A quick post today with two simple questions:
- Do audiobooks count as reading?
- What about re-reading the same book over and over?
Is it a straightforward yes? A hard no? Or somewhere in between?
I find myself thinking about this more and more, especially while parenting a tween and a teen. My kids don’t adore reading the way I did. It’s hard for me to imagine someone growing up without books at the center of their world. When I was a kid, books were where I lived. (First Nancy Drew, then Sweet Valley High, and later Clive Cussler and Janet Evanovich.)
I’m definitely biased because I can’t finish an audiobook to save my life. Each and every time I try, it’s a struggle. I’ve listened to maybe eight audiobooks in my entire life and lost interest in about six of them by the midway point.
They may not read the way I did, but their engagement with stories is definitely there.
Belle has read dozens of Boxcar Children books and listened to them on audiobook hundreds of times. Literally. She’s read the entire Harry Potter series in print at least five times. And on audio? She’s played those recordings so often, she can recite full chapters from memory. She liked the Babysitter’s Club okay, but for the most part, that’s it — she shows no interest in deviating from those series.
Indy, on the other hand, won’t pick up a paper book unless he’s strongly encouraged (ahem). But every night, without fail, he listens to an audiobook before bed. Over the years, he’s gone through hundreds of Boxcar Children, I Survived, and now Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior — all on audio.
So…maybe they do read a lot. Just not in the way I used to.
What do you think?
- Does the format matter, or is it just about the love of the story itself?
- Do audiobooks “feel” like reading to you?
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I don’t like audiobook, I only do when I run, a couple of times and don’t feel I got it fully through audiobook. RE-reading? I haven’t done any to be honest.
I’d let kids to read at their way as long as they read as it’s a personal experience. My girls like to read, especially Sofia, paper copy the most and they love re-reading.
I was a HUGE re-reader as a kid, so I can appreciate the appeal!
Your kids are doing well! I love that photo of them! 😂
I wonder if boys are different from girls? Thinking back to my school time, I only knew girls who were voracious readers.
I don’t listen to audiobooks at all – I simply don’t know when. I don’t drive a car and don’t listen to anything during my runs. During cleaning, I listen to the radio.
My dad and one of my male cousins are the two most prolific readers in my life, but I will admit that now all the readers I know about are women.
Maybe if I had a regular commute I would get into audiobooks? I find it hard to concentrate. Even podcasts can be tricky for me, but they’re much shorter and more engaging to me. I’d prefer to listen – and sing along – to music when I clean or am in the car.
Ooooh your first question is such a good question. And a controversial one!
My thoughts — as an avid reader of both print and audiobooks, and as a parent — are a) YES, listening to audiobooks is absolutely “reading.” And also b)… audiobooks and print books offer different (if sometimes overlapping) benefits.
My daughter enjoyed listening to audiobooks when she was little and I know she was able to get a lot out of the books she read. I attribute listening to audiobooks for a lot of her facility with language and her vocabulary (and her correct pronunciation of words). She has an inherent understanding of the rules of grammar and language usage, even without having a lot of technical instruction in those things. She seems to be able to understand and engage with a text just as well whether she’s listening to it or reading it with her eyes. As for my own experience, I love audiobooks and listen to them frequently (in the car, while walking, while chopping veggies or folding laundry or drying my hair) and I feel like I get just as much out of an audiobook as I do out of a print one.
I also think that PRINT books offer some additional valuable benefits, especially a couple of teaching tools. I 100% attribute most of my technical understanding of the written word (spelling, capitalization, punctuation, dialogue, sentence structure, paragraph structure, etc.) to reading print books. The more you read, the more you absorb those things, until they become natural. To this day, there are dozens of words I can use and spell correctly *without really knowing their meaning* simply because I read them in context so many times. I’m not saying you can’t glean sentence structure and dialogue patterns via audiobook — you can — but knowing when a semicolon is called for vs a colon vs a period, or knowing how to spell a word, are things you can really only read rather than hear.
My only concern, reading-wise, is the one that’s plaguing universities and schools worldwide right now: students don’t seem to be able to complete complex reading coursework. I don’t know enough about this issue to fully understand its cause or implications, but I do want my own kid to be able to consume a text, comprehend it fully, and think about it critically. And I want her to be able to struggle through something like Shakespeare or Dante or Beowulf or Chaucer, because there are important lessons to be learned not just from the content of the old masters, but from the struggle itself. (I say this having dropped a Chaucer course in college because I *could not* get through it, omg. I still have nightmares about that class.) Sometimes things are boring and they can STILL have value.
