Yeah, I think of it as listening to a theater performance more than “reading.”

The only time I can really follow an audiobook is if I’ve read the print version first; otherwise, like you, my mind just wanders off.

When I do long, laborious home projects like refinishing floors or painting walls/fences, I listen to some classic science fiction like Snow Crash, The Forever War, or The Doomsday Book.

Aside from the Dresden Files audiobooks, the only time I’ve listened to the audio as my first time through was last year with Finnegans Wake. I had the audio going in my headphones while I actively read along. It really helped having the Irish pronunciations. Next time I read The Wake, I’m going without the audio now that I have a feel for it.