Why I Returned to Reading Books After a Year of Audiobooks

You know that comforting moment when you curl up in your favorite corner, a light blanket draped across your legs, and a cup of chai gently steaming beside you? That used to be my ideal escape. But somewhere along the way, I got pulled into the charm of audiobooks. I told myself it was practical and smart. I could listen while working, cooking, or even walking to the grocery store. It made me feel efficient, like I was conquering my endless reading list. Or so I believed.

A few months later, though, I noticed something unsettling. I was finishing books faster than ever, yet the stories didn’t stay with me. The characters blurred together, their voices fading as soon as the last chapter ended. It felt like gulping down a meal so quickly that you forget what it even tasted like.

For someone like me, who has spent years as a freelance editor and content writer living in India, that realization stung. I had built a life around words, and suddenly, they were slipping through my fingers.

Audiobooks are the “it” thing these days, aren’t they? Podcasts are everywhere, and everyone’s chasing productivity. Listening feels like a way to optimize our time. But as I raced through chapters, I realized I’d lost something sacred — the quiet, transformative joy of reading.

So, I went back to the page. The moment I held a real book again, I felt like I had come home. Here’s what I learned in that year between pages and play buttons.

1. Audiobooks Scatter My Focus Like Autumn Leaves

Have you ever tried listening to an audiobook while doing something else and found your mind wandering? I have, many times. I thought I was being productive by playing a thriller while editing manuscripts or chopping vegetables. But my mind? It was never really there.

Studies show that reading demands active participation. When we read, our brains decode words, interpret tone, and build meaning. We visualize, analyze, and imagine. It’s a cognitive workout that strengthens comprehension and retention. Audiobooks, in contrast, make us more passive. The narrator controls the rhythm and tone, and we simply absorb what’s said.[1][2]

I once listened to a crime novel while reorganizing my bookshelf. By the time it ended, I couldn’t recall half of what happened. Research from Norway’s Stavanger University found that people who read physical texts remember far more than those who listen to them.[3] That study mirrored my experience exactly! Multitasking made me feel productive, but I wasn’t actually absorbing anything.

Reading requires stillness. Listening while doing five things at once divides attention, and divided attention makes even the most beautiful story forgettable.[4][1]

2. Reading Activates Your Brain’s Creative Theater

When you read, your brain lights up in ways that no speaker or narrator can replicate.[5][3] Emory University found that reading a gripping novel strengthens neural connections for days afterward, especially in regions that process language and imagination.[6]

It makes sense, doesn’t it? When you read a sentence like “the whisper of wind through rustling leaves,” your brain doesn’t just see the words. It imagines the sound, the movement, even the chill of air brushing your skin. Reading invites your mind to choreograph the experience.

As a Bharatanatyam dancer, this idea fascinates me. Before performing, I visualize each movement, the tilt of my chin, the stretch of my hand. Reading feels the same, a mental choreography, where imagination leads and words follow. Studies show that reading fiction activates regions of the brain tied to empathy and sensory experience.[8]

Audiobooks, on the other hand, already hand you tone, rhythm, and mood. Someone else has done the interpreting for you. Your imagination gets less space to roam freely.[2][9]

 

3. Reading Is Self-Care That Truly Restores You

Let me take you to a Sunday afternoon on my balcony: a cup of filter coffee beside me, a poetry collection in my hands, the hum of traffic soft in the distance. For those few hours, nothing else matters. It’s just me, the book, and that rare silence of focus.

Research from the University of Sussex shows that reading can lower stress by up to 68 percent in just six minutes, more than music or a walk outside.[10][11] Reading is immersive self-care. When I swap my phone for a book before bed, I sleep better, my mind feels quieter, and I wake up more centered.[12][13]

But when I listen to audiobooks while cooking or scrolling, it feels like ticking another item off a productivity list. Have you ever noticed that too, that odd guilt when you aren’t being “useful”? Reading asks you to slow down, to commit to a single task. It’s mindfulness in motion.[14][13]

4. The Immersive Power of Reading Beats Distracted Listening

People often say audiobooks are perfect for commutes or long drives. In theory, yes. In practice, I’ve spent more time rewinding than actually listening.

Once, during an eight-hour train ride from Bangalore to Hubli, I brought along The Da Vinci Code. I got so lost in Dan Brown’s puzzles that I forgot about my motion sickness entirely. Those eight hours melted away like minutes.[15][16][17]

That’s what scientists call narrative absorption, a deep, immersive state that improves emotional well-being.[18][1][4] Interestingly, when you’re truly engrossed, even your body forgets discomfort. Motion sickness fades because your brain is too occupied living inside the story.[17][19][15]

With audiobooks, that immersion is harder. Distractions creep in easily, and your focus splinters. Research confirms that comprehension drops when listening while multitasking.[20][21][22][1][4] I can’t count the number of times I’ve zoned out mid-chapter and hit rewind. Reading, though, doesn’t allow that kind of half-attention. You’re either there or you’re not.

