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[ "https://blog.libro.fm/listen-up-why-audiobooks-count-as-reading/", "https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/audiobooks-count-as-reading-37103487", "https://www.readbrightly.com/when-to-read-kids-audiobooks/", "https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/77496-look-read-listen-what-s-the-difference.html", "https://bookshelffantasies.com/2015/12/19/the-audiobook-debate-what-counts-as-reading/", "https://dailyegyptian.com/91529/opinion/youre-dumb-and-wrong-listening-to-audiobooks-is-not-reading/", "https://www.pagesandleaves.com/post/unpopular-opinion-audiobooks", "https://allonsythornraxxbooks.com/2019/02/08/book-vices-audiobooks/", "https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/opinion/audiobooks-better-than-reading.html", "https://www.tlbranson.com/do-audiobooks-count-as-reading/", "https://theorangutanlibrarian.wordpress.com/2023/04/16/stop-the-audiobook-hate/", "https://ngoeke.medium.com/listening-to-an-audiobook-is-not-the-same-as-reading-a-real-one-196c710d5852" ]

[ "support", "support", "support", "refute", "support", "refute", "support", "support", "support", "support", "support", "refute" ]

[ [ "Listen Up! Why Audiobooks Count as Reading", "As we strive to create an inclusive and engaging learning environment, it’s time we embrace the fact that reading goes beyond the written word.", "Contrary to popular belief, audiobooks are not simply a shortcut or a substitute for reading; they are a valuable tool that can enhance comprehension, foster a love for literature, and empower our students to finally be the readers they have always dreamed they could be.", "Guest Author: Pernille Ripp", "Pernille Ripp (she/her) is a former American public school teacher, adult literacy coach, and currently is expanding work in early childhood education in Denmark. In her co-created teaching spaces, students’ identities are at the center of their explorations, as well as considering how to fight for change.", "She is an international speaker and education developer, working with educators in need of better learning conditions, literacy instruction, and overall school experiences for children and adults on a global plane. She is also the founder of The Global Read Aloud which has connected millions of students in more than 85 countries. She believes in having the courage to change and even break the rules for the good of kids and education. Besides being with her own family, there is no place she would rather be than alongside children and educators fighting for change in the world.", "“What should I read next?” he says, eagerly awaiting my answer.", "His question takes me by surprise. After all, there is no possible way he has finished the book I downloaded for him two days ago. This child, who at first fought me to even open the pages of a book, then comfortably slid into the art of fake reading. The same child who would rather read the same graphic novel every day than venture into new pages is standing before me eagerly asking for his next read.", "“You’re done already? What did you think?” I ask, trying to feel out if he actually read it.", "“It was so sad…at the end, when his dad came. I couldn’t believe it…” He keeps going, telling me parts of the story that make me nod in recollection, and it dawns on me: he did read it. And even more, he loved it. He is proud. And he is ready for another book.", "“When did you find the time to read it?” I ask, still surprised.", "“Last night…It got interesting so I listened to it all night. Three hours, I think.” He says, “So what do I read next?”", "This child who has not read a chapter book all year. Who has abandoned book upon book, casting aside any favorites that we could think of. This child, whose disengagement has made us worry late at night, whose ability to tell you exactly what you want to hear has befuddled us all. He now stands before me, beaming, waiting for the next book. He has become a child that reads.", "And he is not alone. Many students who have never liked reading are begging for the next book, begging for more time to listen.", "Yes, listen. These students are devouring one audiobook after another. Comprehending the words without having to struggle through the decoding. Accessing stories that they have heard their friends talk about. They no longer grab easier books while longing for something with more substance and maturity. These children are finally feeling like readers with the help of audiobooks.", "Some may say that audiobooks do not count as reading; I certainly used to balk at them counting toward any reading goal. But a few years back, my students changed me. Sure, there are cognitive differences in the processes that happen when we read with our eyes versus our ears; however, the skills that we are able to utilize through reading an audiobook are monumental in building further reading success. And research has shown that the cognitive processes are surprisingly similar. Listening to audiobooks can provide many of the same cognitive benefits as reading print books, including improved vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. (National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled)", "So what do audiobooks (and investing in audiobooks) do for our students?", "Provide equity in the reading experience.", "Students who read significantly below their grade level are able to access the same texts as their peers. Now, when they browse for books they can select any they are interested in and we can get copies on audio.", "Support critical thinking skills.", "Students can develop critical thinking skills without having to spend enormous brain power on decoding. And research agrees as well; children who listened to audiobooks showed significant improvements in reading comprehension and fluency, according to Stanford University. We don’t have to simplify our text choices when students can receive proper support through audiobooks.", "Reignite a passion for reading.", "Often students who are developing readers start to hate reading. And I get it; when you are constantly in struggle mode, it can be so tiring. Having access via an audiobook lets students finally enjoy a story. They can be in the zone because their brain is not occupied with the work of having to decode every single word, creating a deep immersion into the reading experience.", "Welcome children with disabilities.", "Audiobooks can be a valuable tool for improving reading comprehension and retention in individuals with ADHD or other attention disorders according to the Journal of Adolescent Psychology. Children who prefer to move rather than remain static can pace, doodle, or otherwise release energy while they listen. So often, my kids who self-confessed to hating reading tell me that what they really hate is sitting still. So providing them with a way to listen while moving, has enormous benefits. And that just speaks to the benefit of one learning difference; now consider the many ways audiobooks can support children with a variety of learning needs.", "Provide new strategies for teaching reading.", "I can now pull out segments of text to use with a student knowing that they have the proper background knowledge, which is a key component when we build understanding. I do not have to reference the entire text but instead can have them focus on the skill at hand. This, therefore, allows me to support their comprehension growth more efficiently.", "Give us a gateway into reading with their eyes.", "Oftentimes, my developing readers harbor enormous hesitancy when it comes to veering out of their known text. They are quick to dismiss, abandon, and feign disinterest, all in the interest of saving face and avoiding yet another reading disappointment. However, many students finding success within the audiobook world are building their courage, their stamina, and their desire to pick up print texts.", "I could list more reasons, such as being exposed to amazing fluency, students feeling like they have relevant thoughts when it comes to discussion, building overall reading self-esteem, planting high-interest books in the hands of students, and even changing the reading dynamics within a classroom.", "In the end, I wonder whether it really matters if having students read audiobooks is cognitively not precisely the same as when they read with their eyes. If our true goal of teaching reading is to make students fall in love with books, then audiobooks are a must for our classrooms. And so is the notion that they count as real reading. We should no longer denounce or diminish the very thing that can make the biggest difference to some of our students. In fact, excluding audiobooks from the definition of “reading” perpetuates an ableist mindset that overlooks the needs of individuals with disabilities, and can have negative consequences for the very children we say we care for. And so it is time to change our tune as educational communities.", "That boy who asked for another book started listening to All American Boys next. That boy who has faced discrimination, and judgment, and despite this has tried to rise above it all by being an amazing kid every single day. He is now reading a book that may make a huge impact on his life. That may offer him tools if he ever were to face a similar situation. And he wouldn’t have been able to before. That book would have been so far out of his zone of proximal development that he would have been robbed of the experience for a long while yet. But not anymore; he feels like a reader now. And he is proudly telling everyone he meets about the books he has read.", "Free audiobook with membership", "When you sign up for a new monthly membership in support of your local bookshop with the code CHOOSEINDIE, we’ll give you a bonus audiobook! That means you’ll have 2 audiobook credits to redeem from the start.", "The Author Pernille Ripp", "Since Pernille Ripp (she/her) was a child growing up in Denmark, she knew she wanted to work with kids. She has loved being a 4th, 5th, and 7th-grade teacher in the American public school system, as well as a literacy coach for adults. In her co-created teaching spaces, students’ identities are at the center of their explorations, as well as considering how to fight for change. Recently, Pernille moved home to Denmark where she is expanding her knowledge about children’s development and needs through her work in early childhood education. She is an international speaker and education developer, working with educators in need of better learning conditions, literacy instruction, and overall school experiences for children and adults on a global plane. She is also the founder of The Global Read Aloud which has connected millions of students in more than 85 countries. She believes in having the courage to change and even break the rules for the good of kids and education. Besides being with her own family, there is no place she would rather be than alongside children and educators fighting for change in the world. You can find her across social media platforms easily." ], [ "Yes, Audiobooks Count as Reading — Here’s Why You Should Add Some to Your Reading List", "Barbara Bellesi Zito is a freelance writer from Staten Island, covering all things real estate and home improvement. When she's not watching house flipping shows or dreaming about buying a vacation home, she writes fiction. Barbara's debut novel is due out later this year.", "Social media can be a minefield of controversy, which is why I do my best to follow people who only post cute doggie photos, hilarious videos, and reading recommendations. #Bookstagram, that subset of Instagram where book lovers post about all things literary, is one of my happy places.", "So imagine my surprise when I unwittingly wandered into a conversation about audiobooks that quickly turned into a heated discussion — albeit a civil one amongst well-read individuals — about whether audiobooks “count” as reading.", "My opinion? They sure do. I respectfully disagree with those who believe that unless you are holding a book (or tablet) in your hands, it doesn’t count as reading.", "Even though I consider myself a visual learner, I find audiobooks to be a wholly satisfying experience. The words don’t just wash over me like song lyrics or podcast chatter. I have found that I can discuss listened-to audiobooks in depth with others who have read the physical version, so I know the author’s words are sinking in.", "A Different Version of the Reading Experience", "“Listening to audiobooks is the same as reading, because you still have to listen word-for-word to make up the narrative,” says Louisa Smith, editor and founder at Epic Book Society. “Listening to an audiobook requires the same level of attention as reading — if you miss a few sentences, suddenly the whole book might not make sense.”", "I’ve found this to be true, and I won’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten distracted and had to hit the back button on my phone when I’m listening. I equate it to zoning out while reading a physical book and having to turn back a page to reread.", "“The act of digesting a story is different [with audiobooks], but the skills you use are the same,” Smith says. “You still need to form sentences in your head and create a picture of the story; it’s [just] coming to you from a different medium.”", "Catherine Wilde is a life coach, author of the book “Reclaim Your Inner Sparkle,” and founder of SoulCareMom. As a busy working mother who homeschools her children, she doesn’t always have time for the “luxury” of reading physical books, so she relies on audiobooks, particularly nonfiction ones that will continue to develop her abilities.", "“The experience is different, admittedly,” says Wilde. “But when absorbing nonfiction in particular, if the audiobook in question is narrated by the author, the experience is magical and even ethereal.”", "I agree. While I do listen to a lot of fiction, I also like books about entrepreneurship and personal growth. It’s energizing to hear the words come straight from the author’s mouths. (Pro tip: I bump up the reading speed a bit, and the authors sound urgent and even more empowering!) I’m also on a celebrity memoir kick of late, and when given the option to read Pete Townshend’s book detailing his years with The Who or hear him read it in his melodic British accent, which do you think I’m going to choose?", "Literacy and Accessibility", "Not everyone has the ability to read physical books, which is another reason I’m in love with audiobooks.", "“Listening to audiobooks can be a richer experience, but it also engages different senses, and that makes it great for accessibility,” says Tanja Hester, award-winning author of “Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way” and creator of the Our Next Life blog.", "“Though I love reading books, I often struggle to sit down and read, something I learned is connected to my ADHD,” Hester says. “But I can easily get immersed in audiobooks, and I now read many more books this way.” She also notes that she has friends who have dyslexia and also find audiobooks to be more accessible.", "“Anyone who gets snobby about audiobooks not being ‘real books’ is completely ignoring the vast majority of human and literary history, in which most people ‘read’ by having stories or lyric poems told or recited to them,” Hester says. “It’s a fairly recent phenomenon for