Comments on: 12 months of listening

By: Catherine

Catherine — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:26:23 +0000

My dear, you ARE smart, in my opinion, but maybe the smartness is admitting an error. Here's my take on listening to books: I only do self-help, or whatever they're called – right now it's Malcom Gladwell's “Outliers”, and it's either when driving or working out. When driving I can go through it 2 or three times, because naturally there are times when I'm not really paying attention ( to the book), because I actually need to pay attnetion to my driving (surprise, surprise). So, for me it's not really reading, it's more like listening to a lecture, except that I'm in control and can rewind or stop when i want. With books like Wolf Hall, I couldn't handle audio because i read so slowly and am imagining being there as i read. I often stop and stare off into space or outside, having a fantasy about the story, sort of little sidestories, wondering what it would be like to be there. it's really wonderful, and audio books wouldn't work for me for “literature”, unless maybe it's Shakespeare or poetry. If you're wondering, I'm on my second (or is it third?) glass of wine…
Let me know about Chinese new year…

By: Catherine

Catherine — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:26:23 +0000

By: kayak woman

kayak woman — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:54:25 +0000

Late comment! There have been a couple of times I’ve managed to successfully listen to a book on tape. Usually there’s too much “alphabet soup” in my head to focus well enough.

By: Bridgett

Bridgett — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:16:49 +0000

NPR wafts through my house all day long. But I don’t like to listen to it while I drive (it involves election season and nerves) so I listen to books. If I really like a book I’m listening to I will bring it in to the kitchen CD player and listen while I cook. That works too. But I wouldn’t be able to listen to it and type or read on the computer, for instance. I could probably do yard work…anyway, what I don;’t like about listening to books for book club is that when I get to book club, I can’t find a passage I want to talk about because it’s one long string instead of page after page. I can’t flip through a copy then and be a part of the conversation.

By: Eulalia Benejam Cobb (Lali)

Eulalia Benejam Cobb (Lali) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:52:38 +0000

I had a colleague, a very intelligent man, who after work would go home, put some jazz on the stereo, turn on the TV, and read a book. I cannot begin to fathom how someone can do that–or listen to a book while working, as you tried to do. I can listen to NPR while folding laundry or feeding the dogs, but that’s the multi-tasking limit for me.