As to your second question, I absolutely believe you can get a lot out of reading and rereading the same book. Just think of the Bible, Elisabeth! A text can be rich in so many ways, and can reveal new facets of itself to you — or reveal new facets of YOURself to you — each time you read.
I loved the Babysitters Club so much when I was younger. I feel like those books, while simplistic in some ways, also have so much value in terms of showcasing kids in situations where they need to be strong and resilient and empathetic and resourceful.
Even though I am desperate for my kid to love reading the way I do — and she just doesn’t, unless it’s The Right Book — I am trying to so hard to allow her to find her own way. Well, with a little prodding and a little bribery.
(Sorry for the novel-length comment! I guess I have strong feelings about this topic!)
I LOVED IT! The longer, the better.
Suzanne. I love everything about this comment. So wise, encouraging and…I don’t blame you one bit for dropping the Chaucer course 😉
While I have re-read a number of books some time ago, I do not do this very often. At least one time recently it happened by mistake – I forgot that I already read the book (which apparently was not so memorable then…).
I do not listen to audiobooks at all. Lack of time and opportunity, and more importantly I read very fast and I get annoyed at audiobooks being too “slow”, and it does not help to listen at higher speed.
I have to admit that for me audiobooks do not really count as reading…this might be controversial, but the act of reading for me is associated with the printed word. Do not get me wrong, I think listening to an audiobook is a good and valuable activity, but I am not yet convinced that it counts as reading.
Having said that: I do not read as much as I would like to due to lack of time and sometimes energy.
My apologies for this controversial opinion.
As for our kids: I read a lot as a kid (similar to you). The kids (aged 9 and 11) could read more, I think. One is on a Donald Duck kick lately, but also reads chapter books. The other one often prefers non-fiction over fiction and reads books about topics that they are interested in.
I never read non-fiction as a kid, but that was almost exclusively what I read for well over a decade after finishing university. There are some great non-fiction options for kids right now, more than when I was growing up!
Like you, even when I put an audiobook to a faster speed, I don’t feel like I can read nearly as quickly as with a print book. Though I suppose that’s okay in the context of being able to do two things at once. I can go for a walk AND listen to an audiobook, where I’m almost always sitting to read a paper book. Though there is someone who walks regularly around our town with her nose literally buried in a book (she looks up when she gets to crosswalks or other places you need to be wary of cars).
No apologies needed! Until thinking about it just recently, I had never thought about audiobooks as “reading”.
I am really jealous of people who can listen to audiobooks! I bet your kids will remember being immersed in stories, just differently than you do (as you said). How do your kids listen to audiobooks?
My middle son has always been able to sit and listen to long stories. I have photos of him doing this at 3 months old, looking very attentive! lol. I’m wondering if this will translate to a love of reading when he’s independently reading..
We have an old Samsung phone that we bought 5-6 years ago second hand. It is OLD and has never been used with cell phone capabilities…but it works great for audiobooks. Indy uses that every night to listen to an audiobook; Belle has a tablet for audiobooks (neither is able to access the internet without parental controls, so they download books from Hoopla or Libby and then we take the devices offline).
Hooray for kiddos who love reading. Belle LOVED to be read to as a child; it took Indy longer to feel the same, but he also got to the point of LOVING books. I do feel a bit better thinking audiobooks are books (of course they are, right?), and I do think they have helped me kids with their vocabulary and general knowledge.
I LOVE audiobooks! As someone with eye troubles, I’m so thankful for audiobooks. When I listen to an audiobook, I feel like I’ve read the book, but the experience is different from reading print. One huge benefit of audiobooks is aural comprehension. They say that reading print will help a person become a better writer, which I think is true. I also believe that audiobooks help people become better listeners, which is an important skill.
Something funny I’ve noticed is that when I read print, I’ll know the meaning and spelling of a word, but not how to pronounce it. (For example, the word epitome. I always thought it was epee tome.) But when listening to an audiobook, I will know how to pronounce a word and understand its meaning, but might not know how to spell it. (For example, the word segue. I always thought it was spelled segway. Ha! Ha!)
This was a fun topic! I’m glad your kids are enjoying audiobooks!
Michelle, what a wonderful perspective! How true that audiobooks would be such a delight for anyone who struggles with visual cues for a variety of reasons, including vision loss, or barriers like dyslexia.