most of the population to be able to read!”", "Peter Cox, author, literary agent, and founder of Litopia (the world’s oldest online community for writers) agrees. “I’m constantly telling writers not to become entirely fixated by the written word,” he says. “The oral tradition predates writing, obviously. Audiobooks are simply a continuation of that.”", "Don’t Knock it Until You Try It", "Still put off by the word “read” when it comes to audiobooks? Then let me swap in the word “consume” instead. I happily consume books, whether they are print, digital, or audio. Although they are calorie-free, books in every form are part of my daily diet.", "If you haven’t tried one of the audiobook platforms out there, allow me to recommend my favorite, LibroFM. When you sign up for an account, you can choose an independent bookstore to support with each purchase. (I proudly support Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, NY).", "Everyone is welcome to their opinion. But whether I turn to the last page of a book or listen to the last seconds of its audio version, it is ready to be checked off my to-be-read list.", "“Even with higher literacy rates now, gatekeeping what counts as reading only does harm,” Hester says. “Audiobooks are great, and so are graphic novels and anything else that give people multiple ways to engage with written work.”" ], [ "Not Just for Car Rides: When to ‘Read’ Kids’ Audiobooks at Home and in the Classroom", "by Melissa Taylor", "Audiobooks are a staple in my family — and they have been since my kids were little. We don’t only listen to them in the car though. In my house, you might see us listening in the kitchen while snacking, in the bedrooms while drawing, or in the living room while putting together a puzzle. And these aren’t just fluff activities. As a teacher and a mom, I’ve found that audiobooks can be used in a variety of settings for specific learning purposes both at home and in the classroom.", "Before I get to that, let me explain how audiobooks count as “real” reading. Listening to a story, just like reading one, requires children to use reading comprehension skills. Listeners make connections, visualize, determine importance, make predictions, ask questions, and synthesize. Do not exclude the experience as authentic reading just because children aren’t reading with their eyes and decoding the words.", "During Quiet Time", "When my kids stopped napping, I realized that they could still have quiet time in their rooms with an audiobook. They could play, draw, build, and move while listening to stories. This practiced their listening skills as well as built background knowledge and vocabulary.", "At Bedtime", "Then there is bedtime. Since I don’t want to miss a day of reading out loud to my kids, audiobooks can pinch-hit as bedtime stories on those I’m-going-to-fall-asleep-while-reading nights. We don’t use them every night, of course, but I consider them helpful backup.", "To Get Assigned Reading from School Done", "As you know, elementary and middle school teachers often assign nightly reading minutes. Try an audiobook some days. My kids do — and it’s okay with their teachers. Most teachers (not all) allow audiobooks to count as minutes read. Check with your child’s teacher to be sure.", "Then there are those dreaded assigned books. Kids don’t generally get excited to read books they haven’t personally chosen — my oldest daughter included. For her and kids like her, listening to assigned books on audiobooks gets the reading done (phew!) and makes the experience less awful, even if they have to go back to the physical book to do the annotations.", "To Tackle Harder Books", "When an assigned book or even a book a child wants to read on their own is too challenging to comprehend, listen to it instead. This works because a child’s listening comprehension is almost always more advanced than their visual reading comprehension. I’d also suggest this as an option for books written in old-fashioned language or dialect.", "Using Kids’ Audiobooks in the Classroom", "I’m in awe of the teachers and librarians who creatively work within limited budgets to give kids access to audiobooks. They’ll use Overdrive, Audible, Epic, or Tales 2 Go to provide the books. Then kids will listen on computers, phones, iPods, or iPads.", "Here are three ideas for when to use audiobooks in the classroom:", "To Increase the Number of Books Read", "In the classroom, some teachers alternate between reading by sight and reading by ear. This benefits all kids. Just like any reading of books, it builds vocabulary, improves writing skills, develops concentration, increases an understanding of self and the world, grows imaginations, and improves school achievement.", "For children who don’t speak English as their first language, aren’t enthusiastic readers, or have slower processing speeds, listening to books can dramatically increase their time spent in books. Take my oldest daughter, who has a slow processing speed. For her, reading books is cumbersome — it takes forever. However, reading by ear allows her to read more. (Interestingly enough, she’ll often read the physical book after she’s listened to it.)", "To Model Fluency", "Just like reading aloud to kids models oral reading fluency, listening to audiobooks does it, too. It’s particularly delightful when the author reads their books as Mary Pope Osborne does for her Magic Tree House series.", "As kids listen, they’ll hear the narrator’s pauses, loud and soft places, and different voices for dialogue. Ask kids to evaluate the narrator’s inflection. Do they like the narrator’s style or do they find it unappealing? Why? This analysis adds another layer of thinking skills to the listening experience. Then have kids practice their own oral fluency by making their own audiobook. (If they’re reading a picture book, do a video recording so they can show the illustrations.)", "As a Gateway to Different Books and Genres", "When readers prefer a specific genre or format, audiobooks can introduce them to other types of stories. I had a fifth grade student who only read nonfiction (mostly the encyclopedia!) but when she and some classmates listened to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, it opened her eyes to the possibilities of chapter books. (Thank you, audiobooks!) The same goes for kids who are addicted to fantasy but haven’t tried historical fiction or sci-fi. In many instances, audiobooks can spark an interest in reading new genres.", "Any audiobook is a great place to start, but you can find our favorite audiobook recommendations here." ], [ "Look, Read, Listen—What's the Difference?", "A writer disputes the idea that listening to an audiobook is the same as reading", "By Betsy Robinson", "|", "Jul 13, 2018", "According to numerous sources, audiobooks are the new best thing to happen in publishing: for six years in a row, they have enjoyed double-digit sales growth. I’m all for more people enjoying books and stories and I’m all for writers enjoying subsidiary rights royalties via expanded uses of their works, but audiobooks and books are as different as movies and books.", "You would think it would be obvious that “listening” is different from “reading,” but I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard somebody say, “I read the audiobook.” One interviewee in a recent Shelf Awareness article actually said that listening to audiobooks is reading because otherwise Braille (which truly is reading through the fingers) is not reading. Excuse me?", "For many years, I was primarily a playwright, and I loved seeing my words come to life through actors. And until watching the Tony Awards this year, I really believed the theater industry appreciated playwrights—unlike in movies, where most screenwriters have no clout and no ownership of their work. So I was absolutely flabbergasted that the 2018 best plays were mentioned without attribution to the people who birthed them (with the weird exceptions of Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh and Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women). In fact, the renowned Tony Kushner, author of Angels in America, which won the Tony for best revival of a play, made his acceptance speech for his company without having been mentioned in the winning announcement! Ouch.", "But I’m mostly a novelist these days—so I’m safe, right? Novel writers enjoy something playwrights and screenwriters never do: our books exist as soon as they’re put on the page. No actors, sets, directors, production companies. It’s between my written words and the reader via the alchemy of reading. But as “truthiness” becomes the norm, and readers declare that listening is the same as reading, it seems that the value of the direct relationship between books and readers is being minimized.", "Are books going the way of the theater and movies, where writers will eventually not even merit mention? Will books become an event between professional readers, sound engineers, and listeners who are driving or cleaning or missing whole paragraphs when one of the kids spills his Cheerios? And forget contemplative pauses to digest a profound morsel that the writer has spent months on.", "Having an actor read aloud, inflecting words with nuances and timing that the reader may not be capable of conjuring, can be a wonderful thing. Not all readers are great readers. And it is truly magnificent to create a new work based on the book. I’m told that the award-winning audio production of George Saunders’s Lincoln in the Bardo,with its star-studded cast of 166 narrators, is magical. But it is a new work! And when I spend four years honing a novel, I’m not imagining some intermediating interpreter conveying it to a reader.", "According to an Edison Research consumer survey, 65% of audiobook listeners imbibe books while driving; 52% while relaxing into sleep; and 45% while doing housework or chores. According to “The Brain and Reading,” an article by cognitive psychologist Sebastian Wren (published by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory), reading uses three major sections of the brain: the occipital cortex, where we visualize; the frontal lobe, where we process meaning; and the temporal lobe, where we process sound—our very own internal sound inside our own craniums. Whereas listening activates only two sections of the brain: temporal and frontal lobes.", "This bodes well for people who are driving: at least they are not distracting their brains with inner visions while “reading,” but nor are they enjoying the full-sensory and gloriously autonomous experience of a direct hit from words on a page.", "On second thought, real reading will never be replaced by listening. That would be just silly, right?", "Betsy Robinson’s most recent novel is The Last Will & Testament of Zelda McFigg (Black Lawrence, 2014).", "A version of this article appeared in the 07/16/2018 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: Look Read Listen", "NOTE: If you had a previous PW subscription, click here to reactivate your immediate access. PW site license members have access to PW’s subscriber-only website content. If working at an office location and you are not \"logged in\", simply close and relaunch your preferred browser. For off-site access, click here. To find out more about PW’s site license subscription options, please email Mike Popalardo at: mike@nextstepsmarketing.com.", "Thank you for visiting Publishers Weekly. There are 3 possible reasons you were unable to login and get access our premium online pages.", "You are NOT a current subscriber to Publishers Weekly magazine. To get immediate access to all of our Premium Digital Content try a monthly subscription for as little as $15 per month. You may cancel at any time with no questions asked. Click here for details about Publishers Weekly’s monthly subscription plans.", "You are a subscriber but you have not yet set up your account for premium online access.", "Contact customer service (see details below) to add your preferred email address and password to your account." ], [ "The audiobook debate: What “counts” as reading?", "Earlier this week, a close friend (and one of my favorite book people – a true BBF) was moaning to me about her progress toward her Goodreads goal. Only two weeks left in December, and she’s still short 12 books! She’s planning to take a bunch of smaller books and graphic novels with her on her family holiday trip, so it’s likely she’ll make her total by the end of the year.", "I’ve already passed my goal (okay, I did read a lot of graphic novels this year!), and as I was talking to my friend about some of the books that pushed me over the top, numbers-wise, I mentioned Uprooted by Naomi Novik, one of my favorite audiobooks of the year. The conversation took a sudden and unexpected turn:", "BBF: You count audiobooks?", "Me: Yes. (Of course! I added in my head.)", "BBF: But that’s not reading!", "Me: Oh yes it is!", "BBF: Nuh-uh!", "Me: Yuh-huh!", "We didn’t stick out our tongues at each other… but in terms of childish behavior, we came close!", "So what is reading? What “counts”?", "The primary definition of the verb “read”, according to Dictionary.com, is:", "to look at carefully so as to understand the meaning of (something written, printed, etc.): to read a book; to read music.", "Okay, that one focuses on the written/printed word. Here’s definition #2:", "to utter aloud or render in speech (something written, printed, etc.): reading a story to his children; The actor read his lines in a booming voice.", "Hmm. That’s the act of reading aloud. When my son was younger, I read to him all the time, even up to age 12, when we read together such books as Eragon and The Hobbit. I had never read Eragon before, and as I read it to my son, I was reading it for myself as well.", "But back to the original question: Is listening to a book the same as reading a book? Do your eyes have to be involved in order to have read something? What about someone who’s vision-impaired? Using a Braille book seems to obviously be reading… but what if they don’t know Braille? What if they can only enjoy books that they listen to? Does that count as reading?", "I’ve become a big fan of audiobooks in the past few years, so my take on the issue is pretty clear-cut. For me, whether I’ve used my eyes or my ears, my brain is certainly involved, and either way, I’m absorbing a story, ideas, plotlines, themes, and more.", "I suppose I’d be in favor of a more expansive definition of reading, along the lines of:", "Using one’s senses to take in the content of a book.", "(Okay, let’s agree to exclude taste and smell from the above! I love the smell of a bookstore, but sniffing books definitely isn’t reading! And I don’t recommend eating them either.)", "Of course, as I probably should have said earlier, it doesn’t actually matter what anyone else thinks when it comes to Goodreads stats. I’ve seen people argue about all sorts of things “counting” as real books, such as novellas, graphic novels, and re-reads. I take a pretty lenient approach with myself: If I feel like I’ve read something, then I have! And that includes all of the above.", "Yes, in my opinion, if I’ve listened to an audiobook, then I’ve read the book. Period.", "Where do you stand on the issue? Are audiobooks books? Does listening “count” as reading? And would you (or do you) include audiobooks in your list of books read in a year?", "33 thoughts on “The