Post: #1

I was wondering in your guy's input and experience.

Do you find reading a book and listening to one a different experience?

Is retention better achieved by reading or listening?

This is just my theory but I believe listening to a a book will allow for more critical thinking and offers the same effect as a book since your being exposed to the vocabulary and ideas. In the other hand I find reading can really help your concentration and focus but in my situation it is hard to pick up a book in a quiet place and read peacefully. As for an audiobook I can simply start up when I workout or before bed.

What's your take between these two?

Post: #2

I like audiobooks for travel. They help make the time go by during long drives and flights. I love a good book, but when I'm tired or really stressed from being on the road I sometimes lack the focus to read.

Post: #3

I love the whole ritual of actually reading.... shutting out the world, relaxing, etc.

If its a road trip audio books.


But in general, I feel I retain better from reading. I tend to re read parts I like as I read them to commit lines to memory etc. So I definitely prefer reading.

Post: #4

Audiobooks are better for novels and material you've already read before. Anything too intense and you're suddenly lost after your mind wandered off for the moment, trying to avoid that mac truck that just cut you off.

Most novels don't require too much attention, anyways.

Post: #5

Definitely reading.

The only times that it would make sense for me to listen to an audiobook, I'd either be driving or working out. If I get cut off by another car, or any changeup in my workout, and I've lost concentration.

Podcasts are great for the car though.

Off Topic: Tonight I downloaded all 13 episodes of the Christian McQueen Show, and it took less than 15 minutes. 1.07GB total. When I first got a computer, the term 'podcasting' didn't exist, and on a then-standard 33.6Kb/per second modem, downloading 1 gig would've taken days!

Post: #6

Reading is unbeatable but complementing it with Audiobooks are great especially for the car, and if you have to drive to work everyday. If you substitute listening to music/radio every time your in the car and listen to an audiobook you can really rack up your knowledge and books completed.

Post: #7

I am a big audible fan. I think I retain a little bit less with audiobooks but I can go consume more books than with reading ( btw, Audible has something called with whispersync, where if you also download the Kindle version you can go between the audio and text version seamlessly).

On days I'm not lifting or playing basketball, I like to go for a long leisurely walk and audio books are great for that occasion.

Audio books that I've recently listened to and liked:
The Cold War - one of my favorites in the past five years.
The Ascent of Money
Shit My Dad Says ( I like to sometimes listen to humor books before going out. It puts me in a sociable mood).

I have found that overly technical books, where the author refers to charts and graphs, are not good for this medium.

Post: #8

Loved audiobooks for long trips as a kid. My aunt would always play murder mysteries on long trips. Otherwise I prefer to read.

Post: #9

Big fan of audiobooks atm, I do a daily commute to work on a push bike that sets me back 40 min per leg.
On the bike path I'm able to concentrate and listen to good material while exercising, its godsend really.

Post: #10

I can read an easy book like a novel a lot faster than most audiobooks are narrated.

I prefer to listen to stuff that's specific to the medium, like podcasts and The Teaching Company's courses - but if I truly want to retain the knowledge I have to stop after each episode and make notes to review later, otherwise it's just entertainment.

"I'd hate myself if I had that kind of attitude, if I were that weak." - Arnold

Post: #11

I do both simultaneously. I download the audiobook and then buy the hard copy. Is it excessive? Maybe, but it helps me read a lot. I also like going through books after I've listened to them and highlighting specific passages, or re-reading small sections.

When I wake up in the morning, I turn on my audiobook and listen to it as I get ready for the day and drive to work. I'll listen on the drive home, when I'm making dinner, doing chores, etc.

The physical book I will read when I can dedicate 1+ hours to sitting down and reading, but that doesn't happen as often as I'd like.

Sometimes I prefer audiobooks when the narrator is on point. A good narrator can add an entire new layer to the story and really draw you into the world of the book.

As far as retention goes, I remember more when I am reading vs. listening, but as others have said I wouldn't get through as much material if it weren't for audiobooks, so it's a tradeoff.

Post: #12

Reading because it is usually faster.
However for driving, audiobooks are a must.

Post: #13

Books are better because you can write the page number that you found interesting of ideas in, put the book back on the shelf. A few months down the line you want to review the idea just grab the book and go over it. Audiobooks are a lifesaver for those of us who have to work the grind/commute. In the future I hope that more books will be dual ebook/audio format and come with both page number and time / track listing for seamless transitioning.

Post: #14

I hate audio books. I think they detract most of the experience by allowing you to not concetrate at the task in hand. I takes away your timing, rhythm, imagination and your own mental constructions made as you read, being that dictated by whoever is reading.

The only time that audio books makes sense for me is when studying some language, when pronunciation is key.

Post: #15

"It seems as though just listening is not as engaging as when people read, particularly out loud," Daniel Smilek, a co-author on the paper, tells Co.Design.


http://www.fastcodesign.com/3026224/evid...-and-bored

Post: #16

I prefer audio books. I can listen to them while I drive, or while I'm laying down resting my eyes after a long work day. My retention tends to be better with audio books as well. I'm not as easily distracted because the words are being shoved right into my brain by the voice of the reader. I wish every book was available as an audio book.

Post: #17

I do both, audio when in the car.

If you want a great audiobook then try "The Ice Man, Diary of a Hitman" its like Goodfellas for your ears!

Amazing read/listen.

I audioread faster, and I feel it takes it in better sometimes than a book.

Post: #18

For me reading is 10x faster than listening to some guy speak. I can read a book much faster than someone recites it.

Post: #19

Also I find an eReader like a kindle way faster to read than a books.. my Kobo reader is ace!

Post: #20

(05-04-2014 05:12 PM)Samseau Wrote:  For me reading is 10x faster than listening to some guy speak. I can read a book much faster than someone recites it.

True. I hate when someone posts a 10 minute youtube video when they could have given me an article or the transcript and I could have read it in 3 minutes.

I also find my retention of information is better when I'm reading books as opposed to listening to them.

Post: #21

I read book faster, and I feel it takes it in better sometimes than a audiobook.

Post: #22

(05-21-2014 11:13 AM)goldensilveronline Wrote:  I read book faster, and I feel it takes it in better sometimes than a audiobook.

Feel the same way.
I used audiobooks when I was ill. The experience was interesting but tiresome.

Post: #23

I love the concept of audiobooks, but in practice, I do better reading them. I like to make notes and highlight when I read so I can come back to things later. Hard to do with an audiobook. I also have a bad habit of drifting off or my mind wandering, so when I'm trying to listen to an audiobook, I have to keep going back to the last point where I was consciously listening.

I tend to stick to audiobooks that I can pick up free or cheap. Somehow, I got "The Four Hour Workweek" audiobook years ago for free. I had a job go south on me, to the point where I ended up in a game of chicken to see whether I could find another job in a shitty job market before they let me go. They won that game. I ended up listening to 4HWW over and over again as I grinded through my last few miserable months on that job.

Post: #24

I recently started listening to audiobooks while doing some time-intensive stuff at work. For fiction, or non-fiction where I'm listening to it for entertainment, you can't beat them. That being said, if I'm listening to something I'm trying to retain, then it's not the best.

You can't go wrong though with reading an actual book. It's the best way for retaining and remembering what you're reading.

Post: #25

Сan anybody recommend a good and inexpensive mp3 player to listen to audio books. A small one, too, so that I can take it to the gym and use it when I run.

I found a Kubik Evo 8GB for $30 on Amazon which has pretty good reviews but haven't bought it yet.