Audiobooks often get bad press, usually from those who don't read audiobooks. It reminds me of what happened a few years ago with those who said: "I can't read from a screen, I need to smell the paper" or similar nonsense. And it was not about octogenarians, but about young people, the same ones who today read from their PC or tablet or Kindle, or cell phone using the dozens of applications for PDF, EPUB or MOBI that are available and who, of course, , read comics and other publications in CBR or similar formats.
For their detractors, audiobooks are not books and listening to an audiobook is not reading. But, like it or not, the audiobook fulfills its function: understand the text, find out what the author says. And let's also remember that silent reading is something relatively new. "For much of our history, reading was quite a noisy activity. On ancient clay tablets written in Iraq and Syria around 4,000 years ago, the commonly used words for 'read' literally meant 'to shout' or 'listen.' I am sending you a very urgent message,' says a letter from this time. 'Listen to this tablet. If appropriate, have the king listen to it.' Only occasionally was a different technique mentioned: that of 'looking' at the tablet (i.e., reading it silently.) Today, reading silently is the norm. Most of us replay words in our heads as if we were confined to a library." (Sophie Hardach, "At what point do we stop reading aloud (and the enormous benefits of doing it out loud", note on BBC World on 10-01-2020.)
And let's remember that, for many, if not all, the first contact with a book was through the voice of our parents, who read us a story before going to sleep. Likewise, the audiobook is not something new. We already had 78-rpm records with which our great-grandparents learned languages, or 45-rpm vinyl records with children's stories, and then came cassettes, CDs, and eventually downloadable mp3 files.
The advantage of a traditional book (paper or digital) is usually the possibility of taking notes in the margin, while audiobooks provide us not only with the portability of paper or Kindle but also the possibility of enjoying the book in the dark or even despite of being deprived of sight. Or doing housework, or eating, or drawing, or so on.
And if you share a place or vehicle with other people, there is no need to bother anyone, with just a pair of headphones we are already in our private world. In my case, Xiaomi Redmi 2 wireless phones are enough for me, which have long since surpassed the survival average of their wired counterparts and are much more comfortable. Surely there are better and more expensive ones, but to read audiobooks (that is, human voice), they are enough for me. With that and a moderately competent mobile phone, there is reading for a while.
Of course, today we also have countless books in EPUB or PDF that can be downloaded in no time, and it doesn't cost anything to carry a couple of tens, or hundreds, of books, on the cell phone, but the disadvantage here lies in the battery consumption, since what consumes the most in a mobile is the screen. On the other hand, the audiobook does not require it, just perhaps to select the book and make some adjustments, and voila, the screen turns off and you can enjoy hours and hours of reading.
Or they can also be read in a group using the PC and some speakers. Or use them to start the day. Or to finish it. And of course, not all books are audiobook-ready, especially those with lots of charts and graphs or the comics. But even with these exceptions, audiobooks are an experience that should not be dismissed without having tried it.
To round off, I mention a few audiobooks from my private collection that I usually take with me and that I have read and reread and recommend without hesitation. Maybe I'll write more extensive reviews later, but for now a few lines are enough.
The Steal Like an Artist Trilogy, by Austin Kleon. Read by the author. An omnibus that brings together three Kleon titles: the original Steal Like an Artist and its sequels Show Your Work! and Keep Going. The first is, in my opinion, essential reading for anyone with an artistic vocation, since it opens your mind and makes you see things in a different way. The other two extend and continue the line of thought of the first volume. Three books that clear up misunderstandings and lift your spirits. The first deals with the theme of originality and creativity, the second on how to make our art known and the third is dedicated to perseverance in the face of failure or procrastination.
Art Matters, by Neil Gaiman. Read by the author. It is a compilation of four great articles by Gaiman on artistic issues. And they are motivating, almost devotional articles: "Creed," "Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading, and Daydreaming," "Making a Chair," and "Make Good Art." Like Kleon's book, Art Matters is a must read for the artist. In the audiobook, Chris Ridell's drawings are missed, but the reading that Gaiman does, who seems to have been born to read audiobooks, more than makes up for it.
Content: Selected Essays on Technology, Creativity, Copyright, and the Future of the Future, by Cory Doctorow. Read by Richard Powers. A ton of technology and copyright writing by Cory Doctorow, whom some of you may know best as a science fiction writer. There are magazine and newspaper articles and conference transcripts, edited to avoid repetition. If anyone had any questions about how copyright works in the digital age, and how they should work, this is your book.
To Hell and Back: The Epic Combat Journal of World War II's Most Decorated G.I., by Audie Murphy. Read by Tom Parker. Some may still remember Audie Murphy as a war movie actor, but what they may not know is that before returning to the United States and being hired by Hollywood to play himself, Murphy fought in World War II. and he took the occasional medal: not one, not two, not three, but thirty-three (33) medals. To Hell and Back consists of Murphy's memories from his recruitment, lying about his age in order to qualify, to the end of the war in Europe. A very enjoyable book for those of us who like war stories, especially if read by someone like Tom Parker, who here uses a style very similar to that of the actors in old war movies.
Of course, the aforementioned books can be obtained on paper, in EPUB or in PDF and I highly recommend reading them. And that's all for today.