I'd like to express my opinion on a topic of which I have no authority or experience whatsoever. Usually, I would refrain from such at thing, feeling a responsibility to learn a little about a subject before I chastise it. But since crapping on things we know nothing about is practically an American pass-time, I figured I could skip the research and go straight to my assumptions.
You see, in my life, there are three things I know I don't like even though I've never tried them. They are 1) Escargot, 2) Cottage Cheese, and 3) Audio books.
I'm figuring right about now, you're probably agreeing with me on the escargot. As far as cottage cheese, you may like it but at least understand why someone else would find it a little creepy. But audio books? What has the poor audio book ever done to me? And how would I know I hate them if I've never even listened to one?
I don't know. They just bug me. For one thing, I have trouble calling them books. To me a book is something you read. An audio book is more like a bedtime story, maybe radio theater, or a one-man play with your eyes closed. It's a different animal, a different form of entertainment, so equating it to a book seems somehow wrong.
For me, part of the joy of reading is building the world in my imagination, and part of that world is how the characters speak and sound. I like to imagine them my own way, mixing the writer's description with my own preferences to make the characters more vivid, more personal to me. Having that voice filled in for me sort of ruins it, especially books with multiple points of view. I mean, do I really want to hear a woman narrate a sexy hero's thoughts, or vice versa?
Especially with romance, I don't think the audio book works. For one thing, I doubt I could hear someone narrate a particularly hot love scene without snickering like an eight-year-old. I'm weird that way. It's the same quirk I have when it comes to movies. I watch a naked love scene in a movie and I squirm, feeling like a voyer in this intimate moment between two people. Having someone tell it to me would be equally strange, like I'm engaging in some porno phone sex or something.
And it's not just that. As a writer, I like to see the words I'm reading as if I had written them. More than once during a novel, I'll pause over a particularly great description or especially funny line, and I read it several times before moving on. I'm also one of those horrible people who gets somewhere around the middle then skips to the end, my need to find out how it ends overshadowing the pleasure of the story. I can't rest until I know, so I read those last few pages, satisfy my curiosity then return to the middle where I can relax and enjoy the rest of the book.
How do you do that with an audio book? (I'm asking genuinely, because as I prefaced at the beginning, I did no research before spouting my opinion). I'm generally presuming audio books would screw up my reading habits, and like tasting an escargot, I don't have to listen to one to know I wouldn't like it. I want my books the way I read them: in my own mind, with my own imaginary voices, and in the order I choose.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting all audio books be banned from the planet. My parents love them, and I can see how wonderful they would be for anyone sight impaired. But for me, give me my reading glasses and those real paper pages and I'm cozy as a clam.
So what about you? Have any of you tried listening to an audio book, and if so, what was your experience? What do you think are the pros and cons? Though I have strong opinions, I have been known to change my mind after someone makes a point I hadn't considered.
(Although you'll NEVER get me to eat an escargot.)
Lori
You see, in my life, there are three things I know I don't like even though I've never tried them. They are 1) Escargot, 2) Cottage Cheese, and 3) Audio books.
I'm figuring right about now, you're probably agreeing with me on the escargot. As far as cottage cheese, you may like it but at least understand why someone else would find it a little creepy. But audio books? What has the poor audio book ever done to me? And how would I know I hate them if I've never even listened to one?
I don't know. They just bug me. For one thing, I have trouble calling them books. To me a book is something you read. An audio book is more like a bedtime story, maybe radio theater, or a one-man play with your eyes closed. It's a different animal, a different form of entertainment, so equating it to a book seems somehow wrong.
For me, part of the joy of reading is building the world in my imagination, and part of that world is how the characters speak and sound. I like to imagine them my own way, mixing the writer's description with my own preferences to make the characters more vivid, more personal to me. Having that voice filled in for me sort of ruins it, especially books with multiple points of view. I mean, do I really want to hear a woman narrate a sexy hero's thoughts, or vice versa?
Especially with romance, I don't think the audio book works. For one thing, I doubt I could hear someone narrate a particularly hot love scene without snickering like an eight-year-old. I'm weird that way. It's the same quirk I have when it comes to movies. I watch a naked love scene in a movie and I squirm, feeling like a voyer in this intimate moment between two people. Having someone tell it to me would be equally strange, like I'm engaging in some porno phone sex or something.
And it's not just that. As a writer, I like to see the words I'm reading as if I had written them. More than once during a novel, I'll pause over a particularly great description or especially funny line, and I read it several times before moving on. I'm also one of those horrible people who gets somewhere around the middle then skips to the end, my need to find out how it ends overshadowing the pleasure of the story. I can't rest until I know, so I read those last few pages, satisfy my curiosity then return to the middle where I can relax and enjoy the rest of the book.
How do you do that with an audio book? (I'm asking genuinely, because as I prefaced at the beginning, I did no research before spouting my opinion). I'm generally presuming audio books would screw up my reading habits, and like tasting an escargot, I don't have to listen to one to know I wouldn't like it. I want my books the way I read them: in my own mind, with my own imaginary voices, and in the order I choose.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting all audio books be banned from the planet. My parents love them, and I can see how wonderful they would be for anyone sight impaired. But for me, give me my reading glasses and those real paper pages and I'm cozy as a clam.
So what about you? Have any of you tried listening to an audio book, and if so, what was your experience? What do you think are the pros and cons? Though I have strong opinions, I have been known to change my mind after someone makes a point I hadn't considered.
(Although you'll NEVER get me to eat an escargot.)
Lori
