I have previously mentioned the enjoyment I get from commuting. It’s not the sitting in traffic I enjoy, it’s the extra time for reading I have while I’m driving: reading with my ears rather than my eyes. I have a new-found love of audiobooks.
Over the past few years my library of audiobooks has grown alongside my library of ebooks and printed books. The range of genres represented in each category is pretty much the same when considering recent acquisitions, though measured alongside the collection of a lifetime the comparative numbers may differ. My collections include fiction and nonfiction, memoir and biography, children’s stories and picture books. Sadly, books of poetry are almost absent from recent purchases, though I do have one on order. Maybe I should improve on that sometime soon.
Although I have rarely been disappointed by any narrator, I especially enjoy it when authors read their own work. I recall disappointment and the need to correct, in my head, the narration of only one book. (It wasn’t read by the author.)
Three things I like about audiobooks:
- They increase reading time. I can listen while I do other things like driving, walking, ironing.
- I can take them anywhere and, with a pair of headphones, listen anywhere.
- There are many genres and titles to choose from. I can catch up on classics I’ve missed, or read new releases.
Five things that disappoint me about audiobooks:
- Not all titles I would like to read are available.
- They are not cheap, with prices equivalent or higher than a hardback edition. The last audiobook I bought was A$38; the next on my list is A$52!
- It is difficult to skip forward or back, find a particular place, make notes, or highlight quotes (if I find I want to do this with a book I have listened to, I invariably purchase it as an ebook or printed book, and sometimes both).
- Sometimes, but not always, my place has been lost when I have closed one book and opened another.
- They cannot be lent or transferred to another device (or maybe that’s because I buy them on iTunes for my iPad and I do not own any other Apple devices. Maybe someone can let me know.) This is probably better for the authors and their royalty payments.
I find that I very much enjoy being read to, listening to the words spoken by another, thinking about the richness of the voice and its accent, allowing me to be transported into the writer’s world through the voice’s musicality. It is like the author is speaking directly to me.
I was interested then, to recently read the opinions of two other writers about audiobooks:
Virginia Franken wrote My Sweet Love Affair With The Audio Book for Women Writers, Women(‘s) Books, and
Daniel Willingham posted Is listening to an Audiobook “Cheating” on his own blog.
Virginia explains her recent delight in finding audiobooks as a way of making more time for reading after her first child was born. She wonders how much boredom may have been prevented in previous years had audiobooks been available. She says,
‘even the most frantic among us probably has a few minutes in the day when we can listen to a book, even if there’s no time to physically sit down and read one. Working out, cleaning, commuting, watching your kid’s baseball practice, procrastinating at the office and yes, even grading bananas – now all have the potential to be a lot less dull.”
As I do, she finds listening to books as she commutes to work a real bonus. In addition to the excitement of listening, Virginia is excited that her novel Life After Coffee is to be produced as an audiobook. How exciting.
Virginia refers to the Association of American Publishers and its findings that sales of audiobooks are increasing and may be overtaking those of ebooks. Obviously Virginia and I are not the only ones enjoying audiobooks. But are we cheating by listening rather than decoding? Is listening not real reading?
Daniel Willingham, a cognitive scientist, also has books available in audio format. I listened to and enjoyed Why Don’t Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom a few months ago. The focus of Willingham’s post about audiobooks is a little different from that of Virginia’s. I guess we should expect that from a cognitive scientist.
Willingham says that he’s been asked numerous times if listening to an audiobook is cheating. As I indicated in the title, I wouldn’t have thought of it in that way, other than perhaps cheating time. Is making more efficient use of time cheating?
Willingham says he doesn’t like the question. He chooses to rephrase it this way:
“does your mind do more or less the same thing when you listen to an audio book and when you read print?”
He says mostly it does, that “listening to an audio book is exactly like reading print, except that the latter requires decoding and the former doesn’t.” The same language processes are involved, and this is especially true when the purposes for reading are similar to the purposes for listening.
He cites research showing that differences in reading ability in lower grades are due to differences in decoding ability rather than language processes, and that in higher grades the differences are more to do with language processes that support comprehension. He says that there is a high correlation between listening and reading comprehension in adults.
However, he says that the processes may differ according to purpose; for example, when studying for a test or a quiz, or scanning for information, perhaps a printed text may be of more benefit. I agree but suggest print is definitely a better choice in these circumstances (see things I listed as disappointments earlier). He implies that listening, however, might provide additional meaning and aid comprehension through intonation. I think this is possibly true too.
