I have listened to Spanish language-learning type items on my iPod while doing housework, but realized that I wasn't really focusing on it (although hopefully some was picked up subconsciously). I'm afraid the same might occur with books on CD: that I'll suddenly realize my mind has wandered and I'll have to replay a chapter etc. or I'll miss some of the nuances/enjoyment of the written word.

I would like to ask all your opinions, if I may. What has been your experience with listening to books? Do you do other things while listening, or just sit back and relax. I don't drive (and the roads are safer for it!) so I would mostly be listening on the subway or perhaps while doing housework.

Thank you so much!

I know that I cannot listen to someone read aloud and do other things at the same time -- not even while running on a treadmill. I wish I could. I can't listen to a book and do something else, but I can crochet and read at the same time. I guess that's strange.

If something happens to distract me I just go backwards on the iPod and listen again -- not a problem at all. These days I listen to many more books than I read because it is difficult for me to do just one thing at a time. The one caveat I have is that the book must be somewhat riveting to keep my attention. While I enjoy non-fiction very much, I seldom listen to a non-fiction book.

I will probably be listening to more books as I plan to tackle some knitting projects that just never seem to get finished. I think three years is long enough for a scarf, don't you?

Also I've found that while short stories are a form I dearly love, I don't dearly love to listen to an entire book of them. When reading I'll read one story and then dip into something else and come back later for another story. Listening to one story at a time is not convenient on my system. While not impossible, it is not easy to find where the next story begins when I want to go back to them.

Arnold Bennett, novelist, once said that reading a novel should be like jumping into a boat on a fast moving river and being pulled along quickly with no need to think. Although he, naturally, phrased it elegantly. Those are the books I've found to work best when listening. A.S. Byatt is the exception. I listened to every excruciating line of that Victorian style poetry she wrote for Possession.

I think listening to Mitchell's Cloud Atlas was a superior experience to reading. I remember a number of people had a hard time with the patois of the island segment and liked it the least. Not having to interpret it, I was immediately charmed and found it to be my favorite segment. Just my take.

Listening to books does not affect my reading books. I still read as much as ever; the audio books are an added enjoyment, since I can continue to have my stories even while I'm doing tasks that don't need my full attention.

Right now I am listening to Queen's Play by Dorothy Dunnett. The reader is from the British Isle. He makes the Scottish and Irish accents vivd for me, enhancing the experience past what mere reading would do, since I do not know these accents well.

Rosefolly

Nor do accents bother people in the UK. I prefer to hear a book set, for eg, in Scotland to be read by someone speaking with a Scottish accent (although thick Glaswegian can be a bit tricky) and some of the more Ruritanian ones might be over-the-top.
Is it maybe because people in America are less likely to hear 'non-American' accents in their day-to-day lives that they have difficulty understanding what is being said?

Veer, it is possible that we have something similar on the here in Canada, most likely on CBC; I go to the BBC radio website to listen to Terry Wogan's morning program (I replay it as we are 5 hours behind) and sometimes I listen along live to some of the BBC 1, etc. channels. Could you tell me which BBC channel the stories are played on and the approximate time? Thanks!!

I will see if I can find a "light" story and see how I do. I never thought about the impact a narrator may have on the story, so that's food for thought. For some reason, I was imagining someone doing a straight reading of the book, rather than real characterization and different voices like the radio plays I used to hear. My library offers downloads of books from their website (both in word and audio) and most can be transferred to my iPod.

I understand Terry Wogan is finishing/has finished on Radio 2, after many years. His easy style will be missed by many of the 'older' generation . . .which should included me but we can't pick up the signal for that station.

I have put the link to the website where you will find lots more information . . .otherwise send me an email.

I don't own any of the recorded books. They're on loan from a regional branch of that library (the National Library Service).

Some recording services other than the Talking Books program make books available as well but the quality of the recordings can be very uneven.

I also receive several magazine subscriptions in recorded form.

Recorded versions omit cartoons and illustrations of course (but may include captions to illustrations) and omit reference footnotes but not content footnotes.

I've never had a complaint about any of the NLS narrators. Most are really excellent readers.

I can't believe Terry Wogan is retiring! I first listened to him in England before I came to Canada as a young child. He was one of the things I missed when I felt homesick (along with milk in bottles and proper lemonade!)

I have picked up an unabridged audio of Lisa Scottoline's "Lady Killer" (thought I would start with a light mystery!). Just have to get it onto my ipod - always a chore.

Older ones are on cassette tape and newer ones are on CD. It is getting harder and harder to find cassette tape players, but I saw one today at Target that takes standard sized cassettes for $19.99. I'm sure it is not music listening quality. No doubt it is meant for recording lectures. I thought they were no longer manufactured at all, so this is a real find for fans of audio books. Other than this, I have to play them in my car, something I don't like to do in traffic.

Rosefolly

haven't seen you around for a while - good to see you back on the 'puter..

I find that I tend to get distracted listening to an audio book while driving, so I rarely do that.

Rosefolly

I mainly get annoyed if I heard an abridged version of a book I know quite well - I'm listening out for a favourite sentence, only to find that it's been "abridged" out.

On the other hand, I am now listening to a collection of short stories by Elizabeth Berg, and the author's voice is, IMHO, very well-suited to the medium. She thankfully does not try to imitate other people's voices, something that needs to be done with great skill; rather she adds short pauses to indicate dialogue. If she were, for example, trying to sound like a man's voice when an old boyfriend or a husband is speaking, I probably would have thrown the CD across the room.

I just finished listening to a book read by a male author - if the story hadn't been compelling, I would never have finished it. As it was, I skipped vast segments with no loss to the story line. I simply couldn't take that author's voice for long periods of time.