tried the “cleaning the house” idea. But here’s what happened as I was listening and cleaning my son’s room. “Wait, he got this for Christmas and he didn’t take it back to school with him? Does that mean he doesn’t want it? Should I give it away or try to return it to the store?” By the time I had worked out the answer to that thought, I realized I hadn’t been listening AT ALL to the book and shit now I have no idea what just happened! I guess I’m not as good at multitasking as I thought I was, LOL. Or maybe it’s a skill I can work on during my next audiobook.
- So how did I actually get through this book? The same way I read print books: on my bed, staring at the phone screen as the chapter timer ticked down. I realize this is not the correct way to listen to audiobooks. I also realize how focused I was on how much time I had left, rather than actually enjoying the story. I can’t tell you how many times I checked the chapter listing to see how many chapters I had to go. Oh boy. And what’s sad is that this was a damn good book. However, when I got to the final third of the story, I finally started really enjoying myself and sort of forgot I was trying to keep track of the story details. I simply had fun listening. I suspect that readers who don’t write reviews never have to worry about the details, and I’m sort of envious.
- This story tuned out to be quite complex. Not only does it take place on Earth, but there’s a whole galaxy’s worth of planets with different alien species on each one. In addition to a large cast of characters, the action was almost non-stop. I have to admit that while it was fast-paced and exciting, I found that I missed a lot of details. That’s one reason I hope this book eventually comes out in print, so I can read it again and see what I missed.
- But the bottom line is this: I am actually ready to try another audiobook!
First off, congratulations on your first audiobook! Next, I ACTUALLY do listen to audio at normal speed. Dunno why nobody else does. And last, you seem to have skipped the part of the story where you screamed and bounced your phone off the wall. Or does that come later?
Thanks Will!
I listen at normal speed. I find that, when I try the speed doubled or just slightly increased I miss bits and some of the passion put into the performance is lost. If you struggle to absorb the story, I’d suggest doing it at regular speed.
Also, do your best to treat it like a conversation you are eaves dropping on. How do you absorb info in convos? Try to identify that and apply to the audio book.
Sadly, as someone who doesn’t struggle with taking in the info, that’s the best advice I can offer 🙁
Hey, great advice! I do know that at a certain point in the story I finally started trying so hard and had fun with it:-)
Great that you gave it a try! It’ll be interesting to hear if your experience of audiobooks changes.
I LOVE them. I walk everywhere and like to listen to books then and at the gym. Some readers are much better than others at character voices but I only really realized that when I stumbled on a couple not so great readers.
I usually listen somewhere between 1.75 and 2.5 depending on the reader but I know a lot of people who listen at the original speed. BUT the issue of not knowing how to spell names IS upsetting.
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Yeah, the name thing means I can’t really mention character names if I review an audiobook, unless I’m pretty sure about how to spell it. It’s definitely something to think about!
I’m MUCH MUCH more a visual reader than an audio “reader.” I only do audiobooks when there isn’t any other choice, well, like you with this book. (I wonder what that says about the way our brains work?) Anyway, I get kind of tense and want it to be over with faster, so I definitely do 2x speed. Still, I can see the appeal, and I understand why folks like audiobooks, especially for long car rides.
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Well, I’m not going to complain that I’m more of a visual person:-) I do think if the story isn’t good it would be easy to tune out or simply give up. I listened to a really good story and I still was very focused on “how long do I have left?”
I always toss around the idea of trying an audiobook but I never do. My best friend listens to them while doing boring things like cleaning the house and says it makes it much more fun.
I had to FORCE myself to listen to it, but I’m glad I did. It won’t be as scary next time!
I almost always listen at normal speed. Once, I increased it because the narrator spoke soooo sloowllyy. I only listen while driving or walking. Even then, distractions cause me to rewind often enough. Which means I am paying attention to the distractions, not the book. As I should be.
If the unusual names and places are to numerous, it even effects how well I can listen. I am visual also. If I can’t view a spelling, I found it hard to remember who is who and where is where. Sometimes, I give up and go to the book.
It is nearly impossible to take notes, so I don’t. I don’t accept requests to review audiobook. When I do review audiobooks I have chosen, they are generally quite brief.
What a fun experience, right? I’m glad you tried it.
