Lately, I’ve been having some of the most wonderful conversations with people specifically about what they are reading. In fact, this year, I’m on pace to read about two books a week, which is more than I’ve ever read before. I just love hearing about the genres people are into, what authors they love, what books they recommend. Frankly, my own taste ranges from what I will lovingly refer to as “beach reads” (even when not read on a beach!) to historical fiction to personal development to business books and beyond.
Part of the reason I’m reading so much this year is a habit I fell into almost by accident: I listen to one book in the car or while I’m out walking, and I’m working through a different physical book at the same time, either in hard copy or on my Kindle. It turns out there’s a name for a version of this practice, “immersive reading,” where you read and listen to the very same book simultaneously. I only recently learned the term, but two people in my life helped me understand why it matters.
I first heard the phrase “immersive reading” from Emelie Hutchison, whom I met through author events at Rainy Day Books, one of my favorite local bookstores in Kansas City. She explained that combining formats engages multiple senses at once. In her words, “When you use multiple senses, it deepens the connection and focus.” For her, hearing the accents and dialects of an audiobook while following along on the page brings a stronger sense of time and place to every story.
Similarly, my longtime friend, JonAnn Cavanaugh, whom I met through networking and who is one of the most avid readers I know, described how the two formats work together. As she put it, “Instead of competing with each other, the physical book and audiobook complement one another, creating a fully immersive reading experience.” She told me the physical book helps her slow down and feel connected to the story, while the audiobook adds the narrator’s pacing and emotion, and together they help her stay more engaged and remember more.
Between Emelie’s and JonAnn’s reflections, three takeaways stand out for readers curious about trying this approach:
- You engage more of your senses at once. Seeing the words while hearing them performed adds a layer of emotion and rhythm that reading alone doesn’t always provide.
- You retain more of what you read. Both JonAnn and Emelie noted that combining formats helps them remember details and stay invested in characters and plot.
- You can weave reading into more of your day without losing your place. Even when circumstances call for just one format at a time, the audio and the print are the same book, so moving between a walk with your headphones in and a quiet hour with the physical copy doesn’t split your attention between two different stories, it deepens your relationship with just one.
So, what’s on your nightstand? Can’t wait to hear what you’re reading these days.
Happy Networking!