Saturday, February 17, 2018

Audiobook Listening Habits

My favorite audiobook vendor, Libro.fm, recently had a blog post entitled 8 Top Audiobook Listening Activities and it got me thinking about what I like to do while listening to audiobooks.

Audiobooks are a big part of my reading life these days. I'm finding it harder to concentrate on print sometimes, and my eyesight has gotten a little worse necessitating glasses when I do read print. Of course nothing can replace actually curling up with a good book, but there are times when I'm busy moving around and can't sit still long enough to turn a page.

via GIPHY

Most of my audiobook listening is nonfiction, because I feel like if my attention drifts for a moment or two, I can catch up, and writing style is a little less important to me when it comes to nonfiction. And most of my listening time is spent in transit- on the bus and walking around my neighborhood. On the subway I have to be aware of my surroundings and a lot of information can come in through the ears so it's harder to concentrate on a narrative.

I can't listen while crafting because if I don't pay attention to where those needles are going, I'm gonna get hurt. And at the gym, I listen to music and read print; I tried doing audiobooks at the gym and I just found that I need the rhythm of music to keep my body going.

I like to listen best while I'm just relaxing. When I have to spend a long time waiting, like in a holding room, sometimes the lighting is bad and it's hard to read, or sometimes I've already spent a long time with a print book and need a break. Earphones have the added benefit of discouraging conversation, so when I need a little introvert time, audiobooks come to the rescue.

So there.

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