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Thanks for your thoughts, Riley! I do see reviewing audiobooks is going to be a challenge, but maybe with practice I can figure it out:-)
I LOVE AUDIOBOOKS! As for the speed thing, it does depend on the narrator for me. Some I listen to at normal speed and others I listen to at 2x. I always listen to my audiobook when I’m taking public transportation or going to the grocery store or am doing house chores. I just finished my third of the year but to be fair I had to DNF one of them because it wasn’t interesting me much. I hope you keep listening to audiobooks. It was a little tough for me at first too but now I’m addicted.
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I will definitely keep listening! In fact I’m searching for my next one right now…
Wow, I had no idea people were actually listening to them in fast-forward?! I would never try and do that – how on earth can you hear what’s being said???
I only started listening to audiobooks recently, and pretty much only on my commutes to and from work, because yeah, I can’t listen AND concentrate on doing work or something like that. Also, I have yet to listen to an audiobook where I HAVEN’T first READ the book. Or, for that matter, any stories written in third-person, now I think about it. Listening to a first-person audiobook feels pretty natural when the narrator is good.
I’m with you though, I definitely still prefer my ebooks and paperbacks!
I’ve heard so many people say they speed up the book so it doesn’t take as long to get through. I guess maybe it depends on how fast the narrator speaks? I’ve listened to some samples where the narrator was super slow, so maybe that’s why?
I listen to audiobooks at regular speed. I’m not a fan of speeding them up. I also have to be doing something else while I’m listening–cleaning, driving, stuff like that–because if I just sit down and try to listen to a book, I end up zoning out. I haven’t listened to an audiobook in a long time, but that’s how my husband reads all his books. When he tries to sit down and read a treebook, he falls asleep. Heh.
Ha ha, that’s funny! I guess when you get used to a certain way of reading, it’s hard to change. But I’m glad so many commenters are listening at normal speed:-)
I’ve tried a few audiobooks, but they just don’t work for me. When I read a book, I want to sit and immerse myself in it. Listening to a book is too much like listening to music or watching TV – my mind drifts, I multi-task, I think of other things, and suddenly I’m completely lost. I did my experiments, they failed, I’m done with them. LOL
I think that may have been my main issue. Listening to music and even TV on in the background is a habit of mine and you really have to pay attention to an audiobook!
First audiobook — congrats! It took me a while to really get into audiobooks, but now I have to have them. For me, I”m also a very visual person, and I also suck at multitasking. I have friends who listen to audiobooks throughout their day, but like you experienced, I lose track of the story completely if I try to do anything else, even a jigsaw puzzle. My brain just wouldn’t stay engaged with the story.
So, a few things that work for me:
– When I started audiobooks, I stuck to rereads. I didn’t have to worry if I spaced out while looking for parking or momentarily wandered away in my brain. I still love audiobooks for rereads. They’re a great way to re-experience a book I know I loved in the past and want to spend more time with.
– I listen when I drive and when I go for walks. I think those activities keep my eyes engaged but don’t require actually thinking about something else, if that makes any sense. (I tried going on a treadmill with an audiobook, and it didn’t work for me at all. I think it was because I had nothing to look at!)
– I listen at 1.25 speed usually, but there are certain authors/narrators where I absolutely have to slow down. I have a friend who listens to everything at 2x, but any faster than 1.25 becomes incomprehensible to me.
– I’m struggling a bit with a fantasy book right now, for the reasons you mentioned. I have no idea what the names actually are, so I ended up downloading the ebook as well so I can cross-check when I feel like I’m missing something.
Anyway, good luck! I do feel like audiobooks really were a great addition to my life, but they definitely take some getting used to and finding what works for you.
These are great tips, thanks for sharing! I plan on “practicing” some more so I can come to love it like you do:-)
The only one I listened to had multiple actors and sound effects/ music… That made it a lot better. I may look for another like that.
