Do Audiobooks Count as Reading?
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📖 Middlemarch Serial Reading: tinyurl.com/45rv965c
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0:00 the good old days of audiobooks
3:00 is listening the same as reading?
3:40 is reading better than listening?
4:20 listening and the oral tradition
5:00 the rise of the solitary reader
5:30 Joyce and the evolution of language
6:20 oral cultures and reading around the world
7:30 Samuel Richardson's Clarissa
8:20 the Brontë sisters and Charles Dickens
10:20 reading George Eliot's Middlemarch
11:00 is Shakespeare poetry or performance?
13:00 listening and reading simultaneously
14:30 lectures and the hybrid approach
15:20 visual vs auditory learners
16:00 reading philosophy with a pen
16:25 my concluding thoughts
16:35 questions for you
I'm legally blind. The wealth of audio books and podcasts reading stories is how I can still enjoy books. Yes, it counts as reading. Of course it counts.
Don't mind my asking but do you have a special device which reads you these comments and are able to type as well?
@@MustRiseAgain don't mind at all. Several people I know in the blind community use a screen reader and text to speech. Luckily I can get away with a judicious use of zoom and knowing what I'm typing. Though there are some points where my inability to proof read what I'm saying in comments adversely affects the content of a post.
@@nathangibbs7149 Understood, thanks for answering. Do enjoy listening to audiobooks.
@@MustRiseAgain love them. Classic ghost stories and horror babble are two great podcasts with wonderful readers.
@@nathangibbs7149 Subscribed, thanks
I'm a sucker for physical books, but I think audiobooks count as long as you're focused and processing their content.
Completely agree :)
Exactly if I’m able to form a argument for the existence of evolution you wouldn’t say it doesn’t count because I listened to the book and not read it wen all the facts and nomenclature as well as information used are directly related/the same…
What about following along in your hard-copy with the audiobook? Is that doubly good?
@@JoyofBooking No doubt
I catch things on audio books that I miss when reading because I skip when reading, looking for action, or dialougue from a character
About 60 years ago as I sat in my high school English class I became hooked on Shakespeare. My teacher had a collection of plays on long playing records which we followed by reading at the same time. I was so taken by the ease at which I could understand the play and then afterward reread it without difficulty. Thank you for permission to do both. I am now a 74 year old avid reader and so eager to finally read and listen to the great books with you.
Exceptional insight, reading & hearing delivers a nuanced experience & then sets the “stage” for my return engagement with the text - what a dream come true. Next best to being at a live performance!
I’m a long term user of of audiobooks, since 1997, and I can’t stress strongly enough how important it has been to my reading life to have this method of consuming books. The people who say it doesn’t count simply don’t understand. Whether I use my eyes on print, hears for sound, or even fingers on bumps, there can be multiple ways to understand a book, and I’m much better off able for being able to do so. Great video.
Great video, Benjamin. About three years ago, my wife turned me on to reading and listening simultaneously, and I haven’t looked back. I’m easily distracted, so I benefit from having multiple senses engaged at once. The hybrid approach focuses me, adds some needed momentum to my reading, and as a result I’m getting through many more books than I used to. It costs a bit more, of course, but it’s a price I’m happy to pay.
What a great idea!
Thank you, Evan. It's wonderful to hear you and your wife have had such a rewarding experience with the hybrid approach too! Your love of deep reading comes through very strongly in your videos - the best video essays on the internet! I've loved your content for years, so what a lovely surprise to see your great comment :)
My experience, exactly. The listening propels me on thru the reading & helps fight being bogged down or worse, losing interest.
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s reading of Anna Karenina makes the classic wonderfully accessible to people who feel overwhelmed by the physical book. Highly recommended audiobook
I agree :) She did a wonderful job with the narration.
My time as a truck driver allows for lots of audiobooks and I am taking advantage of it.
I'm severely dislexic and I'm writer and I always had a profound lust for reading even though I do so at an almost glacial pace. Listening to audiobooks has opened up a unimaginable world of fiction and non fiction that I would have been intimidated by. My life has been transformed by listening to audiobooks of Hitch22, The Gulag Archipelago, Bury my heart at Wounded Knee, and other great works. I can only imagine how many, many others have had their lives transformed thusly.
Dyslexia is a really difficult struggle to have. A lot of people don't realise just how profoundly it impacts so many areas of your life. I've had suspicions I may be mildly dyslexic myself, but I've never been checked for it. It's amazing to hear that audiobooks have had such an incredible effect on you, Joseph! The three you listed here are all phenomenal. I've recently fallen in love with Dee Brown's books :)
@@BenjaminMcEvoy Might I also recommend Putin’s People and Black Spartacus? Both books are easily the best books I read last year.
Your comment is very liberating to me! Precisely my situation & audiobooks has been a tremendous blessing.
Wow if Benjamin can remember the era of audio cassettes like this, he's definitely older than he looks.
Absolutely!
