I like to read more than listen, by hearing I perceive worse:( I like to read online, one of my favorite books is this book , it's free and convenient, the choice is great there. But I never like audiobooks.

Yoyobon, I have an acquaintance with whom I often talk about books who was saying she had read such-and-such book that I had also read. I realized, however, she had not actually read the book herself, but had listened to an audiobook. Listening and physically reading are separate -- though complementary -- skills, in my opinion. The only way they can be combined is when one reader reads out loud while another reader (or more) follows the printed text silently while the verbal reader is speaking, the way my teachers taught my classmates and me during our schooldays.

Some people think one is a substitute for the other, usually the audiobook standing in for actual reading. I do understand it is a way to multi-task for some people, but it has never worked well for me. I wind up, after a while, getting distracted and not listening to the reader; the voice tends to become only background noise for me.

I have been reading out loud to my mother who is ninety-seven years old. She says she enjoys it, but if given her druthers and better eyesight she would prefer to read the book for herself. She wants no part of audiobooks, saying they are, to her, a poor substitute. She can still read large-print editions of books.

My mother, the ultimate teacher, always said there are two vocabularies, a hearing one and a seeing one. I definitely have the seeing one; I can only learn by seeing. Hearing something goes right out of my mind.

I will say I am an avid reader who is addicted to audiobooks. I do read actual books quite often. However, I probably spend more time listening to books.

I have long days of travel for work and I listen to audiobooks. When I am pulling weeds or puttering in the yard, I am listening. Washing dishes, folding laundry, cleaning the shower, and other mindless tasks will be accompanied by an audiobook.

I will say this, though: I only listen to "lighter" books or to revisit an old favorite. The act of reading and the act of listening are such totally different experiences to me. When I am reading the world disappears. When I am listening, I am very present in the world.

I did hear a preface read by Stephen King once about why he preferred audiobooks. To paraphrase loosely, he thought with audiobooks you could not skip over any words which we all do when reading. I had never thought about it that way but do agree.

I love 'real' books and I do understand that there is a lot to be gained from seeing the words. However, my DH and I have a fairly long commute (40-45 mins each way) and listening is a wonderful way to share a book and use the time for something worthwhile. We talk to each other over dinner and in bed, so it isn't a substitute for real communication, and if there is a time DH needs to concentrate on his driving, I turn the narration off. But it is better than any other alternative, we think.

I also listen when I am riding the exercise bike, and cooking (which I loathe) and doing the dishes. These are tasks which require no real thought, so listening to a book is ideal for me. I am also a real 'skipper' when reading, so audiobooks make me listen to all the words, as cooper mentions above.

I advocate for reading whenever possible because I believe readers are better writers and speakers. I found this to be absolutely true when I was teaching.

I had not heard Stephen King's comment before. It made me smile, because I am apparently one of the few people in this world who does read every word of a book. That is why I am such a slow reader and marvel at those of you who finish books so quickly.

I also read every word.........and was aghast when several friends admitted that they like to read the ending of a book at some point to find out where the story is going !

Never !!

I'm glad I'm not the only one, Yoyobon.

But why am I glad? It's not exactly a desirable trait. Maybe because misery likes company? Of course we could learn to read faster if we wanted to. I once dabbled with speed-reading, but only briefly because I get a lot of pleasure out of reading every word. As Mr. Monk used to say, "It's a blessing … and a curse."

I enjoy reading........I enjoy cream puffs.......and would enjoy both much less if I had to hurry through them !

I like your attitude, Yoyobon! Still … I sometimes envy people who read faster.

I have tried audiobooks but can't get into it. I listen to podcasts of interviews all the time but I must sit and read a book.

I would never consider reading a book a waste of time. (now TV on the other hand ... which I watch too much of). Reading has always been enjoyable to me and I am a visual learner (as someone above mentioned -- I retain things better when I see them as opposed to hearing them). I also like to go back and reread parts of a book for understanding or if I found them especially well-written.

ETA: I also have a friend who will read the ending of a book first. I would not do that! Would take away all the fun.

The only book listening I do is via BBC radio . . . at the moment it is John Updike's last Rabbit book. It isn't on until 10.45 and I have fallen asleep more than once.

Interesting as to whether we retain information better though seeing or hearing. I'll have to give it some further thought.

I remember what a friend said to her children when they would say "I'm bored." She would reply: "Bored people are boring people ! Read a book! "

Whenever they went on a road trip to town the children always traveled with their books and would read constantly. They used their TV only for viewing educational programs and no one vegged out. Both she and her husband were teachers and I would guess they'd seen enough of non-reading , tech-addicted kids to know that they weren't allowing that for theirs !

I am one of those who like both. I am a fast reader and listening to a book forces me to slow down and really take in what is being said. I love to listen stem to audiobooks while doing mindless things like housework, gardening, walking etc.. I especially like listening to books when going on a long commute. I get so interested that I don't have trouble with highway hypnosis which listening to music or the radio doesn't help.

However, as has been mentioned above, when reading, I can skip over the gory or overly descriptive scenes that bother me. Another plus for reading is that I can flip back pages if I think I've missed something or just want a refresher.

Each have merits and I am fortunate enough to enjoy both.

I have only recently learned to love audio books. I second the notion that reading and listening are separate experiences. I dislike driving and in the past couple of years I have had to do several long road trips alone - I honestly don’t think I could have done it without listening to some really good books. Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things got me through a gruelling nine hour driving day. Also as we have moved house three times in the past year, I have spent many days packing, unpacking, organising, etc. and one way I motivate myself is with a good audio book as companion. I still love print books, of course! I am also a big fan of carefully curated podcasts. (Alan Alda does an excellent one.)

Listening and reading are equivalent for me, though not precisely the same experience. In both I am processing the author's exact words. There exist some books for which I find hearing the audio book to actually be a superior experience.

I give as an example The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien wrote inspired by oral tradition. I have both read (twice) and listened (once) to LotR. I find the written language to be annoyingly stilted. However when I hear the words spoken they come alive for me. This particular story came to my mind because I just began yesterday to listen to the first volume for a second hearing.

Ugh......I thought I might try listening to The Gown on audible as I sat knitting a sock pattern. I have to laugh at myself. I simply do NOT like hearing a story read to me ! The voice of the narrator was so annoying in the way she tried to read with a gentile voice yet it would hit certain words with such a harsh sound that I became obsessed with listening to that instead of the story. I do not intend to finish the book, which I stopped in Chapter 2 . Awful experience.

The other night I wanted to see if I could listen to audiobooks using Overdrive, so I checked out a James Patterson book to test it. I discovered that, yes, I can listen to books using Overdrive (yay!), but the book had a female narrator and opened with two men having a conversation. Her "male" voices were so silly I laughed out loud!

I am glad to know I can listen using Overdrive. We are flying to London in June for a cruise and I thought I could listen to a book or two on the flights since I don't care for movies much.

Donna

I do agree that the wrong narrator can ruin the listening experience. I remember being irked by a British reader trying to do an American accent, ending up speaking in bad Philadelphia Mainline. Of course I am sure that American narrators mangle British accents just as badly, if not worse.