I really want to try one like that, Paul. I think that would be a lot of fun:-)
I found this GoodReads list. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/89457.Full_Cast_Audio_Books
Oh cool, thanks Paul:-)
So you’ve nailed my thoughts and issues completely. I have tried audiobooks and they don’t work for me and I’ve always felt defected. The few times I tried, I ended up falling asleep. Not because it was boring, but because I was so relaxed I drifted off – physically and mentally. Of course it didn’t help that I was in bed. AND it was King short story and you know how much I love him. When I’m cleaning or driving I end up listening to music. I love music and that’s my main opportunity to listen to it. Needless to say I struggled. Kudos to you for trying again. I think I’m out for good 🙂
Well, at least we still have print books and Kindle, right? I’m willing to try some more, but I know that print/digital is always going to be my first love.
Yay! So glad you tried your first audiobook. I would say one good tip is don’t do what everyone else does just find your own groove. I listen at 1.75 to 2x most of the time but sometimes the narrator is to fast and I have to back it down to 1.5x. So it might take a bit longer to listen to it but thats okay, just find the speed right for you and don’t worry about how others listen. It will depend on the narrator the satisfaction of your listening enjoyment, I have found some narrators I can’t listen to at all. It will take you a while but after you listened to a few audiobooks you might find you speeding them up.
I don’t even take notes when I read print or ebooks, it’s probably why my reviews are not as cool as yours! I would just feel like I am at school having to take notes on my book and it wouldn’t be fun and I would never get a book finished…lol. I always wondered how people anotatied a book as I just read…lol. So I have no suggestions on that.
Not everyone can multitask so that is okay but you might be able to the more you listen and get better at listening and not trying to visualize. 🙂
You will get better with the more you try and you will find your favorite narrators. Some of mine are Luke Daniels, Holter Graham, Marguerite Gavin, Callie Beaulieu, and Karen White to name a few. 🙂
Always check out the audio sample to see if the narrator is someone you think you can listen too! And Good luck!
Thanks for all the tips, Stormi:-) I’m really looking forward to trying some more narrators in order to see how they’re different.
😀
I’m going to start with the fact that I listen at normal speed & CANNOT do anything faster, because the narrator starts to sound out of breath.
I am largely in the same boat as you Tammy, I can only listen to audiobooks during very specific times. Mostly driving, if I go on a walk, or if I’m doing something where my brain doesn’t need to “engage,” like cooking a meal I’ve made a dozen times before. Otherwise my attention gets split and before I know it, I’ve lost track of the plot.
I also look for very specific kinds of reads, usually things that are “light” with a plot that moves at a good pace. I got through all of the Mercy Thompson series on audio, some of John Scazli’s comedic works, and a good chunk of Chronicles of Elantra. I’ve started doing some YA through audio as well, especially if I want to reread something ahead of a sequel.
Good luck with more audio reading!
I think my biggest challenge is going to be having to review audiobooks. It seems like more of a pleasure endeavor than “working” to pay close attention to all the details in order to write a review. We shall see! Thanks for all the tips:-)
It appears we have some of the same issues with audibles. I found listening to them at normal speed was best. But, I will always prefer reading, rather tan listening. I guess I’m an old dog who doesn’t want to learn those new tricks. LOL
Ha ha, I know what you mean, me too! I’m glad to have audio as an option, but it’s never going to take the place of “real” books.
Congratulations on breaking the Audiobook Barrier! 😉
Concentration always proved my biggest problem with the few attempts I made with audiobooks, because I seem unable to listen and do something else at the same time, and I perfectly understand your trouble with earbuds: on the whole they seem to be made for people with big ears, and mine tend to fall off at the slightest motion, to the point that I deeply envy those people who are able to walk or jog while wearing earplugs… (((big sigh))) 😀
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Thanks Maddalena! I’m considering buy some Bose headphones instead:-)
Really enjoyed reading this post. I like the idea of audiobooks and keep thinking I’d like to try one again but in the past I found my attention wandering and kept having to go back and listen again. I wouldn’t be totally against trying again though
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Audio probably isn’t for everyone, but I’m definitely going to try some more:-)
Tammy, I’ve very visual, too. When I started listening to audiobooks, I listened only to favorite books that I’d already read. Eventually I got good at listening to them and love to listen when I drive or walk or knit. I only listen to the normal speed. I believe that to listen to faster speeds only allows one to get through the book quickly, but a good narrator is wonderful at 1.0 speed. I recently listened to Tom Hanks narrate The Dutch House. Also The Dreamers, and Allende’s The Long Petal of the Sea. Now I’m listening to American Dirt. Audible is cool because if you don’t like the book or narration, you can return it and choose another at your leisure.