He is like Dorian Grey, but instead of picture his books grow old but he stays forever young. ;)
I felt a bit guilty listening to audio books until I realized it took as much concentration as reading . Beware, to those who see it as some kind of shortcut!
Absolutely. I'm very visual, so it's actually more difficult for me to concentrate when listening. I find myself needing to work harder!
I often buy the audio along with a book, as it speeds up the reading process for me, helps with difficult prononciations, and makes me more mobile if I have to get up to do chores. But I also find it helpful if I listen to a chapter and read afterwards, or vice-versa as it often happens a second review reveals more of the story
Listening once and then reading would be the same as listening or reading twice, no? Or do you find an intrinsic benefit on consuming the chapter/book both ways?
@@coffeedude I guess if I am honest reading twice would give me the maximum absorption. Audio is great but I don't want to completely switch. So, having it both ways helps me set the pace. Some chapters, I might ignore reading and just listen in. The cherry on top is when a book is read by the author!
Your channel is an underrated gem.
Thank you, Thomas :)
I am a reader-listener. Due to a brain injury the 'reading alone' section of my brain is jumbled. Being able to listen while reading keeps me able to indulge my passion for literature. BTW - After watching one of your - how to read - videos, I've taken up the complete works of Shakespeare. The Bard is my favorite. I'm currently listening to a production of "The Two Gentlemen of Verona." Thank you for all you do. Long live literature!
My ADHD doesn't allow me to sit and read for long periods of time, but give me an audiobook and a shower, a run, car ride, a chore I don't want to do...and I will listen for hours.
Just about everyone can. It’s simply just listening and not reading, though. No need to feel bad about it, but just don’t call it reading.
@@HabitualJokerexactly. it’s fine to listen to audiobooks, and if someone wanted to discuss a book that they listened to i’ll happily do so, but people need to be honest with themselves. listening ≠ reading.
I absolutely love audiobooks! Yes, there's nothing like reading a physical book, but there's something magical about audiobooks. The pace, the emotions, the accents, the different voices for different characters. It fascinates me! I grew up listening to disney classics in my dad's cassette player, and being an introvert quiet kid, those were the best hours of the day for me. Later on, listening to audiobooks allowed me to reach fluency in english. Nothing will ever match the learning immersion that is listening and reading simultaneously!
I listened to the Disney movies on LPs. The cassette tape was not yet imagined 😊
I am a father of 3 young children and I live and work in the same place, so exceedingly busy, very tired and almost never alone. I also have dyslexia so reading anything beyond Harry Potter level English is a drawn out, difficult task for me. However I also have a 2:1 in English literature. I discovered, as embarrassing as it is to admit, that reading along with the audiobook - using headphones and adjusting the speed on audible, allows me to completely immerse myself in all fiction in a manner that I get as much from it, as I would if I was just sat alone reading it. It is embarrassing but I basically asked myself: do I want the chance to consume, successfully, some of the greatest literature ever written, or do I want to struggle on as I am for the sake of my pride. The answer was simple. I have since tripled the amount of books I read in a year. But I do believe, despite dyslexia, reading is important so I still only-read books alongside this method with the acceptance it’ll take a while. I recommend it to anyone with dyslexia.
One thing that complicates audiobooks is just how important the narrator is for a good experience. If the narrator is monotone or dry then it can put you off an otherwise amazing novel. On the flip side, an amazing narrator can provide a unique interpretation that you might not necessarily garner by reading the book yourself. For example, I listened to Tom Stetchschulte performing 'The Road', and it gave me a completely new appreciation for McCarthy's writing. If you're someone who doesn't 'get' why McCarthy is considered so great, I recommend listening to one of his audiobooks performed by Tom Stetchschulte, or Richard Poe, and it'll blow your mind. Their performances can teach you how to appreciate the subtext, and to add more character to your own reading.
Audiobooks are for the most part wasted on me because I get easily distracted and space out in the middle of the narration, but right now I’m listening to Ulysses while reading the physical book at the same time, and it’s working great! It forces me to stay focused and allows me to appreciate the puns and… Irishness of the book even more 😅. After this one I’m gonna do the same with Moby Dick and probably with a few others.
Interesting idea
My earliest childhood memories were of being read to by my parents, teachers and librarians. I couldn’t wait to learn to read so I could access the stories I was hearing. I liken audiobooks to this same excitement. We read to children to foster that curiosity and I don’t think it’s something we necessarily forget. I know many non-physical book readers who enjoy audiobooks. I know folks who are blind but still enjoy the physical experience of braille. This video really has he thinking!
In college my professor for a Shakespeare course insisted that the best was to absorb Shakespeare was to watch a performance then listen to it (film or audiobook) while reading along. In my experience I’ve found this to be true.. the performance allows you grasp the overall of the play and be very familiar with characters/setting.. while a read-along with audio helps you to focus on the text and do a deep-read without taking much longer than a typical read-through. Glad you mentioned that. Only challenge can be making sure your text matches the performance’s …hehe.
Visually impaired and need books. I’m so grateful.
