This doesn't work for me at all. Example: I'm reading the Vital Question by Nick Lane and I need to stop often just to digest what's written on the page to make sure I fully understand it. I don't even think the book is particularly academic, I'm just below average on a lot of topics. For something that pushes my capacity I can't imagine being a passive reader and getting the most out of it.

I think this works for lighter topics, but I question the point of having something in the background and just hoping to gain value from it through... luck? I'm not sure what else to call the serendipitous moment when you're actively paying attention and the audiobook also happens to be on a section that's insightful.