I find audiobooks put me to sleep with the (usually) soothing voice of the narrator.
America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
41–50 of 102 posts
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#42I used to read a lot as a kid, to the point that I wouldn't get much sleep. Finally my grandfather gave me a couple of audiobooks he had on cassette, and that was the beginning of an obsession that continued for decades. I've variously gotten into old time radio, unabridged audio books, copies of audiobooks that were only made for the visually impaired at the LoC...everything. I used Audible for a little while, but I…
If you like WoT, try the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#43I find it very difficult to read physical on the subway -- too loud, too many distractions, too much shifting around when people enter/exit. Audiobooks are perfect for public transport.
I'm afraid I'll kill my ears if I turn up the volume loud enough to hear on the subway (NYC).
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your comment got me thinking: in the past, the main ways of learning were through lecture and reading. I wonder if live lectures have always been as poorly efficient as they are now. With the invention of audio recording, video, internet etc... I could see how our modern ability to concentrate on one long topic have been reduced. I think back to Greek and Roman times when oratory was a larger part of education and I…
Lecture sucks as a medium. There's a pile of education research on this. We succeed in spite of the shortcomings of lecture, not because of its strengths... And a lot of people who don't succeed in lecture-based structures cget a better chance at success as we could deploy other learning media.
Even lecturers realize it's a total disaster, but there's a lot of inertia to overcome.
Online MOOCs work so much better, but they don't have the social aspect and the live guidance factor.
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#45In my personal experience, I have always found it that the books I've listened are the first to fade from my memory. Second came books consumed as ebooks and last, old fashioned paper books. I believe that the act of touching the book, carrying with you everywhere, leaving it on the table, seems to make its content much more memorable for me than reading it as an ebook or listening to it. I find it that I still remem…
there could be other things at play like the fact that you have more time on your hands when you are a teenager compared to later in life when you have to work. and if you are working more and skimping on sleep then not all of the things you read will get into your long term memory.
less distractions as well depending on when you were a teenager
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#46I used to read a lot as a kid, to the point that I wouldn't get much sleep. Finally my grandfather gave me a couple of audiobooks he had on cassette, and that was the beginning of an obsession that continued for decades. I've variously gotten into old time radio, unabridged audio books, copies of audiobooks that were only made for the visually impaired at the LoC...everything. I used Audible for a little while, but I…
If you like WoT, try the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
As a fan of series, I can say that you've achieved missile-lock on my fantasy taste; I would further that recommendation to anyone else reading this who like WoT.
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your comment got me thinking: in the past, the main ways of learning were through lecture and reading. I wonder if live lectures have always been as poorly efficient as they are now. With the invention of audio recording, video, internet etc... I could see how our modern ability to concentrate on one long topic have been reduced. I think back to Greek and Roman times when oratory was a larger part of education and I…
Lecture sucks as a medium. There's a pile of education research on this. We succeed in spite of the shortcomings of lecture, not because of its strengths... And a lot of people who don't succeed in lecture-based structures cget a better chance at success as we could deploy other learning media.
I completely agree and I've also seen the studies about retention rates of various types of learning. The confounder in my mind is that obviously all these studies were done since the advent of newer media options. I'm just wondering if we were able to redo the studies in people from long ago if there would be any difference at all? Possibly not, but it makes me wonder if there were, is there a way to train ourselves to learn better learn for lectures. Secondly, even if it is possible to be a better "lecture learner", is it even worth it (for example is there a ceiling effect?)
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#48Audio books saved my sanity when I had a 30 minute commute. I actually looked forward to the drive knowing I'd get to hear more from Off To Be The Wizard.
I had the same feeling with that same series. I used to look forward to my 30 minute commute to/from work. I'd save the book for the commute and it would always be something to look forward to. Have you found any other books similar to that?
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#49[deleted]
Re: America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books
#50I want to recommend a great source of free, public domain audiobooks: Librivox.[1]
It's like the Project Gutenberg of audiobooks, recorded by volunteers.
The quality of their readers varies, but there are some surprisingly good readers on there, such as my favorite so far, David Clarke, who did a superb reading of The Count of Monte Cristo.[2]
[1] - https://librivox.org/
[2] - https://librivox.org/the-count-of-monte-cristo-version-3-by-...