As someone with tinnitus I find it easier to listen to an audiobook while I follow along in a physical copy. I find it hard to sit in complete silence because I get distracted by the never ending sounds in my ears and this way I can also go as fast or slow as I want while also taking notes and enjoying a “performance”.
I find it hard to maintain concentration with audio novels, but really enjoy plays and poetry in audio form. My children have grown up with me reading aloud to them a lot and they now listen to a lot of audio books and find it easy to concentrate on them. I think any way you can actively engage with literature is worthwhile
I don’t think it matters what “counts”. Enjoy art as you like. I know people with dyslexia that still deserve to experience great literature, it doesn’t matter whether we see them as “accomplishing” the art.
I’m reading Jane Eyre now and supplementing with audible version.
I discovered Blood Meridian by accident while touring on a motorcycle and listening to audiobooks on KZhead. For some reason I could not stop listening to it for the entire eight days of the tour. I kept repeating sections of it over and over again, and eventually I listened to the whole book. I was on a motorcycle, I knew that I had not heard everything I listened to, so I listened to it again. Next I watched your KZhead suggestions on how to read blood meridian, I purchased a copy and began reading that as well as Genesis and Moby Dick.. As I read Blood Meridian I could hear the audio in my head in a different way, and it brought back the moments of my motorcycle tour where I was when I heard which passage. It was a very interesting experience, and for some reason it unlocked more imagery in my mind’s eye. It kind of loosened my brain to accept it. It was a very different experience. I’m glad that I stumbled upon the audio version.
Yay! As a new subscriber I have been rewatching your old videos religiously and here comes a new upload!
I was a Library Baby, as soon as I could scrawl my name, I had a library card. Once I opened a book, we were inseparable, ( the book and I).. I would postpone showering to keep reading. As I became disabled, I found binge reading became impossible.. I miss that tackle the story 😮❤experience. I miss that relationship with the Written Word..but for my sanity, I've started acquiring audible books. And will listen as I walk a few steps on a treadmill. Or as I work on a multi day challenging recipe...etc.
Thank you for the appreciation & passion you share with all of us. The difference of experience (&hopefully some maturity) and time makes all the difference in revisiting stories… despised Great Expectations in high school but was enthralled listening to it a few months ago! Can’t wait to dive into more!
I agree 100% with your hybrid approach. Many audio recordings are read by trained actors who can bring characters to life as you read. It provides a base for a deeper reading. In addition to listening to an audio recording while reading, I must confess that if a film/video exists based on a novel, I often watch the film first. It doesn't dissuade me from actually reading the novel; it helps me to establish the setting/time period, the dress and mannerism of the characters, and provides an overview of the novel that I end up later reading. I know that much of the wisdom and beauty contained in a novel cannot be condensed into a 90-minute video, so when I do take the 6 hours to read the actual novel, I am doing a deep, authorial reading of the novel. At this point I'm reading for minute details because I've already experienced the broad, over-all story. Even a bad film can enhance the reading of novel. For example, I saw an awful video of Wuthering Heights that was so bad I was convinced that the book could not be that horrific. I read the book thoroughly with the sole purpose of determining what it could contain that would inspire such a rotten film. The film and the book differed greatly from one another. Finally, in regards, to your comments on learning styles, I feel that concept has just been misapplied. Someone may learn best through a certain learning style; however, appealing to as many senses as possible always enhances an experience. The desire for vivid poetic imagery verifies this principle.
this vid is so great. i listen to about 2 or 3 audiobooks a year but i've never done the listening and reading at the same time method. i look forward to it! thinking about doing it with Ulysses since you recommend it.
Benjamin - Your videos are a real find for me. Extremely helpful & inspirational. Very excited to subscribe & continue to consume your work & illuminating thoughts. You are a Master in my opinion. Please keep it up!
I’ve taken parental leave this year. And it has been incredible. I have been devouring audiobooks and it has been amazing. I’ve listened to podcasts and audiobooks commuting the last few years. But being at home, having lots of chores to do and down time with the bub has allowed me to put a headphone in one ear and listen. What we sometimes miss is that the narrator can also ADD value to a book through their performance. I recently listened to the Maggie Gyllenhaal narration of Anna Karenina that you had praised in an earlier video and her narration was fantastic and added to the experience. Also, I was having some trouble with Joyce. I was reading ‘Artist’ and finding it difficult so decided to read it while listening to the free audiobook on Audible. It allowed me get the rhythm of the writing and it just opened the text for me. Similar for Shakespeare and a recent reading of King Henry IV. Finally, I think I have always been someone who learns through dialogue. And audiobooks are something that I seem to be able to consume confortably. While some texts lend themselves more naturally to the format (memoirs, 1st person) than others (multiple narrative voices, shifts in consciousness etc) Loved the video and thoughtfulness behind this.
Thanks Ben, I have only recently stumbled onto your channel and am loving every minute...I just wanted to point out that compulsory education for the 'masses' was introduced (in England) in the late 19th century, prior to this so much of the population couldn't have read even if they wanted to! Being able to read to oneself is a relatively new development. I personally like to read along with an audiobook. Libravox is an incredible resource for free audiobooks which you can support and even contribute as a volunteer reader...