In conclusion, Willingham explains that
Listening to audiobooks is not cheating because:
- “Cheating” implies an unfair advantage, as though you are receiving a benefit while skirting some work. Why talk about reading as though it were work?
- Listening to an audio book might be considered cheating if the act of decoding were the point; audio books allow you to seem to have decoded without doing so. But if appreciating the language and the story is the point, it’s not.
- Comparing audio books to cheating is like meeting a friend at Disneyland and saying “you took a bus here? I drove myself, you big cheater.” The point is getting to and enjoying the destination. The point is not how you travelled.
What do you think? Do you listen to audiobooks? Do you consider it cheating? Why would you, or would you not, choose to listen to audiobooks?
Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.
Norah Colvin 
A great piece on audiobooks! I haven’t taken the plunge, yet, but I do enjoy podcasts. I am convinced by your argument of their usefulness!
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Thanks Bec. I need to take the plunge with podcasts! I’m just not sure when I’ll work it in. Maybe chats would work better when doing dishing and cooking etc, when full attention on either is not required. I don’t like to miss any bit of my books! 🙂
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Such an interesting topic, isn’t it? It’s funny the responses I get from people when I tell them I listen to audiobooks. My wife won’t let me say “I’m reading” or “have read” a book if it’s audio. I do air quotes now 🙂 I listen to audio books when I drive, or am waiting at the dentist, or sometimes when I’m having trouble falling asleep. My eyes are so busy for most of the day, I love giving them a break and still getting to explore the world of books. And I “read” so many more books that way. I read visually maybe five books a year. I listen to 25 or 30.
For me the even more interesting question is the relationship of cheating to learning. The only thing cheating has any relevance to in learning is sorting and ranking, and sorting and ranking generally ruin learning. So who’s cheating who?
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Thanks for joining in the conversation, Aaron.
Like yours, my eyes enjoy giving my ears a turn at doing the work. The brain is engaged in making meaning in just the same way. Your wife’s opinion is interesting. I tend to talk about books that I have listened to rather than read. Although I think the end result is the same, having experienced the book, I feel I’m not being entirely honest if I say I’ve “read” an audiobook. Your air quotes are interesting, but I think it still sells the experience short, as if it is not quite worthy.
I agree with you about the relevance, or lack thereof, of cheating to learning. I felt uncomfortable about using the term, but was quoting Willingham so kept to it. I think the top-down approach employed by many schools does cheat learners out of many more real and appropriate learning opportunities and experiences.
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I don’t care for audiobooks. Which is really interesting because I like being read to. Also, I cherish the time I read to my children (which I have been doing since they were babies and they still allow me to do). 🙂 But, I like to read. Books. See the words, feel the pages, smell the pages… It took me a long time to even get into ebooks (which I now like but still prefer books). Perhaps I’ll try again as I’m so limited on time that it can take me weeks to get through a MG or YA book.
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I have to say that I was very hesitant about ebooks and audiobooks at first. They can’t match the physical pleasures of a “real” book but they have each enriched my reading pleasure, education, and life by providing more opportunities for learning and enjoyment of literature. Before trying audiobooks I wondered if I’d be able to listen well enough as I always considered myself to be a visual rather than aural learner. However, it hasn’t been a problem. I think my listening skills, while not measured, have improved. It’s like most things though: you have to want to do it; and we’re not all the same.
Thanks for sharing, and for stating your differing opinion. Appreciated! 🙂
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I’m going to try it. I’ll probably grab a shorter book (maybe one I’ve read before or a favorite) and try listening while I’m racing around or waiting or cleaning… It will certainly allow me to “read” more books with my schedule.
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Good luck, Sarah. I hope it works for you this time! 🙂
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Pingback: Why school this way? | Norah Colvin
Interesting debate this one. I read a similar post about this recently. Lots of authors who regularly teach about marketing suggest audio books will become the new ebook. I’m not entirely convinced by that because of the debate about cheating and the pleasure and connection with reading a book. But then, no one thought ebooks would take off either. I have tried to listen to audio books on a number of occasions and tried lots of different ones too. But they aren’t for me. I need to read. Podcasts however, are a different matter! Love them.
