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BlogFest 2010: Audiobooks vs. Hard Copies

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10 Sep 2010

Welcome to Musings of an All Purpose Monkey! Chances are if you’re here on September 10-12 you’re a book lover who got here via the BlogFest event.

BlogFest is a massive carnival of giveaways with a great collection of participating blogs. Each blog has a giveaway and the idea is to hop from blog to blog, entering all the giveaways your little heart desires. Hopefully you might even come across a few blogs you might want to bookmark and continue visiting.

I’m proud to be one of the over 250 bloggers participating in this celebration of books and book blogs. And while you’re here, I’d love to get your thoughts on something…

Audiobooks. I don’t like them, and I desperately want to. My TBR stack is so massive that I may catch up somewhere around the time I retire, and yet it seems like I have “wasted” time where I could be listening to books while I do other things (in the car, washing dishes, doing laundry, etc.). However, the few times I tried to listen to a book were less than satisfying experiences.

Maybe I’m just very particular about the way I read. I often find myself going back and rereading passages in a book, and it’s much easier to do that with a hard copy than an audiobook. I also want to go at my pace which, depending on my mood, may be faster or slower than what the reader has chosen.

And let’s talk about the reader. I know there are some fabulous audiobook readers out there, but what if I just don’t like the reader’s delivery? What if their voice is like nails on a chalk board to me? I wouldn’t want that to be such a distraction that I was turned off from what otherwise may be a book I’d enjoy reading in print. And so I’m stuck between the “rock” of my never-ending TBR stack and the “hard place” of not liking audiobooks, the one avenue that could actually help me get a leg up on things.

How do you feel about audiobooks? Love ’em, hate ’em or indifferent? Leave a comment with your thoughts and you’ll be entered to win the following prize pack:

  • An ivory/black striped canvas tote bag
  • Precious Blood by Jonathan Hayes (paperback)
  • Machete, third and most recent book in the Jake and Jouma series by Nick Brownlee (trade paperback)
  • The Godfather of Kathmandu, fourth and most recent book in the Sonchai Jitpleecheep series by John Burdett (hardcover)

Please be sure to include your email address or website link with your comment so I have a way to contact the winner. Contest is open to US/Canada and ends at midnight on September 12, 2010.

*** The contest is now closed.***

Thanks for stopping by. Please have a look around Musings of an All Purpose Monkey, and then be sure to go check out what’s going on over at The Nerd’s Wife for BlogFest!

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153 Responses

  1. Marc

    Audio novels aren’t too bad but when it’s an autobiography, such as ‘I am Ozzy’ for instance, and it’s a different person doing the narrative it seems very odd. I would have expected to hear Ozzy Osbourne telling his life story and not Frank Skinner telling it.

    mckelly74(at)gmail(dot)com

  3. TJOC Jessica

    I don’t like them either. The only audiobooks I can make myself listen to, even on long drives, are humorous short memoirs like Chelsea Handler or David Sederis.

    thejoyofthejoyofcooking at hotmail dot com

  4. brizmus

    To be honest, I’m not an audio book fan. Occasionally they can be done right, but I’ve never heard one that I really LOVED. It’s not nearly as great as the real thing.

    zedster.tbb(at)gmail(DOT)com

  6. stacy h

    i dislike audio because it usually means i am trying to multi-task. id rather immerse myself completely in a book than try to listen and do something along with it….

    hancoci_s at msn dot com

  7. Benita

    An audio book is as good as its reader. I love them for long car drives and when cleaning the house.

    bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com

  8. Melissa R

    I don’t have much experience with audiobooks. Though I imagine they would be great for when I am cleaning up around the house

  10. Caitrin

    I prefer hard copies but I love audiobooks for long drives or walks, it makes the time go by faster!

    liathiano at gmail dot com

  11. Barb W.

    I’m a big fan of audiobooks and a big fan of books in all formats! Audiobooks are particularly wonderful though as they are great for long car rides, relaxing in the sun without straining your neck or your eyes, and a good way to “escape” the noises of your environment and enjoy a great read.

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

    Hugs,
    Barb

    ruralmoms AT gmail DOT com

  12. lea lablue

    I love hard copies, but there are benefits to listening to audio especially if it is one of your favorites. I have many of my favorites in hard copy, audio and on kindle. I LOVE TO READ!