5. Reading Shapes How You Speak and Think

Something surprising happened when I switched to audiobooks: my ability to articulate ideas in conversation weakened. Words that once came easily started slipping away. I realized what I thought was a “natural gift” was actually a skill honed through years of reading.[23][24][25]

Reading exposes us to rich vocabulary, diverse syntax, and subtle expression. It doesn’t just add words to your mind; it shapes how you think them.

Studies show that frequent readers communicate better and possess broader general knowledge.[24]

Audiobooks, while wonderful for pronunciation, don’t engage the same visual and cognitive processes required for learning language patterns. To bridge that gap, I began reading aloud again, combining both visual and auditory input, and it worked! [28][26][27][29][30]

As a freelance editor, I rely on precision. During my audiobook phase, I noticed my writing felt flatter. When I returned to reading, my prose began to sing again. Have you ever felt that too, as if reading rewires the music of your thoughts?

6. Reading Builds Cognitive Muscles That Audiobooks Can’t

Ours is a generation that loves shortcuts, 2x playback speeds, summary apps, 30-second reels. Audiobooks fit neatly into that culture of speed. But this constant multitasking can dull our mental edges.[31][32][33][34]

Reading is exercise for the brain. It sharpens memory, deepens focus, and slows cognitive decline. Regular readers show a 32 percent slower rate of memory loss compared to non-readers, and they even live longer, with studies linking reading to a 20 percent drop in mortality risk.[35][36][37][5]

That’s because reading builds what scientists call cognitive reserve, the brain’s ability to resist decline by forming strong neural pathways.[36][37][18][35] Listening doesn’t create the same intensity of engagement. When you read, you decide when to pause, reflect, or reread. That deliberate control strengthens comprehension and analytical ability.[9][1][2][20]

Since returning to books, I’ve noticed I focus longer and think more clearly. My attention span feels restored, almost like a muscle that’s remembered how to flex again.[37][38][5]

A productivity podcast once mentioned someone who listened to dozens of audiobooks at double speed, but couldn’t recall much later. That story stuck with me. It’s the illusion of productivity without the reward of true understanding.[34]

7. The Sensory Symphony of Physical Books

I know, paper books aren’t the most eco-friendly option. That’s why I proudly call myself a second-hand book girlie. There’s something deeply personal about opening a pre-loved book and breathing in that faint, sweet scent.[39][40][41][42]

Scientists say that smell comes from organic compounds released as paper ages, a mix of vanilla, almond, and musky warmth.[40][43][42][44][39]

But beyond chemistry, it’s nostalgia. That scent carries me back to my grandmother’s house, to evenings spent reading under whirring ceiling fans. The texture of pages, the sound of paper turning, the soft shadow between lines, all of it deepens the experience.

Studies even show that physical reading activates more sensory regions in the brain, anchoring memory better.[45][46][3][39][40]

And then there are the surprises only second-hand books can offer: a forgotten train ticket, a scribbled note, a pressed flower. I’ve found all of these tucked between pages, small ghosts of other readers’ lives.[46][47][48] Audiobooks can’t give you that tactile intimacy.

In Bangalore, I still love browsing the roadside stalls stacked with old novels. They’re affordable, sustainable, and full of history.[47][49][46] Every book feels like a rescue mission, saving a story and giving it a second life.

Conclusion: Return to the Page

So here I am again, right where I began. Not because audiobooks are wrong, but because reading fills me with a quiet joy that listening never quite matched.

If you’ve been drifting away from books, maybe this is your sign to return. Pick one up. Let the story unfold at its own rhythm. Let your mind wander freely through sentences that ask you to slow down.

And if you’re looking for a gentle push toward that creative flow, our Hush of Leaves anthology at Wingless Dreamer celebrates just that: change, memory, and the simple beauty of slow living. Our Wellness Journals offer mindful prompts to rekindle your imagination, and our Editorial Services team is always there to polish your writing when you’re ready to share it with the world.[50][51]

Reading isn’t a race. It’s a relationship. One that asks for your attention, your patience, and your care. In a world that measures value in speed, choosing to read slowly is its own kind of rebellion — a soft, beautiful protest in favor of depth.

So go ahead. Put your phone down. Pick up that book you’ve been saving. Find your corner, your cup of tea, and lose yourself again in the comfort of words.

Your mind, and maybe your heart, will thank you for it.

ABOUT THE BLOGGER

Born in Mumbai and raised across India’s cultural and cosmopolitan cities, Sushravya Shetty is a writer, Bharatanatyam dancer, and biotechnologist with a deep reverence for expression, discipline, and emotional nuance. A lifelong lover of language, she has contributed to editorial boards, corporate newsletters, and a wide range of freelance projects across creative and technical domains. Her writing blends research-driven clarity with poetic introspection, often infused with metaphor and cultural sensibility.