u could spend some time reading!! theres a bunch of great free audiobooks on youtube, and this totally isnt just a thinly veiled ploy to try to get more people to read discworld >> yeah it is actually. i lied hehe
January 19, 2026 at 7:56 AM
u could spend some time reading!! theres a bunch of great free audiobooks on youtube, and this totally isnt just a thinly veiled ploy to try to get more people to read discworld >> yeah it is actually. i lied hehe
What we generally simply used to call "reading" before the advent of cell phones and social media. Even listening to to good engaging audiobooks would probably help get us back on a better path of improvement.
January 19, 2026 at 1:26 AM
What we generally simply used to call "reading" before the advent of cell phones and social media. Even listening to to good engaging audiobooks would probably help get us back on a better path of improvement.
I was too! I was told I read at college level in 3rd grade. Been fighting to get back into recreational reading after a loooong stretch of burnout. (I tried audiobooks but I have to rewind constantly when my brain drifts off, and with print it easier for me to just reread until I absorb)
January 18, 2026 at 9:40 PM
I was too! I was told I read at college level in 3rd grade. Been fighting to get back into recreational reading after a loooong stretch of burnout. (I tried audiobooks but I have to rewind constantly when my brain drifts off, and with print it easier for me to just reread until I absorb)
I just recorded an audio version of a longform essay. It’s hard work! Good job reading two audiobooks — and doing it well. I found breathing to be a challenge, but I think I got it down.
January 18, 2026 at 8:15 PM
I just recorded an audio version of a longform essay. It’s hard work! Good job reading two audiobooks — and doing it well. I found breathing to be a challenge, but I think I got it down.
I'd say it even enhances the reading experience. Sometimes it's easier to follow since my brain can do some fucky wuckies and I'll spend several minutes re-reading a page or I'm tired of my inner mind voice. Audiobooks are great! It's good to have various reading formats.
You're welcome! Enjoy! :)
You're welcome! Enjoy! :)
January 18, 2026 at 7:53 PM
I'd say it even enhances the reading experience. Sometimes it's easier to follow since my brain can do some fucky wuckies and I'll spend several minutes re-reading a page or I'm tired of my inner mind voice. Audiobooks are great! It's good to have various reading formats.
You're welcome! Enjoy! :)
You're welcome! Enjoy! :)
And the thing is, every time someone says that audiobooks are completely different on the brain from reading, they're just flat wrong. Yes there are some differences, but the actual science says there's not much difference at all.
Also, thank you for the links! Yay!
Also, thank you for the links! Yay!
January 18, 2026 at 7:31 PM
And the thing is, every time someone says that audiobooks are completely different on the brain from reading, they're just flat wrong. Yes there are some differences, but the actual science says there's not much difference at all.
Also, thank you for the links! Yay!
Also, thank you for the links! Yay!
Obviously there are tradeoffs for everything, but I don't think that the downside of a potential loss of reading as a skill within classrooms is worth discouraging or tempering the enthusiasm that many readers have for audiobooks.
January 18, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Obviously there are tradeoffs for everything, but I don't think that the downside of a potential loss of reading as a skill within classrooms is worth discouraging or tempering the enthusiasm that many readers have for audiobooks.
Like I got through all my formal education without any kind of treatment for my ADHD. I know reading can be hard, but it’s an important skill and I worry about how the “audiobooks are valid” conversation tangentially discourages literacy.
January 18, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Like I got through all my formal education without any kind of treatment for my ADHD. I know reading can be hard, but it’s an important skill and I worry about how the “audiobooks are valid” conversation tangentially discourages literacy.
I got into another debate about audiobooks last night, and, while I think listening is a valid way to experience a book, there is something to be said about our cultural resistance to active reading, especially among young people. It concerns me that many of my students exclusively depend on audio.
January 18, 2026 at 5:40 PM
I got into another debate about audiobooks last night, and, while I think listening is a valid way to experience a book, there is something to be said about our cultural resistance to active reading, especially among young people. It concerns me that many of my students exclusively depend on audio.
I know one of the hot topics for readers is if Audiobooks are considered "reading" (it is, btw)
but I only ever saw one person talk about how abelist that take really is.
It does not take into consideration dyslexia or even partial blindness.
but I only ever saw one person talk about how abelist that take really is.
It does not take into consideration dyslexia or even partial blindness.
January 18, 2026 at 4:32 PM
I know one of the hot topics for readers is if Audiobooks are considered "reading" (it is, btw)
but I only ever saw one person talk about how abelist that take really is.
