Audio Books, Thoughts?

[northorbitranger]

Hi everyone,

What a wonderful site this is! I just discovered it today.

Anyway, I have two ongoing debates with friends. First, online books vs. paper books. It seems a no-brainer to me that online books are superior. You can sit in a comfy chair in front of your computer, it provides its own light, theres' no heavy tome to support, you can even eat dinner while you read as it is hands free.

The other debate is Audio vs. Visual books. I listen to audio books when I commute in my car, when I jog and when I workout at the gym. I can get them free on loan from my local library and they are often marvelously entertaining. Yet some friends tell me this is not 'legitimate' reading. Because I get my information through my ears and not my eyes it isn't legit? I listened to the unabridged Tale of Two Cities (for example) and I retained, understood, comprehended and enjoyed it. Indeed, it made a greater impact on me, I think, than it would have had I merely read it in the conventional way.

Any comments on these topics?

Cheers!
North

[Admin]

Believe it or not I'm not a fan of reading online - it's not good for the eyes or the back. Unless you curl up with a laptop on a nice big chair.

Digital books have other advantages though - you can search through them easily to find a specific passage, and if you have a palm pilot or other such device you can carry an entire library with you on business trips/planes/etc.

I know there are some people who use my site to read, but by and large most use it for research.

[prospicio]

I agree that online libraries are fantastic resources for research, but the experience of staring at my computer screen for hours is not pleasurable to me. I would much rather read a physical book, one that I can carry to the beach or easily mark for future reference.

As far as audio books go, I do enjoy hearing a book read by an entertaining narrator, but only after I have had a chance to read the book myself. Listening to audio books deprives me of the ability to reread certain passages and contemplate particular aspects of the writing style and/or story developement.

[SirStefan32]

I prefer paper books, but what I really like to do is find an online book, print out one chapter, read it (the hardcopy), and then print out the next chapter and so on. I just can not focus staring at the computer.

:)

[Athena]

Staring at the computer too long gives me a head ache. Also, I love the smell of books. . . it's kind of comforting in a way. Hard copy books also win over audio books for me, too. I like to imagine the characters voices and sounds when I am reading and then maybe hear the audio later and compare.

[Eric, son of Chuck]

Paper all the way. I'm a bit of a collector though, and I hang around the used book shops, looking for, for example, a leather-bound 200 year old Shakespeare folio. *sigh* I can't believe I couldn't afford the thing... alas.

[happypidgeon]

I'm such a traditionalist.... I like to have the actual, physical book in my hand. The weight, the pages, the print.... tis a sacred thing. I'm also not a huge fan of audio books, the human voice is just to easy for me to tune out unless I'm in a desk taking notes :D . I Know why many people get a great deal more out of tapes, though. It just represents differences in learning styles. Whatever works for you, right? Besides, computer screens hurt my eyes.

~Kris

[mkosta94]

We used to listen to Audio books in school and that was kind of killing time. While you are listening you don't have to answer teacher's questions we thought. But it wasn't too often though. I have to say the narrators were great. Now I am grown up and see it as more interesting thing. But like it was that time and it is now - we don't have audio books, I mean I can't go to library and take it or buy it. Our libraries are full of unkind women who are working for peanuts. As for online books I agree for all that was said above, it is much more exciting to hold the book in your hand and read it, it is great when it is good illustrated, especially when you are kid, I still remember some books I read in childhood, their covers, pictures and story itself of course. None of online book will give such memories.

[Caito]

Hi.


I'm new, I just read this message, and I have to reply!

Although online and audio books do have their advantages, I must say that I agree with most of the others, I much prefer real paper books. Especially old hardback ones, the ones with uneven pages that look all archaic... though I do listen to audio books sometimes, but only if I'm already familiar with the work.

I also prefer to write on real paper, in notebooks or just on blank paper - I suppose that is weird! (Because it's not so easy to make alterations). I find that I prefer to write on paper first, then type stuff up.

;)

(by the way, I think this is a great site)

[zheng89120]

Does any one know where i can find free classic recorded books online? thanks

[Mallorie]

So first of, Hi, I am new here. Posted a long winded introduction.

With that out of the way, I have taken to audio books, I drive often and I have never liked the medium before but I find it much better than radio.

I am curious as to how everyone here feels about them, and would love some suggestions.

Right now I am reading Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, having approached that tomb in text form many times before I finally decided that perhaps I would find it more enjoyable in the audio book format.

To aid in producing suggestions (assuming its not too pretentious) below are some of my likes and dislikes, none of which have been read in audio book format but all the same...


