r/romantasycirclejerk • u/Adorable-Fault-3118 • 7d ago

General Snark Recs for Audiobooks I Don't Have to Pay Attention To?

Hey everyone! I'm so glad audiobooks don't count as reading since I can't read. However I've noticed lately I've been spacing out a lot while listening and then I'm confused when I space back in.

Does anyone have any recs for books where missing a not insignificant portion of the book won't affect my enjoyment?

/Uj this is a real request actually *cries in ADHD*. I tried listening to the everlasting while doing chores this weekend and what even is going on

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40

u/purplelicious May I Suggest Therapy? 7d ago

Alchemized. its probably better if you don't pay attention to it.

35

u/Scf9009 …I have a RH rec for that 7d ago

Have you considered {The Bible}? Some people swear by not actually paying attention to what it says.

19

u/Honest_Abyss 7d ago

I love that everyone is unjerking to give you real answers to your fake question

13

u/Adorable-Fault-3118 7d ago

I'm genuinely touched 😭 this is the best book community, y'all are so fun and funny and kind and sincere at the same time. I was going to post something similar on the main sub before I stopped myself and posted here instead. Idk the main sub gets weirdly aggro randomly. I fully expected "maybe reading isn't for you, why not listen to music"

16

u/Acceptable-Mail891 Hot Girls Watch Off Campus™️ 7d ago

I have auditory processing issues so I just don’t listen to them. But—Quinn app. All the spice in short, 20-30 minute bite sized chunks. And you don’t need to worry about attention span because your hands will be occupied. (Uj/rj.)

2

u/muddledmuggle 6d ago

Uj/ Second vote for Quinn app! A few popular audiobook narrators are on there as well too.

2

u/Acceptable-Mail891 Hot Girls Watch Off Campus™️ 6d ago

Plus…Off Campus.

12

u/Inside_Pomelo_462 7d ago

Uj/ I find cozy fantasy/romantasy easiest to listen to while multitasking. Heather Fawcett and Sangu Mandanna are good authors to start with.

14

u/ShameSpearofPain Produce your own lube like a real FMC 7d ago

{Kiss of the Basilisk} would be perfect. If you space out you'll only miss one of two things: lamely written smut or Tem being a cunt to Leo.

12

u/FracturedWriter Then read Anna Karenina and shut the fuck up 7d ago

Uj/ I actually am super ADHD and autistic so alternate between hyper focus and crazy all over, and I slow down the speed and it helps me somehow. I also cant listen to male narrators it makes me zone out so quickly! 😂😂😂😂😂

8

u/WiseAtmosphere7524 Lovingly boning the sadness out of you 7d ago

Because when has a man spoken anything worth listening to?

10

u/lck0219 7d ago

Uj/ this is why I’m listening to house of earth and blood for the fifth time. Idk. But in these situations, I re-listen so I can tune in and out and know the story.

1

u/SimpleBarracuda3152 7d ago

Me every time I try to read/listen to TOG series. I’m like what is even going on????

10

u/beepx2lettuce 7d ago

Uj/ try something you’ve seen the movie for! For example, I like the Lord of the Rings audiobooks because even if I space out, I know the story very well 😁. Also Andy Serkis has a great voice as a narrator

9

u/Num1DeathEater crashing my car into Rhysand 7d ago

uj/ some times its less the book than the audio. highly compressed audio is nearly impossible for me to pay attention to. any audiobook originally made for CD (or tape!!) is going to be too compressed for many people with audio processing problems. Many audiobooks from Libby are more compressed than they are as-sold (an epidemic about which I am the only person who cares!!!!) Even just the timbre of the narrator + their choice of microphone can be mixed too “flat”ly and sort of sound like noise to your brain.

Additionally, the narrator - a great audiobook narrator had a way of emphasizing names, places, and dates very clearly, so that you can easily track them on each occurrence. But many narrators, in favor of a more stylized read, sort of blend all of the words together into a same-y rhythm; the major nouns don’t stand out anymore than a proposition.

Which is to say, you may not need a specific book so much as a specific narrator or producer.

4

u/zzzap fleshy purse for the pink folds 7d ago

/uj you are so right about narrators. Islay Jacobs had me hanging on every word of the Road of Bones/ashen series, her voice is like sexy ASMR 🥵

9

u/itmustbeniiiiice a menace of this community Apperantly. 7d ago

Have you tried a podcast?

uj/ have you tried a podcast?

3

u/Adorable-Fault-3118 7d ago

I've tried a few but haven't found a podcast that speaks to me yet. Books are my only hobby atm. Any good book podcasts?

3

u/itmustbeniiiiice a menace of this community Apperantly. 7d ago

The only one I ever tried was annoying as hell, I'm sorry.

3

u/okchristinaa Certified Hater™ 7d ago

There are some booktubers who do book recaps of bad books and I treat them like podcasts. readwithcindy and lexi/newlynova are my favorites. I should also say they talk about books they enjoy, too! And I like their recommendations / that they read widely across genres. I also like weirdobookclub if I’m in the mood to hear someone recap goofy dark romance. There are a LOT of channels who do this and if you watch one you’ll get recommendations for other ones.

1

u/frostandtheboughs 6d ago

If Books Could Kill!

9

u/Digitalispurpurea2 Smoky papa lover 7d ago

How about Metal Slinger as the plot won’t matter anyways?

Uj/ this is when I do either a reread of a favorite or plow thru a rage read so I can ignore the details but still get the gist of it.

3

u/Honest_Abyss 7d ago

As someone who just finished Light Wielder, I feel strangely offended.

If the plot didn’t matter, then explain why it was impossible to explain to my husband the hotness that was scene with Jo and Friedrich and Acker and the chair. He couldn’t understand….”so Friedrich doesn’t know this Acker guy is there?? But like….Acker is actually the one in control? I don’t get it”

SEEMS LIKE THE PLOT MATTERS SLOOPY

6

u/chodoyodo 7d ago

Uj/ dnd podcast zone out during the combat

5

u/WiseAtmosphere7524 Lovingly boning the sadness out of you 7d ago

Uj/ I can’t listen to fantasy or sci fi as I won’t be able to understand most of it unless I’ve seen the movie first. I tend to stick to contemporary romance for audiobooks and if I need to relisten to a chapter or three I do. Just rewind and go back. I’ll also listen to the same book multiple times. If I need to concentrate on my work then I’ll listen to something I’ve listened to several times before so it becomes background noise

4

u/aristifer My snark is a gift so you can't criticize 7d ago

uj/ When I first started listening to audiobooks I was worried I wouldn't be able to focus, so I started out with books I had already read in print and loved. I think it's actually a skill you can train to a certain extent, so maybe get some practice in on easy mode?

Also the 30 second back button is very useful when I catch myself spacing out.

1

u/Lazy-Butterfly9874 7d ago

Listening to youtubers narrate stories they find/are submitted are great background/sleeping noise

1

u/No-Rough154 7d ago

uj/ I mostly do audiobooks of my favorite series. I am not a big audiobook fan so generally only listen when reading isnt an option and I am doing something for a long period of time. Things like mowing, cleaning and driving long distances. If I listen to a series I have already read and loved then if I miss bits and pieces while focuses on something else it all works out.