In my years of reading, I haven’t ever considered getting an audiobook. For me the reading experience involves turning the pages (it took time for me to accept ebooks) of a book.
However, last month (in February 6), Random House gave out copies (files?) of FREE FULL AUDIOBOOK for Around The World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne in celebration of Verne’s birthday.
(I wasn’t able to share the info here in my blog, I hope you were able to catch this awesome deal!!!! I should really disseminate information more effectively.)
Around the World in Eighty Days is one of the books I’ve been wanting to read. (See this post here. I talked about this.) So, free audiobook? Why not! I’ll give it a try. Thank you Random House.
Thank you Random House!
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE with an AUDIOBOOK
I will say that I am deeply apologizing for being a snob with audiobooks. If this audiobook is any indication of what to expect with all other audiobooks, I AM IN! The storytelling by Jim Dale was highly engaging, I was put into a trance.
You know how when you read you hear yourself being animated with the story? Well, ask a good storyteller tell you a story (as in an ebook) and it just becomes much much better. Jim Dale even has different distinct voices for the different characters. I mean, that’s awesome!
WHEN AN AUDIOBOOK IS A GOOD OPTION
Of course I still prefer the “real” book. But I have accepted that ebooks are very convenient to have especially if you just finished the book you brought outside and you want to started reading on something. Pull out your phone. There. Always a book with you. Plus the old old classics are usually free. So double yay.
On the other hand, AUDIOBOOKS! I can say that audiobooks are perfect for the following situations:
- Your eyes are hurting from too much reading (or watching TV, or staring at your computer at work), but you want a story! You wanna be taken to places where books only can.
- You’re traveling on a bus, a plane, a train and it’s inconvenient to pull out your book, or you don’t like reading while traveling cause it makes you dizzy. You don’t want to waste that time when you could have been “reading” books by listening. 😀
- Your brain is just not working. I don’t know if this is true for everyone but reading entails a bit more concentration than listening to something. So if your brains are tired and you keep reading the same page, maybe an audiobook is a great choice!
WHAT I THOUGHT OF THE BOOK
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne is a popular book for a looong time now for a reason! It was entertaining, adventurous, exciting, and funny in an odd way (maybe because Phileas Fogg and Passepartout were odd characters).
I can’t believe I waited a long time to read this book. I totally recommend this!
Rating: 4 stars out of 5.
Have you listened to an audiobook? How was the experience?
Til the next book,
joieangela 
I have only listened to an audiobook once…and I just could not get into it. I was too distracted by what I was doing to listen, so it didn’t work well for me. I do love being read to, though. I just don’t think audiobooks are for me.
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I would think that audiobooks would not be for everyone, I precisely thought of the same things myself though I never gave it a try before.. I tried it and I thought it was so cool! You’d need to concentrate too though and cannot really multitask if listening to an audiobook. I can never multitask while I was listening. 😛
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