George Orwell, very nice, less so Animal Farm.
Ayn Rand, also nice, fiction only.
Vladimir Nabokov, loved Lolita, found Laughter in the Dark to be wonderful, Invitation to a Beheading was too disjointed for my tastes but as usual for Nabokov the language redeemed it, could not push my way though Ada, Bend Sinister I much looked forward to but found lacking, Pnin was nice but did not hold my attention very well.
Arthur Koestler, right in the middle, I loved the story but did not enjoy the writing.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, adore his longer works, find the short stories largely unsatisfying
John Steinbeck, loved Of Mice and Men, found East of Eden a bit more difficult to read
Ken Kesey, found One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to be excellent, however I absolutely hated Sailor Song, I couldnt finish it
Aldous Huxley, shares a boat with Kesey, I loved Brave New World, hated all his other work...I was a bit miffed that I felt the need to keep buying his books
Kurt Vonnegut, I can not stand him, Cat's Cradle was alright, the rest of his work that I have read I found unbearable
Ray Bradbury, excellent author, palatable use of language, wonderful messages, moving plots, all around good
Ursula K LeGuin, I have only ever read her short stories, I loved The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, however Schrödinger's cat and others were a let down
Franz Kafka, adored The Metamorphosis, also loved In The Penal Colony, but I find much of his other work too disjointed for pleasure reading
William Faulkner, can not stand his work, If Kafka and Nabokov are disjointed he is...babbling. While I can appreciate his message I can not appreciate his style
Erskine Caldwell, absolutely hated Tobacco Road but quite enjoyed The Last Night of Summer, I am very conflicted on this author
Chuck Palahniuk, showed promise but grew boring very quickly, have read all his work, I find the writing very easy
Irvine Welsh, yuck, I had to read his work aloud inorder to understand what the text meant
Orson Scott Card, I know he doesnt seem to belong on this list, but I absolutely love his writing, I have stayed up 24-48 hours many times because I am unable to put his books down
Charles Dickens, a perfect null, I can enjoy his books but in no large way and sometimes he bores me
Charles Bukowski, enjoyed Post Office, and many of his other works, not a huge poetry fan, and I blame his health troubles for the monstrosity that I found Pulp to be.
William Golding, absolutely love Lord Of The Flies, have not read his other works
Edgar Rice Burroughs, he is my dirty little secret, and I love him, I have sought out and found nearly every book and story he has ever written and I adore them all, call it nostalgia


That list got pretty long, I apologize. It occurred to me half way though that I should make sure to include the authors I had read that seemed like likely suggestions, and that made the list drag on.

I hope that doesnt overwhelm my first question about the audio book medium.
My $0.2 I find books in audio book less intimate and less moving but only be a minor degree. When finished with a good one I still sigh and feel as though I have taken a long journey that needs reflecting on.

If you made it this far thanks for reading all of the above!
Cheers.

[dfloyd]

but many do not understand that they are not replacements for books, but an added way of reading more, that is, increasing your reading substantially by doing away with time wasted when doing mundane tasks and driving. I have listened to over 700 books in the last few years that I wouldn't have been able to read for lack of time. Many of the books I've listened to are ones I read years ago and audio books have enabled me to eassentialy visit these favorites again. Some of the books I've listened to this year are:

A Farwell to Arms - Hemingway
A Moveable Feast - Hemingway
The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway
The Razor's Edge - Maugham
Of Human Bondage - Maugham
Captain Alatriste - Perez-Reverte
Connections - Franzen
Tales of the Macabre - Poe
Pickwick Papers - Dickens
The Trial - Kafka

I might add, I only listen to unabridged CDs, and I still continue to read avidlly. My next audio book will be the Booker winner,Wolf Hall.

[Propter W.]

In the winter you might catch me listening to Poe or Arthur Conan Doyle by the fireplace, perhaps reading along.

[Mallorie]

dfloyd, glad to know some people do draw the distinction though, audio books are always a second choice for me, I just can not find the perfect words for why exactly.

I certainly am glad they do exist though.

Did you find the audio for The Sun Also Rises to be lacking? It is one I have been considering but I am worried that I might "zone out" because of Hemingway's descriptions...however for much the same reasons I can not bring myself to actually read his work.

[dfloyd]

I have read just about everything he wrote, then listened to them all the second time around. Whether listening or reading, The Sun Also Rises is one of my favorite novels.

[Rores28]

Hemingway to me is a good one for audio book because his language is relatively simple.... I find audio books difficult to listen to when the author uses more convoluted prose. An added advantage is the fact that (to me at least) sometimes it is a little difficult to follow who is talking in The Sun Also Rises, and the audio would clear this up.

I've also really enjoyed listening to Vonnegut and Steinbeck on CD. And Wodehouse is hilarious if you get the correct recording.

[hazelk]

On Audio
Tulip Fever - Deborah Moggach (a wonderful reader made this very special).

[annatak]

I definitely find that audiobooks are a wonderful supplement for my "reading." If I get into a book on a run, I find that I go longer so that's always a plus! For me, I prefer lighter fare on audiobooks when I'll be doing other things.

Some of my favorites include:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - different narrators really make this book lively.

Christopher Moore books - it's fun to read the sarcasm, but I enjoy narrators bringing some color to the words.

The Girl Who Played with Fire - helped me learn the proper pronunciation for Swedish villages and streets :)

[Scheherazade]

During a recent holiday, I ended up driving a lot (12 hours to the destination) and I was determined to make good use of the time by listening to audio books. This was my first serious attempt at listening to books and I found out that, much to my own chagrin, I cannot listen to books.

