How I read with my ears

“Reading with your ears” is a turn of phrase Jarda Holaň once used when we talked about The Innovators. I had read the book and he had listened to it as audio. Reading with my ears captures exactly what listening to audiobooks feels like to me. I have come to love them for practical reasons I will share below and out of a little nostalgia, too. Radio is that thing, or medium, you might know thanks to Leoš Mareš. I grew up listening to radio broadcasts of league hockey. Seven or so matches would be played at once, and the commentators passed the microphone back and forth, describing what had happened or was happening live. Occasionally the crowd would erupt when a goal went in at the right end of the rink.

The spoken word can do things with emotion that reading cannot. A skilled producer can also work in sounds from the story itself. When The Bone Collector mutters to himself while sharpening a razor and you hear that distinctive scraping sound, it sends chills down your spine. Or take the ominous sounds of space when you listen to Alien: Out of the Shadows. Czech actors have always been superb at spoken performance. Put on any Louis de Funès film dubbed by Filipovský, or one with Jean-Paul Belmondo voiced by Krampol. Czech-language audiobooks and their producers proudly carry on that tradition. The charismatic reading of The Churchill Factor is well worth a listen.

Many people say they do not read because they lack time. I usually read before bed, or I did until Max was born. With an intruder in the bedroom, I cannot turn on the light before bed. I am often too tired for an e-reader, so audiobooks are a great substitute for print. The same goes if you commute by public transit or want something in your ears during a monotonous low-intensity workout. You will appreciate the 105 hours of The Přemyslid Epic when training for an Ironman.

An audiobook helps me pass the time driving. The only drawback is that my wife always falls asleep and I then have to retell the part of the story she missed. That can be tricky, especially with Nordic crime fiction such as The Redbreast, which is teeming with characters. An easier choice is a travelogue such as 40 Days on Foot to Jerusalem, or a biography such as Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

One advantage of audiobooks is that I can try them out. A 45-minute sample is usually enough to decide whether the book interests you. You can pick something to suit your tastes and mood. Buying it takes a tap on your phone. I truly enjoy rummaging through books in a bookshop, but this has its charms too.

Lending is one of the few downsides of audiobooks. People often ask me to recommend a good book. Usually I can reach for the bookshelf and pick two or three titles for them. That is impractical with audiobooks, since I am too lazy to download all the MP3 parts. Audiobooks are hefty, compared with our podcast, for instance, and can easily eat through your data allowance.

I have now read more than 25 books with my ears and warmly recommend the medium.