Try listening (you might need some good speakers or a nice amp) in the shower, or somewhere else where your mind won't be multitasking so hard.

I used to listen to [a book written by Milkshake Duck before 'the incident'] for a half hour or so as I got ready for bed and then another half hour while I was lying in bed. I felt that really helped me wind down.

If none of that works, maybe audiobooks aren't for you. In which case, you can STILL enjoy audiobooks, you'll just want to pick books you already know. I enjoyed reading Moby Dick, but now I just listen to the audiobook every few years; it's great, and if I miss some due to a wandering mind, that's fine.

Unless the original art was really tacky, I'd prefer the original art. There are several used books selling for more than a hundred dollars, out there, even though the newer versions are inexpensive, and I think it's partially because the older art was so iconic or at least loved.

I prefer paperbacks of the "pocket book" size, though of course I would prefer they be well-made and durable even though I'll be gentle with them. I like to be able to hold and read the book with one hand, if it's possible.

If I have a hardback, I feel like I have even more of a responsibility to "rehome it responsibly" and if it doesn't have the dust jacket, it's harder to do that. But other than that, the dust jacket is almost an annoyance; they're so fragile!

Most important of all, though; if the book is of a series? It should not vary drastically in shape or appearance from the others. I was more than a little frustrated when I owned the three (extremely good) Barry Hughart books but one was an inch taller and a half inch longer than the other two. Frustrating. But, alas, his stuff isn't as well known as it deserves.

> Does horror lit work better when it's a novella/short-story? Or do you disagree?

IMHO: Many horror stories depend on building up and then delivering a "big reveal", and maintaining that buildup without ruining the reveal is easier if you don't have to do it for very long. A Twilight Zone or Shyamalan ending would feel frustrating at the end of a much longer work, and you risk the audience getting bored or figuring out what ending you have planned (or, worse, an even better ending you didn't write.)

Many people say that the movie Jaws was better than it would have been if the animatronic shark hadn't broken, because fear and suspense are not heightened by seeing the scary thing but instead by not seeing the scary thing.

It's hard to have a very long story while hinting at but avoiding showing a scary thing. I'm sure it's possible, and perhaps House of Leaves is an example, or The Shining, or cetera, but I think it's noteworthy that Lovecraft, who firmly believed that showing the scary thing was inferior to either not showing a scary thing or having the scary thing not be a thing, or both, had only short stories and a few novellas.

I'm not a big horror fan, though I've read a fair bit of it because it was there, but if you haven't read it, I suggest Different Seasons, not so much for horror, but just as some of King's best work. IMHO. Odds are you already know two of the stories.