Audiobooks are like the new means of reading novels.
I personally have only read(in this case listen to) 5 novels via audiobook. and i must say it's really convinient though with your eyes not having to read the text usually wanders off, then you'll just have to stitch the story as it is being read. haha.
I can read a lot faster than it's read in audiobooks, so I find them too slow. Also, the voice distracts me from imagining the content... so I usually avoid audiobooks. I prefer books - just a matter of personal taste, I guess.
too bad.. im a slow reader. haha.. just about 150 wpm which is roughly the same as audiobooks. haha. *pity for my self*
I haven't really tried listening to an audio book yet, and I would like to have that experience. I guess I would still be preferring the printed material, but it could be convenient like when you're traveling (maybe on the bus - as they say that reading on a moving vehicle is bad for the eyes). It's like tuning in to a talk show, commentary or news on the radio, only that it's from your Walkman, mobile phone, portable CD player or iPod - and you're actually listening to a book being read. 
| Sphaerenkern wrote: |
| I can read a lot faster than it's read in audiobooks, so I find them too slow. |
I haven't tried many audiobooks, but I remember I think in iTunes you can change the speed of Audiobooks. I don't know if you still can or whatever, but I always thought it was a funny feature to have. | ftv_flung wrote: |
| Sphaerenkern wrote: | | I can read a lot faster than it's read in audiobooks, so I find them too slow. |
I haven't tried many audiobooks, but I remember I think in iTunes you can change the speed of Audiobooks. I don't know if you still can or whatever, but I always thought it was a funny feature to have. |
yeah... i think some ipods also has that feature.I'm a self-titled literary purist, so I find audiobooks in general sort of crass. But, then again, I also won't buy a book if I don't like the cover art or the typeface.
I do, however, make exceptions based on particular voice talents. If someone is a very talented voice actor and I enjoy his/her voice, it can lend something to the story. I have found them amazing. it is a brand new experience. Really depends on how the narrator reads it to you. It really creates a great listening.
Honestly... I rather the book it self!
It so much fun to turn to next page or chapter to find out what is gonna happen next...
| mydesign wrote: |
Honestly... I rather the book it self!
It so much fun to turn to next page or chapter to find out what is gonna happen next... |
Not denying that, I think having audio books are different experience. I recently finished "Interview With A Vampire" the popular novel on which Tom Cruise movie was done. Although I already knew the story in the novell, it was so much different experience listening to it, just fascinating.Never used it for personal use. My mom used to have trouble reading English books [Korean was/is her primary language] so she'd use audiobooks to help with pronunciation and reading proficiency.
I've listened to a few audiobooks before. The narrator is very important as even a very good book can be ruined if the narrator is not right.
I normally listen to audiobooks after I have read the book. I also normally listen to fantasy stories as I am falling asleep. These include Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Shannara, Lord of The Rings, Sword of Truth, etc. I also will listen to them when I have a long drive ahead of me (I like to switch between books and music ). | j00gotpwnd wrote: |
| I normally listen to audiobooks after I have read the book. I also normally listen to fantasy stories as I am falling asleep. These include Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Shannara, Lord of The Rings, Sword of Truth, etc. I also will listen to them when I have a long drive ahead of me (I like to switch between books and music ). |
I do the same thing. It's a great way to pass the time, and one can actually learn something new with non-fiction audiobooks. Just don't listen to something that's gonna put you to sleep while driving, lol Haha, this is very true. I have gotten tired when driving and listening to an audiobook, so that's when I blast some tunes for a few miles. MP3 players are great inventions!
I will always cherish curling up with a good book and actually READING it. I used to think audiobooks were kind of a joke for people too lazy to actually read, but my husband's an avid reader who recently started long-haul truck driving and audiobooks are a lifesaver for him. He can listen to a good story while he's driving hundreds of miles through the night and out in the middle of nowhere and time passes so much quicker for him. I think it's great.
I find that it really depends on the audiobook in question. Some are done quite well and I find them useful when travelling or working. Some audiobooks, on the other hand, are harder to get into and don't engage as much as the original book. I tend to prefer the written word over an audiobook.
Audio dramatisations can also be quite good if done well. I've heard an audio dramatisation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express and it was excellent. The audio dramatisations of the Left Behind series aren't quite as good as that particular one, but they're still reasonable.
I find that sometimes the book will give you one impression, the audiobook or dramatisation another and a movie version another altogether. I suppose it depends on the way a scene is presented in the various media.
| jessicawalker wrote: |
| I will always cherish curling up with a good book and actually READING it. I used to think audiobooks were kind of a joke for people too lazy to actually read, but my husband's an avid reader who recently started long-haul truck driving and audiobooks are a lifesaver for him. He can listen to a good story while he's driving hundreds of miles through the night and out in the middle of nowhere and time passes so much quicker for him. I think it's great. |
amen to that. if you´re in a situation, where you can´t have light, or your eyes are otherwise occupied, it´s a godsend....
but after a few audiobooks I found out, that I *like* it, when a really good actor reads a novel (or especially poetry) to me...
I got my appreciation of Goethe and Schiller in German from an old LP where Oskar Werner read some early poems.... awesome 
Awesome to get out of reading long, boring shit when your in high school, Jane Austin novels, etc.
Audiobooks take WAY WAY WAY longer to get through for me. I can read a 300 page novel in a couple hours, a few if it's hard. But an audiobook takes sooooo much longer. And sometimes the readers aren't that great.
Plus most books don't have audio versions.
Audio books are great for long car trips, but that's about all the use I have for them.
I rarely listen to audiobooks but sometimes I download old Radio Theater recordings with good voice actors and nice interpretation. It makes me alot of pleasure to listen to them.
Vladk
I tried to listen to one book once, it's too difficult for me. When I listen to something my thoughts wanders off and I start to do other stuff, forgetting about the book and started to clean, talk with others and even read a book 
could be because I found the audio book boring to, but I don't think that is the only reason. I like to read and think only about the text, and see only that since my mind suddenly wanders off without me even trying.
audio books are great for those that find it easy to hear it, don't have to read or spend a lot of time reading it. I have never listened to audiobooks. I Prefer reading. I don't know why but it is a fact 
I think it has to do with that I can't focus the whole time on listening. | desonium wrote: |
| I have never listened to audiobooks. I Prefer reading. I don't know why but it is a fact I think it has to do with that I can't focus the whole time on listening. |
I'm not the only one 
yay.
I work with a woman that listens to audio books while she is driving. I asked if she follows the road in case something should happen, she assured me that she is watching the road, but she doesn't remember everything that is read to her, I don't see why she can't wait until she is home if she really wants to listen to the book.I have never really listened to audio book since I was a kid. It is more popular now because everyone is always busy. They allow you to multi task while you are listening to a story.