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Thanks for joining in the conversation, Sacha and sharing your experience. I’m sorry that you didn’t find the audibook experience to suit your style. We are all different in that way, and I guess that’s a perfect reason to have so many choices. I’m so pleased that I found them as I love listening. I always considered myself to be a visual learner, enjoying the reading experience, and felt I didn’t listen well. My listening skills have developed enormously since listening to audiobooks. I have to listen to more podcasts!!!! 🙂
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Ah, great post, Norah! Although I’m curious about one thing — what sort of headphones do you use? As for listening to audiobooks, oh, yes, I wish they had been available when the kids were young. I felt like I never had time to sit and read (unless it was to them). My eldest and her husband read out loud to each other, but if I’m not mistaken, I think they’ve recently purchased audiobooks. I agree that listening to audiobooks is not cheating, but I do think listening and reading are different skills that can be preferences. Enjoyed this post — you might want to offer us an audio version!
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Thanks for joining in the conversation, Charli. I wondered if the headphones illustrated might be misleading. When I’m in the car I plug my iPad into the audio system and it plays through the car’s speakers so I don’t need headphones, the use of which may not be recommended while driving anyway. When I listened on the plane I used the little in-ear phones that are standard with iPads and mobile phones. I also use them for all the listening I do at work. I find them quite good. I have a little lipstick case that I carry them in so they don’t get tangled.
I am so envious of your daughter and her husband reading to each other. I think that would be a wonderful thing to do and would be great for relationship building. Listening to audiobooks together would be great too. I sometimes wish I had someone to listen and discuss with.
Listening and reading are different skills and each is pleasurable in its own right. I’m not sure that an audio version of this post would be altogether pleasurable though. I think I’ll deny you the opportunity of finding out! 🙂
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GREAT post, Norah! I have to tell you, I’ve only listened to two audiobooks, that I can remember. Quite a few years ago I listened to “The Tipping Point” and thoroughly enjoyed. I think it was because it was nonfiction, though. Recently (maybe 2 years ago) I listened to a middle grade novel while on a long drive. I wasn’t crazy about the narrator for the story. Since I listened to the whole book except for the last two chapters, I was able to read the last two from the printed book (I had gotten both the print and audio versions from the library). I enjoyed reading it myself much better, largely because I could more clearly imagine the other characters better. My concentration is better when I’m reading the words myself, too.
And, no, I definitely don’t consider it “cheating.” That’s ridiculous, in my opinion. Someone else is READing the story and you’re listening to them do it. You’re being read aloud TO. They are reading the same words you would be reading if you were holding the book instead. It’s a time-saver, really. When you can do other things that don’t require concentration, you’re “killing two birds with one stone.” What a great way to utilize time, especially while driving, I think. That’s why I listen to podcasts and I do it while I’m doing tasks that are mundane. Of course, there’s a lot to be said about spending that time just thinking, too, in silence 🙂
Also, Sheila at Book Journey is VERY big on audio. She’s got all kinds of reviews and posts on her blog about all kinds of audio books. I’m sure you’d enjoy and benefit by what she’s posted 🙂
https://bookjourney.net/
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Hi Donna. Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. I’m sorry that you were so disappointed with the MG novel you listened to. I have had few disappointing experiences. I would suggest you try again, but I know you are already listening to podcasts, and that is a worthwhile activity too. As is enjoying the silence and thinking time, as you mentioned. We shouldn’t be filling every moment with others’ thoughts or we won’t find time for our own! 🙂
Thanks for the reminder about Sheia’s blog. I followed her a while ago but realised, with your reminder, that I hadn’t seen any posts. I just checked and had the email notifications turned off, so have remedied that now. 🙂
I read “The Tipping Point” years ago and can understand why it would have kept your interest.
Thanks for joining in the conversation. It’s lovely to see you here again.
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I love being read to. I’m an auditory type and it gave me joy when others read to me. I don’t buy audio books though. It’s mostly the logistics of listening to the book, but I might look into it after your post.
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I’m pleased to hear that you might consider trying audiobooks, Gulara. I find the experience very enjoyable. I am listening to a memoir read by the author at the moment. It is amazing. It feels that she is personally telling me her story, and it’s an amazing story. It is called “Reckoning” by Magda Szubanski and it won the Australian Book of the Year prize this year. I think it was the first time a bio or memoir won. It’s a powerful story and one that I would never have got to read, or not until I change my reading habits anyway. Thanks for joining in the conversation.
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I’ve never listened to an audiobook, Norah, and as someone who has a mild form of dyslexia, I think it would benefit me to actually listen rather than read. It’s something I will certainly try, especially given that you have explained how and when an audiobook can be listened to (such as when doing the ironing). I’ll search some out on Amazon and give them a try.
