On the Beauty of Audiobooks

People love to debate about many things, and that's fantastic. Debates strengthen some opinions, challenge others, and generally help people grow in critical thinking and reach new, previously unthought-of ideas.

But sometimes people debate with a sense of righteousness, certainty, and dishonesty; they dismiss many things that may be good or beneficial simply because they don't appeal to their snobbish tastes. I think audiobooks are one of those things.

It is reasonable to ask questions about comprehension, memory, or how these factors compare between physical books and their audio versions. But I believe the entertainment and educational value of audiobooks is undeniable.

Firstly, it is worth mentioning the great advantage audiobooks offer people with certain disabilities (e.g. blindness). Similarly, listening to the audio narrated version of a written book, given its added passivity, can help people with limited focus, time, or who enjoy literature, but want to enjoy it while doing the laundry. To each their own.

My personal experience with audiobooks is great, though admittedly a bit confusing. I joined Audible with the intention of reading more non-fiction; however, over the years I’ve ended up listening to many fiction books I might not have picked up in print due to genre, price, or availability.

In fact, one of my favourite listening experiences was gifted to me when, while browsing the Members section (where some books on Audible are included in the membership without needing to be bought with credits — it was more accessible a couple of years ago, admittedly), I decided to give Red Rising by Pierce Brown a try. It seemed fantasy enough—which I usually enjoy—but also quite YA and sci-fi, the latter being my partner’s favourite genre.

While I will never replace some of my favourite paper books with audio versions, I truly believe I would not have enjoyed Red Rising as much without the voice of Tim Gerard Reynolds. His voice has accompanied many of my nights for a while now. It is resolute, his acting is impeccable, and the Irish accent adds that je ne sais quoi I didn’t know I needed at night.

Similarly, when I attempted to read The Three-Body Problem in eBook format in 2022, I found it confusing and challenging. Curious about the audiobook version, I discovered that it offered a more immersive experience, helping my focus and comprehension of its complex themes.

I still haven’t finished it. With a bit of shame, I’ll admit I find many sci-fi novels too challenging (though I have enjoyed many others).

Much like podcasts, I love listening to audiobooks on my daily walks, only relieving my mind from the narratives when I reach the creek near my house, where I prefer the singing of birds, the buzzing of bees, and the splashing of ducks in the water.

The physical book—specifically on paper (as opposed to eBooks)—comes with a sensual experience that is unmatched. But audiobooks bring a whole new experience to the table. This is true for both fiction and non-fiction narrations, and it naturally depends on the quality of the narrator and their pacing. But come on: audiobooks are incredibly convenient. Both in terms of practicality and cost. You can find a lot of quality audiobooks for free through your library’s e-services, on YouTube (where I’ve found many great interpretations, and also many bad monotone AI readings), Spotify, and so on.

When it comes to non-fiction and learning, diving into a physical book really pulls you in and helps you stay focused. You can set your own pace, take breaks to think things over, and go back over parts that you want to understand better. On the flip side, audiobooks let you listen hands-free, which is great for multitasking. But some folks might struggle to stay tuned in because of distractions or the passive nature of listening. Personally, I don’t have that issue, especially with non-fiction. Audiobooks actually give me more chances to learn compared to when I try to motivate myself to crack open an essay or dive into some scholarly articles.

I do, to be fairly honest, still do most of my personal research, as well as research for my writing, online…reading with my own four eyes.

But there are so many example of beautiful interpretations, as well as authors reading their books themselves, that are a beautiful listening experience. We can, perhaps, imagine audiobooks as another form of media that allows stories or ideas to come alive, much like phisical books, or their movie interpretations.

Some of my favourite listening experiences have been:

The Safekeep (Audible, By Yael van der Wouden . Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld Stina Nielsen)

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (YouTube, Harlan Ellison, read by ThisIsTheSoundOfMyVoice)

And Faith, Hope, and Carnage (Audiobook, read direclty by the authors Nick Cave and Sean O'Hagan)