I listen to audiobooks of books that I own a hardcopy of too. This allows me to get in so much more time at work. I do a lot of rewinding, and have both headphones in to absorb as much as possible. Love the channel mate, you have a fan here in Australia :)
I Love ALL your videos, voice & content 💖 Thank you!💖
Great content Benjamin. Love that you bring up the oral tradition. Even Homers Odyssey was passed on by people telling the story to each other rather than written books. I imagine at that time having/owning a book would have been expensive relative to basic items like food etc. We are very lucky to have access to things like Audible. Love that you bring up Ulysses by JJ. The read productions of this book have helped me a lot. About the only book I have read which I think ideally one must read, ironically out loud, is the Wake by Joyce. The key reason is the pronunciation of the various portmanteau words consisting of multiple languages actually changes the interpretation / meaning. So by actually voicing the words one can actually changes the meaning. This means an audible version whilst great can change the meaning before you start. In fairness any story CD/audible version will still help you get starter!
I’m listening to the Hobbit on CD currently. As an auditory learner, I am finding that I have picked up a bit more nuance than reading the novel the first time! To me, they are not inferior at all. Thanks for your awesome content, Ben!
The Hobbit is perfect for enjoying on audio! Tolkien is pure oral tradition :)
I love the hobbit! My first journey through all of of Tolkien's books was audiobook first, and then I reread them later. I also like the lectures by a professor named Corey Olsen. He is called "the Tolkien professor" he really brings the texts to life❤
Hi Benjamin! I really love your channel and have recently started listening to your podcast. You’ve really helped me a lot in finding out ways I should be reading and writing and I wanted to let you know I’m grateful. Best of luck for the future! P.s. could make a video on Thomas Hardy? I’ve been meaning to get into his work and would love to know your opinion about him.
Thank you Benjamin for talking about this. I have been wrestling with this question. I find for myself that I am unable to fully grasp the book when utilizing audiobooks and have a real need to “see” the writing. Somehow I am not able to imagine the characters as well when listening. I have felt that this is a defect in me but perhaps not. It really never occurred to me to approach it simultaneously and I will try this process. I’m glad to know that you feel both are legitimate. As always, you continue to inspire me endlessly. ❤
Great video! I have dyslexia and audiobooks opened up worlds I had been unable to enter for years. Specifically, Russian literature was incomprehensible to me in the written word, but hearing the story has allowed me to enjoy and understand Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and others. I especially like hearing books read by their author. Mary Karr and Jon Meacham are two of my favorites. Lastly, I work in an addiction treatment center, and I've found listening to a clinical book while reading it at the same time, greatly speeds up the understanding needed to help other addicted folks. Again, thanks for the great post!
Thank you for making this video! I’ve had this question in mind for a while now. This reassures me that audiobooks aren’t worse than physical reading, since there are always people who say it is. And it’s safe to say that I value your opinion on books over many others’.
I believe hybrid approach especially when it comes with longer narrative with complex characters like I am reading Middlemarch now with Juliet Stevenson's recording and it really enhance my enjoyment and comprehension, sometimes I read first and listen later, and sometimes the other way round, and the shocking realisation for me has been: I would miss something, could be a word/phrase/even a sentence from either approach, meaning, there are things I will miss and pick up via other from of listening or reading. For Middlemarch, I now listen and read at the same time as my first read, and I'll re-read without listening to give me bigger space and longer reflection andf immersion into the world, and listen again much later to pick up different effects. Yes they are simply different and carry different value and one is not better than the other. Great video Ben, our bookclub has been talking about your great video so keep doing what you are doing, you have been a source of motivation for many of us:)
Great video, and I agree… I have been an avid Audiophile for over 20 years now and think a good audio performance can really add a lot to the story. As you say “make it come alive”. The only point I can think of that you didn’t bring out in this vid is the fact that when you are reading alone to yourself, you are actually still doing your own personal oral performance (at least for most of us) and though I fancy myself as a good communicator and orator, there are many that can do it far better! One of my all time favorites is Patrick Tull’s performances of the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. He is such a master of capturing the individual nuances between dialects that were already so masterfully put down by O’Brian and would be so easy to miss if only “heard” in my own boring American voice alone! Thanks!
Interesting topic. I must say, I often find it easier to become immersed in a story if it’s well read. Listening to the cadence, rhythm and nuances of the spoken language seems to broaden the experience. I also find that I can recall parts of the story easier than by just reading them. Having said that, there’s a multiplier effect when you first read and then listen to the story.
I love your approach. I have to say I have become an audiobook addict during these past years for several reasons: my eyesight isn't what it used to be so I tire faster when having either a physical text in my hands or a digital version of it. Further, my wrists can't handle the weight for very long stretches either. Both of these reasons kept me away from books for many years and it was only when I pushed myself to try audiobooks that I reconnected with this immense pleasure that books had always given me. I resisted the idea for long because of this "cognitive" idea. I am more visual oriented. And sometimes I miss underlining something in the text, taking the highlighter, etc. BUT... audio, as I said, has allowed me to dive back into the world of books. And yes, when read well, like Anna Karenina, a whole world comes to life in my mind, through the readers voice. A delight!
