I listen to about 40 audio books a year. That’s because I do a lot of driving and I walk about an hour nightly on my property. During those times, I’m listening to audio books. There’s a downside to listening to non-fiction books. It’s hard to take notes when you hear something you wish to remember.
American Icon and a Few Others
So what does a listener do when the audible words need to be written in a journal for future reference?
I keep a small Moleskin in my truck allowing me to jot quick notes when I’ve reached a destination. But I’m typically in a hurry, so those notes are brief.
If the book is really good, then I do the next best thing, I read the book where I can take notes. And since you’ve listened to it already, the reading goes fast.
For instance, I listened to American Icon not once, but twice a few years ago. I liked it so much, I then read it to make sure I captured all the notes that I wanted.
Undaunted Courage is another title coming to mind where I both listened to and then read the book.
Crime and Punishment is in my Top 5 of all books along with Great Expectations. Ditto—I listened to, and then I read those classics. When you do that, key concepts stick.
Waiting a Month to Read a Book I’ve Listened To
I purchased both the Kindle version and the Audible book of Bad Blood by WSJ writer, John Carreyrou when they were released. That’s the type of book where I knew the listening experience would be great, but I knew in advance that I’d want to take notes as well. In these cases, I listen to the book first, wait for about a month, and then I read the book.
For me, the deciding point is whether I want to capture notes of key points in the audio version. That happens a few times a year given the types of books I listen to.
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