Listening vs. reading - A conundrum

[sixnsolid]

I have to know if I'm alone in this madness.

Right now I am reading Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost and I am listening to The Hunger Games by Susan Collins (via Audible).  The reason I engage in this odd listening\reading combo is that I am the mom of six kiddos and being chief cook and bottle washer is pretty hands on.  To avoid the slovenly practice of falling into the vortex of a good book when I should be cleaning bathrooms I use Audible.  I can move through my day with one earbud  in while doing chores and still get my literary fix.  In the evening or whenever I'm out and about waiting I can read my book.  However, the Hunger Games has me so interested I want to read it, too.  I've done the combo audio book\ebook thing once before with The Passage by Justin Cronin.  It worked, but was weird and odd as I switched from listening during the day to reading at night and then back to listening  However, the Hunger Games is calling to me....And, my son woke up with a serious case of the sneezles so will be staying at home today, depriving my of two hours of Hunger Game listening during the school commute.  I could load him up with kleenex and orange juice, tuck him on the sofa, plunk myself down next to him, download it and read myself silly, couldn't I? Of course, then I'd need a new audiobook for tomorrow's toilet scrubbing

Am I the only lunatic who does this?

[Geoffrey]

I don't listen to audible books on a regular basis, but I know there are others here that do ... you're far from being your own special kind of crazy..   

[Luvmy4brats]

You are not alone. There are several books that I have in both Audible and Kindle format and I bounce back and forth.

[KindleGirl]

Yep, I've done the same thing. I've been known to have the same audio book/ebook and read the ebook at night and listen to the audio at other times. I don't do that often, but sometimes if I have the book on loan from the library I feel I can justify buying the audio if I need to. Usually I have 2 books going...one on my kindle and one on my ipod. I read the kindle at night, but during the day I do as you do and listen to it while I am hustling about the house doing my work. Sure makes housework more bearable. 

[StaceyHH]

Yep, I've done the same. I don't do it often though, because there are audiobooks that I've thought were fantastic as narrated, but didn't work quite as well in reading them myself. And the other way around, audiobooks where the narrator just grates, even though I love the print version. (Can't remember which book it was now, but one thing on my audiobook list has a narrator who sounds like Zap Brannigan from Futurama. Can you imagine listening to 10 hours of that? Kill me now.)

[Eliza Baum]

I do this, too. I'll listen to an audiobook while I'm at work (sitting at a computer most of the day) and then read something else when I get home. There have been times I was tempted to pull out the reading copy for the one I was listening to during the day, but I try to keep myself from it, mostly for the reason you listed--then I wouldn't have any book left for listening the next day!

I also often listen to my Kindle's text to speech and then pick up to read once work's over, but I realize that might be awkward for bathroom cleaning.

[Suz Ferrell]

I'm one of those people who can't stand to be read to in any form. I pray this changes when I'm so old I can't read on my own. But at this stage I much prefer to read for myself and listen to music, often at the same time.

[MadCityWriter]

I find that I like to listen to non-fiction--mostly in my car.  I do not enjoy listening to fiction in audio.  As my daughter once said to me (she was 8 yrs old at the time), "The sound of your voice interferes with the pictures in my head."  I find that to be true for me, too.

[Rook]

If I could read them all I would, but since I can't read and drive at the same time I use audio to make the commute go faster, but I rarely go back-and-forth with the same book.

I find the audio version varies HUGELY with the quality of the reader. Recently listened to Scott Westerfeld's  Leviathan and Beheamoth, read by Alan Cummings and it was masterful. Books with accents read by someone who knows the accent better than I do are particularly good.

On the other hand, a so-so reader makes the listening experience worse than reading it for myself. "Read by the Author" is usually NOT a good thing. Most of us writers are probably better off sticking to the writing.

[gina1230]

I always keep one book and one audio going.  Anytime, I don't have time to read, then I have the audio going.  I can find many excuses to listen to an audiobook: laundry, dishes, cooking, driving, getting ready for work, and on and on.  Reading for when I have time to sit and enjoy a good book.

I love Jeaniene Frost's series, but I listen to those on audio. 

[FrankZubek]

I tend to take my Kindle with me at the gym on a treadmill and I use the audio format to listen to whatever current book I am reading
It certainly helps pass the time as I do my two mile walk

[Liz Davis]

In 2011 I listened to a lot of audio books, especially when I'm in the train, doing housework or out for a jog.
It's great to have both options. But of course, nothing can ever replace holding a book in my own hands.

[JEV]

Our kids tended to get carsick if they tried to read in the car, so books on tape/CD/now i-pods were our saving grace.  We drove all the way out to Yellowstone listening to Gone With the Wind.  32 cassettes!!  We'd bring a boom box (OK, this trip was a while ago) into our tent at night so we could keep listening. 

[Steven Stickler]

I have done the audio thing for the same reason a few others have mentioned: kids. There are just times when they are young and you want to feed their brains but can't conveniently sit down and read with them. Haven't used audible much for my own books, though did experiment on one very looooooong car trip and found it to be a great experience.

[slandon36]

I have tried the audio books but end up having to listen to the same thing over and over verus reading.  I simply cannot focus on the audio.

[Atunah]

I have tried the audio books but end up having to listen to the same thing over and over verus reading.  I simply cannot focus on the audio.

That is me. I keep trying and trying as I think sometimes it would be useful for me. I just can't do it. I tried listening while I was cleaning, but my mind wanders and then I had to start all over again. I would literally have to stand in one place and close my eyes to get immersed in the story.
Plus, I read faster than the audio, so again my mind goes elsewhere. Sometimes I listen to the old radio shows on streaming, but even then I tend to sit and listen.

As a kid I would listen to cassette tapes all the time. But thinking back, I was still pretty much sitting on the floor just listen, not doing other things.