Audiobooks - why I love them, and also hate them
My drive to work takes about 40 mins. Sometimes I get really stressed with some of the stupid drivers I meet along the way, especially in grockle season, so last year I started listening to Audiobooks. I joined Audible as I get 2 books for under £15 a month which seems a lot but I always pick books that are well over that! On the whole, I find it works really well, but there are some good and bad things with audiobooks.
Firstly, you only get a small sample to listen to so if you are not really familiar with the author, you only have the write up, and if you're lucky, some reviews to go on. You can't riffle through the pages before you buy! This means that sometimes you start listening and the book just doesn't grab you. My problem, too, is that I'm a stickler for authenticity, especially when the book deals with things I know about. So, for example, I have begun listening to 2 books recently that have dealt with nursing in both world wars. It was obvious that they were not researched properly with some glaring mistakes (to me, anyway), so I stopped listening to them. Some may think I'm daft but things like that mean a lot to me. I would not dare write a book about something I didn't really know about.
Secondly, the small sound sample means you have to make up your mind whether the reader is "right". I've had to give up on a couple of books because the reader irritated me! Just a certain tone of voice, strange pronounciation, or just not very good as a reader, and it means that I just lose interest.
However, some readers are brilliant; some books grip my imagination and I have to keep listening; and some readers bring the pages to life. On the whole I have listened to most of the books I have downloaded. I think there are half a dozen I haven't. Some of those I may try again, some I won't. But in the meantime, my journeys to work go smoother and quicker, so what will I pick next month? Oh yes, I have Mr Rickman's version of "Return of the Native". Hmmm, perhaps I had better not listen to that in the car.........
Firstly, you only get a small sample to listen to so if you are not really familiar with the author, you only have the write up, and if you're lucky, some reviews to go on. You can't riffle through the pages before you buy! This means that sometimes you start listening and the book just doesn't grab you. My problem, too, is that I'm a stickler for authenticity, especially when the book deals with things I know about. So, for example, I have begun listening to 2 books recently that have dealt with nursing in both world wars. It was obvious that they were not researched properly with some glaring mistakes (to me, anyway), so I stopped listening to them. Some may think I'm daft but things like that mean a lot to me. I would not dare write a book about something I didn't really know about.
Secondly, the small sound sample means you have to make up your mind whether the reader is "right". I've had to give up on a couple of books because the reader irritated me! Just a certain tone of voice, strange pronounciation, or just not very good as a reader, and it means that I just lose interest.
However, some readers are brilliant; some books grip my imagination and I have to keep listening; and some readers bring the pages to life. On the whole I have listened to most of the books I have downloaded. I think there are half a dozen I haven't. Some of those I may try again, some I won't. But in the meantime, my journeys to work go smoother and quicker, so what will I pick next month? Oh yes, I have Mr Rickman's version of "Return of the Native". Hmmm, perhaps I had better not listen to that in the car.........