Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion
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Introductions and Pre Challenge Chat!
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Can't say I understand how it is cheating though as the audio takes a lot longer to listen to than reading a book and you don't have the luxury of skimming parts you don't like!
I also only started with audio about three years ago and I do love finding a good narrator. There have been some books I've just had to give up on and get the paperback as the narrator really makes all the difference. David Suchet reading Hercule Poirot, Tim Curry reading the Sabriel series and Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter are particular favourites.
Karsyn wrote: "Karla wrote: "Karsyn wrote: "Karla wrote: "Karsyn wrote: "Karla and Lindsay, how are y'all doing?"You're doing awesome!
I've only been able to read 16 pages, I was really late to get started an..."
I did finish
. I really enjoyed it. I've started
. It isn't what I thought it was, instead of being one story, it's a few short stories. I'll probably just finish one of the stories and find another book to begin.
Alex wrote: "I feel like an old man with my stance of not liking audiobooks. To me the point is to actually read the books and listening feels like cheating."I was exactly the same way! I don't put audiobooks on my read list, I have a separate shelf for them. I also won't count any in this challenge about reading 1 million pages, since I didn't read them, I listened to them.
I am a audiobook lover! But we also need to keep in mind that there are many reasons people use audiobooks,, And isn't it a fabulous thing that audiobooks can open up the world of books to so many more people!I think we are getting hung up on the word "read"and I think it is a matter of personal opinion, in my opinion I have read a book even if I have listened to it.
It actually takes me longer to read a book then it does to listen to one. I read every single word. I think I make such a distinction between reading a book and listening to an audiobook because my parents were told that I would never be able to read (or play sports) when I was born. I had a birth defect and a lazy eye. It's kind of a big deal that I defied the doctors and can read! My eyes don't focus sometimes and I have to shake my head to get them to refocus. Because of this, I can't read that fast. So, it is a success every time I finish a book, one I'm a bit proud of.
And you should be proud! But there are some people that aren't as lucky as you, so perhaps the only way they can ever truly read a book is by listening to it. But as it has been said many times, it ultimately is a personal choice and a personal decision and a personal preference :-)
Berit wrote: "And you should be proud! But there are some people that aren't as lucky as you, so perhaps the only way they can ever truly read a book is by listening to it. But as it has been said many times, it..."Which is why I only make the distinction between reading a book and listening to one with myself. I don't make that distinction with other people.
I agree with you Karen, narrators make a TON of difference! I actually tried my first ever audiobook because of the narrator. My Hubby and I were fans of a quick run reality show here called "Whodunnit". They put 12 everyday people into a house together. One of them was the "murderer" and they had to figure out who. Each week, one person would be "killed" off and they all had to figure out who the killer was.So my first audiobooks were the tie in books ~
&
because I loved the narrator, who was the butler on the show, the one who ran the game basically. STILL love him as a narrator, he read some of Andy McDermott and still reads all the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka. From there, I discovered Jim Dale and his work on The Night Circus, which took me to him doing the Harry Potter books. Besides Jim Dale, my favorite narrators are probably less known than others. I adore Gildart Jackson (the butler from above), R.C. Bray (his narration of The Martian was flawless), Julia Wheylan (she does a lot of romance like the Nora Roberts books), Jeffrey Kafer (does action stuff from Jeremy Robinson) and Sean Mangan (more action, does most of Matt Reilly's stuff).
Narrators have ruined books for me. Off the top of my head, I remember that the narrators for
&
being exceptionally bad to me.
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I find some authors just pick good narrators (or their publishers anyway) like Stephanie Daniel who narrates the Phryne Fisher series or Jojo Moyes and Kate Mosse books which have different narrators but they are always good
I'd like to second a recommendation for listening to R.C. Bray read Andy Weir's The Martian. I listened to this book while on my recent road trip and R.C.B. did SUCH a fantastic job. I laughed, I cried. I was riveted. And as I was driving at the time, I was also glad that I didn't crash. ;-)
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I started listening to that one, but I got so caught up in the story that I was too impatient to listen to it and ended up picking up the hardcover from the library and devouring it! Then I had my husband listen to it and he loved it too but was more patient than me and listened to it all ;)
We are going to see the movie tomorrow at a "babes in arms" session. Can't wait
I love both reading and audiobooks. Audio allows me to get through many more books than I otherwise would because I can use them during times where I can't read, like driving, cleaning etc. My partner often says to me he thinks it's cheating, but the way I see it is, by the end of the audiobook I can have as good a discussion about it with someone as I can if I read it, I've gained great enjoyment out of it (which is the point of books in the first place) and I might not otherwise have got to enjoy it if I had to wait to read it because I would be consuming about 1/3 less books a year. Listening still takes time and it has to be active listening as well, just like reading a book you can still drift off if you don't actively listen. I still have to devote time to an audiobook, it's just a different sense that I consume the book with. However, I do understand that some people would view it as cheating - my boyfriend being one, and that's even though he loves listening to audiobooks on long drives as well :)
Karen wrote: "LolI started listening to that one, but I got so caught up in the story that I was too impatient to listen to it and ended up picking up the hardcover from the library and devouring it! Then I had..."
