Top Ten Tuesday: Why I can’t listen to audiobooks

Another week, another Top Ten Tuesday, a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This time the theme is an all about audio freebie. So, I decided to talk about the reasons why I can’t listen to audiobooks. It’s sad, but I can’t seem to listen to any books successfully, no matter how much I try. I know there are some amazing audiobooks out there, so hopefully I will be able to overcome these reasons in the future! Let’s check them out.

1. I can’t concentrate

This is the most obvious and probably common reason. Whenever I’m listening to an audiobook, I space out and I have to rewind it. Sometimes they talk too fast and I think I miss important stuff, so again, I have to rewind. I can listen for 5 minutes or so, but more than that, I start to lose my concentration.

2. I need to look up things in the dictionary

This applies to reading ebooks, which is what I do 99% of the time, because it makes it so easy to look up words and idioms there. It doesn’t matter if I’m reading in English or in Spanish, I always find things I want to look up in the dictionary. Sometimes it’s for the normal reasons, to check the definition or to be sure if I know the right meaning. Other times, I like to read the little part where it says the date, place and root of the word’s origins. I do that especially when I’m reading historical fiction and the language doesn’t ring true. I’ve found inconsistencies in some novels and for some reason that’s fun for me.

3. I need to highlight favorite quotes

I love keeping track of quotes that I like. I enjoy to highlight or put sticky notes so I know where those quotes are. In audiobooks I can’t do that and if I want to find a quote that I love for a review or whatever other reason, it’s almost impossible.

4. I like to add notes

This one is closely related to the last one. I like to highlight favorite quotes and add notes to parts I don’t like or that I have a theory about. It makes it easier when I have to write a review or when I want to remember something from the book. Audiobooks don’t allow me to that as easily as ebooks. I would have to write everything down in a notebook and I would probably forget it.

5. I miss information

As I said before, sometimes they speak so fast (or I lose my concetration) that I don’t hear everything or I miss some details. I actually did an experiment on this to check if it was only my imagination. I heard a chapter of a book first and then read it as an ebook. I found that I had completely missed some sentences or little phrases. Maybe it takes some time to get used to listening audiobooks, maybe my attention span isn’t the best out there.

6. They are expensive

I know there are some free audiobooks out there, but they are usually just classics. Audiobooks are expensive and I understand why, but my budget screams no when I even check them out!

7. I fall asleep

I should probably multi-task when I’m listening to an audiobook, but I usually can’t because of reason #1 here – I lose my concentration. Because of that, I usually just sit or lie in bed and inevitably I doze off and miss parts of the book. Sometimes I’ve completely fallen asleep and wake up scared when I hear the voice of the narrator again so close to me.

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Having said that, I still hope to be able to listen to audiobooks one day and leave all of these issues behind. I’ve heard some previews that sound awesome and I would love to multi-task and read while I’m doing the dishes or while in the car. Maybe I should start with a book I’ve read before so I know that I won’t miss something I don’t already know.

Do you have the same issues I have with audiobooks? Which ones would you recommend to me?