I love all these suggestions:-) I’m definitely going to try The Dutch House with Tom Hanks! Thanks for visiting and commenting, Aunt Besty:-)
Congrats on completing your first audiobook! I often listen to audiobooks when I’m driving, doing chores, or even riding my bike. As for the speed, a lot of it depends on the narrator and style – so I could go anywhere from 1.5 to 2.0. Good luck next time!
Thanks Lauren! I’m looking forward to trying some different narrators to see what the differences are.
Oh man! You had quite the experience. I highly recommend that you do what works best for you. I always listen at normal speed. I think it was only once that I increased the speed and that’s because the story bored me. Eventually, I gave up on it.
I’m very visual too, but I have to imagine scenes/pictures of what I read/listen to so I only listen to audiobooks when doing mundane tasks, which works at my job sometimes and chores that require a long time to organize something or clean the bathroom.
I’m also very selective about what I listen to on audio. I avoid listening to books/stories that’re extremely detailed (high fantasy or nonfiction books). When I started with audio, I tended to listen to only stuff I’d already read, so I was already familiar with the material. I then expanded to stuff that I know I’d focus more on being entertained than on story mechanics and writing style. I hardly touch on those when reviewing audio books. I often just talk about whether or not I liked the story, but there are some exceptions.
Anyway, hope your next audio experience is better.
Thanks Zezee! I can see myself trying less complicated stories and maybe having fun with those. At least until I have a few more under my belt. I can tell right away that my reviews are going to be different:-)
Yay for trying something new! I can’t listen to them at work either unless I’m doing something totally mindless like filing. Anything that involves concentration and I lose track of what I’m listening to. At home I love to listen to them while I’m folding laundry, doing dishes, etc. I have also experimented with the different speeds and find that 1.5x is where I’m most comfortable listening.
I did listen while doing the dishes and that worked. I think I just need to experiment more!
Reading this was so fun! I found myself comparing your experience with mine. I will point out that I started listening to audiobooks (from the library) back in high school when I drove myself for junior and senior year on a 40 minute one way commute. I had to have something to keep myself awake and having my brain engaged in listening to a book was perfect! Usually. LOL
Now that I’m commuting 1.25 hours one way twice a week for my job, I am relying on audiobooks once again to keep me awake. I tend to do rereads as audio but not as often now. I do struggle with spellings and visualizing words while listening and then reviewing later. And sometimes I get impatient and pull out the book to read ahead.
I have some favorite narrators that I turn to when wanting something new: Kristine Hvam and Rebecca Soler are on the top of that list. And I do tend to listen to audiobooks at higher speeds (1.25-2 depending on narrator), but I think that’s because when I’m reading print I do a lot of skimming and find narrators too slow for my taste. I’m weird, I know 🙂
Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience. It was fun to think through my own, and I do hope you find a way to like them in the future.
Thanks for sharing, Liz! I wish I lived in a city where I could take long train rides to work, that seems like the perfect listening time:-)
I love audio. 2x really is way too fast for anyone who doesn’t listen to audiobooks A LOT. And it does depend on the narrator. Unfortunately I can’t listen to audio at work either. Occasionally I will have some mindless tasks, but that’s rare. I loooove audio for doing laundry and cleaning. And playing candy crush. 🙂
Yeah, maybe with more practice I’ll be able to speed things up. I’ve heard some people say they speed it up so that it only takes 3-4 hours to listen to a normal sized book. I just couldn’t do that right now!
Glad to hear you enjoyed your first audiobook, despite it’s unique novelties. I held off trying them for a long time, and when I started had similar struggles. My biggest issue was the single narrator / multiple character issue you mention. Some narrators just don’t work for me, at least at the moment, either because I find their voice distracting, or I just can’t get into the different voices for different characters.
