Audiobooks discussion
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Do You Think Listening to a Book is Cheating?
Lest we think it's a modern innovation (among teenagers), I believe it was in Middlemarch where one of the upper crust guys threw in "you know" in ... like ... every other sentence, which was GLARINGLY obvious in audio!
Hi I'm new to this site and I wondered about this "listening vs reading" on a number of occasions. I would never have tried them myself, had it not been for a neighbour of mine lost his sight after a long illness, and I offered to collect the CDs from the library for him and/or download "audible" books.
Once I'd given them a go myself, I found I really enjoy listening to a good novel on the way to work or whilst out walking. I don't consider it cheating, but just another format available to us.
My only advice is, try to avoid readers with voices that annoy. I've had a couple of good books ruined by a grating or whiney voices.
I have never heard the term "cheating", or anything like it, used to describe listening to books - have any of you, besides the original poster?P. S. Welcome, Chris!
Kaaren wrote: "Also, when listening I discovered everyone in Parker's books "says" everything-- he said she said they said, etc. NEVER any other form used..." I agree that the "he said" and "she said" that Parker always writes is annoying in audio versions of his books. I do like it in print, however, because I can easily ignore the tags and let the conversation flow.
How can listening to an audio book be cheating? I love a good audio book and look for my favorite voices all the time. I can download them for free at podiobooks.com and iTunes. Whomever listens to an audiobook is still getting the essence of the book and is able to multi-task to boot. You can even get sound effects other than your family members who are disturbing you as you try to relax and read.
It's all about a level playing field. I think audiobooks provide access to books for all despite reading ability. And it gets down to time....great to be able to listen on the go when reading is not an option. I love audiobooks and the extra versatility and they provide.
Hi all- I am new to the group and am glad to know there's somewhere I can come to get recommendations on books and narrators. I love to read but my life does not allow me the time to enjoy a book the way I used to. I do a lot of driving for my job and I always have a book in the CD player. I don't think it's cheating at all. I grocery shop and read. I clean house and read. I love being able to do more than one thing at a time and have at least one of them be so enjoyable.
I also work part time in a bookstore and parents come in all the time looking for audio books that their kids can listen to while they follow along with a printed copy.
My own view is that sitting down in your comfy chair and cracking open a new hardback is not the same experience as listening to the same work of literature in an audiobook format. But neither is reading the same book as an ebook on a PDA in ten-minute intervals on the subway. Or skimming a highlighted, underlined, and annotated used paperback while preparing for a college class discussion. Or being ushered into a library's rare books room, being issued white gloves and studying the original manuscript.We read in many different ways for many different purposes. There are lots of things about different delivery routes that can have an effect on how we perceive the words and how deeply our minds interact with the author's. When the words on the paper or the reader's voice disappears, and I'm completely taken away from where I am, that's what I consider to be reading and that doesn't depend on the medium.
Hi Everyone.. I am new to the group. I was so thrilled to see there was a group dedicated to Audio Books. To amswer the question, I don't care if anyone thinks it is cheating or not. I am not reading books to impress anyone but rather to enrich my life and maybe make a few friends. For me it makes the best (safe) use of what would otherwise be mindless driving time. I love audio books and love others who embrace it. We just need to get more converts because most of the audio book clubs I have joined over the years in order to buy/rent audio books have all gone out of business. Right now our skeptics are winning in the market place.
Welcome, Edward -- we're looking forward to hearing what you're reading!
It most certainly is not cheating. However, if I don't like a reader's voice, it can be hard to listen to a book. The voice in your head, of course, is always better but some days you just want to close your eyes and "read" with your ears.
I work with students who are blind or visually impaired. Audio books are a major access point to literature for my students. I know that audio books also help others with dyslexia or difficulties with print. In addition to that I would add myself to the list of individuals who sometimes find comprehension a little easier through the auditory channel. I do read plenty of print but sometimes I find listening to the language a preference.
Katherine -I think when challenged that the visually impaired "cheat", the original poster's person would sputter, "That's not what I meant!" I repeat my opinion that folks who feel that way probably assume audio = abridged.
I'd like to move this thread in a slightly different direction, rather than starting a new one.
An acquaintance from another site has said she cannot bring herself to listen to a book unless she's either read it (in print) before, or has a print copy available, for fear of "missing something" -- I find that concern rather ... misplaced (shall we say), and a waste of her audible credits. Agree ... with me ... or her?
