All Ears Audiobooks discussion

I travel a great deal and then I listen to books. I also do hand quilting and then I listen to books. But.. is it just me or do more people find it difficult to clearly remember what they've just heard? I remember books that I've read quite clearly but my recall of Audio books is patchy to say the least!

I find that if I am in a car traveling, I remember what I have listened to in Audio. However, I have tried my knitting or quilting and listening to audio books and I have to keep rewinding or can't recall what I have read. I think the reason is, when I am in a car, I am basically a captive audience. I usually know where I am going and do not have to concentrate on the directions. When quilting, knitting or other crafting, you are either following directions and keeping track where you are and get distracted. I usually watch TV then, because you can get the basic story line without really having to concentrate.

cj

I agree with CJ - I generally can remember things I listen to in the car unless it is really dense writing, then I won't remember no matter what. When I do crafts, I generally watch a movie that I have seen before. Then when I am travelling or in a class or something - it depends on which kind of craft I am doing - if it is something that is very familiar to me - I generally tat, then I can actually concentrate better, but if it some pattern or technique that I have to pay attention to, then I don't remember as much and I get worn out trying to keep track of both. I think it depends on how you approach your craft and how absorbed you get into it, if you approach it as a meditation, something that you get absorbed into, then other outside stimulus gets shut out.

In general, I remember audio books less than read books because listening for me is much more passive and I tend to be doing other things at the same time. Also I tend to select audio books that are on the lighter side....something that I'm not really interested in remembering but something for entertainment in the moment.

Minnie - hand quilting - I am always intending to do it, but never get around to it. I have a quilt top that needs to be basted and marked - and then hopefully I will get to the handquilting part. What do you do to stop pricking your finger on the bottom side, or do you just develop a callous?

Tara

Welcome, Minnie! And thanks for starting such a great discussion topic!

I find that I don't retain as much of the details when I listen to an audiobook, especially things like character names or little plot nuances. Partly, I think it's because I race through them, listening to 2 to 3 a week and I don't spend enough time reflecting on them. And as Tara said, I think this also is because I am often multi-tasking so I am focused on other things.

But, when an audiobook really touches me, I find that I remember certain passages even more than if I read the book in print. I can hear the narrator's voice in my mind, and I retain that emotional response. An example is The Book Thief. I was listening to it while I was running and one part was so sad that I started to cry so hard that I couldn't catch my breath. I will always remember that part and I don't know if I would have been as touched if I read it. I also loved Looking for Alaska - so much that I bought the paperback book after listening to it in audio. But when I reread my favorite part, it wasn't the same so I ended up loading it again on my ipod just to listen to that one section again.

This is an interesting question, thanks for posting it. To me there are two aspects to this idea: how technical or detailed the book is (i.e., how much concentration is required to understand it) and how attentive I am at the time I'm listening to it. There is also the effect of what your primary learning style is (whether you are a visual, physical, auditory, etc learner). I much prefer to listen to fiction and mysteries as a good narrator can add so much to the story and the details of the book aren't usually as important as the emotions and actions of the characters. When I'm listening to books on technical subjects I have to be much more attentive, just as you would need to be when reading a text book. For me, I remember something best when I receive it in the most styles (listening, seeing, writing, feeling, tasting, touching, etc) so reading is a little better as I can see it and also listen to it in my mind if I need to. But listening is so much more convenient.

Tara wrote: "I agree with CJ - I generally can remember things I listen to in the car unless it is really dense writing, then I won't remember no matter what. When I do crafts, I generally watch a movie that I ..."

Hi Tara
I think you're right, I also tend to listen to lighter stuff, hence the failure of memory. When I listened to The Book Thief whilst quilting I cried and cried and I remember that particular book very well.
As to the quilting, I used to develop a callous and at the beginning I'd cover my finger with tape. The experts either have a soft leather thimble or use the edge of a teaspoon and know that they have gone through all the layers when they hear a 'Click".
My method is somewhat unconventional. Oh by the way, I use a hoop to quilt on so that I'm mobile. What I do is ,I have strong nails so my thumb nail is longer. I press up with the edge of my thumb nail and when I hear and feel the click I know I'm through to the other side. If my nail wears down too far I go to the beautician and stick on one false nail! It looks ridiculous but it works for me!!!