I am so happy to found d your channel. You are just so motivating.
Thank you so much, Joyce! I'm so happy you're here :)
so much enjoy your posts, thanks
As we a family we read aloud until our kids were in their late teens. They read separately but we always had a family book we read together and doing that has so many memories attached to it. There was nothing like going on the same journey together and being sad to end it. We also listened.to audio books on long trips, in fact we listened to the Princess Bride so much it wore out. I believe it contributed alot to our kids vocabulary which was extensive and helped both our dyslexic children in comprehension and language development.
This so helpful and thought provoking! For some reason I appreciate audiobooks less now that they are digital. I also used to really prize them on tape or c.d. I can't explain why. But I completely agree that listening and reading simultaneously takes understanding and appreciation to another level and have been surprised, while reading Middlemarch, how helpful and enjoyable it is to listen to myself reading out loud to myself. It seems rather strange to do so and I had a funny accident while doing this. I am also writing a story and have recently been experimenting with dictating a first draft. Unbeknownst to me, Word was still recording into my document while I was reading about Dorothea. I was incredulous upon reading my story to find a character called Dorothea had inserted herself into it and it took me a while to realize exactly where she had come from!
for me it depends on the type of books . i tend to like sci fi better as audiobooks otherwise i like physical better , but audiobooks definitely count as reading .
I'm completely with you on that! Sci-fi is my favourite genre to listen to on audiobook. Give me a good space opera to immerse myself in and I'm very happy!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy I really would love for you to do a video on sci-fi! Discussing some of your favourites.
It’s interesting that this specific video popped up at this time for me. I decided to read Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, but I find a massive read and what I convinced my to do, even though I don’t enjoy it as much and it makes me feel lazy, is to listen to an audiobook version of the work as I read through it. I have trouble focusing when I’m reading unless it’s absolutely silent and that’s hard to achieve since I live with other people. However, reading through as I’m listening to the audiobook it’s like a horse having blinders on, it’s focusing and narrowing my attention on Gibbon’s History, since I could never focus on an audiobook alone, but together they both keep me focused and interested. So I have to keep this mixed option in the future. Furthermore, it’s be fascinating to see you do a “How to Read The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon” Lastly though I’m a occasional visitor your discussions are always intelligent and understandable.
I read physical books mostly as I actually like the act of turning the page..."what is next?" however I will use audio books too especially if I don't think I will actually buy it. I did this for Moby Dick though I need to go back and finish it. I appreciated that you indicated that both are valuable and have their place. Thank you as always!!
wow I love the quick response by so many to this video just posted ! I love audiobooks and it is almost my exclusive mode of enjoying the great books and others. With an excellent narrator it is even more enjoyable. Examples are Juliet Stevenson-Middlemarch, Richard Poe-Blood Meridian, Frank Muller-Moby Dick, Donald Sutherland-The Old Man and the Sea, full cast and especially Lucy Scott as Clarissa, Simon Vance-Great Expectations, and so many others. When I became passionate about returning to classics in 2021 I rejoined Audible and Anna Karenina was my first download. Miranda Pleasance was the narrator of the Pevear/V translation. I was hooked on audiobooks after that. On Father's Day recently my daughter gifted me a one year subscription to Scribd which is also an excellent resource for audiobooks. Ben - I appreciate your reference to the ancient oral tradition connection, and open- ended perspectives on the experience of a story whether visual or aural. I also like the hybrid idea of reading the text while listening. I plan to do this with Ulysses and with a narrator who has good reviews and preferably an Irish accent :) Do you have a preferred audiobook for Ulysses?
Listening to an audiobook with a friend or a loved one is an amazing experience! We could read hard copies together oc, but for me, our reactions to words we're hearing at the exact same time is priceless! About the mind wandering, it's really an acquired skill to focus your attention on the words you hear. I thought I was better at reading than at listening to audiobooks until I gave them enough time. I hardly get distracted or miss chunks of any audiobook now.
I just listened to Roald Dahl's, George's Magic Medicine as an audio book doing house work over the weekend! I absolutely loved his books as a child. It was a lovely way to pass the time. I also remember religiously sitting down as a child every Sunday, when Watership Down was transmitted over the radio.
A well thought through and presented argument. Great work.
Thanks for the interesting perspective and analysis. I shall try the hybrid approach on my next book and very much looking forward to it.
