On audiobooks

I just listened to Ariel Levy’s The Rules Do Not Apply as an audiobook on Audible. I’ve never listened to a full audiobook before, and I thought I would be easily distracted and unable to focus and follow along. I usually listen to podcasts while knitting, which I find works really well. But surprisingly, listening to Levy’s book was actually a really engaging experience. I was hooked in a way that I hadn’t quite expected. Much like a book you don’t want to put down, I didn’t want to stop listening. That, of course, is testament to Levy’s writing but also that — given the right conditions — an audiobook can offer just as immersive an experience as reading a book, perhaps even more so. I also listened to it on speakers so it felt like my space had really filled up with the words. As for the book — I like a lot of Levy’s work at The New Yorker, and this essay (which is part of the book) is incredible. I completely agree with this brief review by Roxane Gay on the Goodreads page - the writing is beautiful, but the last section of the book feels kind of driftless, which I’m not sure is because it is a memoir or just the way the book is structured.