I went and saw at the movies yesterday Karen and thoroughly enjoyed it, they did a pretty good job of reproducing it as a movie I thought :)
Just signed up a little while ago, but then got reading the 8 pages of post, wow you people are chatty.I am looking forward to the challenge, I have don't monthly reading challenges before, but this sounds different. Looking forward to seeing what the "Challenge" is.
Thanks for all the work I am sure many of you are putting in to make this happen.
PS: Audio books, as with most things, have a place. Both for when we can't have our eyes on a books, like when driving, and for people that for one reason or another can't read. Personally, I can count on one hand the amount I have listened to, but my brother almost exclusively does audiobooks. To each his own.
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Welcome Alison!
Any Dewey's still up?Just finished up the 1st novella of a 3 part book (my 7th total for Dewey's), but I wasn't interested enough in the story to go with the other books right now. Gonna see which one of these other two I wanna listen to, which will get me to right around 7am. If I finish it up by then I'll probably listen to the last hour of the book I started on, um, Fri I think it was? Too late/early ~ too little sleep ~ too little brain functions going on. :D
We can't wait to see The Martian. Gotta wait til whenever it comes out on video! So long!! :(
I do want to make it clear, as I am not sure it was in my original comment, that this opinion is of my reading style. I have absolutely no issue with anyone else using audiobooks. I do not think I would be as engaged listening to audio as holding the actual book.By complete accident I seem to have stepped on the first toes of the competition. *runs off*
Karsyn wrote: "Any Dewey's still up?Just finished up the 1st novella of a 3 part book (my 7th total for Dewey's), but I wasn't interested enough in the story to go with the other books right now. Gonna see whic..."
I'm still up, it's only Midnight here. You're doing great!
Karsyn, I'm participating in the Dewey Readathon. I just started my third book. My first was only a novella; it was the prequel story to my second read: a 422-page Hardcover that took me what felt like forever to finish. I just don't read as fast as I used to, sadly. You've read seven? Wow! That's great! Congratulations. :-)
Alex wrote: "I do want to make it clear, as I am not sure it was in my original comment, that this opinion is of my reading style. I have absolutely no issue with anyone else using audiobooks. I do not think I ..."Alex, you may have started it off a "discussion"
But I personally, having read your original post, don't think you stepped on any toes. Additionally, I was just chiming in.
I agree with Alison, to me it was just a discussion. It's an interesting topic I think :)
Me 4. :) I agree. It was just conversation, even if lively conversation. :)
Awesome Jen, I hope you are having a great time! :)Yeah, I'm on my 8th. I had some short ones though, and none much over 250 pages. I wanted to go variety and short this time, get in a few that were too short for challenges. I've read (by my count) 1 short story, 2 novellas and 4 books on the short side (250ish pages).
Mod
I did a couple of Shakespeare narrations as audiobooks before but never actual books - not until Dresden anyway.
I've started listening to the Harry Potter books as well (rereads for me) as they're narrated by Stephen Fry and I really enjoy listening to him as well.
But I agree that it really, really depends on the narrator. I listened into the audio for Origin and it was terrible. So I stuck to reading it.
As for Storm Glass.. it probably would've been better to read it, but honestly, that trilogy was a fairly big disappointment to me one way or another ;-) (Especially after loving the Study series.)
And no worries, Alex, stating that kind of thing is definitely not stepping on anyone's toes :-)
I highly agree with you Eldarwen about Storm Glass. I too loved the Study series and with Storm it was a different narrator, and the story was just awful for me. I didn't even finish out the series and didn't go onto Shadow Study because of it. :/ The narrator didn't help, but either way it just wasn't a good book. :(
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I haven't completely ruled Shadow Study out. Storm definitely left a bad taste in my mouth so I had been done with it for a little while. I was thinking about just waiting til the trilogy was finished and getting back to it then. Hopefully by then I will have forgotten about Storm. :)
I started listening to audio books because the local radio personalities were driving me insane and I never looked back. They also help me push through boring parts. There are some YA books I listen to that put sounds effects in their books. That drives me insane!!! I do prefer reading books to listening to them, but like many of you have realized there are to many books out there and not enough time to read them:)Alex, my toes are just fine. I enjoy a topic that has multiple thoughts in the wee hours of the morning....BTW Good Morning.
