Why novels are better than Kindle or audiobooks

As a fantasy reader, and author of The Ramulas chronicles, I have always loved the feel of a book in my hand while reading, my favourite type of books are the older one that have the distinctive smell which always puts a smile on my face.

I grew up in a time where books were given as presents, and once you knew that you had a good novel, you would find a quiet place to read and become lost in the author's world. But now we live in an ever changing world where depending on your lifestyle, one can experience these stories through hardcopy, on their screens or through headphones.

Being an author I have voice the first three novels of The Ramulas chronicles, which was a lot of fun, and extremely taxing on the mind for me. The recording technician helping me stated that I had a lot of emotion in my voice as I red the story, and to him that was quite rare in his experience, most other authors, or voice actors spoke with a monotone voice, making the story flat and uneventful. With my telling of The Ramulas chronicles, he could feel the emotional change and knew something good or bad was coming up in the story.

I have spoken to many people who are fans of Kindle, liking this style because it is easy to carry around so many books on one small device. They are able to take to work or just on an outing, switch on the app on their phone and continue reading. However, to me the cold feel of the phone dampens the world that I am trying to become immersed in.

Then we have the audiobook fans who love this application, because is allows them to listen to the story as they drive, walk, sit down and close their eyes, or cleaning the house. I have listened to a lot of audiobooks, and many make me cringe. I have heard from a few authors reading their own work sounding wooden and without emotion as they concentrate on getting their work out without making a mistake, and the voice actors who speak with the same tone throughout the story leaving me disheartened.

The act of reading from a physical book increases focus, sharpens the mind, opening up new pathways in the brain, increases curiosity which opens up our natural human desire to question the world around us.

The weight, feel and texture of a book adds to the experience of the storytelling and worldbuilding of that novel.

Whereas the audiobooks reading life may be shortened by screen fatigue and the occasional add popping up in the corner of the screen, taking your focus from the story.

With audio, your eyes and hands are free, and you find yourself doing certain activities which may also take your mind from the story, lessening the true impact.

But the joy for me of holding a novel, feeling the texture of the paper, and smelling that certain smell only a book can give outweighs the pros of audiobooks and kindle.