As I'm sure for most regular readers and those who aren't, the act of reading a book is a large part of the enjoyment. Relaxing in bed, on the couch with your feet up, as it rains outside and you're warm inside, you feeling cool in an air conditioned living room on a blazing summer day and just being engrossed in a book. The smell of the book and the sound of the pages being turned can almost be ritualistic.
That being said, the primary act of reading is to enjoy the story. People often complain about not having the time to read when I mention a good book. So a little back story, I had brain surgery 5 years ago and while the results were good I've been left with vision and neck problems (parinauds syndrome and double vision) which makes reading more of a chore than a pleasure. So I turned to audiobooks, I've read over 60 books that I've kept track of (possibly more) on Audible and old school CD based books; books that even with perfect vision and no neck pain I'd never have read. It works great for me, I can 'read' while cooking, cleaning or enjoy it like a normal book and lay back in bed or on the couch, close my eyes and engross myself.
However whenever I tell people this I often find myself defending it when they say I cheat.. as if reading is some competition and you only get credit if you physically read the pages. Yes I can and do use my condition as an excuse but I shouldn't have to defend myself because I read my books in a different way.
Reading should be shared, great stories should be shared, no matter how it was consumed.
TL;DR Audiobooks are good for everyone and isn't cheating, it doesn't change the journey the author takes you on.
The stigma of listening to audiobooks as somehow lazy or 'cheating' needs to stop
>crippled pleb tries to justify with plebness with "reading is for enjoyment and happiness and cupcakes and sunshine!! :)"
Cheater
>it doesn't change the journey the author takes you on.
It does. You can't say a narrator doesn't alter your perception of the text.
>Reading should be shared, great stories should be shared, no matter how it was consumed.
I agree with this though. You're in a wheelchair, you can still enjoy the great game of basketball, it's just a little bit more shit.
You can't genuinely think that there isn't a huge difference between listening and reading. if you have someone read aloud for you, the direct connection between author and reader is broken.
There is also a difference in what sounds good written vs spoken and what emotions are elicited when reading vs hearing the same sentence.
When listening, you can be totally absent, but reading forces you to keep focused and attentive. Could go on further but this post is probably bait
get good plebeian
I enjoyed listening to Blood Meridian more than I did reading it, same for Steakley's Armor and Slaughterhouse 5.
>p-pleb and proud!!
fuck off
When you read a book you construct your own pace, intonation and emphasis.
Its lazy because you are giving half the work of interpreting the text to someone else.
This is when it's ok, listening AFTER you've read it
You're just cheating yourself out of a better, more fulfilling experience.
Only problem is that your experience is dictated by the speed of who's reading. If you like what tou read or are confused or w.e you can always go back when reading yourself, this is pretty much the most unique and important component of written text too
I mostly listen to audiobooks, but it's not good to pretend it's the same as actually reading.
Spoiling yourself with audiobooks can affect your attention span and focus if you stop reading because of it.
I got the Antifragile audiobook and loved it, so I bought the Black Swan book and it felt like a different language. The engagement wasn't there for me, I still haven't read it.
In terms of "level of stimulation", reading is pretty low, so it's good for fostering an attention span.
>People often complain about not having the time to read when I mention a good book. So a little back story, I had brain surgery 5 years ago and while the results were good I've been left with vision and neck problems (parinauds syndrome and double vision)
Audiobooks are fine bro. But as a tip, I used to cover one eye at a time to read when I had similar problems a while back, though it isn't ideal and doesn't always work. So YMMV.
>the primary act of reading is to enjoy the story.
WEW
E
W
Tl;dr. Do you have this in an audio format?
I listen to books on my drive to work which amounts to 2.5 hours a day. I only get to read about 5 hours a week as i am a busy father with a rather large young family. I see no problem with audiobooks and anyone who gives you shit about it should go fuck themselves. Listening is better than not consuming the books at all, which is most people.
>the primary act of reading is to enjoy the story
TL;DR but
This.
CDs are not books, gtfo.
shouldnt audiobooks be the best option for poetry?
bump
why do you care what people think?
you don't consume books to be admired, do you?
Before books people told each other stories
Then books were made because it was more convenient than having someone tell you a story
And now we're back to someone telling a story instead of you reading it since it's more convenient
Not sureif reading makes it ''stick'' more, if you can prove that then I'd love to hear the studybut I'm not so sute about that.
Sorry about your brain, don't take it out on the rest of us
>read 60 books
Nah, you listened to them
Life cucked you out of experiencing literature as it should be experienced (unless the lit you consume is Stephen King or shit like that). Still, that doesn't make audiobooks less shitty and you any less of a faggot.
It also depends on who is the narrator. I find that usually if it's narrated by the writer it's better.
If you're going to listen to audiobooks, that's fine, but it should be thought of as a guilty pleasure. It's the laziest way to experience literature and it's lacking because of that. Don't assume something is good just because you do it.
>intentionally feeling guilty while doing nothing wrong
cuckold mentality desu senpai
Some children's lit can be great as audioebooks, because they're written to be read out loud. Other than that, just read nigga. If you need something to distract you on your daily communte or whatever start listening to podcasts.