
America's biggest new reading trend: obsessed with multitasking via audio books - devy
https://qz.com/924075/audiobook-readers-obsessed-with-multitasking-are-driving-americas-biggest-new-reading-trend/
======
inputcoffee
I can only "listen" to an audio book when I am not multi-tasking.

Otherwise I find myself zone out of the book, and miss a huge chunk of it,
then rewind to the point I thought I missed and rewind too much. Realize I
have heard it before and let myself zone out again etc.

I realize how inefficient live lectures are and how much I must have missed
through my life.

~~~
Chaebixi
I think multi-tasking with an audiobook _only_ works when the other task is
one you can perform automatically (e.g. highway driving). If you're doing
anything that requires any thought or decision making, then you might as well
not bother with the book.

Also, I think the kind of audiobook is important:

1\. Fiction usually works best, since narratives and action are easy to
follow.

2\. Simple non-fiction is worse but still doable (I'm thinking bestseller-type
popular nonfiction and narrative history).

3\. Nonfiction with technical or conceptually challenging content is the
worst, and really requires full undivided attention.

~~~
DanBC
> when the other task is one you can perform automatically (e.g. highway
> driving)

Fucking hell no, please do focus your attention on driving.

~~~
dyeje
It's really no different from listening to the radio.

~~~
DanBC
It's not the "listening to audio" bit that's worrying, it's the "task is one
you can perform automatically (e.g. highway driving)" which is scary.

~~~
Crito
Unless you're an unskilled driver, driving becomes "automatic" in much the
same way that riding a bike does. When you ride a bike, are you concentrating
on not falling over? Maybe for the first week or so that you're learning...

------
resiros
In 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 remember the details of hundreds of books I have read
as a teenager, while I sometimes don't even realize that I've already read a
certain book that I've read as an ebook or listened to.

~~~
trentmb
I've found that listening to the audio book while reading (usually in ebook
format) causes things to sink in most, with reading aloud to myself a close
second.

A novel or technical book, both methods seem to work. Takes longer though.

~~~
Philomath
A friend of mine uses an app to read at the same time that he listens to the
text for studying. He argues that in this way he doesn't loose concentration
and that he can choose at which speed he wants to go.

------
rabboRubble
Lots of hate for the audio book and multitasking in the top comments here. I
do the multitasking audio book thing and I really enjoy it, with some limits.
There are better times of the day to listen to an audio book, and there are
better subject materials for the format.

If I read a book before bedtime, the reading lamp keeps me awake. Listening to
the audio book in the dark doesn't disrupt sleep as much. When I'm really
enjoying a particular book, I do listen while I wash the dishes or in public
transit, but this means I really like the book.

Do I listen to Tolstoy or the latest machine learning audiobooks? No. I listen
to zombie trash novels and the like. Occasionally I stumble into something
more worthy of a physical book. I've introduced authors I found in audiobook
form to my book club.

The other thing, if a book is so uninteresting that I am constantly rewinding,
then it's a shiat book and I simply move on to a more engaging book. I have
200 other audiobooks marked for reading so there is no shortage of possibly
better books available to me.

------
pmoriarty
I 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/](https://librivox.org/)

[2] - [https://librivox.org/the-count-of-monte-cristo-
version-3-by-...](https://librivox.org/the-count-of-monte-cristo-version-3-by-
alexandre-dumas/)

~~~
panglott
Podcasts were my gateway to Librivox, Librivox was my gateway to Audible.

Librivox is fantastic; however, our copyright laws are just too restrictive.
Librivox is the kind of thing that shows the immense value of a robust public
domain.

------
naravara
This seems like such a "get off my lawn" tone for an article.

Audiobooks don't really work for me. Maybe they work for other people, if so
good for them. Maybe it doesn't work as well for them as reading the actual
book would, but surely it's better than not being exposed to the material _at
all_ no?

Perhaps there is something to be said for people spending more time letting
their minds wander and ruminating about stuff rather than self-distraction.
But that necessitates an argument for silence and boredom, not an argument
against Audiobooks in particular.

------
obstinate
Huh. I use audiobooks when I'm cooking dinner, cleaning the kitchen, doing
chores, but I don't speed read them. If you're looking for suggestions:

\- Plugged -- Eoin Colfer

\- Screwed -- Eoin Colfer

\- Half {a King, the World, a War} -- Joe Abercrombie

\- Also everything else written by Joe Abercrombie

\- Seveneves -- Neal Stephenson

Sometimes it's not about how good the book is, but about the reader. That's
the difference in the audio medium. Plugged and Screwed were books I only
picked up because the reader of Half a King read them. They were stellar in
audio form, but I don't normally go for those types of books in written form.

