How do audiobooks compare to reading a book the old-fashioned way? They are really two quite different experiences, so I don’t think you can say one is better than the other. Unlike some people, however, I think listening to a good audiobook is at least as satisfying as reading a book. Both the book and the narrator have to be good, or it does not work. Listening to a book frees you up to do other things, like drive, exercise, cook or do housework. Today, you can get audiobooks in many places, and in many formats, including tape, CD or download. Most booksellers, such as Amazon, sell audiobooks now, and you can even borrow them from public libraries.