Listening to Audio books

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Julie Petitbon
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Re: Listening to Audio books

Post by Julie Petitbon »

Audiobooks are great if you are doing something and can't physically read. Driving or cooking, for instance. That being said, I prefer reading over listening. I feel that I become more engrossed in the story if I am reading.
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Post by Alison Alissa »

I have not had the chance to listen to audio books but I would prefer text.Then I would have the chance to see the exact spelling of a given word hence improving my vocabulary.
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Post by Chikari »

Julie Petitbon wrote: 09 May 2019, 22:00 Audiobooks are great if you are doing something and can't physically read. Driving or cooking, for instance. That being said, I prefer reading over listening. I feel that I become more engrossed in the story if I am reading.
I agree that audiobooks are wonderful for when you are multi-tasking. I also like that I can listen to a book at night and rest my eyes at the same time. It's a great way to relax for a bit. Plus, on Audible you can set a sleep timer so it'll stop reading after a specified amount of time. That way, if I fall asleep then I don't miss too much!
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Ekta Swarnkar
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Post by Ekta Swarnkar »

I've once tried listening audio book and honestly I don't think I liked it.... also I prefer reading books because it is what I love.. reading books. :techie-reference:
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Post by Lady-of-Literature »

Listening to audiobooks can be enjoyable if done well, not everyone can read compellingly. Sadly, no everyone has the voice for it. Also, audiobooks can come in handy if for whatever reason your incapable of reading first hand, for example, I get motion sickness when I read in the car. So listening to audio is very helpful when I go on road trips. There also pretty handy when I'm feeling sick and just can't focus on a sentence long enough to digest it.
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Post by magnoparisi »

Audiobooks are great. I'm surprised at the number of people that don't really like fully ABs here.
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Post by Jennz123 »

Audiobooks are great, no eye strain! I have to set a timer though as sometimes they send me to sleep lol
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Post by leiabutler »

I only listen to audio books in the background if I want it to stick in my memory like for an exam. I couldn't put my full attention into an audio book, I know the story wouldn't be as pleasurable and powerful as it would when physically reading it.
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Post by WhiteLotus »

Julie Petitbon wrote: 09 May 2019, 22:00 Audiobooks are great if you are doing something and can't physically read. Driving or cooking, for instance. That being said, I prefer reading over listening. I feel that I become more engrossed in the story if I am reading.
:ditto:
But also, a big issue I have with audiobooks is that if I can't stand the voice of the reader, I just can't get into the book at all. Plus I prefer to listen to non-fiction rather than fiction, because I visualize fiction better by reading than having it read to me.
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Post by sdatsy »

As of right now, I am not into audiobooks only because I feel that I do not get the same immersive experience as I do when I read a book. I often feel that I am not completely focused on the audiobook as I am generally doing other tasks or wandering off with my thoughts whilst listening.
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Post by Reynafe Andrade »

its really fun. less time on reading but you would feel the imaginary scene. it was really great
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Post by nicole-adrianne »

I love audiobooks but my limited attention span makes it impossible for me to remember what happens in the plot. I have to listen to a chapter repeatedly to retain it, whereas I can speedread an eBook or physical book and still know the details of the plot!
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Post by maxiphemmax »

the lack of emotion, pausing, or observing of different punctuation mark is a minus to all these audiobooks. The passion that comes from that inner imagination while reading is something technology can't replace, maybe later though, but not yet.
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Post by Jennashby_87 »

I use to have a part time cleaning job and audiobooks were a lifesaver. It would take me about 3-4 hours to get the cleaning done and audiobooks would make it fly by. Now I just use podcasts though and I prefer to actually read instead.
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Post by winecellarlibrary »

I very recently ventured into audiobooks. Up until now, I've been very resistant to them. I felt like it wasn't truly "reading" a book. However, I found out that my favorite author, Juliet Marillier, released a book called Beautiful that was only available as an audiobook from Audible. Since I own everything she has ever published, I had to get my hands on this book. Thanks to Audible's 30 day free trial, I did so without spending a dime. Unfortunately, I was incredibly disappointed in the book.

A few days later, I discovered that the Libby app uses your library card to access both eBook and audiobook titles. I have since listened to almost 20 audiobooks. I have reconciled my earlier hesitation by acknowledging that I am still supporting writers by listening to their books even if I am not sitting and reading the words from the pages.

I find that the narrator has a huge impact on my perception of the audiobook. For instance, the narrator for Stephenie Meyer's The Chemist was incredibly monotonous, so I really struggled to pay attention to the book. On the other hand, I listened to an Audible dramatization of the classic Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, and even though the book wasn't my favorite, the voice acting was impeccable. I also recommend the audiobook of Paula Hawkins' Girl on the Train because even though it isn't dramatized, the three voice actors perform so expertly that they rival the film actors' performances.
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