Top 3 Works of Fiction

[early morning]

I can't do audiobooks - I find that I tune them out, even stories that I know and love. Which is weird, I enjoy lectures, even without any visuals, and have few problems with wandering attention - but audiobooks and my brain seem to have a major disconnect. Sorry you didn't like Things in Jars, IL - I thought it was really weirdly funny and the over-flowering language underscored that weirdness. But that's why there are tons of books - because we all like different stuff! I for one detest horror - read some Steven King back in the day because my cousin was such a fan, and thought it was awful. I'm enjoying this thread, and my library request list is growing too long, lol.

[iris lilies]

I’m glad that others here are not enthusiastic about being read to via audio books.

I thought I was the weirdo.

[iris lilies]

I’m glad that others here are not enthusiastic about being read to via audio books.

I thought I was the weirdo.

It (AllThe Light Ee Cannot See) was on Roger’s list as well. I love the idea of it, and I think I will love it once I get into it. I’ve been putting it off for a long time for a time when I can settle into a good novel.

[nswef]

I also cannot enjoy audio books. I need to SEE the words and read them myself or it is not enjoyable. Once I had to make a long drive for m-9 hours- and listened to Oh Pioneer by Willa Cather. It passed the time, but I had seen the movie so knew the plot. I also don't like the idea of not being able to skip the ugly parts. I do that often and the thought of having to listen to ugliness puts me off. Could it be I have a problem with not being in control...Opinions may vary...

[Teacher Terry]

I hate audiobooks. I read fast and the pace also doesn’t suit me. My husband loves them.

[JaneV2.0]

With audiobooks, it definitely depends on the reader for me. I listened to Wish You Happy Forever: What China's Orphans Taught Me About Moving Mountains, written and read by its author Jenny Bowen, and it was terrific because the narration was real and heartfelt. I also enjoy Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware mysteries as narrated by John Rubinstein, who reads them in character. Others I have listened to have been annoying, for various reasons.

[iris lilies]

About audiobooks: the last time I remember choosing an audiobook was when I grabbed a couple from the shelf at the library before we went on a long car trip. I tried to find some thing that DH and I could listen to together. And because I didn’t reserve anything in advance, I had to take a choice from what was on the shelf that day.


We listened to a James Patterson novel and it was execrable. The guy is a hack and I would normally not read him but circumstances. I remember hearing part of it repeated so many times that I almost thought the recording was skipping backwards to replay stuff. In a novel of less than 200 pages, the author must have repeated the same summary of events at least three times. Shows no respect for the reader as though we cannot remember anything we’ve been told before, and it was mindless filler for this novel.

[JaneV2.0]

I read about three pages of a James Patterson novel once...

[catherine]

I read fast and the pace also doesn’t suit me.

I'm the same, but they do serve a purpose if you have a long car ride ahead of you. Or to Jane's point, the reader is key--in particular if you have a humor writer, the audio can be great! I remember listening to a David Sedaris audio book--he narrated-- and it was hugely entertaining.

[JaneV2.0]

I'm the same, but they do serve a purpose if you have a long car ride ahead of you. Or to Jane's point, the reader is key--in particular if you have a humor writer, the audio can be great! I remember listening to a David Sedaris audio book--he narrated-- and it was hugely entertaining.

They're also useful--as podcasts are--to provide entertainment and/or enlightenment as you go about your day. I'm easily distracted, and tend to wander off while reading, figuratively speaking, unless what I'm reading is riveting fare.