This can also up new avenues for how to spend time, outside of the
multitasking case. I was staying with a friend a few months ago, and before
bed we laid around for an hour listening to an audiobook that I wanted to
share. It was like being a family in the olden days sitting around listening
to a radio. Really great experience. I can't recommend it enough.

~~~
lucb1e
Same here. Suddenly I don't want to stop cleaning anymore, rather than not
wanting to start!

------
devmunchies
The main thing I don't like about audio is not being able to highlight or
reflect on things, even re-reading portions several times to really learn
something.

I like being able to cross reference materials and go deeper on things I read,
and when I re-read a book, I see notes that I had forgotten about, which is
near impossible with audio.

It seems its all about high amounts of shallow exposure to different concepts,
good for "knowing what you don't know" but not really learning what you don't
know.

~~~
goshx
With audible's app you can bookmark, create clips and add notes.

------
isilauzelis
I have done it fairly extensively for many years now. Generally, the book
should be a light read, and the task fairly mundane. If the task is very
simple, then "reading" this way might be more better than listening to an
audiobook sitting down and doing nothing else. For more complicated tasks I am
usually expecting to skip dozens of seconds of the audiobook now and again, so
I either choose a book I don't mind reading poorly, or a podcast. For tasks
that require reasonable amount of attention, I sometimes do lighthearted
podcasts, but that comes with accepting slower work. Sort of half working,
half passing time.

Books past a certain complexity, or ones you want to read well, or quickly,
are best read the old way.

I'd say audiobooks are awesome for squeezing that extra use/fun out your time,
but they have to be done in a smart way.

------
ctvo
This doesn't work for me at all. Example: I'm reading the Vital Question by
Nick Lane and I need to stop often just to digest what's written on the page
to make sure I fully understand it. I don't even think the book is
particularly academic, I'm just below average on a lot of topics. For
something that pushes my capacity I can't imagine being a passive reader and
getting the most out of it.

I think this works for lighter topics, but I question the point of having
something in the background and just hoping to gain value from it through...
luck? I'm not sure what else to call the serendipitous moment when you're
actively paying attention and the audiobook also happens to be on a section
that's insightful.

~~~
bigtimeidiot
> _I think this works for lighter topics, but I question the point of having
> something in the background and just hoping to gain value from it through...
> luck?_

I hear you. I've been an Audible subscriber for over 10 years, and I love
audio books. But I don't find them much less "work" than reading. It's very
easy to zone out, and more difficult than a book to get back on track.

I've resigned myself to keeping the non-fiction light, and going in with the
understanding I'll probably have to listen to the book a few times.

------
jpalomaki
Audible subscription and wireless, noise canceling headphones. Listening a
book while taking one hour walk from office to home is a pleasure.

Noise canceling headphones are important for me as they cut down the traffic
noise. Audible subscription makes buying easy and removes the "is this book
worth this much" decision.

One problem with the audiobooks is that you can't flip through the pages or
search to recall something. Would be nice if there was for example
audio+kindle combo subscription availabe.

Multitasking does not work for me. If I don't rfocus on the book, I miss it
completely. In a sense this is meditative experience. With regular book I just
pause reading, with audio book I try to keep other thoughts away.

~~~
twoquestions
> Listening a book while taking one hour walk from office to home is a
> pleasure.

Have you had problems being disconnected from the world around you with such a
setup?

I'd like to take more walks instead of sitting more when I get home, but I'd
be worried about being hit by a car or something I didn't hear.

~~~
riffraff
I'm probably missing something here, but: sidewalks?

I've also been listening while walking around/using public transport for many
years, you can usually just pause the thing when you're in a situation that
requires more attention (e.g. crossing) but generally it's better than walking
while reading. The problem is more that if many things are happening you tend
to lose track of the book. But that's why apps have "go back 30 second"
shortcuts.

~~~
twoquestions
I live in a suburb, we don't have many sidewalks and we don't walk anywhere.
I've been yelled at and nearly run over for using crosswalks, and walking to
get where you're going is something only the poorest of the poor do here. Sad,
really.

------
jamesrcole
Strange article. As if there was something wrong with audiobooks because of
the guilt-by-association of some people using them to cram as much information
as possible into their lives. And even there, there not much substantive
criticism of that practice.

------
prophesi
Audio 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.

~~~
markwaldron
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?

~~~
c0wb0yc0d3r
I can't speak to that series because I haven't read that one (I've put it on
my list though).

Good ones I have read:

The Kingkiller Chronicle - Patrick Rothfuss

Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson

Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn (Sadly this trilogy is no longer canon, if that
matters to you)

------
M_Grey
I 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 like to actually
have a choice of player.

