When does changing the way that you are accessing a story increase your enjoyment of it? Why do some books work better in one format versus another?

I recently had two books that I would not have finished if I didn’t change the format I was reading them in.

we were dreamers simu liu

The first was We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu. I started this as an ebook and I just wasn’t getting into it. I set it aside. Then I happened to get a notification that the audiobook was available. I must have accidentally reserved both formats from the library app. I started the audiobook and loved it.

The reason that the book didn’t work for me was that it was written in a very conversational style. It seemed disjointed in print. But, when he was reading it out loud it worked well. His enthusiasm for the story also helped a lot.


a rip through time kelley armstrong

I had the opposite issue with A Rip Through Time. Kelley Armstrong’s books are an auto-buy for me. I always listen to the audiobooks. This one didn’t work for me on audio.

This book stressed me out. It is about a modern detective who goes back in time. She ends up in the body of a maid in Victorian England. Something about her not being able to tell anyone who she was made me squirmy. I ended up switching to the ebook so I could read faster. About mid-way through the book, she confides in someone. I might have been able to go back to the audio at that point but I just finished the ebook. This is going to be a series so I’m interested to see if I can handle the future installments on audio.

For me audiobooks work best for nonfiction and fantasy. I don’t like romance on audio if there is any sex. I tend to skip over sex scenes when reading so I really don’t want to have to listen to them. Ew.

Do you have any genres or stories that work best for you in one format versus another?