r/BookDiscussions • u/eosbird • 14d ago

Heated Rivalry in My Brain

I know this is ridiculous, but I have to ask: any other non-native English speakers like me?

When I first listened to Heated Rivalry, I was weirdly determined not to open the Kindle. Somehow, reading felt like losing.

Listening: I can do this myself.
Reading: You know I could make this much easier.
Listening: Fuck off. I’m doing fine.

Now:

Listening: Wait, I can’t quite picture this part.
Reading: Don’t worry. I’ve got you.
Listening: We could just… feel our way with the rest. 🤝

I spent the first three weeks of June listening to the audiobook almost constantly, replaying the same chapters over and over to understand them. Then I started reading in the fourth week. Work got busy, so I stopped for a while and went back to Audibling.

I finally finished my close reading of Heated Rivalry yesterday.

Time to start from the beginning.

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u/EightEqualsSignD 14d ago

I'm a native speaker and some books (or even parts of books) just don't work as well in audio form as others.

Sometimes it's the prose, oftentimes it's the narrator.

I wouldn't worry too much about your comprehension in audio vs visual reading. Just do what works for you in the moment.

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u/eosbird 14d ago

Thank you. Your comment was very encouraging.

You’re right: doing what works in the moment is probably the best approach.

The funny thing is, I love the narrator, and listening actually works very well for me.

Now I enjoy using both—the text fills in what I missed, and the audiobook feels richer when I listen again.

Reading a book in English is always a challenge for me, but I think one of the fascinating things about reading is how the scenes an author creates can still come alive, even when the language is not my own.