audiobook debate: What “counts” as reading?”", "A very interesting topic for debate! I am one of those people who count audiobooks as reading – I think a story experienced from start to finish is by my definition a book read. I always say I have read The Hobbit, but actually my dad read it aloud to me as a child – I still visualised the story and made it my own. I’m curious to see other people’s opinions on this!", "I completely agree. You still know the plot, characters, themes and main take away from listening dont you, so it counts. Also, some books I think are better as an audiobook. For instance I just listened to Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari. He narrated it as well and it was hilarious. In fact, I just got a new audible credit and I am shopping for an audiobook right now!", "Ooh, I love Audible credits! I agree, some books really are better listened to. I’m loving a mystery series right now, and after four books, I don’t think I could read the printed version. I’ve become so hooked on the different voices the narrator uses for the recurring characters!", "Without a doubt I count reading aloud or listening to audiobooks. The only thing I dont count is if I reread a book in the same year (Dumplin` and Ready Player One). As long as i spent the time to listen or read with my eyes the book I will count it. I use to stress about the GR Goal but I lowered my goal to 25 and blew past it, then uped it to 50 and now I`m passed it. The little hurdles made me read more.", "Audiobooks definitely count as reading! You are absorbing a story either way, & that’s the truly important part. Personally, I tend to read over listen. It just works better with my life. But there are certain books that I feel I understand better through listening. I listened to Pride and Prejudice, & I think hearing the sentences made the grammar/wording much less confusing. I am also a huge fan of books turned into audio-dramas. Do you have any opinions on those?", "I listened to all of the Jane Austen books via audio this year, and I have to agree with your comments about P&P. Especially with Emma — I think I appreciated it so much more as an audiobook than when I read it in print. Something about the skill of the narrator, I think — I’d just never realized how totally laugh-out-loud funny the book is! I haven’t actually listened to any audio-dramas yet, although I do have a couple in my queue. Are there any in particular that you recommend?", "I have a lot from Focus on the Family Radio Theatre. A few of my favorites are: The Chronicles of Narnia series, Les Miserables, Little Women, and Oliver Twist. I don’t know of any audio drama companies that produce ADs for more recently pubished works. Most of these were gifts from my Grandfather though, so maybe I’ll ask if he has any recommendations for other AD producers.", "Love audiobooks and definitely count them as stories ‘read’. I have both audio and paper books going at all times but when the eyes are tired, driving in the car or doing chores and errands, audiobooks are wonderful. I even have a headband earbud that I use when I go to bed. If I fall asleep, just hit rewind in the a.m.", "I agree! To me, audiobooks definitely count as reading. I mean, you are using your ears instead of eyes but you still absorb the story. Except for your own voice reading inside your head, you have someone else’s (that sounded really creepy suddenly). I have never understood why some people don’t count it as reading.", "I don’t really get it either — although for my friend who disagreed with me on this, she’s never actually listened to a whole audiobook, even though she’s a totally avid reader of print books. Maybe those who don’t “count” them just haven’t given them a shot?", "I think that’s definitely possible. I do think that a lot of people underestimate audiobooks? Before I started listening to them, I never realized just how long it takes. How much of an undertaking it really is, if you know what I mean", "Audiobooks certainly count for me! If I have listened to it, it doesn’t make sense for me to then go read it in the regular fashion for it to “count”.and if it doesn’t count, I suppose visually impaired people who listen to audiobooks haven’t read a thing. I think that the people who quibble over things like including audiobooks on Goodreads must not have a lot of fun reading to begin with. Cheers 🙂", "I think listening to audiobooks counts as “reading’ since you are experiencing the story, absorbing the information, and otherwise engaging with the text. For some reason we seem focused on experiencing things visually or textually, but I think other cultures that transmitted stories orally or read to each other aloud more (we seem to do this mostly for children now, like listening to a story is something adults don’t do) would find our print-based culture strange.", "Anyway, the Goodreads challenge is for fun. The only reason I could think of for an audiobook not to “count” is if you were trying to challenge a reader to become more engaged with print, with the assumption that audiobooks won’t be available for every text so you want to help him/her to become more comfortable reading plain text.", "There also seems to be an assumption here that listening to a book is easier than reading it, which is intriguing. I know that audiobooks are used to encourage reluctant readers or help readers who might not be reading at grade level. But…I actually find it easier to absorb information and follow a story if I am reading it rather than listening to it. It’s easier for me to concentrate solely on the text and easier to reread, skim, take notes, etc. I control the experience more if I’m reading the text. So I think we can’t really assume that listening is taking the easy way out. Listening is merely a different way of experiencing a text; it’s not necessarily a better or a worse way.", "Hmm, good point about oral traditions, and how storytelling seems so pigeon-holed for children these days. I agree, too, about listening being a different way of experiencing a text, not necessarily an easier way. I do have a hard time focusing sometimes when I’m listening, and I’ll end up replaying sections if they were complicated or if my mind wandered. (I’ve learned by now to pause the story if I’m driving and need to find parking — my brain apparently can’t handle searching for a space and concentrating on a story at the same time.)", "I don’t understand why people don’t count them. It’s not like you watched the movie and then counted it or you read spark notes and counted it. You’re getting the full written word and experiencing the story. It’s definitely reading. I can’t listen to them because I tune out so it isn’t even like I’m saying they count because I like them. I actually don’t like audiobooks at all. I do wish that listeners would read some of the time because so much can be gained by reading new words and seeing it, but listening counts as reading in my opinion.", "Most people I know who listen to audiobooks also read print books — just different media for different times/situations. As an audiobook fan, it really shocked me to hear that some people don’t consider them reading — I certainly do!", "I’m not an audiobook listener, so I can’t really speak on the subject with such confidence. My issue with audiobooks is that I can’t focus on listening someone read to me–I tend to tune them out (a bad childhood habit?) and then once I focus back in on the words, I forget what had happened earlier. So while I might not count audiobooks for myself, if others find they can listen and concentrate, I don’t see why they wouldn’t count. Just my two cents!", "Thanks for sharing! Funny, as a kid, I couldn’t listen to people reading without falling asleep… but I feel like I’ve gotten better at focusing on audiobooks now that I’ve been doing it for a few years. 🙂", "There is absolutely no question in my mind, audiobooks = reading! I’m a librarian. When we run the Summer Reading Program for kids in the summer, if a child listened to an audiobook, it’s reading. Graphic novels count as well. I’m not sure why people get so hung up on how short or long a book is. Or even on numbers at all. A book can be amazing and only be 30 pages (picture books!) and it can be crap an be 600 pages. Reading about story, and using your brain to understand the story, whether it’s read to you or you read it on your own. Whether there are pictures or not.", "Oh, for the love… YES IT COUNTS! I agree that what other people thing “counts” is really irrelevant, but these debates still come up. Debating is not a bad thing, I just have a really hard time understanding the *other* side when it comes to this particular debate. As an avid reader who sometimes doesn’t have the time to read print books, audiobooks are such a great way to read (yes, read!) more stories during times I can necessarily sit still. I count everything for my yearly GR challenge, even pictures books and I really don’t care if anyone has an issue with that. My goal was waaaaaay higher this year (and will be next year) because those are a type of book I am reading at this stage in my life. So my goals reflect the types of books I plan to be reading — I sure as heck wouldn’t set a 250 or 300 book goal if I were only reading novels. Sorry if this got a little negative — we should all *count* our books however we want and that is that!", "Very true — it’s so individual! I was just so surprised to learn that this is even an issue. I tend not to do many challenges, but I do like the Goodreads annual challenge, mostly because it’s just for my own satisfaction. Like you, my goal reflects what I expect to read, so I always push the number higher to allow for graphic novels, kids’ books, etc.", "When I was listening to an audiobook earlier this year, someone said that same thing to me. But they are so wrong: of course it counts as reading!!! The fact that you aren’t looking at the page doesn’t mean anything.", "Thursday Quotables", "Outlander Book Club", "A place to discuss the wonderful works of Diana Gabaldon, plus so much more! All are welcome.", "By the Numbers:", "693,854 views", "Disclaimer:", "I occasionally receive review copies of books from publishers or via NetGalley. For all reviews, the source of the book I’m reviewing is identified in the details section at the start of the review. All reviews reflect my honest opinions, regardless of source.", "Affiliate Disclaimer:", "Posts on Bookshelf Fantasies may contain links to affiliate websites. We receive a commission on purchases you make on these websites through these links." ], [ "You’re Dumb and Wrong: Listening to audiobooks is not reading", "(Update: The reasons in this column are not attempts to discredit audiobooks as a medium, but to explain why the act of listening and reading are specifically different forms of entertainment. Audiobooks are great in their own right for a different, curated experience, or for those who are unable to read due to a variety of medical reasons.)", "If you say listening to an audiobook is “reading” – you may as well say watching someone else play a video game is playing it. You are not the one in the driver’s seat – you were there when the action happened but you didn’t do any of it – don’t take credit for it.", "The form in which you absorb entertainment isn’t interchangeable between media, which is why listening to an audiobook, while having its own merits, is not the same as reading the book it’s based on.", "Advertisement", "I’m not arguing that written books are better than audiobooks. I’m just tired of getting excited when someone on Facebook asks “What are y’all reading? Here’s mine” followed by a freaking Audible hyperlink. I see you, Trevor.", "Processing entertainment", "Have you ever seen a performance of the play Hamlet or watched Kenneth Branagh’s word-for-word five-hour film version? If yes, have you now read Hamlet? No, you haven’t.", "The biggest difference between listening and reading is that while reading, you set the pace in which you will understand something.", "Example – I once read an old novel called “Rabbit, Run.” In the book, there is a line that says: “If you have the guts to be yourself, other people’ll pay your price.”", "I must’ve reread that 10 times over. It still hits home for me because I’m another midwestern middle-class white male who’s had the same existential crisis as Rabbit. Go figure.", "If I were listening to the audiobook, I’d hear that sentence with the same weight as the rest of the chapter. I invested more time into that sentence than if I heard it spoken once. My comprehension of the book is better for it.", "Advertisement", "Plus, you’re not going to rewind an audiobook. The rewind button takes you back an entire 15 seconds and, ugh, you just don’t have that kind of time, right?", "Reader agency", "Some audiobooks have great narration, like how my mom read “Holes” to me when my bedtime was still 8 p.m. This meant her narration limited my ability to interpret the information my own way.", "Your emotions are based not just on the text that you’re reading when it’s an audiobook – the voice of the narrator is set and the emotions of the scene are strictly set as however the audiobook reader says them.", "If you think that’s not a big deal, you need to give yourself more credit for independent thought. Interpreting an originally written work by reading it, you think more on the story and its themes.", "In non-fiction, authors have implicit bias with the way they write about a true story. With an audio version, the narrator compounds this with another layer of bias that could influence how you see the story, differently than how you’d see it if you’d just read for yourself.", "Authorial intent", "“But the author is the one who did the audiobook, so I know how it’s meant to be told,” said someone illiterate, probably.", "You want to know how an author wanted to tell their story? Through a book, because they originally wrote it as a book. That was the form they chose – it’s the same reason people have obnoxiously told you “the book was better” about a movie adaptation.", "Sometimes their narration sucks. Do not listen to The Fran Lebowitz Reader over reading it. When reading, the voice is that of a hilarious, sexy socialite ready to insult everyone.", "Lebowitz is an older woman and when she narrates these same columns they lack the brutal impact you’ll feel when reading her work. She is a fantastic writer and the picture she paints from that writing is more colorful than her voicework.", "Authorial intent isn’t the most important thing in the world. In fact, sometimes you can find a meaning in text that the author never intended. Their intent shouldn’t invalidate whatever you’ve gained from their work.", "Discussing this article with a friend, he told me that listening to audiobooks is still better than not reading at all. I agree, but for crying out loud, read also. In high school I would just Sparknotes the “jist” of so many novels. When I finally would read a full book, it was like my third eye was opened.", "Considering how much these columns fall on deaf ears, I think my third eye is just as nearsighted as the other two.", "Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of The Daily Egyptian, its staff or its associates.", "You’re Dumb and Wrong is a weekly column about video games, movies and popular entertainment from Arts & Entertainment editor Jeremy Brown. Brown can