Also appreciate your thought about audiobooks helping people become better listeners. That makes so much sense!
Segue is a tough word!
I was discussing this topic with my mom, who is a retired grade school teacher. One interesting thing she said is that when a child who loves reading suddenly doesn’t want to read, it’s often because they need glasses. She said it even happened to me when I was in 5th grade. That blew my mind!
Thankfully, both my kids have great eyesight, but I have heard of this phenomenon before, too!
I’ve done both of these things!
I have a very strict preference for reading fiction and listening to non fiction. And yes I absolutely positively zone out while listening, so I have a concern that I might have problems being able to stay with a fiction audio book. However, when Stephany and Jenny met up earlier this year Stephany challenged Jenny to listen to an audio book, and I pretended that I was with them at their meetup and accepted the challenge. Now mind you I still haven’t listened to a fiction audio book, but I intend to. I think it will be Daisy Jones and the Six, which is a book that I heard good things about, but I thought that the oral history format might not work for me. I don’t think that will be a problem on audio. When Jenny and I first talked about GWTW, I considered it, but then I saw the audio book was 49 HOURS LONG, so that was a firm no.
But anyway, even though I love “reading with eyes” I am a firm defender of “reading with ears”. I’ve heard a lot of audio book fans say that listening is the only way that they have time to read (because they’re doing it while driving, etc), and I am here for that.
Also Team Reread. It’s something that I did more when I was younger, but I have my all time favorites that I like to revisit. These are books that made a huge impression on me the first time, and I find that they still have something to say to me now. Some examples are And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, a handful of Nevil Shute books, and the Joyce Porter Dover series.
One reason that I do less rereading now is that I’m always hearing about new books from my blogging friends and the Sarah’s Bookshelves Podcast. Belle and Indy don’t have those sources, so that might be part of the reason why they’d rather revisit the books that they know.
My funniest kid reading story is that the boys went through a phase where they didn’t want to go on the family after dinner dog walk anymore, but they were “forced” to come along. Their way of coping with the Extreme Boredom of Twenty Whole Minutes was to bring their books. Now I personally have never been inclined to walk and read at the same time, but it didn’t seem to bother them.
Extreme Boredom of Twenty Whole Minutes sounds very serious. Haha. We have someone in our town that walks and reads (a paper book, in her hand) daily.
I used to love to re-read. It felt very comforting to me. Now I think I feel pressed for time, realizing there is “so much to read and so little time.”
49 hours. I would lose. my. mind!
Audio books are reading. Just like having someone read aloud to you. (Imagine it’s like a Jane Austen setting with one person reading and others knitting or sewing – maybe a cup of tea too? There, that’s the image to convince you it has merit!)
Maybe Ibdy likes audiobooks before bed because you read so much to him?
And rereading counts ( Belks is a lot like me- finding pleasure and new treasures in rereads. ) It’s like slipping into your favorite jeans or having your special meal .
I have lots of kids, and some are readers and some are not. But they can read to learn, so that’s the important thing.
Why can autocorrect never make the right decisions when I’m tired? Indy and Belle.
A fun book on audio/paper is the ” Enchanted Forest Chronicles ” by Patricia Wrede. My daughter’s were Belle’s age when they heard them- it was magical! If she like Harry Potter ( magic and dragons) and fairy tales ( slightly twisted) , she may enjoy these.
Thanks! I just put in a hold on the first book in the series. I think I might bribe her. $5 to read a book or a McFlurry or something like that? We don’t have a very fun reading program at the library anymore, which used to be a great incentive with all sorts of fun prizes and draws.
Love the Austen image. It sounds so classy and refined.
I did used to read before bed, so I can see how the audiobooks are a smooth transition. Plus, audiobooks don’t get tired of reading, so he can have it on until he falls asleep. I was usually exhausted and my eyes were drooping after a chapter or two.
“It’s like slipping into your favorite jeans or having your special meal.” This is EXACTLY how she feels about Harry Potter. And I think books we read as tweens/teens are formative. We’re more immersed in alternate realities and so we feel the characters stories more fully than perhaps we’re able to as adults.
I’m a hard YES to both of your questions. Audiobooks are books, and also it totally counts if you reread books (said from the woman who is a hardcore rereader). I think audiobooks and visually reading books develop different skill sets, neither of which is better or worse, just different. I personally don’t read audiobooks, because I already have too many podcasts to listen to. I’m also a visual learner rather than an auditory one, and so I don’t absorb stories as well while listening.
