First a couple confessions… this is going to be a bit of a curmudgeonly rant. Secondly, my name is David, I am a former audio book snob.
What is an audio book snob? There are many folks out there that feel if the medium for accessing a book is not reading it is a bit of a cheat. If you listen to a novel rather than read it, you have violated some unwritten rule of the universe. I have a social acquaintance that knows I ingest a fair number of books annually. In response to his conversational gambit if I start talking about a recently partaken book, he will ask me with a slight sneer in his voice did I read it or listened to it. He discounts my experience with the book if I listened to it.
Not too soon after I met Robin the economic crisis of 2008 hit. I was contracting at the financial company Edward Jones. Their response to the crisis was to bid adieu to all their contract employees. So suddenly I was out of work in the middle of an economic downturn. I looked for work for a while in St. Louis so I could stay close to Robin, but I did not find anything that I really liked. So after a couple months I started looking elsewhere. I was offered two positions. One in Indianapolis and one in Memphis. The one in Memphis had the attraction that they would train me on more current technology, Oracle, as opposed to the federal job in Indianapolis that would have been older mainframe work. So off to Memphis I went.
Now the distance from my apartment in Memphis to Robin’s house in Chesterfield was almost exactly 300 miles. I have made the trip in 4 hours and 20 minutes, but generally it took somewhat more than 4 1/2 hours. For Robin it was more like a 5 hour trip. One of us generally made the trip every weekend. We disagree a little on how often Robin was coming down to Memphis, but on the whole I was making the trip north more the she was going south. It is almost entirely on I-55. A big portion of it is through the Missouri and Arkansas delta. It is not the most exciting drive, especially after you have done it a few times. Once away from St. Louis or Memphis your choice of radio stations becomes limited to classic rock, country music and lots and lots of religious stations.
Robin, in order to make the drive palatable begin checking out audio books on CDs from the St. Louis County Library. One time she was listening To Kill a Mockingbird. For some reason I had never read this classic, and I asked her to hang on to it so I could listen to on my drive. I forget who it was, but the narrator was a celebrity and very good at reading. I found listening to the novel an extraordinarily enjoyable experience. After that I begin look for audio books myself to make the drive go by quicker.
One difference between audio books and reading is that I can read a book much faster than I can listen to it. But the big BUT in there is that it is often hard to find time to just sit and read. Especially if you are working 40 plus hours a week and spending another 10 driving most weekends. With audio books it is possible to do other activities and listen to the book. Obviously driving is a good time. I found I could listen to audio books at work, depending on what I was doing. Sometimes programming tasks are very repetitious and routine. I had been writing code so long that sometimes I felt I could do it in my sleep. As long as either the code or the book was not too complex it was not hard to do both at the same time. Doing chores around the house are a wonderful time to listen and work at the same time. It is amazing how quickly a tedious chore can go by with a book in your ear. Exercising is also a wonderful time for listening.
The downside however to always being plugged in is that you do not get a chance to listen to your own thoughts. Of course, occasionally that is good. I do however unplug from time to time to just find out what is going on in my noggin. I’ve written several blog articles while jogging or cycling if I am aware of my thoughts, and do not have a book overlaying them.
With a good reader an audio book brings in an extra layer that is not found with reading. I do find reading, if the story is really engaging, I get my more involved in the story. I have been able to listen to books via audio that I probably could never have found the time to sit down and read. Some examples of this would War and Peace, Anna Karina, a big portion of the works of Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Shelby Foote’s 3 volume history of the Civil War and I could go on. I have listened to the entire Bible and other religious texts from around the world. For me some books just come alive when they are read out loud.
Back when I started listening to audio books I did not have a smart phone, but I discovered Librivox.org. This is a site of downloadable free audio books. The kick is that they are books in the public domain which means they are older books. However, this includes an incredible number of classics. They also use volunteer readers. Most are adequate, some are extraordinary, but occasionally you get a clinker in there. I have no idea how many books I have downloaded from Librivox, but it is in the low hundreds. And of course with a smart phone you can now check audio books out from your public library. If you are willing to pay, there are a phenomenal number of audio books to be bought which is a pretty clear statement on how popular they are.
A book experienced via audio is different than a book read. Is one better than the other? I would be hard pressed to pick one over the other. But I will tell you that I am no longer an audio book snob.
Keep well.
Great post. I am a fervent audio book listener. I consider it reading and often have one going while cooking, cleaning, exercising, or driving.
Audio snobs are simply people who have never tried it.
It’s interesting what you said about your own thoughts. I’ve deliberately taken to not turning one on until I’ve allowed the characters in whatever I’m currently writing have their chance to “talk” for the day. Otherwise, I don’t get anything written.
I don’t devour the classics. Instead, I search out current books in the genre I’m writing — thriller/suspense at the moment. The library is full of audio books just waiting to be read. I utilize two apps on my phone – Libby and Hoopla. Both are free and anyone with a library card can join. They often have different selections. Many readers are unaware a large portion of a libraries budget goes to buying licenses for audio books and ebooks. The authors get paid so I often suggest libraries to readers who are cash-strapped. By patronizing your local library you are ensuring that libraries continue to receive funding and authors continue to have a source of income.
Happy reading, even if it’s with your ears.
I also traveled extensively for years and after listening to the Stones sing “Start Me Up” for the ten thousandth time I turned to audio books, and The Great Courses, on the long drives. I heard Liam Neeson read “How The Irish Saved Civilization” and listened to numerous courses, on The Civil War, religion, and economics. It’s a great way to stay awake and learn something.