Talking about books talking

b1-66er: Have you and I ever talked about audio books?

Solid Goldstein: Not really. You would think I'd listen to them often but mostly I've listened to them on the drive from SF to LA

Do you listen to them? 

b1: You know -better than most- how seriously under-read I am.

I mean, sure, I read probably 6+ hours every day, but it's mostly Bazooka Joe level stuff ... Websites, news, TXT conversations...

I got chummed in by a free Audible offer...

... Which I took advantage of to 'digest' the book "Immune," figuring I'd get the feel of it, and get my lazy-ass mind engaged in the world...

... And it was great. I loved it ...

... But it overflows me with questions.

Weird ones:

Like, am I reading when I do that?

And

What's the 'proper' way to read in such a fashion

And

How do you remember this stuff you're reading

And 

Why does that matter...

[I've gotta talk to The Accomplice, coming back.]

SG: I think those are really good questions. My own reading has changed pretty radically. I used to read a couple books a week. Now it's more like one a month. I'm not completely happy about it. The internet sucks my reading attention. 

<1 hour later> 

b1: Weirdly...

... I'm giving a small amount of thought to becoming a narrator.

But the funniest/weirdest/strangest/surprising thing about my audio book experience is I LIKE not running my eyes over the written page (and to a lesser extent, manipulating a physical book)...

... My mind still doesn't think of it as 'reading.' 

It's more like story telling.

Right now I have 3 books checked out.

2 Hunter Thompson

and a

Michelle Obama

But there's so many strange knock-on questions...

Like

What makes a good narrator?

And is it okay to listen to a book, then not have it available for reference?

SG: I think book narration would be pretty hard. Especially fiction. 

I'm not sure it matters so much how you take information in. 

Though it is a good question if you retain it differently if you hear it rather than read it

b1: I suspect I'm going to be following the whole audiobook world for a good long while. (It already appears to be a 'habit' I repeat.)

I'll let you know how it goes.

[I don't think I'll keep paying for Audible, although I DO like their service and the way it's designed...

...I think I'll stay in the free probably-associated-with-library world...

... The way the information and money flows in that system would be interesting to know...

... Like how/if the library pays for the books, and where THAT money comes from.]