Are audio books a good way to read a book?

I haven't read a book in a while, and whenever I do try to read one, it usually takes me a while to finish it, so, I've been thinking about trying to buy an audio book off of iTunes to listen to on my iPod. Are they better or worse than reading a book, and is it a lot faster to listen to a book than read a book? Do you ever have any trouble with an audio book?Are audio books a good way to read a book?
Audio books are, generally, slower than reading a physical book. But if you are very slow, it may be about the same.



I can only listen to audio books when I have something else I'm doing that doesn't require devoted left-brain thought. I listen while I'm driving, while I'm walking, while I'm messing around with designs and I used to do jigsaw puzzles a lot, and loved listening to audio books while doing them.



But I can't just sit and listen without doing something else. I'd rather just grab a book and sit.



If you're having issues with reading comprehension, with understanding what it is that you just read, try reading along with an audio book. Often, people can read too fast when they have the physical book, and skip large sections without meaning to. The audio book would help you stay on pace, and reading the words along will keep you focused.



The experience of listening to a book and reading it are actually very similar. I listen to about half the books I read in a given year. When I think back to a book, I sometimes can't remember if it was a book I read or if it was a book I listened to. The same parts of your brain are activated when you listen to a book, or when you read it.



There are a few differences though. With an audio book, you get the correct pronunciation of names and places. I'm listening to Memoirs of a Geisha, and I doubt I'd pronounce the Japanese names and places correctly if I was reading them. I'd end up calling the "Ichiriki Teahouse" the "i-teahouse" in my head.



Also with an audio book, if you dislike the narrator's voice, you're stuck. This hasn't happened to me often, maybe once or twice in the dozens I've listened to.



With reading, you can reread something if you didn't understand it. It's a little trickier with audio books to rewind and find the spot you want to hear again. Also, if you're into mysteries, audio books can be infuriating if the character has discovered a new clue, and you want to check back in chapter 1 to see if you remembered that clue from an earlier scene.



I enjoy both reading and listening to audio books. Reading physical books is faster, but you get a performance experience with audio books.



Hope that helps!
It depends on the book really, like in a Twilight audio book (sorry if you hate Twilight or anything) the lady did the voices okay, but not great, but in a audio book from Stephan King the guy doing the voices was pretty good.



But another problem is if your a fast reader, then the audio book is a lot slower, but if your not the audio is only a little bit slower.



But other than that it's okay.Are audio books a good way to read a book?
Alas, this is not really reading a book -- or perhaps I am mistaken, but I comprehend reading as looking at words on a page and understanding them. You can also read the lyrics of songs, but is it really the same?



As far as the time thing, I admit that I am a rather slow reader myself, but as long as you get through the book; I see nothing wrong with reading it more slowly than most.Are audio books a good way to read a book?
not any faster i don't think, and also sinch your listening in stead of reading, you miss some of the stuff and sometimes you have to turn it back cuz u get confused.