Audiobooks

[Pizzabeak]

What's the consensus on audiobooking? It might be faster but seems less prestigious than reading.

I've only listened to one audiobook (well, two) and it was mainly because it was read by the author, who was/is known for his charming voice during his lectures & speeches. It also had some bonus stuff like music thrown in between, so it was fun. Also happened to listen to most of Down n Out in Paris & London which was decent, but I tried not to go overboard with them despite the supply.

Also wondering about opinions regarding efficiency of each method... There might be a difference in 'recall' if the info is taken in via audio or read. It actually seems more efficient to listen to an audio book rather than read it but reading seems more helpful in other departments. I suppose one could easily look up the abilities and come to a conclusion.

 

[Architect]

Don't like them, slow and inefficient.

 

[TimeAsylums]

Don't like them, slow and inefficient.

x2

 

[Decaf]

I highly recommend audio books for road trips and exercise. It's nice for books that have difficult to pronounce pronouns, but I suppose I enjoy reading a bit more unless the reader is damned good. Give Temeraire a try (read by Simon Vance).

 

[Pizzabeak]

The main concern would stem from whether to keep the book or not after done. For ones in which you don't care to hold on to a single perhaps thorough read would be enough but there's a habit of wanting to flip through one now and again see stuff one may have forgot about, which would hopefully influence one in a positive manner. If it's on a topic more dear to one's heart this would be more important, so there might need to be precautions. Taking notes while reading could be a good idea at the cost of slightly more effort, or rereading stuff should always get the job done but not everyone has time for that.

There seems to be an assumption that reading something will have positive benefits - one would probably end up more wise or knowledgable on a subject. But not everything can be remembered, even from like 20-30 pages ago... It resonates somewhere and could subtly influence decisions, but if one needs more specific recall or whatever they can take the book as they have immediate access to it and look up the informations

So past a certain point I wonder if there would be any concerns... In the case if reading something you didn't choose yourself (I.e some school assignment or a weird recommendation by someone that makes you ask why they recommended it, like Ender's Game or Brave New World which I considered myself too good for, although they're actually semi relevant) there could be decent and interesting info you wouldn't have otherwise for the most part obtained, but whenever I look into something that's more apparently relevant, I'm initially way more excited about it than some other supplement, which of course can be due to a combination of barely related feelings. It's all appreciated in some form or another nonetheless.

 

[Mr Write]

I rely heavily on audiobooks for most of my reading. I've extremely poor focus - my mind automatically turns inward - so it takes me forever to read just a few pages. The constant pace of audiobooks forces me to get out of my head to keep up. For the same reason, I've also turned to watching lectures more than reading textbooks. Hopefully, this'll someday change as I mature as an INTP; but for now, I'm terribly inefficient at reading large bodies of text.

 

[Red myst]

I like both reading and audio books. Some of my first audio books were "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy", "For US The Living" and "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" It's nice to detach from the reading and just listen. I can multitask on routine chores while listening, or just sit back and relax and listen. The down side for me is sometimes I fall to sleep, and have to go back and find the last spot I remember. Or I get interrupted, and I have to again find the last thing I remembered.

I also have audio books like "Delivered From Distraction" and "Quiet" but I also end up buying the hard copy as well. When it comes to those informative self help kinds of books, I need the hard copy go back and reinforce with reading and highlighting the important points for future reference.

 

[Analyzer]

Good for times when you can't read like driving a car or boat.