Nice one, Kaya :) Happy reading!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy The next book on my list was the latest from Kate Atkinson - one of my favourite authors - "Shrines of Gaiety" and bought both the text and audiobooks versions to listen and read at the same time. It's quite enjoyable actually, listening and reading along, and I seem to remember more detail than I normally would. Thanks for the excellent suggestion. Your videos got me interested again in reading for enjoyment and I couldn't be happier about it. I currently read a chapter a day each of three books (currently Midnight's Children, Americanah, and Shrines of Gaiety). They are all terrific. It has cut into my screen and TV time and for that I am greatly appreciative.
a bookstore or library scented candle would help me focus. I love the physical feel of a book and its pages, and the ability to see how the bookmark is creeping along. I have listened to audio books while driving but it was worrisome to reach my destination and be unable to recall the drive.
Great video. Oh the cassette in my Walkman. Yes, yes audio does count as reading . Especially with the larger tomes , I tend to "blend" my reading with audio and physically reading 📚. Love live books in all their forms
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, of course.
I started listening to audiobooks many years ago when I had pneumonia and had to stay in bed. And I found it extremely enjoyable. Sometimes when I think back on books I've "read", I can't remember if I read a physical book or listened to it. I've been listening to audiobooks ever since. I also think I have honed my listening abilities. Some books, I combine the two, or go back and forth.
I recently listened to the Three Body Problem audiobook and thought it was fantastic I found it easier to visualise the complex mathematical stuff going on than i would have if i'd read the book, i seem to absorb the complexities much easier this way. Audiobooks are just as valid as reading, though the methods of understanding may be different the enjoyment can be equal either way. My Gran was visually impaired, she would receive weekly Newspapers on Tapes as she couldn't read small writing very well, this was back in the 80's. I always enjoyed the spoken word, though i very much enjoy reading too. Great topic 👍
Yes, yes, yes, I love being read to, and since the late 1990s about half my literary intake has been through listening. And thanks for validating the hybrid approach. I thought I was kind of nutty engaging in reading and listening at the same time, but certain books demand to be read for various reasons. Doing both allows for the best of both worlds.
For anyone who loves audiobooks, check out your local library's offerings. My local library has an enormous catalogue of digital audiobooks that can be played right from my phone or computer. I also think that when done well, audiobooks can add a lot to the story. My favorites are the Lord of the Rings trilogy, narrated by Rob Inglis. He does different character voices and even sings the songs that are included in the story. It really brought the books to life in a new way for me.
Magnificent. My sentiments, precisely. Thank you, again.
I listened to tape audiobooks that I would use for cross-country drives. My brother gave me several books to listen to on my drive home from Minnesota. One was “Seeds of Change” which tells of the plants that have effected the evolution of man!I fell in love with it immediately! I put off as long as possible a Spenser novel narrated by Burt Reynolds, but cared for it. Reynolds did an excellent job! He should have made it his career, it was so good! I have fallen into the habit of reading along with audiobooks because it slows my reading and helps me to understand much more! Though I still love physical books, I have been able to expand my feeling more. The hybrid approach advocated here is wise, it is much like hearing the plays of Shakespeare. I was very fortunate to be able to see a very good reparatory theatre (the Guthrie) and was aided by that.
I recently started listening to audio books. I was listening to a popular novel, one I have read at least twice before. In the course of running my errands and listening to this novel I realized there were sizable chunks that I had no recollection of at all. This led me to realize that speed had always been encouraged for reading in school and that I probably didn't remember or even skipped over content just going too fast. On an audio book one must slow down to be understood. It was this discovery that led me to find this channel and discover these deep reading concepts, which are completely changing the way I read. So, I would have to say both certainly have their value.
Re "All the Light We Cannot See" - I read the book (hard copy) WHILE reading it out loud...best of all possible worlds ... I was my own audiobook! Somehow hearing it and seeing the words had more impact! UPDATE: I hadn't watched/listened to this episode to the end before sharing my experience...But I guess I am more tuned in to your ideas than I realized! I read this lengthy book months before encountering your program...I am appreciating your work and words immensely! Greetings from a university town in Michigan!🥰
I have that audiobook, bought it after using my Library edition.I love that book I listen to it over and over and, always find something that I didn't remember before. I listen to the audiobooks I listen to them when I go to bed. It's like being read to as you are an adult. I couldn't live without them.
Thank you like always Brilliant!! 👏 I enjoy deeply your thoughts and ideas 🙏
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that, Sonia ❤️🙏
Thank you for this.
Recently got an audiobook copy of Flowers in the Attic. The only other audiobook I read (listened to?) in the last year was Lolita. But both experiences have been absolutely magical, and I think it has something to do with these two now being amongst my all time favourite books.
Oh my God I love you so much! I read and listen at the same time to any difficult content and I absolutely swear by it and my fiancé swears listening is not really reading but “experiencing a work of art” is just that and how you choose to experience it is truly what sticks with you…thank you for this video…you’re now my lil side bf
I really enjoy audiobooks, although I prefer short stories on that format. Wonderful video, as always. Kind regards from México :)
In college I challenged a class on Shakespeare’s plays. I listened to all the required plays on CD and took notes. I think one of the plays was King Lear. The tests were in the form of essay questions. I got an A in the class. It was way easier than reading the works because I could pause take notes, replay, etc. without the eye strain.
You were brilliant! Thank you.