  14. Andrea

    I only really liked the Harry Potter audio books, and that’s because I had read the books and wanted to hear them again while driving. Otherwise I prefer the physical copy to read.

  15. Nise'

    I love audio books and you are right at times the reader can make or break the book. Some of my favorite readers are Davina Porter, Katherine Kellgren, and Simon Vance.

    nisethusfarATyahooDOTcom

  19. April X

    I haven’t listened to much audiobooks, but they’re nice to listen to when you’re multitasking. But sometimes they read extremely slowly so I would probably prefer hardbacks. Thanks for the giveaway 😀

    aprilxu2222@gmail.com

  22. Stacie

    I don’t mind them at all. My fiance loves them because he is such a slow reader and takes forever to get through a book. They are much faster for him.

  24. Audrey

    I don’t particularly enjoy audiobooks, but I do listen to them on occasion because I sometimes work up at the library shelving books and I can listen while I work for a couple hours.
    twigerina[at]hotmail[dot]com

  27. Trin

    I like my hardcopies.
    For some reason audio books make
    me feel lost. Weird huh?
    Thanks for the fun bash.
    TLR33960 at hotmail dot com

  28. Scoot

    I love audiobooks because I have a very long commute. I would go crazy without books to listen to. However, I prefer to actually READ a book than listen to it. Thanks for the chance to win! seescootread[at]gmail[dot]com

  30. Tiffany

    I do love audio books. They’re especially great for road trips! Although I have noticed at times I have a hard time focusing, I get distracted much easier with audio books. Thanks for the giveaway!

  31. Michele Lawrence

    I love audiobooks – they put a huge dent in my “to-read” list. The reader makes a HUGE difference. Next time you’re in the mood to try one, try The Book Thief (stick it out the first 15 minutes).
    Thanks for the giveaway
    rlawrence110@yahoo.com

  33. Julie H

    I definitely prefer books as well. I have only recently tried out audio books and sometimes I find it distracting…I am going to try a chick-lit one next, and hope that helps ease me into it better. Happy Blogfest and thanks for the giveaway!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

  34. Elise

    I have only recently listened to audiobooks. It is alright but not my favorite. I am used to reading a book. I think I will stick to reading. That’s what I enjoy more.
    caliblue7 at gmail dot com

  35. Naomi Johnson

    I sympathize. My preference is always for the book. Some books lend themselves to audio better than others, some readers are more suited to a given book than others. I’ve listened to some very fine readers, heard some terrific books. I just generally prefer the experience to be between the author and me, not the author, the audio reader and me.

  37. Pop Culture Nerd

    Hi Elizabeth,

    Top of the marrnin’ to ya! (Imagine that said in Irish accent)

    I don’t like audiobooks, either, for some of the reasons you mentioned. I often hear the words differently in my head and get annoyed when I try to listen to someone else read. Sometimes I sit there thinking, “That’s a lousy accent” or “Can you sound more excited?!” or “OK, now you’re just overacting.” It distracts me from focusing on the content.

    Another problem is audiobooks are often abridged and I want the whole book but the unabridged version is 97 hours. I can read it much faster!

    I just love the physical weight of the book in my hand, the smell and tactility of the paper, the beauty of the dust jacket. This is why I don’t read e-books, either.

    BTW, I didn’t come here via Blog Fest. I came here because you’re awesome!

  38. Jen Forbus

    As Le0 mentioned, I’m also a fan of audiobooks and don’t believe you have to choose between the two forms. I always have a print book going and an audio book.

    Before I got a job that involved a 45 minute drive one-way to work, I was a book elitist…said audios weren’t real books, said I didn’t like them…couldn’t listen to them, blah, blah, blah. Once I started listening to them in the car I fell in love. I now listen to them when I work out, when I walk my dogs, work in the yard, do housework, craft, etc. I’m to the point where if I’m not reading a print book I feel the need to have someone reading a book to me.

    I also repeat this all the time when I talk about audios, so if you’ve heard me say it before, I apologize for the repetition. I think as adults we forget that we fell in love with reading by having someone read to us. A great narrator can bring a book to life in ways I never imagined on my own. It’s magic.