be reached at [email protected].", "To stay up to date with all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.", "Agreed. We have a word for how you consume audiobooks. It’s called–stay with me now–it’s called…LISTENING.", "And yes, reading something and listening to someone tell a story (even from a book) are two distinct experiences. And yes you should if at all possible exercise the “reading muscles”.", "We listen to people telling us things all the time, those ear muscles are in many cases the most exercised parts of our bodies, tired and over-stimulated even, but reading however is something that needs a bit more “TLC”.", "Millions of people have disabilities. Imagine caring about the medium other people absorb information from so much and being so offended by the thought that it could be equal to your method that you write an article about it to make yourself feel better. Studies show no significant difference between listening, reading, or listening and reading together.", "This article is pretty ableist, as well as very silly. What about people who are y impaired? Are they never able to read?", "Reading a book is when you somehow get the words into your brain. You could be looking at the words, feeling them if you read Braille, or listening to them.", "The examples provided in this essay are silly. They talk about playing a video game vs. watching it being played—but a video game is intended to be interacted with, the mechanics of the game are manipulated by the player. If you just watch it, that isn’t the experience intended. BUT the experience intended by an author of a book is to have all the words of the book consumed by the reader—something you can achieve equally well with listening.", "The next example is watching Hamlet vs. reading it. Absurd! Hamlet is a play, and it is only meant to be watched/listened to.", "I am a voracious consumer of print words! I read, physically read with my eyes, all the time. It has never occurs to me that those who consume books with their ears are not reading too. Of course they are.", "Gotta love the commenters who take issue with you, insisting they have “read” a book when they have listened to it on audio.", "As the world becomes more and more misinformed, and opinions, poor logic and presumptions increasingly replace fact, assessment and actual logic, people now argue everything.", "Read means to use one’s eyes to read over written words on a page. It is not the only way to absorb a book. The author of this piece suggests some of the possible advantages to reading (for those who can) versus absorbing a different way, and some of the commenters take umbrage at the idea that they have not “read” the book because they feel they have absorbed more or a more full experience (such as, possibly, seeing a well done play of Hamlet might also create) than if they had merely read it.", "But those are different points. One can use “read” casually since it often refers to whether one has been exposed to all the written words of a work, but to argue a non point (and also one that really doesn’t matter) to turn it into something else – only the internet, and modern “thought.” Read used casually refers to exposure to all the words.", "But the author is right, technically, reading is different than listening to audio, and listening to audio is a a way of absorbing a book, but it is not reading it. It can be so used, as an imprecise way of referring to that exposure, but in terms of whether one has “actually” “read” a book if one has listened to it, one has not read it. And while it’s a technicality, it is also one with some implications, for as the author (and, in different ways, commenters) points out, actual reading is also a different experience and sense of the word, whether it be fuller, lesser, more creative, less creative, richer, narrower, etc.", "I have to admit, I was a bit offended at being called dumb for believing audiobooks is reading. I’ll explain.", "I read things as a way to be subjected to new ideas, increase my vocabulary, and appreciate other peoples thought processes. Those benefits ARE my entertainment. Its always a plus if I’m enjoying what I’m listening to but entertainment is not the sole reason. People who share the experience of reading can find common ground in the content within a book whether it is read or listened to. To use you’re example, if you read Hamlet and I listen to it, we can still communicate about the excellence of Shakespeare. We can discuss the Princes thirst for revenge against Claudius or any other aspect of that great work.", "Reading, like speech, is a way of communication and I contend that audiobooks nurture a lost art that is not required when reading to oneself; listening. Maybe I am just a dumb trucker but I assert that as someone that has learned to pay close attention to the sounds of another persons voice, that perhaps I may be more receptive to, not only the ideas that an author is trying to relay in their books but the words spoken to me by any given speaker because I don’t need to see the word visually. I am more in tune with tone, inflection, pattern, etc.", "There is something special about finding a nice quiet place and cracking open a good book. It is just you, the story and the journey set before you. Audiobooks do get in the way of the natural flow of your own thoughts. If you want to read something slower to make sure you understand it right, you can, if you want to go back and check the name of the chapter, you can, if you want to skip to the back of the book to see what the author looked like, you can. If the writer put in drawings or made use of the position of the words on the page to tell a story, you miss out on that. It is possible to do all those things on a computer, but that defeats the purpose of an audiobook, to be portable, to be hands-free, to be simple.", "I can understand what you mean. It sounds like we need a new word to describe having a book read to us. “Have you audiobooked any good books recently?” doesn’t sound as nice as “Have you read any good books recently?” I suppose you could say, “Have you audioed any good books recently?”, but the meaning is a little obscure.", "Personally I like to listen to sci-fi or science textbooks while playing Minecraft. “A brief History of Time” really was brief. I probably would never have read it, but now I know that Stephen Hawking believed that a theory is only useful if it still makes accurate predictions. There is nothing wrong with old theories as long as they can tell us something about the future that we don’t already know. I am glad I listened to that book, but I will admit that I probably missed some of the other details by not personally reading it. It is a trade-off. And I think there will always be a need to read, but if audiobooks bring more people into the field of lost knowledge, the world will be better for it. There are many things we have forgotten, many types of logic that are obscure, many understandings that books bring us. The people of the past had pen and paper, and their intelligence could be our intelligence. Their fantasies, our fantasies. But don’t get in the habit of ignoring people right in front of you because you only value the opinion of people that have written books. Educate yourself, but don’t isolate yourself. Disregard me, sure, but here is the same thing from an old book.", "“The knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world, and not in a closet.”", "~ Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield 1746", "The purpose of books is to transfer knowledge from one person to another (or possibly many others) when other forms of communication are impossible. We read books written thousands of years ago because it is a more accurate way of conveying their thoughts than having the story passed from generation to generation, because words change over time and the original story fades. We read to learn. We read because those that know things can’t take the time to tell everyone that wants to know. We read because it is efficient. If someone could explain something to us in person, it would be superior to reading. If someone who was very good at something showed us how to do it in a YouTube video, almost as good. If someone told us something over the phone, we could ask questions, better than a YouTube video in some ways, worse in others since we can’t see what they are talking about. I think I got my point across. If you didn’t get it, reread all that and think about it. Most books just end, and you may not understand everything they were saying. You have to read between the lines and think about what the writer only hinted at. That is how you become smarter. If you can learn the same thing from watching a video as you can from reading a book, or having someone read you something, then it is all the same thing. The ability to read was a huge advantage hundreds of years ago, but now? Not really. Someone today could be a nuclear physicist, rocket scientist, and brain surgeon without being able to read. The ability to understand is way more important than how we get the information. Please don’t be a luddite, learn how to use new tools like the rest of the class.", "Thanks for the article and I agree completely. Reading a book and listening to an audiobook are both valid ways of consuming a book. However, reading is a defined action.", "Saying listening to an audiobook isn’t reading doesn’t invalidate it as a way to consume the book. It’s great that those who can’t read are able to consume books via audiobooks.", "Also ignore those accusing you of “ableism’ as it’s nonsense and only espoused by those perpetually offended for people who aren’t offended by what they’re getting offended over.", "For me, personally, listening to an audiobook is not the same as actually reading it. I do enjoy listening to audiobooks too, but I find that while I listen to one, I’m too tempted to do something else (load the dishwasher, put away some laundry, or I’m driving). Therefore, I tend to not be paying as close of attention to the book as I would be if I were reading a printed copy.", "Thank you for this article. I am tired of people trying to get me to “read” audiobooks. They are just as condescending to me as a bibliophile that I won’t try an audiobook. I am so tired of grown up humans who do not understand the word read. As an educator I am affronted that so many are turning future generations away from true learning and the fundamental importance of reading to the development of a learner. I appreciate you!", "What the commenters don’t seem to realise is that the OP is not saying that when you’ve LISTENED to an audiobook you haven’t experienced the book. He’s simply saying you haven’t READ the book. Which is completely true. I came here after I googled: Listening to an audiobook is not reading.", "It annoys me to no end when a booktuber says: “I’m currently reading this on audiobook.” Ehm, excuse me? That sentence makes no sense. I have no issues with audiobooks, but you don’t read them, you listen to them. People who say they read an audiobook are simply using the wrong verb. Period.", "You’re right and it’s hilarious how defensive people get when you mention that audio books are not the same as books, because you can tell they know you’re right and it makes them insecure.", "“But I don’t have time to read and now I can get through 2,000 books a year while cleaning the house, washing the kids and driving!” Yeah I’ll bet you’re really paying attention to that book…. “But I have a medical condition that prevents me from reading!” Ok so the article specifically mentioned that in the very first paragraph, nice reading comprehension there.", "Why do people read to their children? Because reading for yourself is fucking hard work. I get not wanting to do that hard work and wanting to be read to like a child but at least admit that this is what you are doing. And having the narrator make voices for you like you’re an infant is frankly pathetic. No, you’re not making your own emotional decisions, the narrator 100% affects them by the pitch of their voice and their intonation. No having the author do the reading doesn’t fix that.", "Is it impossible to really take in a book as an audiobook? No, but it’s still not reading. Because you’re not reading. You’re listening. You didn’t read an audiobook you listened to someone read a book to you. If that makes you feel like a child that’s your problem with reality.", "You are entitled to your opinion, as others have stated. However, your point is diluted because of your condescending manner and apparent superiority complex. I am wondering how much reading vs. listening has helped you.. oh, and it’s “gist”, not “jist”.", "Frankly, as an ex-special education teacher and current certified occupational therapy assistant who has worked most of her adult life with children who have special needs I didn’t think I would ever use these harsh words towards another human being but I now feel the need to say I think YOU are dumb and wrong. Dumb is not a word I like to use but in this case I will make an exception. Not everyone can sit down to read a good book. Some need to be read to. Some may not need help but prefer to listen to a book on their commute rather than listening to the radio. Some may want to hear the author’s own voice read a book. Plus, you really can use your own imagination while listening to an audiobook just like you can while reading it anyway, unless your imagination is not that great and you are dumb and wrong…..", "Actually, yes, I am. When I’m moved or intrigued or confused by something I hear, I will absolutely go back and give it another listen. Maybe five or ten more listens. And I’ll bookmark it for future reference.", "Side note: I’m sorry that you’ve never enjoyed a truly excellent audiobook. I recommend: Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One narrated by Wil Wheaton, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale narrated by Claire Danes, and Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants narrated by David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones.", "Well, you are entitled to your opinion. As are the rest of us. First, you can change the rewind time in Audible to whatever you would like. For example, mine is set at 7 seconds. You can also bookmark passages and go back to them any time. I read many books during the year and listen to many as well. I have a 30 minute commute, both ways, every week day. Audio books are a godsend. I listen to self help, biographies, fiction and plays. I bookmark things I want for later and go back to them often. Sometimes I even write them down when I finally get to my destination. I have “met” many authors this way and heard the book from their perspective…their voice. I still love a book in my hand. I have already completed 3 this year alone. But I also love the audio experience. I am on my 5th book of the year.", "I get what you are trying to say. There are clear differences, but why is your tone so demeaning. I listen to audiobooks all the time, and yes, I may miss some things in listening to it, but I wouldn’t get through near as many books if it weren’t for audible. I’m also not less intelligent because I choose the audio version as opposed to reading it myself.", "Having dyslexia prevents me from enjoying most books because of the format of the text and length of sentences. Listening to audiobooks has opened