Audiobooks

[Inari]

I wasn't sure where else to post it so I'll do it here!

An odd question that came into my head -

If you listen to an audiobook can you say that you have READ that book? I ask because when people ask me about books I have read I say no but I have listened to it and I get a funny look. Like how is it possible for you to listen to a book?  I dunno... why don't we open up my app on my phone and find out?

[Oniya]

Research has shown that similar parts of your brain activate whether you're looking at a page or listening to it being read (obviously, the visual and auditory cortexes are specific to the method of consumption).  While I love curling up with a good paperback/hardcover, I have to say that a good audiobook brings the added sense of being read to.  With a good narrator, there can even be the added levels of vocal tone, accents, and other sound-cues.

(People who have never listened to a well-read book are missing out.)

So yes, I'd say that if you completed an audiobook, you've 'read' the book.

[roseliaaureate]

absolutely you've read the book! my husband does better with listening to books while doing something else. i, on the other hand, cannot listen to audiobooks or podcasts - i zone out and will have to start everything over. and this cycle continues, and continues, and continues... it's maddening. so i have to physically do the reading myself.

i would never say my husband hasn't 'read' the books he's listened to. he's, er... consumed them! (does that even make sense?) in a different way, perhaps, but we could have a discussion about it and he'd know the same things i know.

[Inari]

Research has shown that similar parts of your brain activate whether you're looking at a page or listening to it being read (obviously, the visual and auditory cortexes are specific to the method of consumption).  While I love curling up with a good paperback/hardcover, I have to say that a good audiobook brings the added sense of being read to.  With a good narrator, there can even be the added levels of vocal tone, accents, and other sound-cues.

(People who have never listened to a well-read book are missing out.)

So yes, I'd say that if you completed an audiobook, you've 'read' the book.

That is really interesting to know and also makes sense too.

I have relaxed to audiobooks and even fallen sleep to some.

Personally I find reading books kinda like a chore after a while but listening to them seems to feel more enjoyable.

absolutely you've read the book! my husband does better with listening to books while doing something else. i, on the other hand, cannot listen to audiobooks or podcasts - i zone out and will have to start everything over. and this cycle continues, and continues, and continues... it's maddening. so i have to physically do the reading myself.

i would never say my husband hasn't 'read' the books he's listened to. he's, er... consumed them! (does that even make sense?) in a different way, perhaps, but we could have a discussion about it and he'd know the same things i know.

I have often listened to books while grinding on video games or when I want to just relax in general. I have fallen asleep to some books but I usually rewind them to when I last remember hearing the story.

[Wickedelights]

I absolutely live on audiobooks. My audible account has just shy of 300 and my computer has another 250 on it. The only problem I have with them is that i go through them so fast. I usually read/listen to about a book a day. I like listening to them while doing housework, driving, shopping, at the gym, walking the dog, and even at work.

I will say that the narrator make or breaks the book though. A great narrator can make even a bad book worth a listen, while a crappy one can ruin even the best books. (I HATE Jim Dale reading Harry Potter for instance. I want to stab sharpened sticks into my ear every time Hermione speaks.)

I used to love reading actual books; however, I am one of those that once I start a book, I can't focus on anything else until I finish it. I was sitting for hours and reading the whole thing. I had to pick up Audiobooks so I could get back to doing things other than reading too. Multitasking at its finest. AND it makes normally boring work so much more entertaining!

[Inari]

Oh, I agree that it has to have the right narrator. I have listened to a few books lately and the last one I felt was a little crass with the voice... probably because it wasn't how I pictured the character's voice based on the previous books? It was called "Luca Vitiello" which is the other point of view from the book "Bound By Honor" which is part of the Born in Blood Mafia Series.

[Kakihara]

I find myself listing to most of my fiction these days just because I can't keep up with my reading between my fiction and non-fiction wants so it's easier to have an audiobook playing while I work or at night as I wind down.  I still like to have my non-fiction in the reading format just because there is good studies that point to better retention if you listen and read, so reading aloud, than just listening or reading.  And non-fiction can be very boring with narration depending on the subject and the narrator.

I totally agree that a narrator can make or break an audiobook.  I will forever love the Dresden Novels for James Marsters reading the books with such pizzazz.  Fans agreed too as when they tried to bring in another actor, and he wasn't terrible, but Marsters was so linked to the books that no one wanted the change.  They had to have him rerecord the 10th book because of it. 

[Pockets]

About 8 years ago I was driving semi across country and listening to the radio gets stupidly mindnumbing after a while and that is super dangerous when you're driving a vehicle that's over 40 tons fully loaded. And I was talking with a co-driver about how he breaks up the monotony and he said podcasts or audiobooks. Now I knew about podcasts but hadn't really found one I liked. And at the time I'd just been exposed to really crappily read audiobooks. He then introduced me to a company called Graphic Audio.

OMG! It was love at first hearing.

Each book has a full cast of voices. Not one person modulating his voice to do different voices. You get actual audio from gunshots, explosions, people wading through water, splashing around, etc. This one doesn't bother me because I use a wireless bluetooth headset but you might want to be aware of it in case you've got kiddos. But they don't shy away from sex scenes either.

Yeah, they're more expensive than your usual audio book, but if you have a truck stop or three nearby they usually have them in stock in CD format. But the website has a wide array of books you can purchase and download. If you're into audiobooks they are definitely worth looking into.

[Lilias]

I would go a step further and say that even if you've had a book read aloud to you, you've 'read' it. Absorbing the story is what matters. We can see evidence of that all around us right now, with all the celebrities doing live readings. It doesn't have to be like Andy Serkis' monumental 11-hour Hobbit reading - it could be Patrick Stewart's daily Shakespeare sonnet. I (and a lot of other mothers who did a lot of bedtime story reading) feel rather vindicated. ;)

[TheGrandAdmiral]

For me it mostly depends on the book, but most of the audiobooks that I have listened to I can say for sure that I have read them. As someone above me said that the intonation and accent makes the difference.

[Oniya]

I (and a lot of other mothers who did a lot of bedtime story reading) feel rather vindicated. ;)

My parents stopped reading to me when they discovered I could read on my own.  Even when I asked them to read to me.  Now I can have someone read to me whenever I want.  :)