When I first started with audiobooks I chose all non-fiction (like history, nature, science) because they generally don’t have a long list of characters with different voices. But I slowly started delving into fiction and found some I’ve really enjoyed. I shop carefully, sampling the audio before buying to be sure I’ll enjoy the voices. I’ve also discovered Librivox and have begun listening to classics I never had the time to read. I sometimes listen while driving, but lately I’ve been listening in bed at night and really enjoying it. But I sometimes have to rewind the next day because I’ve fallen asleep or faded out and lost track of where I was. That’s an issue I have with audiobooks, in general. It’s easier for me to get distracted and not have a clue what I just read, so I’ll rewind. And though I listen to many podcasts at 1.5x speed I find I prefer audiobooks at normal speed. With podcasts I’m often trying to consume information, but with audiobooks it’s usually all about the enjoyment, so I don’t want to rush it.
I hope you find a set of practices that works for you and leaves you enjoying the books you listen to. It’s a different experience than reading, or watching movies, but can be just as exciting. I did a reread of The Hobbit by listening to the audiobook and absolutely loved the narrator. When I found he also narrated The Lord of the Rings I grabbed those, as well. Haven’t started them yet, but I’m really looking forward to the reread/listen. And I look forward to reading about your continued experiences in the realm of audio. Have fun!
I’m glad so many people are saying they listen at normal speed, I feel much better! Thanks for telling me your audio story, Todd, lots to think about:-)
I’m actually so happy and proud of you for listening to your first audiobook! Hey, whatever works! If it takes sitting in bed and doing nothing to be able to take in the audiobook, then that’s the way you should do it until you get more comfortable with the format. Actually, I used to only listen in bed as well, before I go to sleep. The only problem with that is that I sometimes fell asleep while reading, and lost my place 😛
And the “how do I spell this character/place name” is one of those downsides you just have to live with, unfortunately. If I own the print version, I will sometimes look it up, but in this case with an audible exclusive, I had the same problem!
As you listen more, I’m sure you’ll also start having favorite narrators. Haha, wait til you get a male narrator that does a terrible falsetto for female characters, or a female narrator who sounds like Fat Albert or something when doing a male voice. There will be good readers and bad ones, but I do appreciate it when they try to vary their accents and tones. Which is why I have no idea why people love Wil Wheaton as a narrator so much, he never even attempts to do voices and that drives me nuts, lol.
Really glad to hear you’ll listen to more! A great place to start is your library overdrive collection. And don’t worry, you definitely will get better at it, all comes down to getting used to the new format 🙂
Thanks Steff! It was a big accomplishment for me, ha ha. And it was really fun! I’ve already started looking around for my next one:-)
The struggle is real and I am right here with you! I have the same problems you had and so I always kept my distance from audio book because it is simply beyond my forces. I tried to follow some podcasts and even if I found them interesting, fun, captivating and all the good things, my attention span is very very short, so now I listen to short bit of them from time to time. But this summer I tried out an audio book because I was reading Sadie and some chapters are written as a podcast so I wanted to try and really listen to them. The adventure went better than my expectations but it confirmed that audio books aren’t for me. It was good as far as I listened for 5 minutes and then I had to listen and read to maintain concentration, but I am happy you would give them another try!
I think my preference is always going to be printed books, but I think audio can be interesting if it’s the right book:-)
Aaaand … you spontaneously combusted? No? Shucks.
Oh my gosh, this struggle is real, and I laughed. Not at you, but, you know, in your general vicinity. I have a problem with earbuds because I have small ears, which is … weird. since I guess I’m an adult? Ish?
Yeah, I can’t do the listening and doing other things, either, because I get distracted and miss huge chunks of the book. Oops? One audiobook I really enjoyed, though, was Illuminae! It’s a whole different experience to reading it, but I followed it pretty well.
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I love getting all these audiobook suggestions! I never would think Illuminae would work because it’s so visual, but now I’m curious!
I LOVE audiobooks but it took me a bit to train my brain to settle down and listen. I had retrain myself how to read a book that was being read to me. My sweet spot is usually 1.25X, 2 is way too fast and normal speed is way too slow. Sometimes I’ll bump it up to 1.5 if a narrator has reads slowly. I can’t absorb the words if they’re buzzing too fast.
I could never listen to an audio at work. I listen while I’m driving, cleaning, getting reading in the morning, walking the dog, cooking.Mindless stuff like that.