I love to use them for long drives, chores, and when I played more video games
I found them to be an essential companion. I have strong associations between
certain games and certain books (a scene in some Ludlum novel and Grand Theft
Auto III by a dam spring to mind) and it's still a pleasant way to set the
mind in neutral.

That said, I tend to want to actually _read_ a book that I care about to any
real extent, but I'm also the type who re-reads a lot. I found the unabridged
Wheel of Time to be something special out of all the audiobooks I've enjoyed
though.

Sorry for babbling, I'm a bit passionate about this, although I get a bit sad
when people don't read and _just_ listen to books; although I think it's
better than nothing for sure.

~~~
lucb1e
Wheel of Time! I'm in my second re-listen now, book 6 or so. It's such an
elaborate and well thought-out world, and of course 14 books that read as a
single big story postpones the post-book depression... Well, not quite
indefinitely, especially if you read other things like The Martian in between
(that's my favorite book btw), but it limits it to once a year and a half
rather than every month and a half.

~~~
douche
If only Robert Jordan had lived another decade or so... The Sanderson books
weren't bad, it just struck me as kind of... rushed, especially the finale.

I'm becoming increasingly worried about GRR Martin. It'll be sad if the only
conclusion is the increasingly butchered TV series.

~~~
socalnate1
I totally disagree, I thought the Sanderson books brought the series back on
track after several really bad books by Robert Jordan.

------
nibstwo
People must not read fast because audiobooks in most cases are soul crushingly
slow if you give them your full attention so I cannot conceive of listening to
an audiobook and not multitasking.

~~~
SimonPStevens
I've been an Audible subscriber for a few years and I listen to most audio
books at between 2 and 2.25x speed. The Android app alows you to adjust it
right up to 3x and in general it's still perfectly comprehendable at the
individual word level even at that speed.

~~~
posterboy
you have to be careful how you structure your sentences, or at least I should
pay more attention. There is no way triple speed was comfortably
understandable. 2 to 2.25 would be a lot already. 3x is probably a ludicrous
maximum that no user should could complain about.

~~~
DanBC
> 3x is probably a ludicrous maximum that no user should could complain about.

Blind people tend to listen to things on fast speed because they've had more
practice. I can imagine blind people listening at that kind of speed.

[https://rdouglasfields.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/extraordinar...](https://rdouglasfields.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/extraordinary-
ability-of-blind-people-to-hear-ultrafast-speech/)

> New research presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego
> shows that blind people can understand speech at ultrafast rates, well
> beyond what a sighted person can comprehend.

------
magic_beans
I 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.

~~~
kmicklas
I'm afraid I'll kill my ears if I turn up the volume loud enough to hear on
the subway (NYC).

~~~
magic_beans
I use noise-cancelling headphones. They're so effective that my volume is
usually only at 20%.

------
johnnydoe9
I don't understand what's wrong with multitasking in this context. It is
really easy to listen to an audiobook while doing some light cleaning or
during commute. I love reading and I'm trying to increase my paperback
collection but I think everyone should at least give it a shot, my
recommendation would be Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter - it's an awesome
experience.

------
panglott
Such a strange frame for this article: Some people like to listen to lots of
audiobooks, and get more reading in that way. It must be addictive! Let's tie
it to trends we like to finger-wag about, like multitasking and productivity
culture!

Maybe some people just like reading/listening to books rather than watching TV
and noodling on their phones all the time? And that's OK?

------
ArlenBales
I listen to probably 4-5 audio books a month from Audible, mostly fantasy.
There's no way I could listen to that many books a month if I didn't do it by
multi-tasking. (I also listen to just about every book at 1.5x speed; usually
1x speed is too slow for some narrators)

Here's things I can do while easily following my audio books: cleaning (house,
car, dishes, etc.), cooking, brushing teeth, running, driving, cycling (Using
a Aftershokz Bluez bone conduction headphones so I can still hear what's
around me). The majority of my daily listening time is from cooking and
commuting by bicycle (I spend about 45-60 minutes every day cycling).