Thank you so much, Donna!! :)
For verbal skills and comprehension, combining reading and audio is truly game-changing, and I've tried everything. I notice that people listen to me now when I expect them to zone out like they had prior. I've struggled with verbal fluency for a while. I read 90 books and still had trouble with my grammar. I finally came across the idea of combining audio and reading. I've since found that my retention is far greater (Note: the only study I have come across is on kids, who had a 40% higher retention combining the audio than with reading alone.). I've found that it's obvious to me when I get distracted, whereas I could read or listen and zone out without realizing it. Most importantly, the inflection of the brilliant language I am reading is being internalized and my teaching has improved significantly; I rarely stumble now after just one or two weeks into this. I can't recommend this highly enough.
very interesting comments. Primary teachers could certainly take it on board to make learning of the language more attractive to all children. Thanks for sharing
@@nct948 I agree wholeheartedly.
Hi Benjamin, I was wondering if you could do a video of which edition of Ulysses should you buy. Thanks for your videos!!!
Greetings. I too recall the wonder and joy of books on cassette during my formative years. The quiet of my local library on a skipped school day, learning more than class could provide and the rebellion of learning about your own literary taste. Long live analog!
They're a different experience but they're a wonderful, helpful tool for us teachers to lure our most reluctant readers 😊
It counts !!! In my case, it took a bit of focus to learn how to listen while driving. Much of the value is also who is selected to either narrate a nonfiction book or act out a novel. I particularly like when the autobiographer reads her or his own material. Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes was terrific in that way. As have been so many others. Recollection of enjoyability in novels: standouts for me were the Harry Potter series, the Sue Grafton works ("alphabet mysteries") and some of Dean Koontz, as interpreted by actor Jay O. Sanders.
I so glad I found your channel here! Thanks for stimulating my "little grey cells"! WHAT'S IN A VERB? I remember having a blind lover with whom I "watched" TV. He would always say he watched a show on TV. While teaching math (maths) an hour away, I loved listening to books on CD. I am hooked and have "read" many many books. I see plusses and minuses to the practice. Often (like with your allusion to reading philosophy) I wish to ponder a well-turned sentence or phrase. There are times I want to re-read and ponder. Most often I want to view an unknown word to apply my Latin/Greek/Italian/German/French skills hoping to ferret out a wholesome meaning. But time waits for no one with an audiobook. With essays and poetry (two forms I rarely listen to) I can research and find the passage/word. That works with science and history too. Unfortunately, but not often, in audiobooks of fiction, some words and meaning slink away into oblivion from my perspective. I have (rarely) gotten the physical book, dammit, and tackled the elusive songbird. Certainly there are some magnificent lines I wished to cherish in Maya Angelou's autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, that need to be savored and shined and shown to others. I have the book book. (I was at a teachers conference the day after she died and I read aloud her mentor, Mrs. Flowers, opinion about how a book (A Tale of Two Cities) should be read. A jewel!
I listen to audiobooks on KZhead. It is easy to pause, check the dictionary as you would do with a physical book. You can also note down the position of a favourite sentence by using the reference numbers shown in the bottom left corner. Maybe you should look for a different system which would give you these options?
I had one audiobook cassette as a child which was a collection of wintery bedtime stories narrated by Anna Massey. It was a favourite and played on repeat every yesr when I was growing up. Then I moved away to only reading physical books. When we went into lockdown in 2020 my reading took a massive slump and for a number of reasons I started suffering with headaches and migraines which meant that my vision was severely affected. In 2021 I rediscovered audiobooks and they saved me. I started reading again and climbed out of the reading slump. I now listen to 1-2 audiobooks a month to still give me the content I want but it also helps relieve my eyes and head of additional strain, particularly after working on computers.
I still enjoy reading a physical book especially if it’s something more challenging or where I want to linger over a bit of prose and think about it. I will say that sometimes an audiobook is really great, especially if the narrator is good and has a feel for the work. The Aubrey Maturin series narrated by Patrick Tull being one of my all time favorites, my hands are making dinner or doing laundry but my mind is at sea with Jack and Steven and the gang.
Only audiobooks I bought were the poetry of T.S. Eliot. I had two, which comprised most of his Collected Poems. I had been listening to poetry, only poetry, on Caedmon records (lps) at community college. Eliot, Frost, Auden, Spender. Ted Hughes. Some were given me on cassette by my prof. H.T. Kirby-Smith, author of The Musical Constellations; A Philosophical Novelist: George Santayana and The Last Puritan; and, The Celestial Twins: Poetry and Music Through the Ages. T
Thank you! You've officially motivated me to pick up an audiobook. On a separate note, do you have an episode planned for the works of Steinbeck? I'm currently halfway through East of Eden, and it just might be one of the finest American books I'ver ever read. (I've always had a soft spot for Steinbeck anyway since he was local to my area.)
Nice one, Christophe :) Actually I do! I've been wanting to do an East of Eden podcast for the longest time. My favourite Steinbeck! Though I'm also tempted by some of his other works.
