One of my favorite books of all time is a 40K book. It's called Helsreach if you're interested. I never could get into any of the other books, although I can spend hours reading the lore of the 40K universe on a wiki. Helsreach is gold though.

This is me with 1984 by George Orwell, like I seriously loved the book (I read it on my own time, not in school) and I just could not read it again, It was way too emotional for me.

Things you learn in a halfway house section in Infinite Jest

Suttree's fever and near death

Chapter one of Unlimited Dream Company

The chapter at the hotel/beach at the beginning of part 2 of Gravity's rainbow

The cruise ship chapter in Ada or Ardor

Chapter 2 of The Corrections

You can learn it. It's like people think audiobooks are an "easy" way to consume books, but really understanding what I'm listening to has always been more difficult for me than reading.

Digesting what you listen to is a really good skill to have though. I certainly wish I had had it at uni! However I only got into audiobooks last year, autobiographies and non-fiction were the way for me. Fictional novels I still struggle with unless it's something fairly simple (like more conventional whodunnits) with short chapters.

Maybe try something like I'm Glad My Mum Died it's probably the most engaging audiobook I've ever listened to. Read by the author no less and the chapters are super short (a few minutes.)

They only read fantasy, so their standards are pretty low

I wouldn't call it forgettable. I mean, there's an erotic scene with a bear.

I don't think it's simply a book on isolation or even just a feminist take--though it is both of those things--I think it's also a discussion on the natural world.

Beyond the everything else about the novel--the fact that the bear stays so thoroughly a bear, although "domesticated" really stuck with me.

I might suggest listening to a chapter or two at a time. Then replay it. I've sometimes found I missed some things by being distracted. I do listen, after all, while driving or working on something.

Personal conduct

Please use a civil tone and assume good faith when entering a conversation.

Black and Blue Magic, and Time Cat

I used to think that I could never listen to an audiobook because I could never retain what I was listening to. Then, I discovered that if I was doing a mundane task (like cleaning the house) the physical actions that I’m doing are so repetitive and don’t require much thinking that I can focus on the audiobook while going through the motions.

I’m actually a housekeeper so discovering this have been life changing for my job! It’s such repetitive easy work that your mind goes numb, but with an audiobook, I can clean on auto pilot and tune into the plot! I still do find my mind wandering sometimes while listening, but nowhere near as much as if I’m just chilling and listening. I’ve even adapted to be able to listen to audiobooks on long car rides where I’m driving on the highway.

Long story short, maybe you just need to find that task where your brain can focus on the story. Or maybe a certain type of book is needed, something that can grab the attention better? I find that my mind wanders most when I’m not interested in a stretch of the book or a part that is too stretched out with little action. Anyway, I hope you can find what works for you and if not, at least we all still have our trusty paper books which I really do prefer. Something about holding the book and seeing the words on the page makes the story come alive in my mind so much more vividly than an audiobook. It’s like the audiobook version is grey-washed in my mind while the paper book is flushed with colour.

Awesome, I love reading this series. 40k Warhammer rules

Part of the problem is that by the time Horus Rising was written, it was part of a setting that had already existed with extensive storytelling within it for about 30 years. You're supposed to know who all the people in the story are already because they're major players in the history of the setting.

I have weirdly a gratitude journal someone gave me in my 20s that I never used. I realized each page is divided into 3 little sections with a heading an a date so I write title & date and then do a little summary. I’ve been doing it about 3 years and the act of writing about the books feels cathartic for me.

Can you link to a few you like? I have looked for one but haven’t found a good one

Audiobooks help promote memory. Anyone can learn to audiobook, audible learning is a muscle. It takes time. I've taught multiple people to strengthen their memory via audiobooks. Naturally this boosts their ability to learn and speed because they can now go through audiobooks.

Push through, it's worth it.

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I was near deaf as a kid and cannot do auditory-only anything. My mind definitely wanders and I gave up on audiobooks within 15 min.

It takes practice and you have to go back sometimes I think k you're pretty normal.

I listen while running.

I took a class on learning (I know that sounds weird. It was one of those "How to help your child navigate their academic career" things...) they said you really only retain 10% of what you hear, and that's if you're really paying attention. If you split your attention by doing something else (driving, cleaning, etc), it's even lower. I can only listen to audio books that I have a low level of investment in because I miss so much of what's going on. I prefer non- fiction, and a lot of the time I'll listen to it twice so I can make sure I get more info. So don't worry about not being able to remember what you heard. You can probably train yourself to focus on it better, but like you said, they might not be for you.

Yep, or one of the ambient channels on SomaFM.

Yeah I keep track of my reading on my website so it's easier that way for me.

I've never reread a book. Am I broken?

Agree with all of this! Especially: Speeding up was absolutely key for me.

This! When I was little people thought since I liked to read I loved Austen. Nope. I like watching the movie adaptions only because I love the aesthetic. Funny enough my Chilean friend loves her and I love Latin American Feminist Literature. I took a class on it and fell in love.

I started with books I had read before. It helped me get more used to them and it wasn’t a big deal if I zoned out. I listened to Harry Potter while at the gym and running.