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  What to say when people say listening to a book is not reading a book...

  You can curse them out if you want to but my Yale junior lit major son tried that on me giving me theories about how the brain interacts with seeing a word and all that junk. I counter it this way: would you tell a blind person that when they read a book with Braille they are not really reading it because they aren't seeing the words? That shut him up and that's not that easy! In so many cases my experiences with audible books have enhanced my enjoyment. The Secret Life of Bees was magical because of the narrator. I never would have stayed with A History of Nearly Everything because the detail would have been a chore to read. Listening in the car I could take it in. Anyway I have dozens and dozens of "unread" audible books waiting for me...enough to last a long time.

  Barb E started this discussion 7 months ago. ( reply )

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  Ladyslott 

  I have had this argument with a number of people over the years.. My feeling is if I can discuss the book with anyone who read the book, than I have also "read" the book. I have stuck with so many books on audio because of the narrator, or the fact that they can pronounce foreign words or names and that makes the book easier for me to understand. I also find it easier to stick with very long books when I listen, it seems when I am reading a larger book I don't read as fast because I can't read in bed because the book is too big and clumsy to deal with. Since I get a lot of reading done at night before going to sleep that can be a hindrance..

  posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    Robert of Ravenclaw 

    funny , I always put an Audible Book when I go to sleep . I listen till I fall asleep . Then the next night I find the place where I left and go from there .

    posted 7 months ago. ( reply )

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    Isabelle S 

    I've occasionally fallen asleep while listening to audio books, but it gives me strange dreams and takes forever to find where I left off because I can vaguely remember phrases. Like Ladyslott, I read a night before going to sleep (there's a stack of books by the bed, and occasionally the library gets angry with me if the cat has shoved a book under the bed and I don't realize it). I listen to audios while going about my day. There a lots of books I know I wouldn't have the patience to read in the relatively brief and sometimes very disjointed times I can put away everything else and concentrate on a book, but I'd love to have it read to me while I did something else.
    
    The last couple of times people have said to me, "but that's not the same as reading," I've grinned and said "no, sometimes it's better."

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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    Barb E 

    Your first point about being able to discuss a book confers on you the status of having "read" it is really good. I can't listen to books in bed because of falling asleep and losing my place however I do listen in the car and when walking. Also if I'm doing a big project like painting a room or raking--it doubles, triples, etc. my time to read. I don't like awkward books for bed so I stick with ones I can deal with!

    posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Scarlett 

  I agree with Ladyslott, if you can discuss the book then it's the same as reading the book. I do have better retention when I actually read a book, but if it's a really good book on audio, it can be just as lasting for me.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  normnmiles 

  Scott Sigler, an audio book narrator and author, defended this by saying that the written word is fairly young compared to the spoken word. And that people spoke stories long before they started writing them down. I agree with him and getting a story either by reading it or listening to it is the same in my opinion.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Dickter 

  I find that if I listen to an audio book that I really, really like, I end up buying the hardback edition of that book for my collection. On the other hand, I have had books, that I was planning to purchase, ruined by a bad narrator.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  Sepibo 

  I'm an avid reader. If I didn't listen to books, I'd never get through my reading list and would go crazy with my daily commute! ;-) How is using your ears different than using your eyes? The brain ends up doing all the translation and you know what the story is at the end. In some cases I'd even argue that listening to book is better than reading. When I listened to "Into Thin Air" narrated by the author, the experience was amazing as you could hear the author going through the ordeal. It added a whole different layer and dimension to the book that simply reading wouldn't offer the same experience.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  scribo 

  My only condition is that, in order to say I've "read" the book, I must have listened to the unabridged version.
  
  But I find that some books are better for listening than others. Mysteries and thrillers, and some memoirs and autobiographies, are good for listening. But if it's a nonfiction book that I'm reading mainly for its "big ideas," then actually reading the book suits me better because I can highlight, make notes, and go back to previous pages as necessary.

  posted 6 months ago. ( reply )

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  jessicaharper 

  I have always adored to read books, but in recent years have lost a good deal of central vision, and I'm very grateful for the new abundance of audio material.
  When people say listenting to a book is not like reading a book, I completely agree: I miss curling up with and connecting to all those creamy, dreamy pages. But that is not to say that listening to a book is not an equally valid and rewarding way to experience a book. I loved hearing "The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night" so much I couldn't "put it down." That great feeling of having a satisfying literary experience was not diminished by the medium...and often, as others have noted in this thread, it's even enhanced. (Try listening to "Mayflower" on a road trip through Cape Cod!)
  So, as a person losing vision, I am greatly relieved to have discovered the value of the audio book experience, and to know that, as my vision fades, I will not be literarily deprived....
  

  posted 4 months ago. ( reply )

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    Karen 

    I'm right there with you, although my vision loss has to do with cornea decay. Thank heavens for audio books! I find that sometimes my concentration wanders and I need to replay a few tracks, but no biggie. If the reader is exceptional, I've replayed entire books over and over again. I'm not sure that I would reread the same book that many times.

    posted 3 months ago. ( reply )

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  sansouci 

  I attend school online at night and have a lot of reading to do. This has put the brakes on my reading two books a week habit. I drive to work so I listen to books on the way. I used to poo poo audiobooks until I started listening to them. Helps with my vocabulary too.

  posted 2 months ago. ( reply )

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