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Up until the past year, I mostly avoided audiobooks. To me, they felt like a subpar version of reading on nearly every front – they were often more expensive, took longer to read, and didn’t look pretty on a shelf. It wasn’t until I began my minimalist journey and started using Libby that my thoughts were challenged and perspective changed.
Are you still on the fence about audiobooks? If so, here are three distinct advantages they offer:
1) You can hear the author’s voice
When authors narrate their books, it adds an extra layer of depth to the listen. Instead of just reading words on a page and making guesses about their inflection and tone, you’re presented with the most accurate view of what was in their mind when they wrote the book. It also humanizes them and provides additional context as you read. Just like how an author’s picture and bio can lend helpful background to a book, their voice can help set the tone.
On rare occasions, having the author narrate can be a detriment, but typically that’s only because they needed voiceover coaching or a better mic. Overall, it’s incredible that author narration is even a thing – it’s such a special way to consume a book.
2) Characters are brought to life
If your childhood was anything like mine, getting a book on tape (yes, cassette tape) before a road trip was one of the best things! Typically I’d find a series like The Chronicles of Narnia because fiction can be brought to life in a remarkable way through audio.
Recently I listened to the Harry Potter series, and my experience was greatly enhanced as a result of listening to rather than reading the books. Jim Dale nails the voiceover, brings additional energy to the story, creates captivating characters, and dare I say, his performance finds a way to rival the movies.
3) It allows for multitasking
As wonderful as it is to become fully immersed in reading a book, it’s also nice to be able to fold laundry, drive, take a walk, or do any number of things while you listen to a book. Audiobooks create flexibility that traditional reading can’t offer.
There’s an argument to be had for the benefits of monotasking (there’s even a full book about it), but especially when paired with mundane, routine, or boring tasks, listening to an audiobook can brighten the day and add value to the time you were already spending.
When to avoid audiobooks
We just discussed three benefits of audiobooks, but the medium doesn’t come without its disadvantages. Here are three types of books where a paper (or Kindle) copy might be better than an audiobook:
Technical books
If you’ve ever tried listening to a complex book, you likely know how overwhelming it can become. You end up needing to replay sections, slow the speed down, or read the physical book alongside the audio. Even more so if you’re trying to multitask, listening to technical books is not a great experience.
As great as it would be to breeze through a textbook on 2x speed or grasp the intricate detail of string theory via an audiobook, you’ll likely be better off going old-school and flipping some pages.
Highlight-worthy books
I’ve come to cherish the highlight feature on my Kindle. Even if I don’t visit my highlights regularly, it’s nice to know they’re safely stored for future use.
Sadly, when it comes to audiobooks, there’s not an easy way to highlight impactful passages. You can read along with a physical copy, but that adds its own layer of tedium to the process.
Because of this, I’ve avoided listening to books that seem highlight-worthy, and if one slips through the cracks, I borrow the Kindle version to find those sections again. It’s not an elegant solution, but it’s worked for me thus far.
Books with a lot of visuals
On occasion, I encounter audiobooks that make regular references to graphs, pictures, or resources included in the physical book. If done well, those resources will be accessible online while listening, but even if they are, it’s often tiring to pause an audiobook, look up the resources, find the correct image, and then process how it relates to whatever the narrator was describing.
A book like this for me was The Bullet Journal Method. I attempted an audiobook listen but quickly realized that it was a hands-on book that required my full attention, examination of resources, and active participation. Some books just don’t translate well to audio.
Final thoughts
Whether you’ve been an audiobook skeptic or an Audible member from day one, I hope my thoughts have prompted a reevaluation of your perspectives. Ever since I let go of my limited views on listening to books, I’ve enhanced the experiences I can have on my reading journey. Audiobooks aren’t a panacea for someone who dislikes reading; rather, they’re a medium that works magically for some books and terribly for others.
Do you have a favorite audiobook that you’ve listened to? Let me know in the comments below!