I think once I have a few under my belt it will get easier:-)
Ahoy there. It was excellent to hear about yer audiobook experience (no pun intended). I started by listening to old favorite children’s books because I got to revisit things I loved and get a new perspective. I usually listen at 1.5 to 2x speed. The First Mate can listen to them faster than I can. But I have kinda crappy hearing so the narrator has to be clear so I adjust the speed accordingly. Also ear buds and I are not friends. I got an over the ear kind that I adore. The link is below in case it works for ye. Can’t wait to see what else ye listen to.
x The Captain
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y5WWTWD/
Oh cool! I’m going to try those head phones, thanks!
Most of my books are audio. I usually start the speed at 1.5x or 1.25x and then after a while I can put it at 1.8x once I get use to the narrator. I can only listen to audiobooks in the car since it’s the only place where I don’t do something that needs me to think while I do. I have a pretty long drive to get to work so I can usually get through 1 or 2 books a week. I think there is a certain quality to having a story read to you. Especially when the narrator does all these different voices. One of my favourite ones is My Lady Jane.
Your drive to work sounds perfect for listening to audio. And now I want to listen to My Lady Jane!
I understand every point you make because I have the same problems. There is no way I can write a detailed review by just listening to the audiobook, although I try. That is why I prefer to read and listen simultaneously. I think it takes some time to get used to, like learning something new, because it is! I don’t think listening to a book is any faster then if you read it though. In fact, I realized simply reading a book is much faster.
I never thought about reading and listening together, but I’ll have to remember that, thanks!
I’m still a relative newbie to audio. At first I couldn’t listen to a book in a series where I’d already read the first book because the narrator’s voice just didn’t sound right in my head – I had my own version of the voices going on already. I’m getting over that a little bit now. I can’t listen when I’m doing certain things,such as blog hopping or writing reviews and I do speed my narrator up, but only a little – 1.25-1.5 otherwise they end up sounding comic. I actually like that the narrator knows how to say names and place names properly – it’s surprising how wrong I get such things but the spelling issue is very real and I don’t take notes, which I can on kindle. It’s still hit and miss for me but I do pick up a couple of audio books usually a month. My other real issue is simply forgetting to put my earphones in and start the book – I usually remember just when I’m reaching the end of my chores.
Lynn 😀
I never thought about it like that, that the narrator is pronouncing all the names correctly, which you would never know for sure, I guess, if you didn’t listen to the audio!
Oh gosh – this sounds like my experience with audiobooks. Trying recently, it’s been a mess. If I don’t sit down and listen, I get distracted by whatever I’m doing and miss plot details. And I definitely do that thing of visualising the words now too (yep, another one who always has to write everything down so I can see it to process it).
It confused me, because I used to listen to them a lot as a kid… but eventually the penny dropped that I only ever listened to stories I’d _already read_. Maybe I can make it work for rereads?
A lot of readers have been saying that they love listening to rereads on audio, so that may be the trick:-)
Well, I guess I’m weird, because I almost always listen at the regular speed. The only time I speed up an audiobook is if the narrator is “reading” really slow and I think they are taking too long. And honestly, a narrator can also make or break for me, I don’t always like certain narrators, or can’t separate what kind of a person their voice conjures up for me, and it doesn’t always match the character. I can’t do much with fantasy, because my mind wanders. I have also had that same issue with not knowing how to spell a name because I’ve listened instead of read a physical book. But I love to listen to them in my car when I go to work or anywhere really. While I started listening or getting really into listening when I was on a long drive, I do enjoy it still on my 15 minutes drive to work as well. Glad you’re ready for another one!
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I love hearing all this! I’m definitely on the look out for narrators that will work for me:-)
I’m like, weirdly thrilled that you liked your first audiobook!!! I wouldn’t get through nearly as many books without Audible and dang, they’re just the best! I listen to mine at 1.25x speed – any faster than that and I just can’t keep up. Also, you just have to check out a book narrated by Simon Vance – he has such fantastic character voices!!!
I will definitely check out Simon Vance, thanks for the tip!
Tammy I’m right here with you! It’s so easy for me to get lost in my own thoughts while listening. I do find that cleaning the house while listening helps, because my mind is preoccupied with the simple task of wiping down a counter while focusing on the book. That being said- I cannot PICK UP the house while listening, because that requires more focus than mindless wiping/sweeping/vacuuming/etc. because I have to think about where I’m putting stuff. Does that make sense? It has to be a really mindless task.
