The Great Gatsby question

My wife is addicted to them. She "forced" me to listen to The Paris Wife on audio and it was great. It has its place and I used my iPhone on trip to Europe to listen to "Water for Elephants". But I love to spend hours with a good book. What was that great line from the movie "The Shadowlands"... "We read to know we are not alone." So true.

I never could listen to radio, so listening to books is right out of the question. I rarely even listen to music for more than a couple of minutes until I phase out and start thinking of something else.

I prefer to read a book but life does not often permit me the time or joy I get from sitting undisturbed with my nose inside a book. I listen to audio books in the morning during my morning routine which includes 30 minute exercise bike routine. Depending on the book I can go longer or faster! My favorite audio book are action suspense like Preston/Childs books. The time flies. Audio books have their place. Although the elocutionary characteristics of the reader is most important. I will not listen to a book if the reader does not "fit" the profile.

I am an extensive reader and i have been listening to audio books for the past four years. I have read and listened to some of my favorite books. I pick up different things from both versions. The audio books helped me through some difficult times. I listened to them the most when my mom was dying and sitting ina car with nothing but my own thoughts was agonizing.
I totally agree that the reader can make or break a novel.
I have found that I cannot just listen to a book or I fall asleep. I listen while I drive or knit or do housework. It is great if you are reading a craft mystery like those by Monica Ferris, because her books always make me want to knit and that way I can do both at once.
But don't know what I would do if i could no longer READ a book.

I can finish so many more books, if I listen to them on my way to work. The selection may not always be what I would like to listen to...but I choose from what is available and do often find something I like that I would not have read otherwise.

i love both and always have an audio book in the car so as not tpo waste time when driving.

For me it's in one ear and out the other. I'll hear the first sentence and zone out. I do the same during conversations as well. I have to try really hard to pay attention to speech but usually fail. Music on the other hand keeps my attention. It would be great if I could turn on an audio book and retain the info as if I had read it.

I have a hard time comprehending when its on audio book, but its also really hard to envision the story sometimes. When I read it, I'm usually in a relaxed enviroment where I can think about what I'm reading and be engrossed in the story. Audiobooks make me want to run around the house instead of sit down and listen.

Personally, I find it much easier to remember things when I read them/look at. Reading is reading, nothing can replace that for me.

I cannot do audio books. I do not retain the information as well.

I prefer reading literature with substantial content to hearing it read. When reading literature with substance, I end up going slowly at times because of stopping to think about what was read, even when the actual text flows easily as with Vonnegut. Stopping the recording or zipping back a bit frequently would be a nuisance, and possibly dangerous in a car.

But during a boring long drive, audio books are fine to knock off non-fiction and more superficial items of interest. For example, I got through a pair of Stanley's Millionaire books that way and I was glad I did it that way. On the other hand, an audio book of Ann Coulter, read by the author, would simply double the torture.

I think that both ways, being read to or reading yourself can be equally satisfying. It all depends on the way different people process information.
For some of us,including me, reading is better, because we like to imagine the characters and scenes in our heads,go back and forth in the book, pause and think for a bit; and when another person is reading to us, it disrupts the process (or so it seems in my case).For visual people this is the only way, our memory and concentration work best this way.
For others, however, listening is the only way to enjoy the book.I believe it is still a benefiting experience,especially if one doesn't have time or opportunity to read (e.g. while driving); if one is tired after working with computers or doing a lot of reading during the day or if one just doesn't have enough patience to sit and read, they need something else to occupy their hands,so on.
Either way, what matters most is the final goal,knowing a plot and understanding it, the way of getting there really doesn't matter.

I have been listening to audio books for years. Makes my commute better but I also used to have my young daughter read aloud to me from the books she was reading. That's how I grew to know The Indian in The Cubbard, one of my favorite stories. Audio books are just one of the ways I invite great stories into my life. E readers are another along with "traditional" books. I'm happy regardless.

I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately. I started a new job this year and I have to commute about a half hour. With all the time I spend working on school things, I have not had as much time to spend just sitting and reading. While I do prefer reading on my own, listening does allow me to get through books I wouldn't have time for otherwise.