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That’s exciting, Hugh. I’m sure once you try audiobooks you won’t look back. I’d love to know what you think of the experience once you try it out. There are so many amazing books to read! (or listen to!) Thanks for reading and commenting.
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I’ve downloaded my first one, Norah. Rather expensive but, if I like it, for £7.99 p/month, Amazon UK offer free audio book downloads. I’ll see how I get on and will let you know the outcome.
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Oh, Hugh. I’m so excited. What did you choose? I can’t wait to find out what you think of the experience. Free downloads sound good. You just have to be a bit wary of the quality though. The last book I downloaded was A$52, which I guess is roughly (without checking) twice that number of your pounds! It’s worth every cent. 🙂 Enjoy!
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I chose ‘Free Country.’ It’s about two guys who have three weeks to cycle the length of the UK without any money, clothes, food or cycles. They start off wearing just a pair of Union Jack Boxer shorts each and have to rely on the generosity of the public for everything and to get them from the coast of the south of England to the coast of Northern Scotland. Sounds like it could be fun. 😀 I’ll let you know how I get on, Norah.
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Well that sounds like a fun read. Yes please, do let me know how you go with it. Sounds like they may have needed to do a bit crowd funding, in the way that Amanda Palmer does. 🙂
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When I commuted I listened to audiobooks. I also had an office job looking at digital maps for errors for 8 hours I got through loads of books. Made the time go faster and as there were less available forced me to listen to books I wouldn’t have chosen to read.
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Thanks for popping over and joining in the conversation, Joe. I hope that you enjoyed some of those books that you listened to although they wouldn’t have been a preferred choice. There are so many available now that if I start one that I don’t like (there have been a few, but not many) I can just go on to something else.
Eight hours of looking for errors on digital maps must have been tiring.
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I’m basically audio – books, radio, music I’m pretty catholic. It’s certainly not cheating and, in the case of my son, his love of stories and now books came from listening to Harry Potter as a kid. He would not have read the early books
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I think you’ve mentioned your son’s listening to books before. What a wonderful opportunity for him! Glad to know you embrace all media!
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Audio books are a great idea. And listening in the car… Even better. I might find the time to read a few extra books this way!
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They are certainly great for that! Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Interesting post, as ever, Norah. I don’t buy audiobooks, but would never have considered that “cheating” – and I love how you drew attention to the absurdity of that in your final bullet point about meeting a friend at Disneyland. I do however sometimes listen to readings and plays on the radio, which I particularly enjoy. Most of my listening is done in the car, which I probably use only a couple of days a week, and sometimes music I’m trying to learn has to take priority. I don’t seem to do any of the indoor jobs (like ironing) that can be easily combined with another activity – except for cooking where, even though I never do anything complicated, I seem to need quiet.
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Thanks for your comment, Anne. I think readings and plays on the radio would be similar to audiobooks, though you would be bound by the scheduled time. The use of driving time to learn your music is fabulous! It must be lovely to drive along beside you, especially if you drive with the windows down!
I agree with you about cooking. Cooking requires attention all of its own. I don’t attempt to do anything else while I’m cooking. Even talking can distract me from what I’m required to do, and that doesn’t necessarily mean an edible result!
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Another interesting subject Norah. I do take onboard the philisophies and analysis performed by the cited parties here. Although I don’t disagree with them, I do have a leaning more towards the “cheating” stance. Perhaps for me, the decoding aspect is more important, or more correctly, is the more significant purpose of reading (this coming from someone who has neither read an entire book for a long time, nor listens to audiobooks). I wonder if this is because I usually read more for utility purposes rather than for pleasure. If so, then this may be a hurdle that hasn’t been considered in their analysis.
For those that do listen to audiobooks, do you feel that you truly comprehend the works to the same extent as if you had read them? In some ways, this reminds me of one of Norah’s other posts of which I think a part asked whether using Google was cheating. I wonder if my comment back there is aligned to this one here.
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Thanks for your comment, Steven. I’m pleased you found the post interesting. Also pleased that you made a connection between this one and the “lazy thinking” post. I was alerted to both the possibility of listening to audiobooks being a form of “cheating”, and of using Google being “lazy thinking” by articles by Daniel Willingham. While he refuted both, it was through him I was made aware of this, what I would consider “false thinking”.
I agree that audiobooks are probably not suited to “utility” reading. Willingham actually states that in his article. I think they are more suited to reading for pleasure – stories and novels, rather than reading to learn particular information.
