Comments

1
they're only good for being on the road. makes the miles go by faster, especially trashy rock biographies.

scar tissue by anthony kiedis anyone?
2
I listen to audiobooks when I'm cleaning or doing chores. I hate doing dishes, and having a book to listen to keeps my mind occupied while my hands are busy. Sometimes, when I'm listening to a good book, I'll find myself doing more housework than I intended to because I want to listen more. The cleanliness of my house is often directly proportional to how interested I am in whatever book I'm listening to. As for the books themselves, they tend to be things that I think I would like but can't get into reading on paper - especially classic novels that I've tried in the past but got too bogged down to finish. I think my favorite audiobooks so far have been "Rebecca" and "The Man Who Thought His Wife Was a Hat."
3
I listen in the car and at the gym, and I love them. I've gone through over 30 audiobooks this year. I think part of the reason they work so well for me is that I don't care about music the way other people seem to. Sure, there are songs that make me cry or get my blood pumping, but mostly, I just tune them out. I haven't really listened to any music in months.
4
I used to listen to them a lot when I was walking to work -- I had about a 25-30 minute walk to the office, so I could listen to a couple of podcasts or a chapter or two every day. Commute changed, though, and I have trouble doing this on the bus. :-/ My gf and I sometimes put on an episode of This American Life while making dinner, and that's nice. Wonder if you could try that with an audiobook?
5
Post some running playlists! You're right, very specific music is needed. I could use some more.
6
Audiobooks are good on so many levels. I listen to books I would never think of because they're on sale at Audible.

The best audiobook so far is some saucy lady reading an Ann Rule book. Breathless in the right places, dramatic in others. Would have been perfect had she not read ever local reference completely wrong.

The worst audiobook so far is Ann Rule reading her own book. Gahhhh.

Download more than one book. Fall asleep to boring stories, do chores to exciting stories. They're also great for a nap if you don't want to fall completely asleep.
7
I used to have an incredibly boring job in an office, and I burned through a huge chunk of Pratchett in the months I spent filing things.

At the moment though, I mainly listen to audiobooks when I'm commuting.
8
I listen to audiobooks when cooking or doing dishes - makes me feel way more productive. I'm a crafter, and audiobooks are great for knitting, when I don't want to melt my brain with dumb TV.

Audiobooks are terrible for the gym but good for the kitchen. DO IT.
9
I usually listen to my audio books on the bus to work, while doing chores at home and while doing the routine tasks like food shopping. If not listening to an audio book I am listening to NPR, the BBC or a podcasts. Where other people might have music, I like the sound of people talking. Sometimes I am not paying full attention but I can always rewind a book or podcast.
10
I have this problem with a lot of podcasts. I can't pay enough attention to them if I'm trying to do anything else at the same time. Even doing the dishes.
11
I got into audiobooks while commuting an hour each way. Makes the miles go by much faster, as @1 said.

I also read a review of the Harry Potter books that said listening to them was more like listening to a radio play, and I thought, well, I'll try that. THEY WERE AWESOME! (Unfortunately, you miss some of the jokes & puns that are best appreciated visually, but you also get proper pronunciation of spells and HERMIONE, etc. Except for Voldemort -- they anglicized him from the French "Voldemor" (silent T) to VoldemorT somewhere around the 3rd book IIRC.

So far I've only tried fiction (and mysteries). I don't know if I'd like non-fiction audiobooks as much.

It's great to get the CD's from your library and you can listen to them in the car.
12
I listen to them at the gym.
13
I love audio books for working around the house, cleaning, cooking, driving, taking the train to work, trying to go sleep (only ones I have listened to before, usually Harry Potter) and when doing menial/boring tasks at work. I grew up listening to them and they just become an excellent tool for passing time. I probably have 600GB of them, over 5 years of listening. Maybe I have a problem.
14
I listen to tons of audiobooks. Everyone who listen to audiobooks has a different way of working them into life. I couldn't listen to them while driving, but I listen to them while walking, taking the bus, cooking, and doing chores. I'm a writer and have a huge backlog of things to read, and audiobooks have been helping me work through a lot of the memoirs I probably wouldn't get to otherwise. I sometimes listen to fiction, but that's a little tougher for me to follow, for some reason, and I prefer memoir. I also really love audiobooks read by the authors. I get my digital audiobooks from SPL and King County Library--both have great selections.
15
I have the same problem, more or less - I like being able to sift through text, zip back and forth, take notes or type up excerpts. I did get into audiobooks a bit last year though, originally at the advice of my dentist - I needed a lot of work done and she thought it would help keep me distracted for a few painful hours, and she was right. After that I took audiobooks with me on overnight & early morning shifts when there was no one around I'd have to talk to, but I quit that job early this year. If I ever get another one like it, audiobooks will probably come back into my life.

