monday feels no. 3
why do people still hate audiobooks and a #1000wordsofsummer update
1000 words of summer
It’s day 3 of this challenge and I’m somehow 7k words into my new novel draft - holy cow. This quote from Roxane Gay from #1000wordsofsummer really lit a fire under my ass:
audiobooks I have loved
From birth to roughly age 18, I thought audiobooks were the things my mom made us listen to (and re-listen to) on long car trips. We had a weird collection of books on tape and CDs, most purchased for cheap from the county library’s yearly book sale. We had this one Anne Rice book that I still remember my dad ejecting from the player, saying, “If I have to hear about this gal’s period for another two hours, I’m getting a bus home!” — If anybody knows what book that is in the Anne Rice canon, please let me know.
The Outlander series got the most play in our car, which is hilarious to me now because Outlander is a) not the first thing I’d choose to listen to with my mom and b) now a big thing because of the tv series. But my mom was an early Outlander fangirl and has since been on not one but two Outlander Tours of Scotland.
Basically, I thought audiobooks were for old people. And then when I started my multiple creative writing degrees, I was told in no uncertain terms that listening to audiobooks was “cheating” and “not actually reading”.
So I didn’t start listening to audiobooks regularly until a few years ago. Doing so was a game changer for me. My job requires me to spend large amounts of time knitting and making things with my hands, so being able to “read” while working is great for both my productivity and my focus.
Thankfully, audiobooks aren’t what they used to be. That definitely helps! I remember when audiobooks sounded like they were recorded in a tin can. Now some are full-cast, multiple-actor ensemble performances worthy of awards. I’ve definitely listened to books in the last 5 years that I would never have read otherwise because I can put them on while I clean or walk the dog because the narrators were so damn entrancing.
Audiobooks are ubiquitous now, so why do people STILL get so bent out of shape about whether it’s a legit way to take in a book?! I would argue that any way of reading is legitimate. The disable community has been using audiobooks for ages. As a person with ADHD, I find audiobooks immensely helpful to my ability to actually finish a book. Some days I just can’t read effectively because my brain is too damn busy. There are so many articles out there about this debate (including this 2016 study that everybody and their aunt likes to reference that basically says there isn’t much difference in comprehension between reading and listening to a book).
So if you’re looking for an excellent audiobook recommendation, here are some that I’ve really enjoyed:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, read by Thandie Newton
Beach Read by Emily Henry, read by Julia Whelan
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, read by Maggie Gyllenhaal
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, read by Gabra Zackman
(All of the audiobook links above are for Audible, but if you’d prefer not to give Jeff Bezos any more of your money, there’s Libro.fm, Scribd and more.)
I would love to hear your thoughts on audiobooks vs. physical books. Which do you tend to do more, listening or reading?
Both! I love to hold & turn the pages of a good book, but an audio book with a good performance is something I love a well!
I still read mostly physical books but I love audiobooks! There are so many nonfiction books I wouldn't have made it through in a paper copy but loved the audio.