It does not take into consideration dyslexia or even partial blindness.
but I only ever saw one person talk about how abelist that take really is.
It does not take into consideration dyslexia or even partial blindness.
My pros and cons of listening and reading a book simultaneously #booksky #booklr #bookblogger #audiobooks
My pros and cons of listening and reading a book simultaneously
Good morning! I learnt that some people listen to audiobooks while reading the paper/ebook version at the same time! Somehow I never thought about that one, and decided to try following a prompt in my Bookish Chaos server book challenge. I went with "Anxious people" from Fredrick Backman, as it's a reread and I do have both copies on hand.
books-and-dachshunds.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:40 PM
My pros and cons of listening and reading a book simultaneously #booksky #booklr #bookblogger #audiobooks
Oh I love that colour, it's so vibrant!! I love knitting and reading too, I often read ebooks with simple knitting but audiobooks are amazing for more complex projects, I've already finished red rising this year and now have started a "reread" of the way of kings 45hr, 😄 so it should last a while!!
January 18, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Oh I love that colour, it's so vibrant!! I love knitting and reading too, I often read ebooks with simple knitting but audiobooks are amazing for more complex projects, I've already finished red rising this year and now have started a "reread" of the way of kings 45hr, 😄 so it should last a while!!
Tbf, I didn't do much of anything but reading and watching TV in 2025. Also, getting stuff done with audiobooks.
January 18, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Tbf, I didn't do much of anything but reading and watching TV in 2025. Also, getting stuff done with audiobooks.
Grab yourself some #weekend #reading #audiobooks #digitalbooks and traditional print #books from a great indie publisher - and every sale supports good causes. @caidencmyles.bsky.social @margaretwalsh.bsky.social @mxpublishing.bsky.social
The full chart of Sherlock Homes Audiobooks in 2025 is out - traditional short story collections dominate mxpublishing.com/blogs/news/t... @caidencmyles.bsky.social @margaretwalsh.bsky.social @writerpaula.bsky.social
January 18, 2026 at 7:37 AM
Grab yourself some #weekend #reading #audiobooks #digitalbooks and traditional print #books from a great indie publisher - and every sale supports good causes. @caidencmyles.bsky.social @margaretwalsh.bsky.social @mxpublishing.bsky.social
Audiobooks got your back. The snobs! There are different formats for a reason. Same reading value.
Here you go! I went digging for them to save you the time.
Byhardt podfics:
"Sweet Dreams"(22min): archiveofourown.org/works/579196...
"To Dream With You"(7min): archiveofourown.org/works/57153139
Here you go! I went digging for them to save you the time.
Byhardt podfics:
"Sweet Dreams"(22min): archiveofourown.org/works/579196...
"To Dream With You"(7min): archiveofourown.org/works/57153139
[Podfic] Sweet Dreams - ArashiPodfics - Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses [Archive of Our Own]
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
archiveofourown.org
January 18, 2026 at 5:05 AM
Audiobooks got your back. The snobs! There are different formats for a reason. Same reading value.
Here you go! I went digging for them to save you the time.
Byhardt podfics:
"Sweet Dreams"(22min): archiveofourown.org/works/579196...
"To Dream With You"(7min): archiveofourown.org/works/57153139
Here you go! I went digging for them to save you the time.
Byhardt podfics:
"Sweet Dreams"(22min): archiveofourown.org/works/579196...
"To Dream With You"(7min): archiveofourown.org/works/57153139
I think one of the misconceptions about audiobooks that people who don’t read them make is that it’s passive, so you should be able to just start an audiobook and have no problem reading it. Active listening is a skill that needs to be developed.
January 18, 2026 at 4:43 AM
I think one of the misconceptions about audiobooks that people who don’t read them make is that it’s passive, so you should be able to just start an audiobook and have no problem reading it. Active listening is a skill that needs to be developed.
Bc my eyes have decided to stop producing natural tears completely (unless I’m weeping or get something in my eye), been listening to lots of romance audiobooks on my headphones + lying down with one of those bra-looking eye masks on.
But current audiobook narrators’ reading styles & voices SUCK.
But current audiobook narrators’ reading styles & voices SUCK.
January 18, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Bc my eyes have decided to stop producing natural tears completely (unless I’m weeping or get something in my eye), been listening to lots of romance audiobooks on my headphones + lying down with one of those bra-looking eye masks on.
But current audiobook narrators’ reading styles & voices SUCK.