me up to enjoying most novels that I wasn’t able to when I was in high school. To let you into my world of dyslexia think of these things. How would you feel if you were reading and you kept accidentally rereading the same sentences three times? How would you feel if you got a headache after reading for just 10 or 15 minutes? Reading a book was a chore for me and I hated it. Audiobooks have allowed me to enjoy novels finally.", "You said things like listening to an audiobook prevents you from making your own emotional decisions on a book. And I’d have to disagree, after listening to a chapter of a book I would sit and think about but I just listened to. I’d analyze and pull it apart and sometimes relisten to parts of the chapter. You give me a little credit on my individual thinking.", "Also you made a comment that someone “illiterate probably” listens to the audiobook. (While I’m sure it’s a joke, it’s still kind of triggering and insensitive.) Yet here I am reading your article and able to write a response. Also I love story so much that guess what I like to write stories myself. I even went to school for it: Creative Writing Major here.", "And finally I’d like to say that people have different learning styles. Have you heard that a person best learns visually or audibly? What seemed to you get a lot out of visually reading a book, understand that I get more out of the book by listening to it. To help you understand more, I think audibly too. When I think of numbers, I hear them in my head. Some people might see the number instead though. It’s all a matter of how they can absorb information best.", "In conclusion, I think your opinion that reading is the best way to absorb a book is actually a preference. Looking down on other people who choose to read audiobooks means that you are lacking in understanding their reason for choosing such a format. I hope my example can better help you understand that every human is different and have different ways of understanding/ processing information. No one way is the right way.", "I think, when someone reads something, what we do is use this inner voice to pronounce the words that we read and in that way we listen ourselves “reading it out(in) loud” (at least this is the case of a normal student that is not fast reading a text by the means of visual recognition that require some effort and a lot of training to do so)… So in one way, reading is also listening… But I agree that many will not stop or rewind the audiobook when something complex happen with the thought, I will get that later or.. “I don’t think this was important”, missing maybe the deep meaning of the phrase… In my case, maybe because I use a different reader\\player I find myself playing the audio back and back and back 7\\10\\30 second at the time till I get it or I give up but only if I feel the book it deserves. Also I am not native English spoken…", "I believe that if a good professional reader read a book for you is even more immersing than doing it your self for the first time (I am sure they have read the book more than once in order to get the right tone to the reading). But for this to be you need to be doing nothing else than listening… Not working in the computer, or driving, or… Working in your car\\motorbike\\ikea furniture…(that’s normally me)… But some times I find this audiobook that is incredible in meaning and in reader quality and I find myself seating in the living room alone, almost in darkness listening exclusively for hours and hours this wonderful book letting it all playing in my mind and I feel like I was there, she I would feel of I would be reading it for myself.", "I think I should get extra credit for listening to audiobooks, because I can’t skim through the boring parts. Also, for not reading while driving. Plus bonus points for learning how to pronounce all those words no one ever uses in normal conversations.", "Decent points, the click bait title is off putting, but would I have read the article if there wasn’t a catchy title? No, problaly not. I will now update goodreads with only audiobooks selections, goodlisten-reads.com", "I agree with Will on this. As an ADD person I find it very hard to pick up a book to actually read it unless it’s a book on wild plants (which you can’t put into audio form). Not to mention the fact that I work for a living and am on the road a lot so I have very little time to actually read a hard copy of a whole book without losing interest.", "The topic you are addressing relates to mediational means. In cognitive development we speak of a tool that mediates between ourselves and things we want to understand or interact with. The development of mediational means allows us affordances or the value added by the use of a tool.", "The idea that printed books as mediational means are better than audiobooks suggests a bit of a naive response to mediation. Printed books and audiobooks simply provide different affordances for a learner. One is not necessarily better. People have learned through oral traditions for a long time. Reading books gave us different affordances. Both tools have advantages and disadvantages. Books allows for an individual to carry a lecture with them for instance. Now, with an audiobook, a learner can take the lecturer with them.", "James Wertsch’s research sheds light on the fact that the evolution of mediational means has always generated these kinds of reactions, decrying something new because it replaces, waters down, or corrupts something familiar. What Wertsch suggests is humans adapt to the new tools and the affordances offered by them. Some reactionary people suggest the new tool is inherently flawed, but we evolve and learn with every new tool. Think spell checker, texting, graphing calculator, etc. Each have generated a reactionary response, yet these new mediational means have all proved to be valuable new tools. So will audiobooks.", "Thank you very much! After this, I am convinced that: I am still going to count listening as reading, and no I didn’t read your article. The title is enough to stop me from keep on going. So, no thanks.", "I feel like the difference is negligible. I really and listen and as a primarily auditory learner, I find this article rather insulting. I have listened to things so profound that I have hit the “15 second back” button but you should also be aware that there are many ways to listen. Many of which supply a much more refined rewind functionality. Many narrators work with the authors when recording so any “Authorial intent” argument is mute in most cases. Though so not argue that it does not exist entirely. I simply don’t see how one can argue that one medium over another is superior. Your apparent ability to glean more meaning from written word over narration is nice and I wish I had it.", "“Have you ever seen a performance of the play Hamlet or watched Kenneth Branagh’s word-for-word five-hour film version? If yes, have you now read Hamlet? No, you haven’t.”", "Also, hi again", "Hamlet is a screen play. With your argument here in this article it would actually be worse to just read it because it was INTENDED to be seen and not read.", "Also, reading an audiobook where the author reads their own book is a magical experience. I reccomend Stardust by Neil Gaimen, if you listen with your third eye open you still get to form your own experience with the book while hearing the way the author imagines the characters to sound. Now, if you see the movie this no longer counts as reading a book, just a warning so you dont freak out.", "There is no question that what you say is so true. However, my wife has MD and see can no longer see much, never mind even read. Audio books give her a way to enjoy the story behind the book, but she and I both agree, the narrator is as important as the author. I myself find it a poor way to enjoy a book, but in her case it solves a major problem. When my sons were young I would read to them, no not for the stories sake, but to teach them that by reading as narrate the story( one case is the original hobbit) they read along side me, learning to pass me with the excitement. When the name Gandalf was coming up, they would see and I would read the name slowly, but they would yell it out and make the story more real to them. They are both in their 60’s and they still like to listen to me. Yes who the narrator is make a great deal of difference. But reading it yourself put the true meaning into each word as it flows through your mind. Thank you so much for making people realize that it’s in the reading that put true meaning to each word.", "Hey,", "Books are not accessible to a large majority of people! Be it because of learning difficulties, time, language barriers or a number of other things! Let people enjoy books in any form and stop shaming them because reading with their EYES is more important than tbe content of the book.", "Not to mention lots of people read both. I read both, I preferred print media until I had a major knock on the head and physical books became more of a challenge for me. While I recover listening to audiobooks doesnt mean I’ve STOPPED READING, it means I’ve changed format to how I currently learn best. I cant believe how narrow minded your argument is here, and it is exluding a huge swatch of people just because they dont learn like you do. Just because you dont get the full “book experience” when you listen to audio books doesnt mean thats true for others.", "Maybe instead of critizing others for how they read you could be more appreciative that so many new people have access to literature that was previously not avaliable to them!!!", "I do agree with some of this article. However to say that an audio book is less than a typed book because they are not the same is crap. If the audio book is abridged then yes they are not the same however if the book is unabridged they are the same words weather I read them or you read them to me. You just need to lean to listen better", "You make some very valid points but why degrade and belittle those who listen for various reasons?NYTimes had a thoughtful article December 8, 2018 “Is Listening to a Book the Same as Reading.” Maybe you should read it.", "I am 82 and had been reading 2 to 3 books a week. My eyes suddenly went bad and even after two surgeries I am still having trouble reading. The audio books are a good enjoyable way to pass time as TV is often pretty boring. Everyone can’t see good.", "Personally, I enjoy listening as I read the written word. It helps me stay focused and I find I absorb much more. It is well known that when we see and hear something, it is easier to understand and retain.", "I like to read–it makes me feel great. But I have a friend who’s blind, who listens to books. I’m saying this is a silly argument/article to be writing–if someone is learning and consuming stories that might enrich their lives, then let them do it with no judgement.", "At 60 years old… one of the first of many in the early seventy tested to have had dyslexia… audios saved my life ….! Starting with Dryer to hours and hours of whom every… I may not had picked up “that line” the first time but driving down the road listening pushing rewind or multiple times all six tapes. Saved my life.", "This isn’t ableist at all. I’m Autistic and have a hard time paying attention to my reading, but audiobooks are fundamentally different and are NOT reading. Any ability to make personal interpretations about how things look or sound is completely eradicated when listening to an audiobook. I could have “read” hundreds of books should I have lowered my standards for myself to using audiobooks, but I refuse- the academic rigor of reading for COMPREHENSION cannot be ignored.", "Reading feels like working my way through quicksand, but I remember every point made and almost every passage. I can’t remember a damn thing from an audiobook. Because I’m not actually paying attention. I don’t think it’s possible to pay attention to an audiobook without multi-tasking unless you have a sight impairment.", "If you can read, you should. If you can read, audiobooks are cheating.", "Audiobooks allow access for many who would otherwise not be able to read at all. My grandmother was an avid reader, a trait she passed to me. When her eyesight went, audio books were the only way she could continue her beloved hobby.", "But more than that, who are you to tell me how I should or should not enjoy my entertainment? I’m perfectly capable of reading, but sometimes I prefer audiobooks. I enjoy hearing how someone else reads it, how they interpret it. Sometimes you have the privilege of listening to the author read it, such as Douglas Adams reading Hitchhiker’s Guide. You can also get the same book read by Stephen Fry and Simon Jones and they all bring something new and interesting to the table.", "Is listening to the audiobook the same as reading it? Yea. It is. Calm yourself. Just as every human is going to have their own interpretation of their reading, everyone also has their interpretation of listening as well. Do you absorb the words of the book during both actions? Yes you do. Can I discuss a book I read with someone who listened to it? Of course.", "There are no fundamental differences. You wanna wave a hand and say “But IMAGINATION” and that would be nonsense that insinuates that the act of listening removes the imagination required to be invested in a book.", "Plus, since this is the tone you want to set here, I don’t know how much credibility we should be assigning someone who was reading cliff notes in high school. What kind of cheap cheating lazy nonsense is that?", "SpongeBob.gif “WhEn I fInAlLy wOulD REad A FUll BoOk, iT WaS LiKe mY thIRd EyE wAs oPeNEd.”", "Oh wow. Amazing. You hit high school and suddenly a reader is born and now you’re lecturing on your superiority of reading purity? Buddy, I’ve been reading multi-thousand page novels since I was 7. I lost points in Fifth grade because for book report day my analysis of the entirety of the Foundation series was “too much for the class and I needed to reel it in a little”.", "So how about we take it from someone who didn’t need to discover the mystic awakening of their third eye in high school to understand literacy.", "Your opinion is dumb and wrong. Audio books serve an important purpose. Those that depend on them *and* those that choose them are not lesser Intellectuals than you, so calm your jets cliff noter.", "I feel you have mistitled this by omitting the words “for me”.", "As an active reader and a active listener to audiobooks I could not disagree with you more. There have been multiple times where I have physically read half a series only to listen to the second half on audiobook or vice versa. Other than the odd pronunciation of a name I have never found myself in conflict with the way a narrator portrayed a character. The analogy of the video game is completely off base because in a video game you actually have control. You could say I would have done XYZ where you did ABC where in a book it’s just a book. Accents aside the author sets the tone for the characters much more so than the narrator.", "If I had to sum up the gist of this article I would probably use ” you’re dumb and wrong” listening to audiobooks is reading.", "Most of these arguments are too simple. I’ve “read” many books in audiobook format and I count them as read. The argument that I won’t go back and listen again, not true. I’ve gone back hundreds