I love audiobooks; they make my commute much more enjoyable, and at the end of a long workday help me get out of work mode. I tend to listen to classics, and recently I've been listening to the books in the Yale Open University "American Literature After 1945" (or some title like that) free course - I got all the books then set up a playlist so I listen to the book, then the lecture(s) on that book, then the next book and so on.

I do think my experience of a book is significantly different when I'm listening to it rather than reading it. I can understand why some people don't like it. I don't absorb the artistry of the book on a sentence level as well as I do when I'm looking at the words, but I think I absorb the gist of the dialogue a little better. Plus, I tend to check backwards in a book all the time, especially when there's a reveal, and I want to double-check how earlier hints were worded. Also, as a writer I pay a lot of attention to wording. With audiobooks, I hear it more as a story and my impressions are more holistic. (For this reason I find it hard to listen to poetry, although I really liked the LibriVox audiobook for Gertrude Stein's "Tender Buttons.") It's a matter of tendency rather than absolutes, though -- I certainly notice wording when it's particularly stunning.

So I love audiobooks, but they couldn't replace page reading for me.

I cannot abide audiobooks, but my children have all loved my wife reading aloud to them, even into their early teens, but then we homeschool...

And I have never been able to get an answer that satisfies as to why Gatsby was great or deserves to be called a classic (meaning no offense David). To me, the book was slow, dull and unimaginative, and I labored to finish it just to check it off my list. Wish I had those three hours back.

The idea that you don't get as much out of a book when you listen to it as you would by reading it is ludicrous. The book is a relatively new invention and for thousands of years we have listened to stories. I "read" by audiobook and eBook and both technologies have played a huge role in getting people to "read". Ignore anyone who says you didn't really read the book if you listened to it.

I love audiobooks when they are well voiced. I think of it as much more in line with the old story telling tradition. People sitting around the fire and telling stories. You can hear the music of the language that way. It is kind of hard to highlight though. I used to work in delivery and listen to a lot of audio books and I would get the same book out from the library so I could go back to the passages that stood out to me for further reflection. I've always had a fairly good audio memory. I don't think there is anything magical about text over spoken word. They're just different. Each has its advantages.

I think books can be appreciated both ways. Originally books were meant to be read out loud and enjoyed in an audience setting. I love listening to books in the car on long trips, while working on brain-free tasks (chores, etc). My stepmother says she listens to books while running (sometimes she goes running just to hear what's going to happen next).
Although I love reading the books quietly to myself, there are times for listening to them, reading them to others, or listening to others read. And if you like the books, but don't like reading, this is a good way to enjoy them.

I bought a used unabridged CD version of The Hour I First Believed. My idea was to listen to it while driving to school (high school teacher here). After about a week, I thought this was pretty cool until my wife, who had read the book, laughed out loud that I was only on chapter 4! She had read the entire book within a week.

So... my contribution to this discourse? At least in my case, the audio version was way, way too slow.

During my first marriage, my husband and I spent a great deal of time on the road. We would check out books on tape, mostly mysteries and lighter fare. It was a good way to pass time on the long trip from our place in NC to our place in FLA. Aside from that I have never really been a listener to books. I love the whole experience of reading a book. I can't say that I think that what I come away with from reading is superior to what a listener gets out of it, because I am not them.

I personally don't like listening to a book because I always tend to zone out.

I have always hated when the teacher read outloud because I would have to go home later and reread everything because at some point I began to daydream.

I love to just read a book in my head and not verbally read it. It is also faster and smoother this way.

I'm a fan of audio books, but I love to read, so I'll listen to an audio I wouldn't ordinarily read in the car. But generally, I'd always rather have the book in my hands.

I love audiobooks, but find that some work better while I commute. I find that I can follow fiction much better, while some non-fiction is best for lunch time when I can give my whole attention to the narration.

I'll often choose for audio an author I have not read before, since it gives me a chance to see if I might be interested in their other books.

Personally, I prefer to read a book vs listening to an audio version because I get more from it. I am more apt to become more involved in the story and envision a more vivid image of the story's characters and setting in my head. When a story is basically narrated, my mind is more apt to wander, or i am unable to focus because of environmental distractions. Also, the voice or tone in an audible version may be different from the expression I would use if I were reading it. However, that does not mean that I wouldn't listen to one under given circumstances. Although some people prefer othersise, it's just a matter of individual preference. And sometimes this may change from time to time for soome people, no different than what you prefer to have for dinner from one night to the next.

