Discussion – Am I being spoiled by audiobooks?

Okay, so I LOVE audiobooks. Let me just say that first. I think audiobooks are an ingenious idea. It opens up the realm of reading to those who might not otherwise be able to take advantage. People who can’t read well or have reading disorders or simply don’t have the time to sit down and devour a novel can now consume it in an easier form. I listen to audiobooks every single day. Or at least, every work day. I listen to something on my walk back and forth to work and I listen to different audiobook with my husband at lunch.

That’s something else I love about audios, the ability for several people to experience the story together. My husband and I always have an audiobook going. We listen while I’m at lunch, anytime we spend more than a few minutes in the car. If the book is really intense, we just spend the weekend listening away. It’s a wonderful thing to experience a story with someone else. Read-alongs are a similar thing, but it isn’t quite the same. Right now we are working our way through a Harry Potter re-read.

So, I’m very much a fan of audiobooks. The fact that I get review copies of them from Audible is probably the current highlight of my life. I encourage all of you out there who haven’t given them a try to do so. Remember that there are many different narrators with different levels of skill and don’t let one bad one ruin the experience for you. I did initially, with the audio-version of Crossed by Ally Condie, which is just awful. It took me YEARS after that before I tried again and I missed out on so much. I know audiobooks can get expensive, but every local library has a collection and there are programs like SYNC that gives you free audiobooks. SYNC only runs in the summer, but it’s usually worth the wait.

Lately, I’ve been having issues actually reading though. I don’t want to read. I want to listen while I multi-task. I want to have a narrator do most of the work for me while I relax and fall into the world. This past month, every time I’ve picked up a book, I’ve read for a few minutes and then been distracted. You’ll see in my November Wrap-Up post in a few days that I haven’t really read much this month and the majority of what I have completed has been audio. I don’t know if a true reading slump is too blame or if I’ve just been too spoiled by audiobooks. I hate the thought that traditional reading may have lost some appeal for me as much as I love the convenience of audiobooks.

What about you guys? Is anyone else experiencing this problem? Let me know in the comments so I feel a little less alone!