of times to listen to an important passage. I pause the book to take notes. I listen while cleaning, walking and commuting and still do the above. I’ve gone back to listen to a book again. I have also read many physical copies of books and had poorer results in how I digest and remember the information (even related to books for entertainment). While I understand that your argument isn’t to discredit them, it does appear to say it is inferior in it’s benefit and that one cannot say they’ve read a book by listening. I completely disagree. The only reasons I see to buy physical or electronic copies anymore is for intense study and note taking with particularly dense material that I’d like to reference repeatedly and quickly in the future. To that there is an advantage I can stand behind but your blanketed statement sounds more like you want to be superior for reading over listening.", "I disagree with the comment in the article “If you say listening to an audiobook is “reading” – you may as well say watching someone else play a video game is playing it. ” If you are blind, listening to an audio book or a textbook using technology to read it out loud, yes, you are reading the book. Don’t be so shallow.", "I like your thinking here, Jeremy, and just wanted to point out a possible oversight.", "While most of us can relax and enjoy digging into a good book, there are some that cannot. I, for one, can not replace the feeling of grabbing the print and going to town, sometimes finding it hard to stop.", "My daughter, on the other hand, has a high level of ADHD and just reading a book is next to impossible.", "Being able to listen to the book has enabled her to get through her books and engage on a different level with their content. This has made a huge difference in how she “reads” and comprehends the content of a book.", "Thanks for listening to this former DE’er" ], [ "Unpopular Opinion: Audiobooks DO Count as Reading!", "Controversy on my blog already? Let’s be honest, some of the divisive topics in the bookish community seem trivial in the grand scheme of things: paperback vs. hardback, book consumerism vs. supporting local libraries, Kindle vs. Nook and the most contentious of all audiobooks vs. physical books. Nothing can stir up trouble more than the debate about audiobooks. “Are you truly reading if you’re listening to an audiobook?” “It doesn’t count”. “you’re being lazy!”. So to all people who suggest that audiobooks don’t count as “real” books: mind your business. HAHAHA I’m totally kind of kidding. But in all seriousness, here is why I love and will always advocate for audiobooks:", "Reason 1: If we consider some facets of reading, namely comprehension, listening to a book is a way for us to comprehend it as well. Think about children who have not began reading independently or may not have mastered the skill of reading. Parents who read to their children expose them to sounds the words make and before a child starts to read on their own, they have experienced many worlds. Audiobooks afford us the same opportunity.", "When you think about it, audiobooks are just bedtime stories that can be read to you at all hours of the day.", "Reason 2: Audiobooks are pro-multitasking. They are a busy bookworm’s dream. While I listen to audiobooks I: commute to work, do my chores, walk my dog, lesson plan, and tend to my houseplants.", "Potting my plants and listening to audiobooks is honestly a form of therapy for me. When listening to the right book, I can feel as if I’m in another world while simultaneously nurturing a living thing.", "In my last blog post, I mentioned some of the plants I have propagated in water. It took me some time to get a system going but I have figured out how to successfully transfer a rooted cutting from water to soil. If you’re going to try it out, here are some of my tips:", "Re-use nursery pots when transferring your cuttings. You will want to make sure your plant isn’t in a pot that is too big or doesn’t have the proper drainage. Nursery pots are the best and they’re free (if you never throw them away when you repot a plant).", "Don’t leave the cuttings in water for too long. I have found the roots get a little bit too soft. It depends on the plant but it can get nice roots (about 1-3 inches)with it being in water for about 2-3 weeks.", "Make sure the plant and the water is getting proper lightning. You will still want the leaves of the plant to stay healthy.", "SOIL MIX IS VERY IMPORTANT (all caps to emphasize just how important). My soil mix includes 1 part Miracle Gro potting mix, 1 part Miracle Gro succulent potting mix, and a cup of perlite. Super basic but super successful.", "After you transfer your cutting into soil, you will want to make sure the soil stays moist but also don’t drown it. We don’t want those new roots to go into shock.", "Biggest tip of all: PRAY and have back up cuttings in water ready to go, JUST in case it doesn’t work out.", "Reason 3: Some books sound better narrated. I love a physical book but there have been SOOOO many audiobooks, with the help of some bomb narrators, that have truly transformed my reading experience. For the record, this blog STANS Bahni Turpin and Elizabeth Acevedo. I really got into audiobooks last year and at one point I was looking for books narrated specifically by these women. Voice acting is a skill. These narrators can make you feel and evoke the emotion the author intended for their readers. Some narrators are a hit or miss though but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. If I don’t like their voice, I’ll revert back to the trusty voice in my head and read the physical or e-book copy.", "Reason 4: If I still haven’t convinced you to try out audiobooks, could I also add: they can be free! I listen to audiobooks by checking them out through my local library via the Libby app. I'm able to take them wherever I go. They are downloaded directly to my phone so if for some reason I lose internet connection, the reading continues.", "If you need some recommendations, here are some of my favorites of all time:", "I challenge you to listen to at least 10 minutes of one of these books and if you aren’t hooked, I’ll cut an aglet off my least favorite hoodie!", "But at the end of the day, books are to be consumed in whatever way YOU see fit. Don’t let anyone shame what you read and how you choose to read it. Read on, folks!", "Do you enjoy audiobooks? If so, what are your faves? If not, how do you prefer to read? Do you have any plant propagation tips?" ], [ "BOOK VICES: THE PROS & CONS OF AUDIOBOOKS + DO THEY COUNT AS READING? (ANSWER: YES)", "Hey guys, welcome back to my blog! Today I’m coming at you with a new Book Vices post, and today I’m talking about why I love audiobooks, and why some people don’t! I’ve tried to be completely fair for each side, so I’ve included arguments from each side, against and for audiobooks.", "Most of these arguments are pretty good, needing a bank card, characters having the same voice, money, getting distracted. They’re all problems I have to. I get distracted when I listen to audiobooks too, for example, I was trying to listen to The Hobbit on audio this morning and was struggling with it. But, I think that’s mostly down to the author’s writing and I think I would have a similar issue if I was reading physically. For me, getting distracted usually has more to do with me or the writing than the actual audiobook, itself.", "As for money, I agree. Audiobooks can be pretty expensive. If you buy them physically on a CD they’re usually ($AUS) $50-100 per book [link]. So, you really would be racking up a debt that way. But, I buy my audiobooks via Audible which often has sales and ebook/audio deals. If I don’t buy the audiobook, however, I get the audiobook from my library for free.", "As for the other arguments like not being able to skip ahead or go back, not liking the narrator, the book being too long/slow & being able to read faster than listening. I use Libby & Audible and with those apps you can change the speed (I usually prefer 1.75x. 2.00x and 2.15x), you can set a sleep timer in case you think you might get tired, you can skip backwards and forwards, and you can bookmark whatever you’re reading. In terms of not liking the narrator though, I get that and narrators will often deter me from reading a book – if I don’t like the narrator it can ruin the whole experience but, some books, particularly with popular authors & classics, there are multiple versions to listen to so you can choose a different narrator.", "MY ARGUMENT FOR AUDIOBOOKS", "You can adjust the speed at which you listen to your book", "Most library systems (physical libraries, Libby, Overdrive) have audiobooks available for free", "Handy for long distance travel (work, holiday, school etc)", "Won’t weigh down your bag", "Not everyone has the luxury of being able to sit down and read for a few hours every day, so audiobooks are a good way to still get some reading in [link]", "It’s really ableist to say that audio isn’t a way to read. You can still be a reader if you can’t see the words.", "Helpful for pronunciation if you’re trying to learn a new language – you can always follow along with the physical book", "Often authors will narrate their own book (popular with memoirs) so you can hear the book exactly how they meant for it to be told.", "Often audiobooks for classics are available in the public domain (YouTube has a bunch)", "Some people learn better aurally than visually", "It’s environmentally friendly – no paper or ink", "Audiobooks are great for the people who don’t like reading in general but have to read a book whether that be for school or because they’re being dragged into a book club.", "I’m an avid audiobook listener so of course, I think the pros outweigh the cons. I really think that audiobooks are a great option as a way to read books. Physically reading books – whether it be in your hand, on a tablet or through braille is always amazing.", "I believe that the pros outweigh the cons because as long as you have a library around problems like money aren’t as much of a problem reading-wise. Yes, there’s still somewhat of an issue if you have trouble concentrating hearing the words versus reading them physically.", "So, to go back to the question in the title of this post: do audiobooks count as reading? The answer should always be yes: reading on your phone vs reading a physical book with real pages & ink vs listening to a book through your headphones. They all count as reading because no matter what, you’re absorbing the story, you’re taking in the plot and learning about the characters. Reading in any form counts as reading.", "20 thoughts on “BOOK VICES: THE PROS & CONS OF AUDIOBOOKS + DO THEY COUNT AS READING? (ANSWER: YES)”", "Thank you for this! I totally get that audio books aren’t for everyone, but of course they count as reading. It’s absurd that some actually think it’s controversial, it only serves as “gate-keeping” from the book community. It’s like people that don’t count crime novels and YA as “real-books” lmao Savannah go and read your leatherbounds", "Personally, I don’t read audiobooks because 1. I get distracted too easily and 2. I have too many podcasts to catch up with. But I do respect those who read audiobooks and I have also heard a lot about how audiobooks help people with reading when they just don’t have the time to sit down and take out a physical book to read. So yes, I think audiobooks do count as reading even though I don’t read audiobooks myself.", "I can completely understand that and I do struggle with getting distracted with some audiobooks, I think it’s usually down to the writing or narrator when I can’t concentrate on the audiobook. I’m jealous of #2, I can never stick to a podcast, I always forget about them and stop listening!", "Reading audiobooks is amazing if it’s your only option and you have the means to acquire them, but reading in any form is amazing in itself!", "I usually listen to podcasts when I get changed in the morning and plan in my bullet journal. But there are too many amazing podcasts out there and I could never listen to all of them and catch up with the latest episodes. 😂", "Yeah, the not really reading it thing is stupid. I wrote a blog post about it, but I agree that the point shouldn’t be “are you eyes looking at words?” unless we’re talking about school and actually trying to get a student to develop reading skills. Otherwise, you heard and comprehended and thought about the text. It’s reading.", "But I don’t like audiobooks because I can’t focus, they’re slow, and half the narrators annoy me. :p", "Exactly, as long as you’re taking and understanding the content, it should still count as reading. I mean, we’ll never win though because there are people who don’t count using an e-reader as reading.", "I can totally understand that. I usually recommend trying to listen to your favourite book on audio if you can’t concentrate but, if you don’t like audiobooks you don’t like audiobooks. Also, yes, a bad narrator can RUIN a good book.", "I don’t use audiobooks only because I don’t think they’d work for me and I have no need for them. I’m homebound, the only place I ever go is the Dr’s (and I don’t drive so I can read an ebook or physical book), and I have trouble focusing on stuff like that (which is a me thing, not the book). However they do very much count as reading and i’m so happy for all the people they work for! Maybe i’ll try them one day and find out i’m wrong about them not working for me. It’s definitely ableist to say audiobooks don’t count. Audiobooks, ebooks, physical books, it all counts as reading. A story is making a way into your noggin in any form. 🙂", "I can completely understand that! I have 2 hr trips to and from school so I find audiobooks really helpful because I don’t have to take the physical book with me, but if I was at home more throughout the book I would probably listen to fewer audiobooks too.", "If you ever try an audiobook out I recommend listening to an excerpt first to see if you like the narrator and then listening to a book you know really well. When I first tried them I listened to the Harry Potter series because I was already familiar with the plot & characters so if I missed a bit it didn’t matter as much.", "I agree everything should count as reading and it makes no sense to say otherwise!", "Thank you for linking to me post 😊 As you know, personally I can’t concentrate on Audiobooks because I am easily distracted 🙈 But it doesn’t mean that listening to audiobooks is not reading. It off course is. As far as you are able to grab a story and words, you are reading. I hate people who judge others because of their reading medium.", "I wanted to include your post to try and give a balance to each argument because audiobooks aren’t for everyone and I respect that. I think reading is reading and ebooks and audiobooks should always count. I agree, judging people because of how they read is a horrible thing to do!", "I definitely think listening to an audiobook counts as reading! I’ve only ever listened to a few audiobooks because I have the unfortunate habit of spacing out suuuper quickly. Next thing I know I’m two chapters later and I can’t remember what’s been said 😅", "I agree, I think if you’ve tried a variety of audiobooks or at least sampled a few chapters from different narrators then you have the right to an opinion. But if you’ve never tried an audiobook can you butt your nose out, please? Exactly, libraries have audiobooks for free and it’s amazing!", "(I had no idea that was considered fast! 