I have only recently started to listen to books. I do this mostly at work or while I am working on craft projects. I cannot just sit and listen (except while on the bus) as I tend to fall asleep. I do enjoy it, and sometimes I can get the books on tape more quickly from the library than the ones in print. I still enjoy reading books, and sometimes have a book that I am reading at home, and a book that I am listening to at work.

I think listening cannot substitute reading, but I found surprisingly for myself that when reading I find some important and interesting points, when listening the same work I found others.

For the moment my conclusion is that both worth, nevertheless I prefer reading and it definitely depends on the work. Those worth more for me I keep in both variants when possible.

The Great Gatsby is a really easy read - do both!

I can't walk my dog and read a book at the same time, and whilst the physical benefits of walking five miles a day are obvious, I get bored. Audio books are a godsend. Have 'read' lots of classics this way, that I probably would never pick up to read normally. I used to think that you missed a lot by listening but I actually find that I notice the language and writing style maybe more than I do when reading.

Personally, I do much better reading than hearing. I tend to miss things when listening. Also I'd much rather listen to music than hearing someone read to me. For some people it works better that way for them, and that's ok. Just not for me.

When being read to in class, especially the high school classes in which we had our own books to read along with, I read ahead by several chapters at some point. But I remember my sixth grade teacher reading "Dealing With Dragons" out loud and loving it.

My sister loves audiobooks. She can listen to them at her job, and with two children, that's probably valuable reading time for her.

I love audiobooks, especially for long commutes or doing the dishes, but the narrator really makes it or breaks it for me. For instance, Gaudy Night, which I have read multiple times and adored, I cannot listen to as an audiobook. Mostly because I felt having the book voiced by a man was very jarring.

With other books I have both read and listened to, often I find myself noticing different things in either experience. A scene that hadn't left an impression when I read it on the page will suddenly gain some interest, and so on.

I suppose if I had to, I could adapt to listening to audio-books. But on those occasions when I have tried I find it very difficult to concentrate on what is being described. I find myself spacing out and losing track of what is being said. Oddly, if I am being read to by a living person, I don't have this problem; at least not to the degree that I do with a recording. I am a graphical person. I need to process my reading visually for the best possible experience.

I love the feel of a book and can spend hours in the bookstore. That said, with the right narrator, an audiobook can hit the spot. As an example... I'm not sure I could've gotten through the Pillars of the Earth series in hardcopy -- the pages upon pages of architectural info might have been a sticking point. But lovingly read to me by the perfect audiobook narrator, I lost many hours of sleep lying in bed hearing those tales...

I can't listen to an audio book. I either focus on it too much so I catch everything and I'm a danger to other drivers - or I suddenly realize that I've tuned it out and I've missed 10 minutes. It's basically just white noise so it's not the appropriate venue for me.

I have a friend who is the exact opposite - so each to their own!

A few books that work well as audio:

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
My Life as a Fake
Middlesex
The Unnamed

and a few that don't:

Cloud Atlas (loved the book)
Bel Canto
No Country for Old Men

I really think it depends; some books are better read, others, better listened to. I'm currently listening to a book on CD which has received a lot of controversy; however, being that it is read by the author herself, she is able to better portray the voice in which she actually meant it to be heard. Too often words and phrases are taken out of context (Steve Carell's character Michael in "The Office" during the reading of the deposition: "That's what she said!" is a prime example.). She is able to use vocal inflections and other aural tools to express herself in a manner much more effective than the printed word can portray.

I tried listening to Jane Austen in the car once, and I couldn't focus on traffic and keep her characters straight at the same time! I know a lot of people who love audio books, though--perhaps it works better with light material.

I spend alot of time in a car, so driving has bcome my "reading" time. I do have a hard time keeping track of books that go back and forth chronolgically But,in general ,I love audio books.I particularily like it when the author reads his/her own book. I think they have insight that an actor wouldn't have.

I have always hated being read to; I remember being chastised in school when the teacher had us read aloud and I would read ahead because the other readers were sooo slow. A few years ago, I bought a couple of books-on-tape, thinking they'd be good to listen to while I was on the treadmill ... it was horrible. I REALLY don't like being read to.