Finally changed my mind about audiobooks after a road trip to Nashville

I used to be one of those people who swore real reading only counts with a physical book in your hands. But last month I drove solo from Atlanta to Nashville, about 4 hours, and grabbed an audiobook on a whim to kill the time. Picked up "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir and by the time I hit the Tennessee border I was completely hooked. The narrator did these distinct voices for each character that made the story way more alive than I expected. I actually sat in my parked car for an extra 15 minutes just to finish a chapter when I arrived. Felt weird admitting it at first, but now I think audiobooks count as reading. Has anyone else flipped their opinion on something like this after a long drive?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo82525d ago

Heard somewhere that your brain processes audiobooks and physical reading the same way, just through different paths. That Project Hail Mary audiobook is a good one, the narrator really makes it work.

taylor66825d ago

Bullshit. They're completely different experiences. When I read a physical book, I'm controlling the pace, I can pause to think, flip back a few pages. An audiobook just keeps rolling and I have to keep up or miss stuff. Plus with reading I actually see the words and let them sink in visually, my brain builds the scene itself. That Ray Porter guy is good, sure, but he's doing the work for you. You're not really processing the story the same way when someone else is deciding the tone, the pauses, the emphasis.

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