I've only really started reading fiction in the last couple of years. Alongside finding out what forms of literature I'm drawn to, I've been enjoying finding out what types of book I do and don't so much like to listen through audiobooks. At first I assumed I'd only enjoy listening to memoirs read by the author, but now I'm experiencing the joy of listening to actors bringing the classics to life :-)
For non-fiction, particularly philosophy I prefer listening. I process complex ideas and remember them better through listening rather than reading. But I prefer to read fiction so that I can slow down and indulge the movie that plays out in my minds eye. I can imagine, and almost hear sounds, I can see colors and almost experience smells, pain and pleasure if I allow myself to be taken by the story. I also like to re~read sections that i find interesting or particularly enjoy. That said, listening to someone read a story takes me back to being read to as a child. This was how I was introduced to books. I also recall my parents and grand parents, aunties and uncles, telling me stories from the past. There is an emotionality that becomes a shared experience when elders pass on stories to younger generations. The joy of sharing the story binds with the excited anticipation when listening to a story. This shared experience between the story teller and the listener helps us to feel a sense of belonging, because the histories of our elders become part of our ancestral story that we then pass down.
I listen to audio books especially if I'm having some difficulty with foreign language pronunciation in the physical book.
Audiobooks provided such a huge leap forward when it came to my learning Japanese. They're even great for my native language too, as there are plenty of words that we may see printed on the page regularly, but almost never hear!
I listen to Shakespeare through audiobooks. When reading it doesn’t really click for me, but listening opens the Bard’s words to me.
I'm so with you there :) This is such a perfect way to experience Shakespeare!
I love reading, listening, reading and listening at the same time, studying, watching the stories played out in plays at the theatre and very occasionally as a movie. Some books are just too special to me to listen to, that’s not to lessen the experience of listening, but I truly adore reading and some books, for me, have to be read. I would love to go out once a week to listen to books being read, which I think is a thing in some places, probably the bigger cities (I’m talking about England) and I would love to live with someone who loved reading aloud to an avid listener 😍
My favourite Shakespeare play has always been "King Lear". I can even date this preferance, to being taken to a local cinema in 1971 (as an eleven year old by my school) to see Peter Brooks film version starring Paul Schofield. To this day, I can still visualise the stark, cold, black and white photography of the snowy conditions, filmed in Denmark !
I love audiobooks! They constitute around a half of my annual reading count. Recently I’ve been having some trouble with audiobooks, as I can’t seem to find anything I’d like to listen from the beginning to the end, but still - LOVE. I love Asian literature and I’m so glad I can find loads of audiobooks on Storytel written by Asian writers, which are currently unavailable in translation my country.
Another potential "hybrid" approach is to read aloud. I've heard this is effective for language learning but personally have found it useful to help remember specific points that I am reading.
Our three day a week reading group reads Finnegans Wake, Tristram Shandy, and Paradise Lost, each on its assigned day. We’ve been at it for well nigh ten years. We always read aloud en group before discussion, and for the most part we come having read and prepared. Such fun!
Man I need to find a FW reading group so bad 😢
Wow. Sounds like you have an incredible group. I love that you've been going at it for a decade. Absolutely inspired choices, all three 👌
Loved it!!! Thanks!
I'm so happy you enjoyed it :) Thank you for watching!
I had a Shakespeare professor who insisted we should only read the plays aloud - not silently. It made the biggest difference with the plays I was already familiar with. It became much more dramatic than reading silently and I noticed I was unintentionally giving characters different voices. I plan on a King Lear reread in this manner and I just need to find somewhere I can be alone and Howl, howl, howl, howl without being considered a lunatic. :)
There is nothing quite like a beautifully bound physical book to excite the heart within me; however, I love the ability to listen to a good audiobook while I am doing something which precludes my sitting and reading. I do count audiobooks in my books completed or books read number for the year. I do like read physically better than listen simply because I have a stronger connection with the story and the characters.
It matters a lot who performs (reads) the audiobook. I always listen to many samples before making a choice.
I love audio books , and sometimes have the actual book open and enjoy following along as I am being read to. It depends also on the reader/actor. Dickens comes alive with Martin Jarvis, as does Barchester Towers with Timothy West.
I'll have to make sure Martin Jarvis is involved in my next Audible download, Barbara! Dickens is one of my favourite authors to listen to, but I'm not sure I've heard Martin Jarvis yet! Timothy West is incredible - I love when he voices Shakespeare :)
@@BenjaminMcEvoy I love his Dickens - I am currently on Great Expectations for the 2nd time but they do release some heavily abridged versions (David Copperfield at 2 hrs 18 mins!!! Or at 34 hours - both Martin Jarvis.) So the unabridged are really good - I cannot understand how they can do the whole recording and then release the same thing so short!
@@BenjaminMcEvoy Nicholas Boulton has recorded David Copperfield for Naxos AudioBooks…he is one of the best Narrators I’ve heard….I believe he is better than Martin Jarvis…you can listen to the sample and decide who is better 😊