When does changing the way that you are accessing a story increase your enjoyment of it? Why do some books work better in one format versus another?
I recently had two books that I would not have finished if I didn’t change the format I was reading them in.
The first was We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu. I started this as an ebook and I just wasn’t getting into it. I set it aside. Then I happened to get a notification that the audiobook was available. I must have accidentally reserved both formats from the library app. I started the audiobook and loved it.
The reason that the book didn’t work for me was that it was written in a very conversational style. It seemed disjointed in print. But, when he was reading it out loud it worked well. His enthusiasm for the story also helped a lot.
I had the opposite issue with A Rip Through Time. Kelley Armstrong’s books are an auto-buy for me. I always listen to the audiobooks. This one didn’t work for me on audio.
This book stressed me out. It is about a modern detective who goes back in time. She ends up in the body of a maid in Victorian England. Something about her not being able to tell anyone who she was made me squirmy. I ended up switching to the ebook so I could read faster. About mid-way through the book, she confides in someone. I might have been able to go back to the audio at that point but I just finished the ebook. This is going to be a series so I’m interested to see if I can handle the future installments on audio.
For me audiobooks work best for nonfiction and fantasy. I don’t like romance on audio if there is any sex. I tend to skip over sex scenes when reading so I really don’t want to have to listen to them. Ew.
Same for me as above. I find myself going to an audiobook if I can’t get through the reading copy. I also really like to listen to memoirs rather than read them. Most of the time the author narrates and it makes it a much better experience.
Audiobooks often work for me when other formats don’t. I just seem to have a much higher tolerance for things when I’m listening. So, for instance, if a book is a slow read, I might pick up the audiobook instead. And I definitely agree that non-fiction often works better for me in audiobook format, especially if the author is reading it.