Forgot to say, I loved Sweet Valley High! I feel slightly surprised you also loved them – and thrilled!
My parents would NOT have approved, but I had pretty much free range at the library and boy did I love those books. Elizabeth was my favourite, of course. She reminded me of me (well, in very slight ways – she was cool and I was NOT), but I secretly thought Jessica was the epitome of cool. It also made me wish I was a twin.
I know you love to re-read. (So does my dad.)
I’ve also always been a visual learner; I would attend lectures in university to takes notes but wasn’t able to absorb anything. I needed to go back and process it on my own with all my notes in front of me.
Well, you know I love audiobooks (a habit I picked up during Covid times). But I do find I have to listen to a bit to make sure I like the narrator’s voice before plunging in to the story. I’ve never thought about it, but listening to a book must be a very different process for our brains, compared to reading text. For sure, engaging with a book either way must be considered reading, although not in the usual sense, I suppose. And everybody goes through spells when we don’t make time for reading – I don’t think I read anything other than course books during my BA, for example. It’s funny how kids will listen/read the same books, watch the same movies, over and over again.
I didn’t read hardly anything for pleasure for years and years when I was in university and then even a few years after because I was burned out from so much reading for courses. I’m so glad I’ve rediscovered the love of reading. And while I’m dipping my toe back into fiction, my absolute favourite genre these days is memoir.
I don’t listen to audiobooks. I know most people count them as reading, and I guess I do count them- but I just don’t like them. I had the same experience as you growing up- books were the absolute center of my world. And, re-reading definitely counts! I read all the time as a kid- I re-read favorite books and also read tons of new ones. Now I don’t re-read as much, probably because I don’t have as much time for reading as I did back then.
My son wasn’t much of a reader growing up, but now he’s getting REALLY into reading which makes me so happy! So- there’s hope. Just because your kids don’t love it now, doesn’t mean they won’t later. My daughter hardly ever reads (sob) but I’m hoping she’ll love it later on? Maybe.
I miss re-reading. It doesn’t hold nearly the same level of appeal for me. But I used to love nothing more than to sink back into a great book. Maybe part of that was knowing what was going to happen. It’s a bit like a sanctioned way to read the last chapter first. By reading the book already, you can settle in and really enjoy more nuances, knowing how everything is going to turn out. I used to feel the same way about movies. I tended to enjoy them more after watching them a first time.
I’m getting ahead of the comment queue, but I saw Kae’s comment about readers thinking there is a moral superiority to being a reader and I definitely feel like I fall into that trap. It feels cultured and a sign of intelligence, but maybe I’m wrongly hoping my kids love reading as much as I did/do because it signals something about their learning potential. They’re perfectly happy not being (paper/print) readers, so I guess I have to be content. Also, I did everything I can do. I read to them for hours and hours each and every week. And they both know I would take them to the library every single day if they wanted to go. Ultimately, they’re their own people and I shouldn’t project my habits on them.
All that said…I would still LOVE for them to be voracious readers, especially so we could compare notes and read together as adults.
We certainly have readers and nonreaders in this house, and like you I was such a reader that I can’t imagine why they don’t want to fall in love with the escape books can bring.
I know you’re not asking for book recs, but our 11 year old was not into reading AT ALL until he started the Michael Vey series (the author is a Christian who writes a lot of novels). He flew through the whole series and finally started reading Harry Potter after. My 8 year old flew through the Series of Unfortunate Events books (and there are a lot!) which is another “addicting” series that helped him get into reading for pleasure. He is patiently waiting until he turns ten, when we allow Harry Potter and Michael Vey. Anyway, sometimes it just takes one good series to start the love affair 🙂
I’ll have to look up Michael Vey! Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe I need to read a book out loud to Indy this summer? I think if he gets hooked on a series, he might want to stick with it. Also, it would be a good non-screen activity.
Thanks for the suggestions!!!
I would also answer both questions with a firm YES. I do not listen to audiobooks but they 100% count as reading. And I do not typically re-read books but each re-reading counts. I like how Goodreads gives you credit for a re-read, too.
So far, Paul is a reader but I know that can change at any time. Last winter he preferred to read Dogman books on his own in bed. Now he prefers being read to. We are reading a fun mystery set in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado that my parents bought him and are both enjoying it. It’s the first in the series and we will definitely get the others.