But current audiobook narrators’ reading styles & voices SUCK.
I hope they have horrific IBS they tell no one about because they're so insecure mehehe
Oh yes, audiobooks are an excellent and accessible way to read. Yes, it's reading. I don't care what people say. It's reading! Btw, have you heard the 2 byhardt podfics on ao3?
Ain't that the truth _(:Ⅰ」∠)_
Oh yes, audiobooks are an excellent and accessible way to read. Yes, it's reading. I don't care what people say. It's reading! Btw, have you heard the 2 byhardt podfics on ao3?
Ain't that the truth _(:Ⅰ」∠)_
January 18, 2026 at 2:41 AM
I hope they have horrific IBS they tell no one about because they're so insecure mehehe
Oh yes, audiobooks are an excellent and accessible way to read. Yes, it's reading. I don't care what people say. It's reading! Btw, have you heard the 2 byhardt podfics on ao3?
Ain't that the truth _(:Ⅰ」∠)_
Oh yes, audiobooks are an excellent and accessible way to read. Yes, it's reading. I don't care what people say. It's reading! Btw, have you heard the 2 byhardt podfics on ao3?
Ain't that the truth _(:Ⅰ」∠)_
I have been on a total Kelley Armstrong reread binge lately. I'm not even going in any particular order but I've been listening to some as audiobooks and reading some on my phone but I've wiped out most of the Otherworld books now and it might be time to switch over to Rockton before the new book!
January 18, 2026 at 1:41 AM
I have been on a total Kelley Armstrong reread binge lately. I'm not even going in any particular order but I've been listening to some as audiobooks and reading some on my phone but I've wiped out most of the Otherworld books now and it might be time to switch over to Rockton before the new book!
I do really like DP. I especially found them helpful in the Gideon the Ninth series and Adrian Tchaikovsky's Tyrant Philosophers series when I was listening to them in audiobooks. (My partner is almost always reading the digital versions, so I can download them to check out the DP while I listen.)
January 17, 2026 at 6:10 PM
I do really like DP. I especially found them helpful in the Gideon the Ninth series and Adrian Tchaikovsky's Tyrant Philosophers series when I was listening to them in audiobooks. (My partner is almost always reading the digital versions, so I can download them to check out the DP while I listen.)
That’s why I’ve been doing audiobooks. I can get so much more “reading” in when I don’t have to hold a physical book. I’ve actually been enjoying the narrators too, but then again I’m picking audiobooks that I was told have good ones. HIGHLY recommend Carrie — Sissy Spacek narrates it!
January 17, 2026 at 5:05 PM
That’s why I’ve been doing audiobooks. I can get so much more “reading” in when I don’t have to hold a physical book. I’ve actually been enjoying the narrators too, but then again I’m picking audiobooks that I was told have good ones. HIGHLY recommend Carrie — Sissy Spacek narrates it!
Yes! I spend much of my downtime knitting/crocheting. Unfortunately, I can't do that and read! I was hoping audiobooks would be more like the experience of reading-- peaceful and immersive. But they're more like tv than I expected.
January 17, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Yes! I spend much of my downtime knitting/crocheting. Unfortunately, I can't do that and read! I was hoping audiobooks would be more like the experience of reading-- peaceful and immersive. But they're more like tv than I expected.
I have never used audiobooks, and like you, prefer to read print. Similarly, I don't like reading eBooks either. I like holding something tactile.
I know some friends who swear by them, but they are not for me.
I know some friends who swear by them, but they are not for me.
January 17, 2026 at 4:48 PM
I have never used audiobooks, and like you, prefer to read print. Similarly, I don't like reading eBooks either. I like holding something tactile.
I know some friends who swear by them, but they are not for me.
I know some friends who swear by them, but they are not for me.
I just don't like audiobooks. My joy in reading is in savoring great passages, imagining the atmosphere. I immerse myself as and how I want. I re-read things, I pause, I smile to myself or worry or anticipate.
Audiobooks are all at someone else's pace, in someone else's voice. Ugh.
Audiobooks are all at someone else's pace, in someone else's voice. Ugh.
January 17, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I just don't like audiobooks. My joy in reading is in savoring great passages, imagining the atmosphere. I immerse myself as and how I want. I re-read things, I pause, I smile to myself or worry or anticipate.
Audiobooks are all at someone else's pace, in someone else's voice. Ugh.
Audiobooks are all at someone else's pace, in someone else's voice. Ugh.