Read-a-Thon-ers ~ How did it go for you? Here's how I did. Now I'm ready for a nap!!
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Audio listening time/pages: 10 hrs / 930 pages
Kindle reading time / pages: 8 hrs / 685 pages
Total number of books I've read: 8.25
Total Pages Read: 1,615 pages
Total Time Read: 18 hours
Completed Books:
Started prior to RaT
(for Dewey's started @ 68%)
Kindle
Audio
Karsyn wrote: "Read-a-Thon-ers ~ How did it go for you? Here's how I did. Now I'm ready for a nap!!
-------------
Audio listening time/pages: 10 hrs / 930 pages
Kindle reading time / pages: 8 hrs / 685 pages
To..."
That's fantastic, Karsyn! Way to go!!!
I was only able to get three stories read. Finished the third just in time, about 30 minutes ago. :-)
Here's my short recap:
Read 2 on Kindle: 1 novella, 1 book
Read 1 in Hardcover: book
Total pages: roughly 743
Total time: 20 hours, minus time spent making online updates, taking care of self, and being distracted by son (a two-year-old puppy).
Even though I only managed to read three stories, I'm feeling pretty happy. It seems to me that I spent more time actually reading for this Readathon than I managed for the one in April. Let's hear it for maturity! My son (puppy) is finally maturing! :-)
I have to admit I am amazed that you all can read that fast. I have never actually been able to read for a solid 24 hours, but I don't know if I could do 500 pages, much less the numbers you two are saying.Way to Go!!!
Like anything involving endurance it is something you must build up. There are exceptions like the time I read the last 200 pages in the first Mistborn book in one afternoon because I was super into it and had to finish.
I read faster than audiobooks, but I often use a text to speech app to listen to my books so I can do other things throughout my day, like cleaning and crocheting. I go through a lot of books :)
I think it was a good discussion, and a very common argument, I even have this argument with my kids, they also believe it is cheating.But just think how many things would not get done around this house if it weren't for audiobooks, they would have no clean clothes, no food, no clean house, ETC. Oh yes and most importantly know happy mommy!:-)
Awesome job Jen! That you enjoyed it is what mattered!! Yay for reading more than you did before. How was The Drafter? It's on my TBR.
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Ah. Alex, you just reminded me that I must get back to that series!
So far I have only read the first Mistborn book but do want to continue the series. I also have the Malazan series to finish and want to get to the Wheel of Time series and the other Sanderson books on top of my library project (don't ask). So many books so little time.Part of my audiobook stance also comes from the love of having a book in my hand and the love of seeing my books neatly organized on my bookshelf by authors last name, any other way would be a crime unto humanity and all things decent.
Mod
Alex wrote: "So far I have only read the first Mistborn book but do want to continue the series. I also have the Malazan series to finish and want to get to the Wheel of Time series and the other Sanderson book..."I like the Mistborn series, the first was significantly better than the last two. If you are holding the next WoT book (best fantasy series ever) or The Way of Kings (which is the best book I'v read in years) than let the final Mistborn books grow dust. Which WoT book are you on?
My first audio was The Help, I was skeptical prior to that, but it was a perfect one to take the plunge with!I like storytelling in any fashion, audio, visual, etc.
Like you Alex, I love the feel of a book in my hand and the smell of paper :D That's why the book industry makes lots of money off of me because I'll often buy the paperback if I've loved the ebook or audio book ;)
Not against kindles as much as just do not use them because they are not allowed at work and books are.
I haven't started the WoT series but it is one I would like to get into at some point. I bought The Way of Kings as a Christmas gift to myself last year and still have not read it because of other books getting in the way. I do recommend the dark and gritty Malazan series of which I am on book 4 but have not cracked it in a long time. Gardens of the Moon is the first book in the series.
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Sophie wrote: "The challenge hasn't even started and already my TBR shelf is feeling the pain..."Lol, you might as well start the expansion remodelling of it now ;)
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Did a reasonably thorough restructure a few weeks ago! Think it was about the most fortuitously timed thing I've done in a long time.
wow you guys are primed to go I feel as if I am already lost in the dust. will make a valiant effort to contribute to my team.
Nothing But Reading Challenges
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I listen to audiobooks whenever I drive and to get to sleep but, I'll tell you a secret: I don't really see it as reading either. It's somewhere between watching TV and listening to music as far as I'm concerned.