🙈 I’ve actually been listening to a few on 2.15x lately so maybe I do have superpowers???) 😂😂😂" ], [ "When Listening to a Book Is Better Than Reading It", "Over the past few years, I have been obsessed with the work of the Australian novelist Liane Moriarty. Yes, me and everyone else. Ever since her 2014 blockbuster, “Big Little Lies,” Moriarty has become one of the publishing industry’s most dependable hitmakers.", "Although her prose is unflashy and her subject matter seemingly pedestrian — Moriarty writes tightly plotted domestic dramas about middle- and upper-middle-class suburbanites — her observations are so precise, her characters’ psychology so well realized that I often find her stories burrowing deep into my brain and taking up long, noisy residence there. It’s no wonder Hollywood has been snapping up her books as quickly as she can write them. “Big Little Lies” and her 2018 hit, “Nine Perfect Strangers,” have been turned into limited series for TV. Moriarty’s enthralling new novel, “Apples Never Fall,” which debuted last month at the top of the Times best-seller list, may also be heading to a streaming service near you.", "But now a confession: I heap all this praise on Moriarty having technically never read a word she’s written. Instead, I have only listened. The English audiobook versions of her novels are read by Caroline Lee, a narrator whose crystalline Australian cadences add to Moriarty’s stories what salt adds to a stew — necessary depth and dimension. Lee’s voice is an irresistible, visceral joy; like the best audiobook narrators, her delivery is endlessly malleable, shifting nimbly across accent, register and tone to create a sense that one is inside the story rather than peering in from the outside.", "I binged “Apples Never Fall” in a day and a half, and when I was done, I began to wonder who deserved the greater share of praise — the author or the narrator. It’s true that Moriarty’s books are difficult to put down, but would I have been as deeply hooked if they weren’t cooed by a voice that could make the Federal Register sound compelling? But if Lee’s narration really does so completely elevate Moriarty’s text, what about the people who had read the book rather than listened to Lee read it? Hadn’t they missed something crucial?", "When the market for audiobooks began to skyrocket in about the past decade, people would sometimes wonder whether they counted — that is, when you listened to the book, could you say that you had read it? It was a mostly silly metaphysical debate (in the vein of Have you really been to a city if you’ve only flown through its airport? or If you replace an ax’s handle and then you replace its blade, do you have the same ax?), but the question illustrated a deep cultural bias. The audio version of a book was often considered a CliffsNotes-type shortcut. It was acceptable in a pinch, but as a matter of cultural value, audio ranked somewhere lower than the real, printed thing.", "I rise now to liberate the audiobook from the murky shadow of text. Audiobooks aren’t cheating. They aren’t a just-add-water shortcut to cheap intellectualism. For so many titles in this heyday of audio entertainment, it’s not crazy to ask the opposite: Compared to the depth that can be conveyed via audio, does the flat text version count?", "Obviously, there are writers and subjects that translate poorly to audio; writers who excel at a kind of textual virtuosity, like David Foster Wallace, are better read than listened to. I have also had trouble listening to dense, especially technical books, mainly because audiobooks are often consumed while multitasking. (For me, there are few greater pleasures than cooking while listening to a book.)", "Yet there are just as many books that achieve a resonance via the spoken word that their text alone cannot fully deliver. Listening to a book is not only just as good as reading it. Sometimes, perhaps even often, it’s better.", "For a certain kind of literary snob, them’s fighting words, I know. But consider one of the publishing industry’s most popular genres, the memoir. When they’re read by the author, I’ve noticed that audio versions of memoirs sparkle with an authenticity often missing in the text alone. In fact, it is the rare memoir that doesn’t work better as audio than as text.", "A fine recent example is “Greenlights,” by the actor Matthew McConaughey. As text, his story is discursive and sometimes indulgent, but as audio, in his strange and irresistible staccato speaking style, it exemplifies exactly the kind of weirdness that makes him so intriguing as an actor and celebrity. As I listened to “Greenlights,” I realized how much extratextual theater was going on; there’s a way in which McConaughey, through his delivery, conveys emotion that is almost entirely absent from his text.", "Recently I have been telling everyone I know to listen to “The Last Black Unicorn,” the comedian Tiffany Haddish’s account of her rough childhood in the foster system and the many hardships she endured on the way to making it big in show business. Her narrative is compelling enough, but she is one of the best stand-up comedians working today, so it’s hardly a surprise that the tragedy and the hilarity of her story are punched up by her delivery in the audiobook. There is a riotous extended section in the memoir about her elaborate revenge plot on a boyfriend who’d cheated on her; I pity anyone who only read Haddish’s text, because the way she explains the various parts of her plan had me laughing to tears.", "As spoken-word audio has taken off, the publishing industry and Amazon, whose Audible subsidiary is the audiobook business’s dominant force, have invested heavily in the medium. Now audiobooks often benefit from high-end production and big-name voice talent, and there are innovations in digital audio — like spatially rendered sound, which gives listeners a sense of being surrounded by audio — that may turn audiobooks into something like radio dramas.", "Still, as popular as audiobooks have become, I suspect there will remain some consternation about their rise, especially from book lovers who worry that audio is somehow eclipsing the ancient sanctity of text and print.", "But that is a myopic view. Telling stories, after all, is an even older form of human entertainment than reading and writing stories. Banish any guilt you might harbor about listening instead of reading. Audiobooks are not to be feared; they do not portend the death of literature on the altar of modern convenience. Their popularity is a sign, rather, of the endurance of stories and of storytelling.", "Office Hours With Farhad Manjoo", "Farhad wants to chat with readers on the phone. If you’re interested in talking to a New York Times columnist about anything that’s on your mind, please fill out this form. Farhad will select a few readers to call.", "Farhad Manjoo became an opinion columnist for The Times in 2018. Before that, they wrote the State of the Art column. They are the author of “True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society.” @fmanjoo•Facebook", "A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 18 of the New York edition with the headline: When Listening to a Book Is Better Than Reading It. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe" ], [ "Now before you flood my comments with arguments let’s break this discussion down.", "The Literal Meaning of the Question", "I’m going to entertain the argumentative folks out there for a minute.", "You know the type. Those folks who know what you really mean, but decide to play Devil’s advocate for the fun of it.", "Yeah, I’m talking to you.", "Let’s dissect the question again, thinking about it literally.", "“Do audiobooks count as reading?”", "Two words in that question are important here.", "The first is the word “audio” and the second is the word “read.”", "Can you read audio?", "Well…no. No you cannot.", "You can read the subtitles of your favorite music video, but that still implies a medium that is visual.", "Strictly speaking, audio cannot be read.", "Are you happy now?", "Do you feel vindicated in some way that your hyper analytical and argumentative response has somehow been validated?", "Ah, but you’ve forgot one very important thing:", "The presence of a third word in that question that is crucial to our interpretation. That’s the word “book.”", "When finishing an audiobook you are finishing a book.", "Let’s say we forget about that word for a minute and instead turn the discussion back in your favor.", "Say the question were: “Does listening to a movie count as watching it?”", "This is a question that perhaps seems a little more obvious. The answer would be no. You didn’t watch it. The primary medium of a movie is visual as is the implication of the word “watch.” So to only listen would not be watching.", "Thus it’s the same with listening to a book, whose primary medium is paper which needs to be read.", "The Intent of the Question", "But let’s be real people.", "What’s the intent of the question “Do audiobooks count as reading?”", "Is the intent to dissect phraseology and deep dive into the etymology of words?", "No! Of course not.", "What, then, is the intent of the question?", "The asker wants to know if their audiobooks counts towards a reading goal, likely for Goodreads or some other similar challenge.", "If you’ve read 5 paperbacks and listened to 6 audiobooks, have you read 5 books or 11 books?", "The answer should be obvious, but let’s keep entertaining the critics among us.", "What is a book?", "It’s a gripping tale of a protagonist tangled up in an epic struggle against the antagonist and the journey that takes that character from Point A to Point B.", "The question then becomes, does the mode of your absorption of the story change the story?", "Will reading the physical copy of the audiobook you just finished change what happened.", "The answer is an unequivocal: No!", "No one can refute that. Unless it’s a magic book like the moving portraits in Harry Potter, no matter how you read it, when you read it, the story will always be the same.", "So do audiobooks count as reading?", "They absolutely do.", "The Underlying Issue of the Question", "But the discussion doesn’t end there.", "Will listening to an audiobook provide you with a different experience than reading it? And thereby is fundamentally different and apart from reading?", "Well, the answer to that question is also yes.", "Listening to an audiobook and reading the physical book are different.", "Not just in medium, but in experience.", "When you read a book, you create the voices of the characters, you interpret inflection, and you control the pace.", "But when you listen to the audiobook, you relinquish all of those things and are subjected to the interpretation of the narrator.", "No, not the interpretation of the author, but the narrator.", "This provides a wholly different interaction with the same book.", "I’ve done a lot of back and forth reading. What I mean by this is that I’ll listen to the audiobook during my commute to work in the car, but I’ll switch to the ebook on my lunch break or during my nightly reading time at home.", "I’ve found that when I read a book, I tend to skip sections in an effort to keep the story flowing, only to find that I’ve skipped too much and have to read back a paragraph or two to see what I missed.", "But an audiobook forces me to listen to every single word. It might be slower, but it restricts my tendency to skip.", "But I also find that with audiobooks, I can’t see the spelling of names or places and as a result it becomes harder for me to remember names or to spatially associate them.", "So, yes, the experiences are different.", "Do audiobooks count as reading?", "If you’re keeping score, out of the three aspects of the question: “Do audiobooks count as reading?” there are two points for “No” and only one point for “Yes.”", "Why then did I start off by saying the answer to the question is yes?", "Well because user intent trumps everything.", "The asker does not care about experiences or grammar. They care about whether it counts.", "Yes, it counts.", "You finished the story.", "Whether that story was read or listened to makes no difference.", "You went from beginning to end.", "You silently (or not for those of you that randomly whoop out loud at their books) participated as the protagonist struggled, failed, purposed to overcome, grew, and then victoriously conquered the antagonist.", "There is no need to reread the book (unless you’re into that sort of thing. I know many of you are.)." ], [ "I REALLY disliked this take. Everything about it stinks of snobbery- and I just can’t stand it. Because I have seen this argument *far too often* at this point and I’m not having it. So be prepared for an incoming RANT.", "Because where does this person get off? Even before I listened to audiobooks, I considered it reading. Simply put, audiobooks are no different to books in terms of the language, ideas and story- the only difference is how we consume the words. It does not matter if the words are visual or auditory- they are the same!!", "Now, according to this individual, the reason they shouldn’t count as reading is that audiobooks are apparently far easier to read. To which I’d respond, A) why’d you care? Reading doesn’t have to be a chore and B) who says so? A quick google search will tell you that in the general population 65% of learners are visual and only 30% are auditory. I can attest to my own experience that I struggled to get into audiobooks for a long time because I found it required more concentration, not less. Of course, this matters only in so much as you care about other people’s reading stats (which I’ve previously established is a weird thing to do).", "In fairness to this poster, there is the caveat that this doesn’t apply to people with vision problems (and presumably they will make allowances for others with differing needs). Not only does this come across as patronising, like we all need this person’s permission to engage in our hobbies as we choose, but it doesn’t actually change this individual’s perspective. Listening to audiobooks either counts as reading or it doesn’t (spoiler alert, it does). It’s still “not reading” according to them- yet the author of the post feels slightly bad about holding this standard when it comes to people with disabilities (basically because they realise it’s wrong).", "In truth, I find this take especially bizarre since oral storytelling is the oldest form of literature. From fairy tales to the Iliad, it’s where the tradition of stories began. There is an almost forgotten artistry in sharing our world in this way- a textured ability to build up a narrative and communicate more than we can simply see.", "Hearing stories also happens to be how most of us begin to engage with literature. We hear stories before we have the ability to read in visual form. We form some of our greatest reading memories from this. That connection to the childhood pleasure of storytelling is part of why I love audiobooks so much- and why I will defend them and recommend them to everyone.", "Arguing audiobooks shouldn’t be considered reading reeks of a desire to put other readers down and is flat out wrong. You don’t have to like audiobooks. And you don’t have