And I can’t listen at work either. I have too many people that need my attention when I’m not on the phone, and otherwise I’m pretty much on the phone. So.
Regarding speed- I listen at whatever plain old regular speed it starts at. Even 1.3 starts to sound like a chipmunk to me. I think people like us (visual learners) will always miss more details when reading via audio. So I try to pick shorter/simpler stories or superficial action books or humorous books to listen to.
Sorry for the super long comment- I just felt like I could have written this post myself. One thing I would recommend is starting with short stories. Amazon Prime offers audio versions of their Amazon Original Stories collections for free if you are a prime member. It’s like training to listen to a whole book. (Link to the SFF collection “Forward”: https://www.amazon.com/Forward-collection/dp/B07VST6B9S)
One other thing- do you have a bluetooth speaker? I’ve found that I actually can pay more attention with speakers rather than with earbuds. I don’t know why. It might have something to do with not feeling like I’ve cut off all signals from the outside world by plugging my head with earbuds (also, I just don’t really like them all that much).
I love all these ideas, thanks Sarah! I love the bluetooth speaker idea. I actually ended up just listening on my phone speakers without headphones, but I know that won’t always work. I’m going to check out Forward!
Wait? What? People don’t listen to audiobooks at normal speed? How do they even process what they’re hearing?
Congratulations on your first audiobook Tammy! It’s great that you want to do it again. 🙂 I have to agree with a lot of the issues you had – and I certainly can’t do other things while listening to a book!
This was a great post! 🙂
Thanks Mayri! Not everyone is listening at a faster speed, and I’m glad I’m not alone:-)
I’m glad you at least want to try another audiobook! If the book was fast paced and you had trouble catching all the details do you think listening to it at normal speed would have helped? I can’t listen to books faster than normal speed haha. I also can’t listen at work. My job requires be to do a lot of typing and I can’t multitask and listen and type. I mostly listen to audiobooks when I am driving. And even then I sometimes I have to rewind my book a minute or two because I actually had to pay more attention to the road and missed part of the book (not that I don’t pay attention when I am listening, its just most of the time I know where I am going and am just stuck in traffic) I also usually listen to my audiobooks while doing things like coloring or puzzles. Things that are visual and don’t take a ton of thought. I hope you enjoy your next book!!
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I think with the book I listened to, there was just SO much going on, even at slower speed I wouldn’t be able to remember everything, every character, etc that was happening.
hahahaha I was the same way when I first started listening to audiobooks. And it took me a long time to realize that not all audiobooks are going to work as an audiobook. It can depend on the story type (for instance, I can’t listen to non-fiction) and can REALLY depend on the narrator. Glad it wasn’t a complete failure and you’re not going to give more a shot though!
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I’m looking forward to figuring out which kind of audiobooks I like:-)
Loved seeing your experiences! When I started out with audio I was like you, Tammy, I was a visual reader and it took me a long time to adjust to audio. Even now I’ll sometimes come across a book or narrator that doesn’t work well in audio for me for whatever reason (sometimes you might see me mention that in a review). I also found it hard to concentrate on the audio while doing other things at first–listening is a totally different skill than reading and I had to relearn how to read through audio! Because I used to only read print books I got really good at tuning out audio to concentrate on reading. Now I had to learn how to concentrate on audio? Pah! But it helped when I found a book with a narrator that clicked for me and after that it’s been a lot easier. I also find that books that aren’t very ‘detail oriented’ or might be ‘quicker reads’ tend to work best in audio for me (like Urban Fantasy). Glad you’re going to give it another try!
Great ideas, I love reading about all the different experiences everyone has:-)
I have to admit that audiobooks were hard for me to get into at first, and I still don’t read as many as other people. I guess I don’t imagine much while reading so I didn’t have the problem of imagining the sentences! But I also can’t really do something else and listen, and for some reason I need the volume to be really loud otherwise my own thoughts distract me. I now listen while walking to and from uni – not much listening time and I just go bit by bit at my own pace. Some narrators – like yours – sound wonderful and manage to do the voices so well. I also advise starting slow and gently speeding up book by book? At first I listened at 1x and gradully 1.25, 1.5 and now I listen at about 2x and sometimes 1.75 x
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