BEST_POOP_U_EVER_HAD

BEST_POOP_U_EVER_HAD t1_jasnxy6 wrote

Reply to comment by Beginning-Classic219 in I'm too stupid to understand/analyze "The Stranger" by Camus by baratoyoso

I do think that it’s harder to get ‘meaning’ from some texts through audiobooks, unless you are in the habit of constantly pausing and rewinding. With printed books, it’s easier and more natural to pause and dwell on something you just read, re-read the previous sentence or paragraph, flip back a few pages, make a note or too. This kind of ‘active’ reading is often helpful for understanding some books.

I am not saying it’s impossible to ‘actively’ listen to an audiobook, I think it is just less convenient (especially since many people put them on while doing other things). Likewise, not all printed book reading is ‘active,’ or even the default way of reading.

Don’t be afraid to try again but also don’t be too tough on yourself :)

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BEST_POOP_U_EVER_HAD t1_j8beoc0 wrote

Reply to comment by RainbowToast2 in Do you judge a book by its cover? What do you look at when deciding whether to rent or buy a book? by KittyLord0824

I feel that certain types of books are associated with certain types of covers, and overall design choices.

For example, imagine three different covers. The titles of these books might be similar if not the same, and there's a picture of a woman on each cover. Depending on how the cover is designed, I can get very different impressions on what the book is like.

Cover A depicts a woman drawn in a pop-art graphic style and bright colours. She is smiling, fashionably dressed, and she's holding a pair of keys. I would think this is a lighthearted, romantic comedy type of book.

Cover B is a blurry photo of a women sitting alone in a meadow, next to a small shed. You can't see her well but she is dressed in 1950s clothing. I would assume this is a more "reflective" book, more likely to be sad than Cover A.

Cover C is a black and white photo of a woman in a business suit and there are sunny side eggs laid over her eyes. This makes me think the book is more likely to be experimental than A or B. Maybe heavy on irony.

These rules are not 110% obviously but with so much to choose from on a shelf, the brain makes shortcuts when it can. And unless a book cover is really poorly done (suggesting the publisher didn't think it deserved more care) I don't necessarily make assumptions about quality when I do this-- just what I might be in store for, content wise.

I think publishers know people have different assumptions about certain types of covers too. You don't want to put two violet eyed badasses holding swords on the cover of a fantasy book with a post-modern bent, wherein all sword fighting is only done in surreal, ptsd-induced traumatic dreams.

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