It is a great time to be a reader. Great books are plentiful and can be easily distributed and read on any number of new devices. I was in front of the line when Amazon released its funny looking first-generation Kindle, and I’ve never looked back. Now we have iPads, Nooks, and any number of Android devices. And of course we still have real books. I alternate between using the Kindle for non-fiction, real books for fiction, and the iPad for magazine and newspaper articles. Like I said, it’s a great time to be a reader.

One method of reading I had never tried was that of listening to books. Audio books seem like a pretty good idea. The benefit I hear touted often is that audio books save time by allowing one to “read” while driving or doing things around the house. That seemed useful.

It takes about 15 minutes for me to drive to the office each day. That’s not a lot of time, but still adds up to a couple hours spent in the car each week, not counting errands and such.

While in the bookstore a few weeks ago, I saw Neal Stephenson’s “REAMDE” in audio book format. I’d totally forgotten about this new book, so I bought the box of 32 CDs and started listening to them the on the way home.

What a disaster. I gave it a week and gave up. I found that I couldn’t pay attention to the story and still drive safely. I would drift along and a few minutes later realize that I hadn’t been listening at all. I found the simple act of paying attention to the story impossible while driving. On top of that, it’s a pain just managing the CDs and player. Once in a while I’d listen to some other CD and in order to continue the book I’d have to try and remember which track I been listening to and manually select that track. At least the old books on Cassette tape would pick up where you left off. I gave up and bought a “real book” copy of “REAMDE” and it’s a much better experience.

I have decided that audio books are not for me. I enjoy the physical act of sitting down quietly, picking up a book, and reading. Listening to a book while driving or doing other things is not reading.