Lee at All Ears wrote: "This is an interesting question, thanks for posting it. To me there are two aspects to this idea: how technical or detailed the book is (i.e., how much concentration is required to understand it) a..."

I cannot listen to a technical book. I tried to listen to a book relating to my field of study and it was a waste of time. A bitter disappointment!

Thanks everyone for sharing all of your craft secrets. This post has inspired me to dust off my quilt and finish it. I love doing the piecing, but I need some motivation (or a good audiobook!) to get me to do the quilting. My goal is to finish it by the end of this month!

Also, Tara, what is 'tat'? I'd love to see some of your crafts - bring them in sometime!

Julie at All Ears wrote: "Thanks everyone for sharing all of your craft secrets. This post has inspired me to dust off my quilt and finish it. I love doing the piecing, but I need some motivation (or a good audiobook!) to..."
An Excellent listen is "Pillars of the earth". Many a stitch just flew by.

Julie at All Ears wrote: "Thanks everyone for sharing all of your craft secrets. This post has inspired me to dust off my quilt and finish it. I love doing the piecing, but I need some motivation (or a good audiobook!) to..."

Hi Julie,

Tatting is a European lace craft that is a series of half hitches and loops that started in the early 1800's. It's similar to macrame but you use a shuttle held in the hand using fine thread. What shifts do you work - I could drop by sometime and show you some of the things I'm working on.

Tara

Wow, Minnie! You've mentioned 2 of my favorites - The Book Thief and Pillars of the Earth. I love your taste in audiobooks - what else do you recommend??

And Tara, I work on Wednesdays and Thursdays usually from 10-3, but I'm at the store at lots of odd hours. What do you do with your tatting? Is it decorative or used as trim for other things? I am almost done with my quilt - just have to finish the binding, tuck in threads (yuck - will need a really good audiobook for that task!) and I'm done! Then, I have a huge number of projects to work on next ...

Julie at All Ears wrote: "Wow, Minnie! You've mentioned 2 of my favorites - The Book Thief and Pillars of the Earth. I love your taste in audiobooks - what else do you recommend??

And Tara, I work on Wednesdays and Thu..."
I also enjoyed the second book after "Pillars", I think its called "The end of the world". It's almost like a medieval Soap opera with plots and subplots and wonderful twists and turns. Then there is one of my all time favourites "Never let me go" by Ishiguro, a Japanese author who also wrote "The remains of the day". I listened to "Never let me go" and I've read and re-read it a number of times. The Audio I have is extremely well read by a woman who I think evokes the slightly off-key quality of the book very well. But no more... I don't wish to spoil your enjoyment.

Great recommendations, Minnie! I loved Never Let Me Go. I put it down as one of my favorites in 2009. What a haunting novel. And I agree, the narrator (I think it was Rosalyn Landor??) was perfect. It is hard to describe the book without giving away part of the surpise though.

I haven't done part 2 of Pillars - World Without End, but I do want to listen to it sometime. I just love John Lee's voice too, which is good, since this book is so long! Great suggestion - I could finish that quilt and more, listening to that one!

Julie,
Keep quilting and Enjoy the book!

so you quilting ladies, have you read the Sandra Dallas collection of books? I've never listened to them on audio - i particularly enjoy my own narration of them :) they are fun, light, historically interesting and have quilting themes through them. My personal favorites are the Diary of Mattie Spenser and her latest, Prayers for Sale, but I live in Colorado and have a strong interest in Colorado History. The Quilt that walked to Golden is also a great non-fiction piece that i very much enjoyed - that one you're going to want to purchase the book because of the amazing historical photographs.