I am mainly a visual learners and simply listening to a book was a very challenging task for me. I kept getting distracting by other things so at the end I gave up and listened to some music. Singing along was a much easier task for me, much to others' chagrin! :D

[Mallorie]

Scheherazade, I struggled with that to on some of the more dense novels, Great Expectations was one I had read in book form years ago and decided would be suitable for the length of my journey, and as an audio book I couldn't focus on it one bit and found myself zoning out often.

You might try the more pulpy novels, I was stuck briefly in a ghetto house with no TV, no internet and no new books, I found myself listening to a Stephen King audio book and decided it was quite nice, War of the Worlds was also really fun in audio.

[dfloyd]

Many people cannot listen to audio books the first time out. But the increased reading capacity and the enhanced enjoyment experienced, make audio books valuable assets for dedicated reader. On a recent drive to Florida (about 1200 miles), I listened to an unabridged CD of Pickwick Papers. Learning to concentrate as required by listening, may help you in later life. Medical people say that using the brain in such a manner can help with incipient dementia or ahlzhemeirs (sp?). Also, if others were in the car with you, it may be more difficult to concentrate.

Another benefit is to reread your favorite stories and novels. If you already know the plot, you don't have to concentrate as hard as you would have if all the material was new.

Another benefit is to read along with the audio narrator. This helps the concentration also. I read this year Maugham's 'Of Human Bondage' while listening to an audio CD. Previously, I did the same with 'Gone with the Wind' and 'Crime and Punishment'. Obviously, when listening to a book not written in English, you have to make `certain the recording and the physical book are the same translation. Spending my time doing this, that is reading along with the narrator, has allowed me to do something I always wanted to do: I have gotten rid of my tv.

[gruntingslime]

I like listening to non-fiction, but I prefer reading fiction.

[soundofmusic]

I am mainly a visual learners and simply listening to a book was a very challenging task for me. I kept getting distracting by other things so at the end I gave up and listened to some music. Singing along was a much easier task for me, much to others' chagrin! :D


Scheherazade, I struggled with that to on some of the more dense novels, Great Expectations was one I had read in book form years ago and decided would be suitable for the length of my journey, and as an audio book I couldn't focus on it one bit and found myself zoning out often.

You might try the more pulpy novels, I was stuck briefly in a ghetto house with no TV, no internet and no new books, I found myself listening to a Stephen King audio book and decided it was quite nice, War of the Worlds was also really fun in audio.

I wish I were a visual learner; I have to read something before I understand what I am looking at...a nightmare when I was doing clinical in nursing.

I get so transfixed when I am listening to cd books that I see the characters right in front of me...unfortunately, sometimes, I miss the semis:lol:

We must hear more of your ghetto experiences, Mallorie;)

[Clio08]

For me it has to be paper books. Period.
Audio is fine if I am revisiting something, otherwise I much prefer to form my own opinion than to be influenced by the readers intonations,etc.

[hazelk]

You would enjoy I am sure any of the Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser they are really entertaining on audio, the reader does such a good job, quite outrageously funny.

[Mallorie]

We must hear more of your ghetto experiences, Mallorie;)

Retrospectively there are lots of funny anecdotes, but all in all it is basically as follows:

My husband at the time was attending OCS for the army, he was stationed in Columbus, GA. I had decided to move there with his so I could spend time with him during his training. Though I lived alone the whole time.

I ended up renting a house that cost me all of $200 a month, it had no heat or AC, the water hardly ran at all, it had a total of 3 electrical outlets, one in each room. Absolutely no way to get internet, or TV. The closet had a large hole in the bottom that could be used to gain access to the house, or depart from the house though.

The neighbors (everyone on the street) murdered dogs out in the street regularly, smoked pot and possibly crack openly all day on their porches. The men with no shame at all would make grabs for breasts, mine were apparently on the menu as well.
A skinhead motorcycle gang had a clubhouse at the end of the very long street, from where they watched the antics.
Trash bags were torn open and the trash was scattered before the local prison crew had a chance to roll by.
At any given time people could be seen prowling the street with no apparent intent, save the unsavory ones a thinking person is tempted to impart them with.
The sounds of fighting were remarkably similar to those of partying, and no matter how closely you listened you could never tell the difference without actually taking a look, and even then it was difficult to tell.

I discovered the best way to be left alone was to look as disillusioned, stupid and downtrodden as possible, then you will be accepted as one of them.

Thats about all, probably not the best place to be posting this, but well, you asked :D

[Aragorn Elessar]

I almost welcomed you to the forums, but then I realized this was posted eight years ago!

I prefer paper books over online books. To me, chairs are not very comfortable and I would much rather lie on my bed or lie outside next to a tree or something. The good thing, however, about online books is that you can "Edit - Find on this Page" a certain group of words you may be looking for...much more efficient.

I don't much care for audio books, really.

[Mallorie]

I had to read your post half a dozen times thinking it was a joke I had missed, then I discovered that my topic had been merged with another from eight years ago, makes more sense now! I felt mighty stupid for about 10 min.