
Does listening to a book count as reading it?
Total Votes: 19
Does listening to an audiobook count as "reading" a book?
Is it an inferior act? Do you retain as much?
These are some questions i have been contemplately lately.
Apparently these questions are common in some book forums and recently The New York Times did a piece on the topic, quoting a few authors as saying they'd rather have their books read then listened to.
So what's your take? Are you getting less from a book if you listen to it?
While driving, some information gets lost as people hearing the story get distracted, just as may happen to a driver listening to The Brothers Karmazov while commuting to work (and yes, I tried that).
On the other hand there are perfectly valid reason to listens to books on tape or cd.
Now I've listened to my share of audiobooks, especially when having time constraints.
Call me old school, but I think one gets more out of the one-on-one aspect of reading, focusing directly on a book you can hold in your hands, turn pages at your own pace, etc.
Besides, It's hard to dog-ear a page on a cd. Go ahead and try it.No, really, I'll wait here while you go do that.
Are you back? Ok...
You don't have to worry about whether you can stand the voice of the person reading the book and other factors unique to audiobooks.
And someday when I write my first book I would sure rather people read it than listen to it.
Now I just need to find time to actually write it, which I instead use to read books, bringing this whole issue back to
square one.
On the other hand, oral history pre-dates the printing press.
There are also some books which are better on audio because you get to hear the author's voice. Any story by David Sedaris or Sarah Vowell - both regulars on the excellent This American Life radio program - is better when heard
on audio.
Plus for Sarah's last book, Assassination Vacation, along with the Daily Show's America book, they are using actors and it's just overall much more hilarious.
Both are so good I listened to them twice. Which is something I rarely do.
Which may be another good thread someday - why do some read books multiple times while others (me) would rather read as many books as possible and doesn't want to get slowed down reading Lord of the Rings 88 times?
So I don't know - I guess I'm flip-flopping more than a politician when asked why they oppose campaign finance reform.
What do you think?
I tried listening to an audio book once. After about fifteen minutes, I turned it off.
I no longer have the ability to read purely for pleasure. When I read, I am doing so with an eye towards how the writer has done what he or she has done--character development, description, scene, everything. I can't do that when listening. I need to be able to read something, have a reaction to it, and make note of it in my journal.
It could also be the difference between being an auditory learner and a visual learner. I'm definitely visual.
Being a musician, I'm pretty sure auditory is a big component for me.
The one time I listened to audio books was back when I could still drive long distances. Music made me sleepy, and often the radio was slim pickins down I80 through the hills of PA on my way to NYC.
One memorable read was Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence." It was exactly the right length, though i sat in my miraculously found parking spot for about 3 minutes to hear the very end. My friend in NYC had just given a talk at an Edith Wharton conference. So, part of my trip consisted of two gals sitting at a sidewalk café talkin' lit'rature.
Now that I think of it, audiobooks may be a good idea whilst cleaning house.
I was also a big fan of CBS Radio Mystery Theatre back in the day.
I think you are right Vicki, some of my students absorb the information best if they listen to a tape, others will drift off into their own thoughts when listening to a tape. I personally like listening to podcasts, yet prefer reading novel length in a book as it's easier to find my place if I drift off to sleep whilst reading/listening and podcasts are shorter generally.
I can't do it. I am a visual person. I have to read. The time I tried to listen to an audiobook I was zoning at the ten minute mark, and it was an interesting book. If I were in a car I would need music to keep me focused.
I guess this is why podcasts haven't really been as much of an addiction for me, unless they're short.
Hi Sbutki
This is a really good question. I used to read a lot, but with broadband internet access, cable TV, a Playstation and an array of electronic gadgets with all sorts of entertaining functions, I've found that I've hardly read anything in the last few years.
I tried downloading e-books so I could read on my phone on the way to and from work (public transport, not driving you'll be glad to hear!). This was good for a while - there's so much great stuff available from Gutenberg.
The problem was that I was finding more and more podcasts to download and keeping up to date with them on my phone was leaving less time for reading.
In the end, I stopped downloading e-books and replaced them with short stories as podcasts - Come Let Me Whisper, Escape Pod, among others.
I've now found time to "read"/ "listen to" a novel a month, which I get from Audible.
As long as the narrator's voice isn't too annoying, I really enjoy listening to books - maybe the fact my choice is often suspense novels or horror adds to the experience.
So sorry for being so long-winded, but my answer would be yes, listening to a book counts as reading it - I'd be delighted to listen to your first book if you record it personally!
When you can write in the margins of an audiobook, I'll try them out.
YES!!! I'm with you, Kyle.