Quilting isn't my thing - I'm a chandler (candle maker) when i have the time, but i appreciate a well made quilt. Fort Collins seems to be a mecca for artistic quilters and i've sure put my money into lots of raffles for beautiful quilts. Just about every charity here has a quilt raffle at least once a year and some of them are absolutely stunning.

Donna wrote: "so you quilting ladies, have you read the Sandra Dallas collection of books? I've never listened to them on audio - i particularly enjoy my own narration of them :) they are fun, light, historicall..."
Hi Donna
Perhaps this is a good time to start a group for hand crafters who also read/listen to books:) I have only recently discovered that quilts were once upon a time, messages sent from one person to another. I'm not exactly sure and would like to know more about this.

Minnie wrote: Perhaps this is a good time to start a group for hand crafters who also read/listen to books:) I have only recently discovered that quilts were once upon a time, messages sent from one person to another. I'm not exactly sure and would like to know more about this.

Hey Minnie!
I don't know much about the message sending though it sounds feasible. Have you checked out Dallas' Quilt that walked to Golden?

I would agree with pretty much everything said here. I cannot listen to non-fiction or technical books as I seem to need the visualization of the words in front of my eyeballs to retain difficult concepts. This is why I mostly limit my audio listening to lighter, series books where every detail isn't important. I listen to audio while cleaning, cooking, walking, playing computer games and occasionally driving--although I do tend to be careful when driving ever since I drove right by the interstate exit I was supposed to take and didn't notice until five miles later when I was listening to one of Jim Dale's stellar Harry Potter readings! LOL Now I only listen to audio when I'm driving a long distance on a fairly straight roadway without needing to turn off, such as driving from Minneapolis "up north" on I 35 and vice versa. Once I actually hit the Twin Cities, my book gets turned off so I can concentrate fully on the road and traffic.

Cheryl

Love the discussion. Here's my two cents. I've realized I must be a kinesthetic learner. I retain more when I am the driver than when I'm the passenger. There is something about actively driving the car as opposed to just sitting there looking out the window that helps anchor content in my mind. Also, because I generally drive the same routes repeatedly, I think I still drive safely when listening? However, once I'm totally engrossed in a book and reached my destination, I find it a bit challenging to get myself out of the car (understatement.) Moreover, whenever I think of a specific book, I usually have an image of what parking lot I was sitting in completely immobilized by the audiobook. Kelly Paper parking lot - Frindle by Andrew Clements, PW parking lot - Black and Blue by Anna Quinlan, my drive way - Time Traveler's Wife by Anna Neffenegger.) Actually, I'm broken of the habit of continuing to listening in my car once I'm home because doing so causes friction with my better half. He's right - doing so wastes waste of gas/battery life. Outside of the car, it gets a bit more tricky to find activities that foster the same kind of retention I experience in the car. Next best is listening while walking. But I get so absorbed in my listening that I lose awareness of my surroundings which can be a bit dangerous, i.e., get lost on the trail, get hit by a car. Knitting while listening only works if I'm knitting something I already know how to make. No problem, since usually I only make baby caps as gifts. But forget it when knitting socks. Recipes that require a lot of repetitive chopping work well - but can I really chop my way through a 17 hr books? Laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, picking up the house for company - all wonderful activities for listening with high retention, especially if I'm the only one in the house. Ahhhh I wish I were a gardener. I bet listening while weeding or watering or generally tending one's garden must be divine.

Since i'm mostly a right before bed reader i find audiobooks handy for biographies or non-fiction. I would have had a terrible time getting through Omnivore's Dilemma or Einstein reading them at night, but listening to them while driving was a delight.

I've started listening to mp3's on my phone while i'm getting ready in the morning. Since this is a new experiment, i can't say long term how it works, but i'm doing well remembering where i am in the story and what a listened to a few days ago.

i'm kinda limited on my listening times since earphones and i don't do well together. After a short while i find them very uncomfortable - even really nice ones. So i tend to listen to books in situations where i listen without headphones and without disturbing anyone.