to engage with them. But you ought to respect them as books. You cannot decide otherwise just because you have a misguided desire to feel superior. Snobbery has no place here.", "Alright- what do you think? Are you a fan of audiobooks? Do you think they count as reading? Let me know in the comments!", "Post navigation", "53 thoughts on “Stop the Audiobook Hate”", "I love AITA too and that’s a very pretentious take by the person. People like reading in different ways and have their own preferences. Just because you don’t do something doesn’t necessarily make it bad or wrong.", "I’m personally not a fan of audiobooks, because as you said, it requires more concentration for some people (aka me). I lose track of the plot and prefer having something visual in front of me that I can potentially go back to. I sometimes listen to audioplays regardless (like The Sandman or Daisy Jones and the Six) and find those a bit easier. But all of that is just personal preference. Audiobooks count as reading either way and I’m equally as tired of people claiming it’s easier or not as valid. You’ve consumed a story, that’s it!", "I totally understand that and really relate (I used to find it too hard to concentrate on them). But yes, some books work so so well in audio form (like daisy Jones and sandman) and books like that opened my eyes (or rather ears 😉) absolutely!!", "There are also people out there who will say that they prefer physical books to ebooks, or who don’t believe that reading a graphic novel ‘counts’. I really cannot see why any of these things matter. There are so many ways to enjoy a story, should we not embrace all of them?", "Definitely agree that audiobooks are a form of reading (not to mention for those with visual impairment) I have family members who are dyslexic and use audiobooks to read. And I’ve listened to audiobooks during long drives to entertain me. My friend listens to audio books to and from work, and while cleaning the house and doing her ironing to make the best use of her time. I also have elderly in-laws who listen to audiobooks because arthiritis makes it painful to hold a physical book for long periods of time.", "Discounting audiobooks as reading is just showing someones ignorance to other peoples situations. We already have issues with bookbanning, we don’t need someone gatekeeping audiobooks as well.", "On a side note: I can read a book faster than I can consume an audiobook, so it takes time and dedication to", "Yeah, when I read that AITA post I was just like…”why do you care at all?” Like it doesn’t affect another person how someone consumes a media? Why is this even a topic that comes up so often?! Let people live, man. And yes, it is so weird to obsess about other people’s reading stats! We always say to not compare the number of books you read to another’s, so let’s not judge another person’s reading stats either. I don’t get it!", "Also, I hadn’t even thought about how we all start off just listening to stories. It’s the original way we consume books. That is an excellent point!", "The funny thing is that I don’t see anyone saying graphic novels or comics don’t count as reading. Like audiobooks they are a different way of consuming a story. There are graphic novels that don’t have any words in them. Do those count as reading? That an absolute yes.", "As someone who been having vision problems for about a year now, gee I didn’t know I needed solely one person permission to count audiobooks as reading. *sarcasm*.", "100% agree with this post. I seen so many other bloggers talk about this and add an -ist suffix at the end of able as a reason for people not liking audiobooks. Like that makes them smart and rational. It does not.", "Sadly I have seen that I just don’t understand why, but people like to gatekeep other people’s reading.", "I really relate- one of the main reasons I’ve shifted my own habits is to do with my own vision problems. I simply would not be able to read as much if I was relying on physical or ebooks… And do not need this person’s permission to rest my eyes 😅", "I continue to be baffled by this whole thing, as well. If people want to be technical and use the term “listening” instead of “reading,” whatever, I guess. I can be pedantic, too, so I can excuse that in others! But when they get into the “it’s not real reading,” thing, I agree it makes no sense and just seems weirdly like they want to declare themselves “better at reading books” than other people. We’re not in second grade and no one is assessing our reading level and there are no prizes, so why?", "When I ask someone if they’ve read a book, I am generally trying to have a conversation with them about that book. I want to talk about things like whether they liked the main character or what they thought about the prose or the themes or what they think will happen next. And it is possible to have that conversation whether they “listened to the audiobook” or “read the physical book,” so why would I care which one they did???", "Yes same. Haha I hear you- I can be pedantic too, which is what I initially thought they’d say, but then they start saying it shouldn’t be counted in people’s stats, and just…. Why would you care about that? And why do you need to feel superior about how you read? Haha yes!!", "Yes absolutely!! A lot of the time it’s completely irrelevant (it only becomes relevant when you’re recommending a particular format)", "As someone who both loves audiobooks and also needs audiobooks due to disabilities (I have chronic migraines and chronic fatigue, both of which make reading physical formats really painful), I 100% agree and I too am so beyond done with the constant discourse. Beyond it being ableist, I also find it weird since, like you, I always point out that stories were first consumed in the oral tradition. There is also a tinge of a Western-centric worldview with the obsession with written stories too, as many Indigenous American and African societies solely used oral tradition until colonization, which mean many BIPOC mythology and folklore is instantly dismissed from being part of “The Canon.” Further, scientists have found time and time again that your brain processes a story the same whether you’re listening to it or reading it with your eyes! So it genuinely does just come down to personal opinion! Great post 🙂", "I don’t get it either. I don’t read audio books as I don’t think that they would hold my attention as well and also, they take much longer than when I read to myself. However, the story and words are the same which ever method you use to read them.", "As a novice writer, I see “read as much as you can” a lot as a piece of writing advice. It’s not incorrect, but (beyond just acquiring a command of writing a language) what it actually means is “consume as many [works of your chosen type] as you can.”", "Reading books (again, talking about prose here) is not limited to the act of identifying ink symbols on a sheet of pressed paper. It’s the act of consuming and processing information, and in the case of fiction, stories, in a prosaic/narrative form.", "Whether the story gets told to you or you read it yourself is completely secondary. There are people who are neither visual nor auditive learners, but who learn much better from stories regardless of format. If reading was the same as just visual recognition, then you wouldn’t have that kind of distinction.", "Wow, I can’t believe people are still making an issue of this! I feel that there have been snobs saying audiobooks don’t count for years… and why do they care? As you say, there’s a weird fixation on what other people read. Who cares if my total for the year is higher than someone else’s? Who cares if my numbers include audiobooks? It’s just a weird thing to even bother about, in my opinion. Enjoying a book is enjoying a book, period… and if the person making the complaint makes an exception for people who are physically unable to read printed material, then they’re negating their entire point right there. Audiobooks are books! (So yes, my response to the AITA question is — definitely yes!)", "Sorry. I don’t like audio books and I don’t count it as reading. Whenever I’m in book club with people who listened, 90% of the time they missed important things, like no recollection of certain scenes or plot points. They had no self picture of what a hat after looked like. Admittedly they got a vivid sense of place for description.", "THANK YOU!!! I drive 30 miles each way for work and would not be able to read at all without audio books. This person’s perspective s fairly narrow and shows a certain level of privilege they are not accounting for.", "I dunno. I don’t think it’s necessarily a slam to say that something is not reading. They are two different learning channels, both using language, but reading by definition is visual. It’s like, I dunno, you went on a spinach or a kale diet. Both are accomplishments, but spinach ain’t kale.", "For me, it is actually much harder to focus on spoken words than on printed words. My mind is always wandering during the sermon, for example. For my husband, it’s the opposite. He cannot not listen when someone is speaking or when music is playing. He hears every word. I’m waiting for the audio versions of my books to come out so that he can finally … enjoy … them.", "Hehe I can understand a bit of pedantry, however once someone is worrying about other people’s stats and saying effectively that it doesn’t count as consuming the book, then there’s an issue. To use your kale/spinach analogy, your stomach will be just as full from either one 😉", "I can understand that. I also have more visual tendencies (but, mostly for vision reasons, have shifted my habits).", "Yeah definitely. I wouldn’t argue the person hasn’t absorbed the content. For example, I hadn’t read Hegel or Gramschi or Foucault, but now I have listened to podcasts that excerpt from, analyze, and summarize them extensively. I still don’t say “I’ve read …” just because I’m pedantic I guess haha! And even if I had personally read them with my eyeballs, it would have been in translation anyway, so if someone wanted to be a snob they could ding me on that.", "WHAT? Who says audiobooks isn’t reading, send them to me and I’ll set them straight 😉 No seriously though, I get you points and agree completely. No matter how you consume the book you are getting the story experience, for damn sure it counts as reading! 😀", "I’m not a fan of audiobooks as they aren’t for me. I get distracted too easily and having a kid at home I actually need to keep my ears open! But I don’t have anything against them and they sure count as reading. Books are books no matter the format.", "Socrates/Plato would probably have something to say to that anti-audiobook guy, given how they seem to prefer the oral tradition over the new written upstart. But seriously, what is with all these book gatekeeping folks? I saw one recently who was trying to argue that all books should have a minimum word count and I was like… huh??", "I adore audiobooks! I have lengthy commute, that is bearable because of the audiobooks I listen to. To say audiobooks is not reading is ableist and rude. My daughter struggled with reading, but enjoyed audiobooks as it let her share in the love of stories in books that her friends were reading.", "Personally, I don’t prefer audio books but that is only because I like the act of reading itself and holding a book in my hand. But I do think this is just a personal preference and I do feel that audio books are a legitimate form of reading for those who enjoy them. They do serve the same purpose as reading a book and so we can’t say they are less valuable.", "I feel like people can get very pedantic over language (read vs listen), but strangely enough only with this issue! And when you bring up Braille as in do they say people ‘feel’ those books, they go very quiet because no one said that someone felt their book and expect to be understood. Nor do they say that someone using Braille to read books isn’t ‘really reading’. But like you mention, they wouldn’t say to someone with vision problems (or, I’m assuming, someone with dyslexia) that they’re not actually reading books when using audiobooks, so why is it okay to say to other people who are using audiobooks for other reasons? (Yes, I’ve recently had this discussion and it annoys me still).", "I really don’t understand where people pulled this narrative of audiobooks not not being real reading, you are getting the exact same story as would using a physical book so their point makes no sense. And I can’t help but laugh when people say it’s easier than actually reading the book. The whole reason I cant get into audiobooks is because I find them much harder and can’t focus on them long enough to actually get what is happening in the story unless it’s a book that I know really well.", "Maybe because I grew up with books and audiobooks weren’t really something I thought about much. I still don’t.", "It’s something else but I sometimes try it with podcasts and only once in the last few years where I tried reading + listening at the same time. It’s helpful for listening to various types of dialects at some sort. Maybe, I’ll do that more often, it was fun so far.", "To your question: I don’t really dislike or like audiobooks. Just never really thought – or think – of them." ], [ "Listening to an Audiobook Is Not the Same as Reading a Real One", "Don’t fool yourself", "“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”", "Two days ago, Ray Bradbury would have been 100 years old. If he could comment on his observation from 1993, he’d probably conclude we’re succeeding.", "In 1953, Bradbury published Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian vision of the world in which books are illegal and so-called “firemen” burn any that remain.", "40 years later, he understood we didn’t need law and fire to destroy the written word: We just had to make sure we’re too busy to look at it.", "In 1993, it was tabloids and TV. Today, it’s the internet and video games. None of these things are inherently bad. They’re just too seductive — and we’re too weak to prioritize what’s important.", "However, even Bradbury couldn’t have anticipated the world’s most ingenious installment in tearing us away from turning the page. Instead of distracting us from books altogether, it now seduces us with an innocent prompt:", "“If you don’t have time to read, why don’t you just listen?”", "Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment of publishing. In the US, $1.2 billion worth of them were sold in 2019, eclipsing ebooks by more than 22%.", "Publishers love audiobooks because they can sell them with zero marginal cost of production. Once you’ve made the thing, you can let as many people download it as you want. Each extra paperback requires, well, extra paper.", "Authors love them because for a few hours of recording, they might add another 50, 100, 200% in revenue for the work they’ve already done.", "Listeners love them because you can fit audio into all kinds of cracks in your day. Pressing play takes zero commitment, but it’ll satisfy your curiosity and desire to feel like a smart, knowledgeable person. Unfortunately, much of that feeling is hollow.", "Naval’s criticism is harsh, but he has a point: “Listening to books instead of reading them is like drinking your vegetables instead of eating…" ] ]

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