Printed Book vs e-Book vs Audio Book

What is it that interests people in reading books, be it fiction or non-fiction?

For me the answer is another reality that I can escape to. I enjoy creating the world in my head like a director, and watching the events take place, either as a character with narrative or from a distance depending on the scene. 

I have owned an iPad for a year now and was excited about the opportunity to have hundreds of books(known as e-Books in the tech world) at my fingertips, literally, and the portability of said books. After reading a few novels I came to the realization that it doesn't live up to the hype that has made it into the tech media, but I do believe it does have its qualities. Some of the pros are portability, many books available without occupying physical space, some features built in, for example a dictionary, ability to take notes, quote passages that you like and keeping track of your progress. As the iPad also has the ability to play music, I can then purchase Audio Books and listen to them while working away at other things. Saying this though I have never tried an Audio Book, and am unsure if I ever will. Usually when I am doing other things, for instance cycling or cooking diner, I have mp3's playing with me and listen to music, but never really focus on it, I only have it there for noise in the background. If i had a novel being read to me I'm not sure I would ever really know what is going on, and with another person reading it they may vocalize the story differently then myself, and therefor I would have difficulty perceiving the world and characters. My other negative towards Audio Books is the cost vs e-Books or Printed Books, they cost anywhere from 2-4x the retail price, but I do understand that the person reading the novel needs to be paid as with the author and publishing company. Lastly comes the tried and true Printed Book that has been going for hundreds of years, and has only slowed down recently due to e-Books. My preference is still with this type of book as it gives you a sense of accomplishment once you finish it. There is something about picking up a thousand page novel, and I'm not sure if it's that you may find it daunting, or you simply want the challenge and satisfaction once you finish it. There are so many pros and very few cons with a Printed Book. The smell, breaking the binding for the first time, the way a bookshelf looks with hundreds of books on it, even though that could be viewed as an egotistical status symbol, the variety of hardback, paperback, first printing, different covers, forewords by other authors, and having them signed. The only cons I can think of are physical space that they occupy, especially if you travel a lot, and reading a book so many times that it starts to fall apart.

There is my view on the formats of books currently available, what is your opinion, and do you recommend I try an Audio Book at least once?

History + Time = Future?

While at work I listen to BBC Radio 2, as I have no choice, but I've come to rather enjoy it. My reasons for enjoying it is because there is a great variety or music, radio personalities, and talk radio involved in the programming, but most of all no advertising, apart from a few about upcoming programs on a BBC channel or a promotion that they are doing on the radio itself.

Anyways, while listening today to the Jeremy Vine show after lunch, they were discussing Communism, and if it has ever worked or could work. As with most topical discussion they bring in experts to give their opinions regarding each side, and allow callers to voice their opinions, emails, and twitter comments. Well when people start giving their thoughts/views on these subjects it can become rather heated, as most people should know from seeing the American Presidential Election campaign debates, and because of this is is rather difficult to voice ones opinion over another as they are shouting into the microphone, or handset of their phone. As I strained to listen I caught tidbits of history unfolding when one of the experts was speaking of current countries that are Communist, and for how long they have been. This then triggered another thought in my head, the past and the future. Once the discussion was over and everyone gave their views I carried on with my work, and thought of the past, and what time I would have liked to have lived in, and I concluded that it would be the 14th century, but only as an observer. I suppose I have read too many, or not enough, fantasy novels, but there is something I love about that era. The idea of fighting your enemies in close combat, tending to your farm, being a blacksmith, a tailor or a fisherman, such simpler times, even though life expectancy is shorter due to poor health and living conditions.

After a while my mind moved on to the future, and what triggered these thoughts is when I was looking at the HMRC(Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs) website to find out about my tax bracket, and on the same page it gave info for retirement, one of the dates it gave was 2046(really?). Well after thinking of the past while at work, this year of 2046 popped into my head, and it made me wonder how I would envision the future to be, we all know there have been many novels written, but how many have come true? I found it difficult to picture a future, but the best I could come up with was something along the lines of a dystopian/nihilistic/totalitarian future, but nothing with crazy robots or electronics(I think we already have some of those things in our daily lives). I realize this may come across as pessimistic but you need to look through history to see that the human race is headed in this direction. An example of it is happening right now in America, the Presidential Race. The candidates speak to the citizens, the ones that elect them, as if they are children by using simple phrases, avoiding valid questions regarding policies, and belittling their opponents. Now this could come down to lack of funding in the education system(all over the world) which has lead to a dumber population, or just that humans understand and comprehend simple answers easier than complex ones so we accept it. I choose to believe the latter, as I don't want us to destroy ourselves too soon.

Now to come full circle and finish my train of thought with a message, just try to live your life and don't over-think anything, instead enjoy the journey, and do what you can to make the world a better place in any way you can. I want the future generations to enjoy this planet for a bit longer before we mess it up too much. I have chosen to grow my own vegetables, compost and volunteer at Stonebridge City farm in Nottingham, and this brings me joy as I know that others get satisfaction from visiting it.

Well there you have it, you now know how my mind works and how I stay sane in a menial task job, and somehow have the ability to keep a conversation with myself, also it's quite interesting to view how thoughts flow from one topic to another.