I find my enjoyment and comprehension of the audio readings is enhanced, because without the opportunity to listen I wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience the wonderful works that I do. I’d be like you, not having read a book for a long time. To quote Seinfeld: “Not that there’s anything wrong with that!” But I do enjoy my reading. I do listen to a lot of nonfiction, but not of anything where regurgitation of information is required.
This is a link to your comment on the previous post, if you wish to compare your thinking. (I’m helping you be lazy by providing the link!) https://norahcolvin.com/2016/05/06/ill-just-look-that-up-lazy-or-smart-thinking/#comment-11507
I very much like the phrase with which you ended that comment: “optimistic probabilistic referentiality”. 🙂
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Ah yes that was it – thank you for that link (yes I was too lazy to think what it was). As you can see, I hadn’t actually gone to check the sources and made an assumption that any/all reading was applicable to the ideas.
So then let me put an extreme and hypothetical situation to you – something that is currently only accessible to the realms of science fiction (think of the 1990 film Total Recall” – or maybe the book it is based on). One day in the distant future, when it is not uncommon for people to have complex cybernetic implants (for other than health reasons), it may be possible to upload a book (and much more) into your brain/memory. If it was only for recreational reading, then would that constitute “cheating” or is it simply as you indicate, that the act of experiencing the work is enough? Imagine how many books one could get through, all at the speed of recall instead of the slow speed of speech/listening.
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Hmm. Now that’s a heavy question. That would be a very different experience. It would be difficult to distinguish real from implant. I do wish I could speed read though. I tried to teach myself a few times but couldn’t get the hang of it. I think my reading by ear is probably slower than reading by eye, but maybe not by much any more.
I’m not sure that I like the implication of the word “cheating”. I guess if one was doing the reading for oneself, it wouldn’t really matter how it was done. Of course if it was a competition, like the reading Olympics, then there would need to be a “level playing field” for everyone.
Interesting hypothetical situation. Thanks. 🙂
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While I am leaning towards the “cheating” side, it is clear that based on the other comments here that everyone else believes otherwise. Looking at these other comments, I am getting a sense of why this is the case. I think in a nutshell what is being suggested is that even though the words are being listened to, they are still being interpreted and being placed into context.
If this is the case, then the hypothetical “brain upload” example could be cheating if the recipient simply “knew” the book and all of its experiences. However if they still had to process the book (ie. “read” it in their own mind, or interpret it), then this might be a legitimate way of reading the book.
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Well, I am impressed, Steven. You not only commented, you’ve been back to read and consider the comments of others, and have reconsidered your position. That’s an impressive effort. I appreciate the value that you have added to the conversation with your additional suggestions and hypotheticals. I like the distinction you have made using effort or process as a differentiating criteria. But how wonderful it would be to have all the knowledge of the world implanted and be able to search for a particular fact without effort. Or would that be lazy thinking, like doing a Google search? Have I brought this discussion full circle? 🙂
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I’m thinking to look at this way: if one was listening to the “Cliff Notes” version or watching the “movie” version, just as if you were reading the print version of “Cliff Notes”—that being “cheating” ’cause you’re only reading a summary of a book—then the listening would also be “cheating.” As Norah put it—you’re reading with your ears instead of your eyes 🙂 And even if you want to call it “listening to a book” instead of “reading a book,” you’re still ingesting the exact same “book” information and it’s the “ingesting” that’s equivalent, right?
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I think that the essence of what you are saying agrees with my interpretation, whether you call that ingesting, interpreting, understanding, etc, it all implies that same sort of mental processing.
As for your comment on “Cliff Notes” version, then if you have two books (one original work and one reinterpreted version), then reading the reinterpreted version would have to mean you haven’t read the original version. Calling that “reading the original version” must surely have to be called “cheating”, wouldn’t it?
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Hmmm…when you say “reinterpreted” do you mean “translated”? I’m not sure what you’re getting at. When I say “Cliff Notes” I’m not sure that would be reinterpreting. They are summaries.
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Okay, I had to google the term before writing my response and perhaps I got the wrong impression. I assumed they were someone else’s written interpretation of the original (much like a film may be someone else’s interpretation of a book). If these are just something like a one page synopsis, then to me it seems that one claiming to have read the work if they had only read the synopsis would be fooling themselves.