I'm a really bad reader. I love to read, but I must have some form of mild dyslexia or something, because I cannot for the life of me read a line, then move to the next line, then the next, etc. My eyes bounce around the page and I end up reading most of the words, but not really in order... When I'm wide awake, I mostly figure out the details I've missed from context, but when I'm tired? Forget about it! And if a book is fast-paced and exciting, I skim even more, then I end up having to go back and read parts completely over again because I missed something important!SO, for me, if the book is interesting and the audiobook is read well, I get more out of the story listening than reading. I am forced to actually "read" every single word IN ORDER and that makes it all make so more sense. Plus, with all the rereading I do, the audiobook doesn't end up being THAT much longer than sitting and reading!
I also don't have very good memory for words I've read. I can reread books after about 3 months and not really remember any of the smaller details of a book. I remember books I've listened to far better than ones I've physically read.
John wrote "An acquaintance from another site has said she cannot bring herself to listen to a book unless she's either read it (in print) before, or has a print copy available, for fear of "missing something" -- I find that concern rather ... misplaced (shall we say), and a waste of her audible credits. Agree ... with me ... or her?
You, definitely. But I do think that people have different ways of processing information - some seem to do better with written word, some with pictures, some with audio. I happen to do best with audio then written word but I know people who just can't retain what they hear nearly as well as what they see - so perhaps your friend just has a different innate learning style.
You, definitely. But I do think that people have different ways of processing information - some seem to do better with written word, some with pictures, some with audio. I happen to do best with audio then written word but I know people who just can't retain what they hear nearly as well as what they see - so perhaps your friend just has a different innate learning style.
One thing I am finding about audio books..I, too, have always been a voracious reader ...gobbling books down and probably skimming a little too much... (as many rabid readers do) ..As a result, I think I could often miss out on many subtleties..
Audio books do generally take longer to get through (at least for me) but because of their mobility and ease of use: I am able to gt through more books by listening. And I am able to listen when I am totally spent and exhausted. No worry for weary eyes.
I also found certain books..:(like "The Road") , are much more compelling as an audio book. The beauty of the language just sings through in ways that the movie could not capture..and my old reading habits might have missed..
The performance of the narrator is certainly key...but I have no patience to complete an audio book unless the material itself is compelling.
A wonderful narrator can only do so much.
I don't think the audio book should replace the hard copy..but I really find it to be a wonderful alternative.
Rosanna wrote: "One thing I am finding about audio books..I, too, have always been a voracious reader ...gobbling books down and probably skimming a little too much... (as many rabid readers do) ..As a result, I ..."
Haha, guilty of the skimming. But now I have to be careful what I listen to on iPod, I was listening to Dean Koontz' Intensity while on the treadmill one time and almost fell off I was so engrossed.....not to mention muttering aloud in response to stupid things the protagonist was doing
Bernadette wrote: "John wrote "An acquaintance from another site has said she cannot bring herself to listen to a book unless she's either read it (in print) before, or has a print copy available, for fear of "missin..."I have found that if you're not a good listener, you will find audiobooks very exhausting. I'm glad to have another way to ingest books lots of books. It's almost like listening to private conversations.
It's no more cheating than it is to attend a lecture or to listen to a sermon or speech or a dialogue. You have to interact with the material you hear or it's lost to you. Listening demands your attention in a way that you will only benefit you in the long run. You become more careful in your reading. I have found that there are nuances sometimes glossed over when you read that you will quickly pick up when you listen attentively.
Rosanna wrote: "One thing I am finding about audio books..I, too, have always been a voracious reader ...gobbling books down and probably skimming a little too much... (as many rabid readers do) ..As a result, I ..."
I totally agree. I'm a voracious reader as well, but I find it's almost impossible to read when I'm exhausted, but I can listen attentively to an audiobook. Well read audiobooks are a major breakthrough, especially where dialects or unknown words are concerned. Even foreign language audiobooks can be mezmerizing.
I have a major block on reading classics (Dickens, Trollope, Edith Wharton, etc.) in print -- too daunting -- but like them on audio with a good narrator.
John wrote: "I have a major block on reading classics (Dickens, Trollope, Edith Wharton, etc.) in print -- too daunting -- but like them on audio with a good narrator."I so agree John I've rediscovered the classics thanks to audiobooks!
