Cold reading

[tinypinkmouse]

I've been following other people doing podfic_bingo and noticed that there was a square for "read a fic cold". So I started wondering; is that something people don't usually do?

I'll admit to the fact that the majority of my podfics are read cold. There's a very simple reason for that, I very rarely re-read stories, and if I do, it's usually when it's been long enough since I first read it that I don't really remember it anymore (this is also the reason why I almost never listen to podfic of fic I've previously read). Mostly because it's very hard to concentrate on a story I'm already familiar with, my attention starts wandering. I love podficcing, but even for that it's an effort to read something a second time. So if there's blanket permission and the fic seems like something I want to read, I'll record it. That does mean that if it turns out I don't like the fic after all, I'll drop the whole thing however far I've gotten (which is to say that even if I read cold, if I podficced your story, I liked your story).

So, I'm curious, how do others feel about recording something cold?