Audiobooks vs. Podcasts: A Dilemma
I love podcasts. I love audiobooks. My time is limited, but I want to listen to lots of both. What am I supposed to do?
This is a problem of abundance, of course, which means it’s not really a problem. I’m lucky to have as much material as my ears and brain can possibly handle. But I frequently find myself unable to decide what to listen to. I wonder when I’m listening to an audiobook whether I might find a podcast more relaxing, or if I’m listening to a podcast, if I wouldn’t rather get closer to finishing another book.
Audiobooks are where I started. They are my first love. But this was before podcasts existed, when audiobooks came on CD, or sometimes even on cassette tape. I made a horribly long commute much more bearable by getting through one or two books on CD a week. I listened to the complete works of Jane Austen. I kept up with new releases. It was glorious.
When podcasts came along, I fell in love with those, and started to split my listening time. I began with podcast versions of radio shows and branched out from there. Now I subscribe to more podcasts than I have enough hours in the day to listen to. Recently I went through a period when I spent all my time with podcasts, but once again I’m trying to split my time more evenly between the two.
This means that nearly every day I have to make a choice. Here are the factors that go into the decision:
Audiobooks:
- They allow me to get through more books each year. In the past I didn’t count audiobooks in my yearly tally, as though listening to an audiobook isn’t really reading. But that’s silly, and now I add them in.
- They make it easier for me to try new kinds of books I might not otherwise try. I get many of my audiobooks through the library, so they are free and I feel no pressure to finish them. I read a greater variety of books this way, or at least I give a greater variety a chance to win me over.
- They make me laugh at, cry over, feel happy about, and generally have a stronger emotional response to books than print versions do. For me, reading print is a more cerebral experience, while audiobooks touch my heart.
- They are more relaxing than audiobooks. When I’m listening to an audiobook, I want to focus enough so I don’t miss anything important. With podcasts, it’s less crucial to hear every word. Since I’m often listening after work or while doing the dishes at the end of a long day, I like being able to zone out every now and then without feeling as though I’ve lost a plot thread.
- They allow me to learn about more books. Most of the podcasts I listen to are bookish ones, including all the Book Riot ones, of course, and they have become an invaluable source of reading recommendations. I don’t want to miss out.
- They allow me to keep up with my favorite podcasters. Once I’ve listened to a podcaster long enough, he or she starts to feel like a companion. They aren’t friends, of course, because I don’t actually know these people, but over time I come to like the company of the people talking into my ears.
- They are free and available whenever I want them. Audiobooks are much trickier to find for free: yes, they are available at the library, but not always the ones I want to listen to and not always right away. If I want to listen to a particular audiobook at a particular time, it’s likely I’m going to have to pay in one way or another. Podcasts are much easier to come by.