Also if a book is set in a different country my inner voice cannot do accents and when a book is done in the accent of the setting it makes it come so much more alive!
One of my students this year is a special education student, and a very low reader. He was dying to read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I hooked him up with the audiobooks as well as the print copy, and in the last week, he has read all five of them. It's so great to be able to turn a kid onto reading.
John wrote: "Katherine -I think when challenged that the visually impaired "cheat", the original poster's person would sputter, "That's not what I meant!" I repeat my opinion that folks who feel that way prob..."
Most of the time, I really don't want both the print and the audio version. I do have both with the Harry Potter books, but I "needed" both of them!
I think audio books have made me a better listener. I was worried when I first started listening that I wouldn't remember what I was hearing. It was a whole lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. At first it was a way to make exercising more palatable. I used to be a much better visual learner. I think I'm changing.
I had a friend who was a speech therapist, working for the Association for Retarded Citizens, who used basic sign language with her clients (young children), along with the words; she found the double-cues helped a lot. Your post reminded me of that.While I'm off-topic ... TV captions aren't just for the hearing-impaired - those learning English find they help them to get used to normal-rate native conversations, outside the classroom.
Lori wrote: "John wrote: "Katherine -I think when challenged that the visually impaired "cheat", the original poster's person would sputter, "That's not what I meant!" I repeat my opinion that folks who feel ..."
I find that I can remember verbatim what different characters say (maybe due to great narrators) and can remember distinct scenes from many of the audiobooks I've listened to(again because of great narrators and solid writing). Writing is meant to be heard.
Reading is very important, but hearing what is read brings it to life and makes it memorable. There's nothing better communicated than the spoken word.
I prefer to listen to biographies and history titles than to sit down with a physical book. I would not have had the patience to read them but loved the audio versions.
John wrote: "While I'm off-topic ... TV captions aren't just for the hearing-impaired - those learning English find they help them to get used to normal-rate native conversations, outside the classroom. "I'm addicted to subtitles. For being an audiobook enthusiast, and feeling like I get more out of audios than print books (most of the time), I have a really hard time understanding movies without the subtitles these days. (And I'm only 27! It turns out when your mom tells you to turn down your music or you're going to get hearing damage, she's not kidding!)
I love books, whether in print or audio format. I think my visual learning style is a little different than my audio learning. If I first read in print and then listen to the same title, I always hear something that I seem to have missed while reading the print format. But if I read in print after having listened, there will usually be something that catches my eye and attention more so than when I listened. Lately I have had the luxury of both reading and listening to some books that I particularly liked, and doing so enriches my experience of the book, and (hopefully) my retention.
I think all formats have value whether it is print, audio, or e-book. I have too many books to read and I use every format for different purposes. I listen to audio in the car and on planes. I read books whenever I can and I own a Kindle for ease when traveling. Having said that, there are some books that do not translate well into audio. The obvious types are any books with pictures, art or photography, Graphic Novels, for example. This week I am reading the most amazing novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad. If you were to listen to it, you would miss the different type fonts used in one chapter that is written like a magazine article, or the other chapter that mimics a power point presentation. I think in the future with the advent of e-books, interactive books with links to websites will become more prevalent and this will not make them easily accessible to the audio format. I work in an academic library and can see it happening now. My brother-in-law is a mystery writer and he is considering (along with many of his cohorts) going straight to e-book format without first publishing in print. This will have an effect on audio. The future is full of possibilities and it will be interesting to watch in what manner the different formats will survive.
I have to laugh at the "guilt" people describe due to "reading" audio books. Years ago, I also scoffed at people who were listening to audio books. It seemed so illiterate somehow. But now, 10 years later, I can report that I have listened to literally hundreds of audio books. No more guilt. I would never have had the time to sit down and read as many books as I have been able to consume over this period of time. I've even listened to some of the more than once – when the book was a great favorite. Such as Edgar Sawtelle for instance.
I listen to books on CD, downloaded books on my MP3 player, and now that my library has Playaways, I listen to those too.
I listen to books on CD, downloaded books on my MP3 player, and now that my library has Playaways, I listen to those too.
Karlton wrote: "You're right, John, I should say that. I guess it's a semantic issue. "Reading" is regarded as an active exercise while "listening" more passive (which is far from the truth)."
