Ebooks, Physical Books or Audiobooks? 

Let’s talk about the best ways to read! As we know I am a dedicated ebook girl. Ever since my Wattpad stage as a teenager, reading on my phone has been my go-to. I got a Kindle to stop me from getting distracted by the other 100 apps on my phone. I can be dedicated to the book I am reading and it has aided the speed at which I read and ensured I have dedicated reading times with minimal distractions. So,  All in all, ebooks and I go way back. I am signed up to all kinds of communities and newsletters so I know where and how to read as cheaply as possible and for someone with my kind of habit, reading is a very expensive hobby so ebooks are the way. 

It got to a point where I couldn’t pick up a physical book. In fact, there are several physical books I own that I read via ebook. Embarrassing, I know.  It’s probably all linked to my addiction to my phone but we won’t get into that today. Either way, pick your poison as long as we’re reading that’s all that matters.

That said, I had almost completely written off physical books for me when it comes to actual reading but I was in a bookstore the other day and was in love. There is something about a book in your hand – the smell the feel, everything! AbbieBot was the first physical book I had read in about a year, the last time being my holiday read in May 2024. There was something different about this time,  Maybe it was because I was in a slump and open to trying anything, but the feel of that book hit differently. It pulled me in so much that I almost walked out with two new books afterwards.

I stopped myself, knowing I’d be annoyed if I didn’t finish the one I’d already started. Still, ever since then, I’ve been itching to own a physical copy. And honestly? I just might go for it.

The struggle between physical and ebooks has really been my only battle, However, I’ve recently gotten into audiobooks. I have a friend who loves them and has been trying to put me on for the longest time. My main issue with audiobooks has always been the voice, if the narrator doesn’t sound how I imagine the character should sound in my head, it throws me off. That’s especially true if I’ve already started the book and have a voice in mind.

But honestly, the bigger issue is that I just read really fast. I know you can speed up the audio, but a sped-up audiobook still isn’t the same as reading. It sounds and feels different. When I read, my eyes glide across the page and I take in large chunks of text at once. Listening to fast audio, on the other hand, just feels like a hamster wheel spinning in my brain.

The first time I tried an audiobook, I kept zoning out and missing details. To fix that, I slowed down the speed, but then it started to feel like I was dragging myself through the story. Suddenly, it was taking me twice as long to finish a book.

At that point, audiobooks ended up taking just as much time – if not more – than ebooks. I had to sit and listen like I was watching a movie, making sure I wasn’t distracted, which kind of defeated the purpose for me.

But everything changed when I decided to give audiobooks another shot with Fourth Wing, it was the book club read of the month so I had to give it an honest go. I tried something called Dramatised Audio, which includes a full cast, sound effects – the whole production.

At the time, I wasn’t super invested in the Fourth Wing craze and hadn’t dipped into that kind of fantasy in a while, so it felt like a low-pressure way to ease back in. And wow, what an experience that was. I took two things away from it: one, dramatised audios are sensational; and two, they might just be the thing that converts me for good.

Since then, I’ve been devouring all the romantasy audiobooks in that format. The dramatised version of ACOTAR? Also amazing.

This has revolutionised reading for me. The more I got used to Dramatised Audiobooks the more I could read regular audiobooks and I figured out how to pay just enough attention to absorb and enjoy the book while still being able to go about my day. Sometimes it feels like I’m cheating and audiobooks are a way to cut corners. However, I just can’t discount its convenience. I have so many tedious tasks I do from cleaning and cooking to maybe even menial jobs at work, that ordinarily, I would listen to music while doing. Now if there’s a book I want to read I just listen to it. It also helps me with books I’ve been finding difficult to read whether that’s the writing style or I’m a little bit bored. An audiobook gets rid of those issues for me. It’s easier to get through books I’m not loving while staying connected to the ones I do. 

Audiobooks also really came through for me this month in getting out of my reading slump. I just wasn’t in the mood to physically pick up a book, so I listened instead, and it helped a lot. That said, I might be giving the audiobook experience more credit than the book itself deserves. Because let’s be real: if I’m not into a story, no amount of audio magic can save it. There are a few books I’m still trying to push through, and in those cases, I’ve had to just turn the audiobook off because it’s simply not giving… cough Onyx Storm cough.

Of course, no great thing is without its flaws, and the downside of audiobooks, for me, is that I don’t get to analyse the quality of the writing. And writing quality is a make-or-break factor for me. I’m talking sentence structure, language, grammar the whole thing. Sure, I can hear the words, and the narrator is meant to reflect the tone and rhythm of the text, placing emphasis where it belongs. But it’s just not the same. I can’t absorb or critique the writing the way I can when I’m reading it on the page.

So now I guess you could say I’m an every-book girl? Any reading format works as long as it fits what I need in the moment. It has definitely been a fun ride exploring them all and I’m glad to say they are all working for me. 

This post was originally going to be titled Ebooks vs Audiobooks vs Physical Books but honestly, it’s not really a competition. Each reading format has its strengths, and they all offer something different depending on what you need. This also means my goal of exploring new genres will be much easier and I can actually with through my TBR.

I doubt I’ll ever fully stray from ebooks, but I’m always open to trying new things. Maybe some new format will land in our laps and become the next big craze. Who knows? 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post – let me know what your preferred reading format is and if will you ever switch it up?

Always looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Signed,