I think it really depends on what else you're doing while you listen to it. When reading, your mind is generally focused on the book. When listening, you're usually doing something else. If that something else is simple, like running or driving [or reading along in the book] - then it counts, in my opinion. If you're using your mind elsewhere, like surfing the tubes - it no longer counts.
Agreed, audio books can be very useful too. For example, I get to sit in traffic on my way to and from work daily... Audio books help me relax, learn and keep my mind stress-free for the most part.
Books? What are these books of which you speak? I believe you are referring to the inferior form of graphic novels, the ones without pictures. Meh.
Excuse me while I go "read" Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
I have not done it yet, but I want to try to download an audiobook onto my iPod and listen to it this way.
I both have there place I'd say. I much prefer actually reading a book to listening to it in most cases. I just absorb more usually that way, being a visual learner and such. I do however enjoy audio books immensely on the walk to the bus stop, or grocery store, or whatever...when actually READING would be a challenge.
In some cases I would even say you CAN get more out of some audio books then the text version if they are done well. For example almost all of Douglas Adams books are available in audio format read by Adams himself. Since wordplay, invented words, and convoluted sentence structure are a main aspect of most of his writing, it's very beneficial to HEAR the story as he envisioned it. Complete with strange pronunciations at times, funny accents, etc. It's a much richer experience than reading the text for yourself.
If all audio books had that type of effort and quality put into them (and some definitely do...the Sherlock Holmes collection comes to mind as well, and some of Mark Twain's work, and Orsen Scott Card's "Ender" series of books), then I would be looking for audiobooks FAR more than the actual texts..but as it stands, usually holding onto that book and reading it for yourself is the better option in my opinion.
It is true for me that reading the book is far better and more is retained. However, I spend a large amount of time in the car, which proves to be less productive. I like to keep my mind occupied with learning something new. True, there are distractions, if that is the case you can back track immediately or begin again. Repeating the information helps to make retained data more permanent. When listening in the car I like to work with course work such a learning a new language or learning a new skill.
As for reading, I learned something very important from Bill Clinton when he made the statement during the whole impeachment ordeal. I forget the question he was asked, but his answer was short and to the point. "It depends on what the meaning of "is" is." It seemed silly at first but I had to flip through my mind files to locate that definition. I found his reply to be quite astute. I had to look "is" up om the dictionary to resolve the whole feeling silly thing.
Do you have times while reading that you start to yawn, start to feel sleepy, and eventually lose interest in your reading? This usually means that you read past something you didn't understand, You can backtrack, find the word or concept you missed, define it, and then continue reading. I have used this technique when reading many times and not only does it improve my interest ins the topic, but it builds vocabulary as well. I learned about this phenomenon my third year in college, and was amazed with how well the technique worked.
I understand that sometimes you are just sleepy, but if you pay attention to your study habits you will learn that difficult subject invoke this tired and confused state of mind. My most recent subject was was an algebra course I took this summer.
During class lectures, I often became frustrated because I did not fully understand the concepts being presented. Fortunately for me I had a math lab I could go to for clarification.
Ah, a subject near and dear to my hear.
I am a voracious reader, have always been one. That hasn't really changed.
I am also, however, very auditory. My retention is as good hearing something, as it is reading it, seeing it. I studied for the bar by dictating all the important stuff, putting on earphones, and playing golf. Listening to it before I went to bed, working construction, etc.
Even if you don't actually "hear it," you hear it.
I constantly listen to audio books, have listened to well over 800 of them, probably a lot more (I know I have that many in my collection but I have tons I burned onto CD's or my IPOD.). And they have made my life much more bearable.
Commuting is no longer an exercise in blood pressure control, it is a joy. Sometimes, I will pull into my parking lot and wait in the car until the end of the Chapter. I look forward to getting into my car, for any reason, even if popping down to the store.
I listen to a lot of non fiction, which I would tend not to read if I had my druthers. I listen to a lot of biographies, also which I would tend not to read.
So, I am voting, go for both. There is nothing like dog earing a page, and it is a lot tougher to replay a particularly great part, whereas it is much easier to just flip the page back.
But, there is space for both.
Good article.
David McCallum is one actor who has been in some demand to do audio books because of his special gift for voices. I had one several yrs ago that was especially good - it was a tricky job because one was a dual character. He pulled it off.
I am not one who normally liked to be read to -- in fact, if you had told me that I would get hooked on it I would have told you that you were nuts. But I did get hooked on listening to Chapter a Day on NPR -- the Wisconsin station. The man who does it is really good, good with dialog, even women's voices and does them w/o going falsetto. I loved cozying up to his voice. You can get them on tape at the NPR Wis site.
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