Wow – I sure disagree with that! Listening can be pretty doggone active – in many ways you are even more engaged with the characters as they are actually speaking to you.
Wow – I sure disagree with that! Listening can be pretty doggone active – in many ways you are even more engaged with the characters as they are actually speaking to you.
I often feel that by listening to a book I am cheating myself. I just don't get the same fulfilling experience.Even with audio books I have really enjoyed if you offered me the hard copy I would read it again to feel truly satisfied.
There is something about the physical act of reading that massages and relaxes my brain. Whereas listening is too demanding and a little irritating.
Absolutely not cheating. I work long hours and rarely have time to curl up with a book. I do most of my 'reading' driving to and from work, cleaning my house, or working out. You can get quite fit whilst listening to a book. I think it's a great way to increase your reading capacity. I do like a regular book or my kindle when I go to bed though, I find an audio book echoes and becomes too loud when you start falling asleep!!
"I do like a regular book or my kindle when I go to bed..." MaxineLol, I tried listening to an audio book (a thriller no less) a couple times when I went to bed but fell asleep--instead of the book hitting me in the face the story went on and the next day I had a devil of a time finding my place in the tale.
My vote is still that there is no cheating when it comes to getting the story into your brain. (But sleep reading definitely does not work!)
I do a lot of audiobooks, but it's because of work. I have an hour commute in and then home from work -- audiobooks are really the only thing that make that 2 hours bearable. Then while at work I work in a loud, active environment and I find that putting in an audiobook allows me to focus in on my workspace/computer and not allow the "bigger scene" to distract me. There are a lot of books I wouldn't have read if they weren't on audiobook - I tend to raid the library shelves, and work with what they have. It has lead me to new books I would've otherwise passed up reading in my at home physical book-in-hand reading time. I don't feel it's cheating to listen to these things instead of actually reading them. I feel like I'm better for having listened as I've exposed myself to literature I wouldn't have picked up any other way.
What a stupid question. It's just another way to learn and enjoy.
I'm amazed by the folks that have commented that they listen to an audiobook while they work to stay focused/shut out other noise. Can I ask what kind of work you do that makes it possible? My work involves a great deal of reading and writing and I don't think I could listen to an audiobook while reading or writing something else.
Hello everyone, I'm new to the group. I enjoy Audio Books very much, especially on a long walk too and from work and while I am doing some mundane household chore that does not require too much brain activity (such as ironing clothes)!!!. Audio books take me away to another world in my head and I don't notice the long walk so much, or the pile of ironing gradually getting done.
Joanna wrote: "I'm amazed by the folks that have commented that they listen to an audiobook while they work to stay focused/shut out other noise. Can I ask what kind of work you do that makes it possible? My wo..."I can't listen at work either. Too many phone calls!
Not just "at work" but 1. Working out 2. Doing housework 3. Yard work 4. Commute time (auto work?) 5. Art work and so on and so forth.
I work at a library, and I listen while shelving books and shelf reading (making sure the books are in the right order... and yes, that's exactly as exciting as it sounds!)...
I listen everywhere but work. While shopping, cleaning, cooking, showering, driving, getting ready. I may be a little obsessed!
LOL, I listen while showering too - I use an iPod with a portable docking station that has speakers - that rig stays outside the shower though :)
I use my portable CD player and blast it - it drives my hubby crazy!
Sara ♥ wrote: "I work at a library, and I listen while shelving books and shelf reading (making sure the books are in the right order... and yes, that's exactly as exciting as it sounds!)..."Me too I love being a librarian but I don't like the silence!the only problem is when its a really good book I hate when people interupt me LOL
Catie wrote: "How do you listen while showering? I've often wished I could do that! I need to get some waterproof equipment!"HaHa I hook my ipod up to old computer speakers or use a boombox if its a cd. they don't get wet!
maybe. but it doesn't matter because what's important is the person enjoys the story regardless if it has been read or listened to. :)
Believe me, when you sit next to an open conference room...audiobooks are a savior to help your concentration on your work and away from presentations/discussions/etc.
Or on public transportation to save one's sanity with all the personal conversations going on (usually via cell phone) -- frankly, I don't really care that Tiffany left last night's party in tears because Brad didn't pay enough attention to her! The rape, murder, and dismemberment in "The Lovely Bones" was a fine alternative.
Audiobooks
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