Interestingly just last night I happened to be browsing sites for something and I stumbled upon a question/post about a synopsis for a particular film (I think they were asking where they can find a good one). One of the first responses gave an answer, but also advised not to look at it/them as the contents of these might destroy certain misleadings/mis directions of the plot that would detract from ones enjoyment had they not know about it. Interesting, most subsequent responses affirmed this.
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More interesting thoughts. Thanks.
I wonder why a synopsis of a movie was required. Most movies are released with trailers and accompanying details to entice an audience. Information about many movies can be found in Wikipedia. The time required to watch a movie is generally much less than for reading a book. I don’t think reading a synopsis or watching a trailer of a movie equates to watching the movie. And I don’t think reading a synopsis equates to reading a book. I think we are agreed on that point. 🙂
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Yeah, Steven, they’re not just a synopsis. They’re little books that basically give you a very abbreviated version for study/school purposes so you don’t “have” to actually READ the book to do a school report or whatever. The comparison of movie adaptations is excellent, too. It’s still not the same as reading the book itself. Movies never contain so much of what the books do. But listening to an audio book of an original book itself, in my opinion, is equivalent to having read it 🙂
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Thank you, Donna. I agree! 🙂
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Great conversation here, seeking that clarity of meaning. I might have to let Steven explain for himself, but I think anyone writing a summary of another’s work is in fact choosing what to include and how to explain it, and therefore is providing a particular interpretation of what is important. Another’s summary could be quite different.
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Ah, well, if “interpretation” is meant to be the same as “summary” then it would also be “cheating.” If it’s meant as “translation,” it’s not “cheating.” If you read Cliff Notes (do you guys have Cliff Notes in Australia?) instead of a book, you haven’t read the book, you’ve only read “about” the book. It wouldn’t be much different than reading an article or encyclopedic entry. That’s not “reading” the actual book in any form, whether with your ears or eyes.
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Agreed! Thanks Donna. You have spelled it out this time. 🙂
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Thanks, Steven. This topic has certainly got you fired up. Thank you for your persistence in making sense of this discussion. I think you, Donna and myself have all reached a consensus. I know of students who used our equivalent of Cliff Notes to learn sufficient Shakespeare to pass their Senior exams. I don’t know that it was ever called “cheating”, but they definitely missed the richness of the learning experience.
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I just checked out Cliff Notes in Google. It seems they are mainly American, but I think similar study notes are available here, or were when I went to school, though I never used them. I wouldn’t consider reading a summary of a book the equivalent of reading the book. It would give some understanding, someone else’s understanding, but not provide the full essence or experience of the book. Likewise, a movie is someone’s interpretation of the book and may not totally align with another reader’s interpretation. I see those things as different from reading or listening to the same edition of a book. In fact I listened to a synopsis of a book which wasn’t available in entirety as an audiobook. I would never claim to have read the book! Thanks for adding further to the conversation. It is great to see some robust dialogue happening. 🙂
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It IS nice and shows the quality of your post and blog, Norah 🙂
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Thank you, Donna. That’s a lovely thing to say. I appreciate your support. 🙂
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I often listen to audio books or recorded lectures when working in my studio. I mostly love them – the only time I was disappointed was when I purchased a second hand selection of Jane Austin and Charles Dickens works. The books were read by different readers for every chapter. The readers didn’t know their subjects, couldn’t properly pronounce words and made a real hash of it. Lesson learned. Like you I love to listen to authors read their own books – in one particular case I know he is seguing off the written word and filling it out a bit more, plus he has the most divine Irish accent! 🙂 My daughter who drives long distances listens to audio books in her car and finds her regular journeys far more enjoyable as a result. I have never thought of audio books as cheating – they enable me to keep my brain active, inform me and entertain me when otherwise I might just be bopping along to some music.
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Precisely! Beautifully said, Pauline. I agree totally. I hardly ever listen to the radio or music in the car anymore – only on short trips. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and experiences.
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I love audio books for precisely the reasons you’ve given. I spend so much time transporting kids here and there, so finding something to enjoy for the journeys is especially gratifying and gives me another reason to be excited about driving. (The other is air conditioning. Blissful air conditioning.) Another point I’d make is they are a huge help for those of us losing our eyesight. There are days my eyes won’t cooperate with reading even large-print books, so audio is a blessing. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and insights!
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Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and insights too, Kerry! Yes audiobooks are great for those with failing eyesight, or for travellers unable stomach reading. I “read” an entire book and part of another one on the plane to the US recently. It was wonderful! 🙂
I agree with you about air-conditioning. I don’t know how we ever survived without it!
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