Things I can't do while listening to audio books: programming, watching
multimedia, playing a video game. In other words, things that require high
mental concentration. If I try to listen to an audio book while programming,
I'll either not follow what's happening in the audio book, or I'll not be able
to concentrate on programming.

~~~
goshx
1.5x is usually what I use too. I think the 3x mentioned in the article that
someone uses is BS or just a way to "skim" the book.

------
RichardHeart
Audible.com pays $50 a signup. They are able to pay so much because they're
masters of screwing their customers.

Here's the magic. You get an audiobook a month for $16. But "fine print" once
you accrue 6 credits, you get literally nothing for your money. You just stay
at 6 credits. Every month, paying, and getting nothing in return.

Gotcha capitalism at it's finest.

------
archagon
In his book "On Writing" (which is excellent, and also narrated by the author
in the audiobook version — highly recommended) Stephen King mentions that he
reads ~60 books a year and that he fits his reading into any 10-minute chunks
he can find throughout his day. Waiting room, bus stop, ball game — it's all
enough to get a bit of reading done. After hearing that, I decided to load up
my phone with audiobooks and put them on whenever I'm walking anywhere, even
if my destination is just a few blocks away. Works amazingly well, and now I'm
reading a ton more than I ever have in the last decade.

Even better, I think text-to-speech is basically good enough at this point to
read books without an audio version! (I've found that I need to concentrate a
lot harder when I'm listening to a OSX text-to-speech recording, but maybe
there are better services.)

Can't do it when I'm programming, though.

------
silveira
I love hearing audiobooks or podcasts while playing games (RTS or action
games). It's interesting that later when I play the game again it kind of
bring memories of the podcast themes as well.

------
ballenf
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on cassette tape checked out form my local
library. Got lost in those audio books as a kid after reading the books
themselves.

My sense is that there are certain books that can be 'performed' in audio and
they are best suited for the format. For academic or theory books, less so,
although anything read by the author can give additional insight (or be
incredibly annoying depending on their voice).

------
anotheryou
For me its simply convenience and atteniton:

\- audio so I can still change trains or do the dishes. Mostly pocket + ivona
text to speech on my phone (takes a little effort to find an apk, the app was
kinda unpublished at some point).

\- a bit more than double the speed to match my reading/thinking speed.
Otherwise I tend to drift of in thoughts and have to rewind. If I hear a
lecture and play a computer game I stick to normal speed.

------
Sancty
I started listening to audiobooks as an alternative to reading. With work and
other activities it began too hard to commit to a book. I would start but
never have the time to progress. Now I just take my headphone with me and
listen as I travel from place to place. I take the metro 45 mins each way
during the week. I'm so glad that time is spent with a book as oppose to just
listening to music.

------
49531
Sort of a side note, but I've noticed that there are some activities I can do
while listening to audiobooks and others I can't.

For instance, during my day job as a software engineer, when I am doing any
kind of visual work, audio is easy to listen to. Things like building UIs with
web tech like HTML and CSS.

When I am doing anything more traditionally related to software it is a 100%
shift, I can't follow a thing.

------
tluyben2
It is not only America; for a lot of people I know here in the EU it is the
only way they consume books these days. But multitasking? Maybe it is just me,
but I read much faster than those books (or youtube vids) do audio and I type
faster than I talk. Audio is not a very efficient thing at least for me
personally (but I know more people have that).

------
neom
audiobooks are the best way for me to take in information, and thankfully my
weirdo brain, while very very very bad at processing written words, can
process spoken words quite well. I'm usually listening to an audiobook on 1.5
speed most of the day, in fact I'm listening to The End of Power by Moisés
Naím as I write this. :)

------
wolfkill
I love audiobooks, and have discovered the wonderful wispersync feature to
seamlessly pick up my kindle or audible audiobook, which ever is most
convenient. I highly recommend the Aubrey/Maturin series read by Patrick Tull.
Currently listening to The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman.

------
ashwinaj
I find audiobooks put me to sleep with the (usually) soothing voice of the
narrator.

------
colefichter
What a strange headline. In what way could anything about audio books be
construed as a "reading trend"?

------
voidhorse
"When one reads too quickly or too slowly, one understands nothing" \- Pascal

The same likely applies when reading too often and too little.

My brain needs time to synthesize information. I'd be very impressed if the
subject of that little anecdote at the beginning of this article--that guy who
apparently reads even while brushing his teeth--recalls more than 30% of the
content he listens to.

------
douche
I can't try to do any work and pay attention to an audio book or a podcast at
the same time. Music, or generic TV in the background, sure, but that's
effectively white noise that doesn't even register.

Audiobooks and podcasts are fantastic for driving, though - if I go visit back
home, it's a three hour, pretty monotonous, trip each way, so I can get into a
Hard-core History show or a few chapters of an unabridged audio book. I'm not
sure why driving and listening go together so well, unless it is just decades
of training at this point.

------
Crito
TTS is what I use. I picked up a used old kindle keyboard, one of the versions
that still had the feature. I slip that into my jacket pocket when I go on
walks. It's nice because you're not limited on selection. The robotic nature
of the voice fades away after an hour or two of listening to it.