  40. le0pard13

    I’m sure you’ll know where I stand on this, Elizabeth. I am very much an audiobook fan (as is our friend Jen Forbus). For the longest time (before and after I married), I read all sorts of hardcovers and paperbacks (a habit I acquired from my mother). Then my kids arrived on scene and it became difficult to find time to read (along with work). Audiobooks saved me.

    I’d load a book onto my iPod and listen in the car, and other places I’d dart off to (for work and parenting chores). It definitely hooked me. Perhaps, it is because I’m a visual person to begin with (why I also love film so much) that it was easy for me to transition to books in the audio form. I know that sounds weird, but I found audiobooks made it quite easy to form the pictures in my head of what was in the material (something I did with book, too).

    Narrators, as well, are critical part of this art form. A poor narrator can be quite off-putting to the listener. An exceptional one can make a not so great book more than tolerable (where I’d have thrown the book to the floor, if I was only reading it). If you’re interested, I can you some. I see you’re reading Don Winslow’s Savages. Michael Kramer did an exceptional job with the audiobook for that extraordinary novel, BTW.

    Commenter Sara J. Henry offered a great stratagem for getting into audiobooks. I did a multipart look on the audiobook form using my all-time favorite series (Elvis Cole and Joe Pike by Robert Crais) as a point of reference that you might find interesting (or not). The recap (with links to the whole series) can be found here.

    Sorry to drone on Elizabeth, but I’m passionate about this form. Thanks.

    p.s, Ron McLarty did an outstanding unabridged narration for L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais. Yes, I’m trying to tempt you ;-).

  41. Chris

    Hi Elizabeth,

    I’ve worked for a company called Audio Editions for over 21 years now. When they hired me back in 1989, audiobooks were MUCH less common, and I had no interest whatsoever – told the owner I couldn’t imagine not having the book in hand.

    But they grew on me. We maintain an extensive lending library of audiobook samples and I have at least one going all the time, especially in the car.

    I read about one “real” book a week, primarily nonfiction, and I go back to reread passages, mark up my own books with notes and highlights, and frequently pause to digest.

    But even though I barely drive (I work 1.5 miles from home), I have a 7 minute commute each way and I go home for lunch (!), so I get in about 40 minutes of listening a day, and it adds another book every week or two.

    (Don’t enter me in the giveaway – it’s very generous, but those aren’t within my interests.)

    Chris
    http://www.audioeditions.com

  44. Sara J. Henry

    Here’s the trick with audio books – make yourself listen to the first 30 minutes or so (what used to be one side of a cassette tape) before giving up – sometimes it takes that long to get used to the reader’s voice and interpretation. But with rare exception, I have been awed by the talent of the reader, and by the end I would swear there were four or five of them, voicing each character. (Real books are my first love – audio books are for the car or for when I’m doing tasks like painting.)

    Want to get started? Check out the wonderful novel MEMORY OF RUNNING, read by the author, Ron McLarty (an actor who worked for Recorded Books)- it’s a fantastic book that may be easier to listen to than read (at the time, the book wasn’t available in print). I so loved it I carried the tape inside the house with me and kept listening.

  45. Clair

    Reading and driving didn’t work out for me, so I listen to audiobooks in the car. But I agree that the wrong reader can wreck a book, and a single mispronounced word or name shatters the illusion.

  46. Alan Harmon

    Audio books are a nice alternative to have. But personally I prefer the hard copies. Like you Elizabeth, I like to be able to go back and re-read sections again if need be and it is much easier with a hard copy. Audio is nice for car rides where your attention is focused on it. But otherwise, I think my attention could be focused elsewhere if I just had an audiobook playing around the house. Much easier to focus with a book “in hand.” You bring up some really good points!

  48. Tanya

    I don’t care for audio books. I like to read late in the evening while relaxing in bed. It helps me to wind down, and if I try to listen to an audio book it puts me to sleep -_-

  49. Linda Henderson

    I’m not a big fan of audiobooks, but they do have their place. I listen to them in the car sometimes.

    seriousreader at live dot com

  50. Betty Mc

    I’m deaf so there is NO WAY I’d like audio books. But my daughter has started a 70 mile daily round-trip commute to school, and she would like some audio books.

    bmcbroom @gmail.com

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