One of the best books I've read in the last 6 months is . (Part 1)

Enjoyed that book. John Boyne is an excellent writer/storyteller.

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It’s exactly the same debate as breast milk vs. formula.

It’s fine to prefer one over the other – or believe strongly that it’s superior – but then one should make the preferred choice and let others do the same without comment. :smiley:

In my case, I like to read printed words AND listen to audio books, and since I gave birth to twins but my body only made enough milk for 1.5 babies, I fed breast milk AND formula.

I’m consuming books, and my kids are now going to college. Win!

I loved Stephen King’s On Writing – I bought it when it came out.

When I was a kid, I occasionally checked out books on tape from the library just for fun. I distinctly remember listening to Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret on cassettes – after I had already read it in paperback umpteen times – and thinking about how the narrator made Margaret sound much younger than I had pictured in my head.

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I like to look at the printed words on a page so audio books don’t do it for me. But, that said, other people love them and if it works for them, great!

If someone listens to audiobooks, I consider it as reading.

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I usually have three books going at a time - an audio for gym time or driving, hard cover or paperback, and one (sometimes 2) ebook.

A bad narrator will take me out of a story, and if I’m really interested I will try the printed book if one is available. Sometimes the book is just meh, and the narrator exacerbates the meh-ness, and I can then drop it without a problem.

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My husband is dyslexic and it is just much easier for him to listen to audiobooks than read.

I can’t do fiction audiobooks because the narration/acting just annoys me, but I have listened to a number of non-fiction audiobooks quite happily.

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In undergrad, I consumed all assigned plays wearing those bulky headphones in the library’s sound carrels (best way to enjoy Shakespeare is to hear him), but plays are meant to be watched/heard rather than read.

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My mom is sight impaired and she is a voracious reader which would be impossible without audiobooks. She participates in a book club and “reads” more than just about anyone I know. I am so thankful she has audiobooks that are easily accessible from Libby and Audible.

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UGH. I guess I should have seen this coming.

My library card expired (and I couldn’t access overdrive/libby any more) and I saw that I could apply online instead of schlepping to the library to renew. So I did that and - great - I got a number instantly…but it’s a new card and I don’t have access to my old account now and I can’t remember all the books that were on my waitlist :sob:

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Library cards expire? Uh oh.

Apparently in our county they do! They let us renew them online during /after Covid so I thought that was what I was doing again for some reason. I guess it’s every 5 years or something.

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I bet the library can help you find all your old lists.

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I’ve had mine for literally decades in 2 county’s with no need to renew - lrobdvlt varies from place to place!

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This happened to me, and after some emails and phonecalls the helpful librarian was able to merge my old account into my new account, will all the old records and lists

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That’s great! In addition to my Hold list (max 8), I have “lists” of books I have heard are good. A fiction list and an a nonfiction list. About 100 titles, many learned about on this thread :wink:

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If I were a commuter, I’d definitely use audio books. Otherwise, I’d go crazy in traffic, LOL. I used to get library CD books to listen to going back and forth to see my mom, 6 hours each way. Always enjoyed that.

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Around here, drives are mostly short and you have to watch traffic & bad drivers carefully—can’t be absorbing a book.

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Here, traffic is pretty much stop and go during rush hours. D.C. Metro.

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I just finished “Britt-Marie Was Here” by Fredrik Backman. Another winner by him. At first, I thought oh my, this is weird but you keep reading and then can’t stop. I loved it.

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I thought the Beartown book by Fredrik Backman was excellent. It was one of the first fiction books I did on audio, thought it was really well done.

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I’m reading the Friends and loving it too!