One of the eternal questions.Some people love hardcover books and can't stand the feeling of paperbacks. Some are fine as long as they have any type of physical book in their hands, yet they don't consider an audiobook a book. Some people live for the convenience of their eBooks, and others cannot stand them. Me? I see the appeal of any of the above!Personally, I do prefer to read a physical book, either in hardcover or paperback form. I just like to flip the pages, read over sections that I didn't really understand the first time (or, you know, I spaced because SQUIRREL). It can be harder to do that with an eBook, and especially hard to do with an audiobook (how far back did I stop paying attention? Oh, crap, I remember this…I went too far. Let me just go forwa-NO TOO FAR I'M GOING TO SPOIL MYSELF). Plus, what if I get overly upset with a character or author (which I tend to do once in a while…)? I can't slam my tablet/phone/eReader on the ground unless I truly want to break something, and clicking pause on an audiobook just doesn't have the same effect of slamming a physical book shut. I've always preferred physical books.
Audiobooks have been iffy for me. My siblings all live in different states (my parents hope I stay in Iowa for them), so when we'd go on road trips to visit one of them, my mom always had to get a pile of audiobooks to listen on the ride (always mystery. My parents didn't read often, but they just loved listening to mysteries on the road). I'd normally tune in with them for the first few chapters, but then I'd get tired and fall asleep. By the time I woke up from my catnap in the back seat, I'd be lost and have to either read my own book or listen to my iPod. My cousins also loved audiobooks. One of them has some minor dyslexia and struggles to read quickly, but his mom is a librarian and he has always LOVED books (specifically YA fantasy). We were major fans of a lot of the same books growing up (especially Harry Potter), and they'd always recommend books for me. Since my cousin read too slow even for himself, he went to audiobooks. He'd turn one on and play a video game at the same time. I never understood it. I would get too involved in the book and mess up royally in the game, or I'd get involved in the game and miss part of the book. But that's how he got through his books, and it still works great for him. Lately though, I've really started turning more and more to audiobooks. The last couple of months have been slow at work and there have been days I've been manning the office alone. When I have days like that, especially when I need to do some organizing or filing of paperwork, I like to listen to an audiobook to pass the time. It helps my brain do something other than wander to random subjects while I file or clean. Soon, I started continuing on in the audiobook at home while I worked on my DIY wedding décor or as I cook dinner. The problem is, I tend to space when I listen to audiobooks. I'm getting better, but I still will miss sections, and I've just learned to deal with it and move on. Normally, I don't miss a lot, and if I find myself really lost, I'll go back to the beginning of the chapter and see how that feels. Now, I've learned to have two books going at once (which I don't typically do!). One physical book that I read before bed and when I have long periods of time that I want to dive deep into a story, and one audiobook that I'm okay with maybe not diving quite as deep into, but that helps me stay focused on physical tasks like crafts, cooking or cleaning. Now eBooks. Though eBooks are my least favorite way to read, I don't despise them either. I just don't prefer them. Throughout college, eBooks were my saving grace. When I would (rarely) have an easy(ish) semester that I could find a few moments to dig into recreational books instead of text books, I used the Bridges online library ALL THE TIME to download eBooks to read. I didn't want to get a library card at the local public library since I didn't feel I would use it often enough, I honestly never ended up finding the fiction section of our college library (I barely used the library for anything except finding my voice music or walking through to get to Phonathon on the third floor until I finally discovered how much I loved the study spaces my senior year), and I didn't want to clutter my small room with the few books that I had for my personal library. So eBooks became my good friends. Now, though, I live on my own and have my shelves to house my books. I went to the library within the first week that I moved here and made sure to get my library card. And I still use my Bridges account, but mostly for audiobooks instead of eBooks. eBooks have their place in my heart. Unfortunately for them, that place is when I'm getting ready for a trip that I don't want to haul physical books around with me (and I don't do many of those). How about you? What's your favorite way to absorb books? Are you like me and like a little bit of everything, or are you hardcore for one specific form? I want to hear from you!
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AuthorJust sharing my passion of reading through my passion of writing. Archives
May 2020
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