I have to say, though; audiobooks are pretty expensive, so I developed a policy of only torrenting dead writers, which was an interesting fiction restriction to be carting around now. No judging, I was earning under $8/hr at the time - I wouldn't do it now I have more money.
16
Cleaning, while riding the bus, and while walking.
17
Driving is the only way I can do it, and even then I'm very picky. I don't look for subjects as much as good readers, good voices. A guy named Frank Muller was the best audiobook reader I've ever heard.
18
Audiobooks (also podcasts) are fantastic, in certain situations. I listen to more stories than I read in print. But yeah, you can't work on other things involving words while also listening to someone narrate a story.
19
I work the night shift at a hotel, and part of my job is to fold massive heaps of towels and pillow cases. Listening to A Dance With Dragons is currently helping me pass the time. Audiobooks are great for getting through mindless tasks.
20
I agree that I can't listen to an audiobook while running (I need something with a beat), but they're great for the tedium of weightlifting. I agree with listening while driving, cleaning and other mindless tasks. Also, I have two kids (4 and 7), and we'll keep them busy with age-appropriate audiobooks while we're driving longer trips. I usually get books-on-CD at the library and rip 'em to my mp3 player
21
Choose your audiobooks wisely. @11 is right—Harry Potter read by Jim Dale is peerless. I tried Marilynne Robinson and decided she requires a hardcover book in a quiet room.

No matter what the book is, if you turn on the audiobook when you're sleepy, well, you'll fall asleep.
22
I listen to audiobooks while working with my hands. Carpentry, knitting, sewing, cleaning, gardening, etc. I have also listened while riding the bus. I don't like having headphones in while walking or running, I don't think it's safe; music while I'm running early in the morning when there's no traffic is a recent compromise, and audiobooks are much worse for taking my attention away from the world around me.
23
Commuting by bus or train, mindless chores, or anything craft-y. Audiobooks tend to keep me up at night if I'm anxious, I prefer having white noise or music for sleeping.
24
I listen to audiobooks doing just about everything - driving, walking the dogs, doing housework, and so on.

They don't replace reading for me - I still read voraciously - but one thing I've noticed with favorite books is that I will pick up entirely different things when reading or when listening. More than a few times, I've been listening to a book I love and found myself thinking "was this in the book?" and a few times actually gone and looked it up in the print copy.

I started listening to audio decades ago when I had an hour long car commute. I've found over the years that reality yanks my attention when it needs to, so I don't have the problem of having the book distract me from driving or something else - I just have to rewind.

And yes, James Dale was frighteningly brilliant with the Harry Potter books. Juggling that many voices consistently was a genuine achievement. For another masterwork, the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is incredible, if you have about six months to commit to it.
25
Grant you are not alone in your snoozing. My partner listens to Luke Burbank specifically to fall asleep. TBTL. Every night. There's a third man in our bed.
26
I looooove my audiobooks, and mostly listen to non-fiction but I don't ever take notes when I'm reading so I guess I can't address your particular concern. I listen primarily when I'm doing projects around the house or when I'm on long road trips. When I had a commute (I work from home now) I used to listen then as well.
27
Grant, have you tried listening to audiobooks of books you've already read? Granted, this is a suggestion on the geeky side, but it's worth considering if yr a bookworm like me. Other ideas: how about poetry? I'll listen to a bit of TS Eliot's work as I lay in bed, getting ready to sleep. Heather McHugh's got some good stuff recorded, too. I truly enjoyed The God Delusion, read by Dawkins and his wife, and intend to buy a copy of the TKCD for easy re-listenings. My wife Sara is a HUGE audiobook reader and listens while knitting and other craftwork. She's working through some huge Connie Willis tomes in audio version and having a blast. WARNING: "Play-away" TKCD's, i.e., those little devices that hold a whole audiobook and let you plug in yr own earbuds, while fun, aren't worth the cash to buy... but may prove worth checking out from library, regardless of the poor audio quality. I've major qualms w/ my Playaway for Infinite Jest (no footnotes?! for fuck's sake), but since I've already read the "book version" twice, I'm still enjoying taking a new angle at this masterpiece. Don't forget to look into plays that are also available on audiobook. Oh, and John Hodgman's 1st two books are audio-freaking-tastic! And both George Carlin and David Cross kindly take the time to abuse the listener for using the TKCD's instead of reading the actual books, which makes me chuckle. Lots of great thoughts from the commenters above; thanks to all for restoring my faith in humanity (most comments sections on the web seem to be solely troll-domains).

John Kistner
28
@15 Take a look at your library's selection. Audiobooks are expensive, but I find that Seattle Public Library has an amazing selection. http://spl.lib.overdrive.com/
I definitely don't listen to books I'd be taking notes on, but I find that being able to listen to books frees up my reading time for being able to focus on the books I want to use for research, while I can listen to books I've been hearing about but don't necessarily want to sit down and read. I just listened to BLOOD, BONES AND BUTTER by Gabrielle Hamilton, also liked THE SISTERS BROTHERS by Patrick DeWitt, LOVE IS A MIX TAPE by Rob Sheffield, BOSSYPANTS by Tina Fey. Got some Mary Karr out of the way and learned I'm not a fan without wasting precious sit-down-and-read time. All SPL downloads.
29
routine cleaning that doesn't call for the extra energy that music gives me. long drives.

Several are ready by authors whose speaking voices I particularly enjoy.
30
Oh dang, people—ya'll have some great insights. Thank you!

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