Will likes reading, too, but is firmly in the picture book stage. I think I started to read chapter books to Paul around age 4 but I can’t imagine doing that for Will. He definitely needs pictures to stay entertained.
I miss picture books! That was such an era in my life as a mom. So many hours – hundreds? – spent reading books to my kids. I love picture books so very much.
Indy has zero desire to read to himself unless he’s “forced.” I did buy him the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid for Christmas and he read that.
I think you and I have discussed this some before, but my boys USED to be HUGE readers. Like, I am not exaggerating, they read all.the.time. from ages ~5-12 or so. They’d read at restaurants, in the car, at home, out in public, anywhere. People would come up to us and say, Wow, look at these little bookworms! I was so proud. I had FIGURED IT OUT and I had created READERS gosh darn it!
Well, let’s just say… maybe I spoke too soon. It pains me to say that as soon as they hit the teen years (or maybe, coinciding with when they got phones… 😣), their reading dropped off a literal cliff. Suddenly, neither one “likes reading” anymore. (They argue that they read at school.) E is still more inclined to it, I think (he at least has a better attitude when I suggest it- I have a feeling deep down he still likes it, he just needs the right material and/or just prefers to do other things right now, whereas the other one flat out says, I don’t like reading anymore.) Ugh. I hate it.
I also feel a sense of guilt, like I somehow have failed to keep this habit up for them. Maybe we should have waited on phones, or been stricter on technology.. should we still be “requiring” reading?? (But they’re 15 and 16- almost 17!- now, so this just feels, complicated.) Should we be taking electronics away? Making a better effort to find material they like? Have we raised them wrong?! I don’t know. I forget where I read it though or heard it- I think it was on a podcast, maybe Girl Next Door?? Can’t remember- but someone said something along the lines of “there’s no moral superiority in being a reader or not”. I do think that especially in circles where people are “readers” there is a tendency to feel like if you (or a loved one) is NOT a reader, then there is something bad or negative about that, like it’s a shortcoming. I’ll admit I feel like reading is a wonderful habit and is good for the brain and I do wish for the boys to be lifelong readers and I’ll also admit that in a way it feels “morally superior” to see a teen sitting in an airport reading an old fashioned book vs playing a game on their phone or watching youtube! But I guess in reality, many successful and happy people are not readers. (And in fairness, Ivan is not a reader at ALL! This also annoys me because I feel like now as a result they have taken after him in a “negative” way (his non-reader habits) instead of picking up on MY “good” habit of being a reader…Hmph.) Maybe like Jenny’s son, they’ll circle back around someday… I do think I was probably similar and I don’t think I read nearly as much in my high school years as those late elementary/ middle school years.
Yes to all of this. I definitely fall into the trap of thinking reading is morally superior to screens. I remember hearing Liz Craft once say she regretted not watching MORE TV as a kid/teen. Obviously, that makes a lot of sense as a TV writer.
John is not a reader, either. He can read, but is a much slower reader than me (he reads every word) and it also tends to make him sleepy. (He can also fall asleep watching a show or movie, which I almost never do – even if I’m exhausted I don’t want to put down the book/miss any of the movie.) John reads lots of short things like opinion pieces and he’s a huge consumer of the news, but rarely books. I do wish we could share this activity, but I also have to respect there is no right/wrong better/less optimal. We have different preferences and that’s okay.
Still, as someone who spent so many happy hours reading as a kid, it is hard to watch my own kids not love books the way I did. But it’s comparing apples and oranges. The world is so different now. I didn’t have a cell phone until I was in my 20s. There was no Netflix. We got 3 channels on our tiny little TV. No one had screens at school. It really is a whole new world….
To the first question, YES!! As a parent of a dyslexic kid, “ear reading” is just as good as “eye reading” (and we use these terms to make it clear that one is not superior to the other). It also allows my kids to read books that are at their comprehension level if their eye reading level isn’t there yet. I have a non dyslexic kid that blows through so many audio books that he wouldn’t be able to with his eyes alone. And I think the point it to engage with the story and get lost in that world irrespective of whether you do it with your ears or eyes.
Love those terms! Ear reading and eye reading. And yes, my kids certainly do immerse themselves in the world of literature. I wonder if I have questioned the validity because I struggle to listen to an audiobook? I suspect my view on it would have been softer if I grew up loving audiobooks and/or really appreciated them as an adult.
I’m going to try to listen to a complete audiobook this summer!
My mom used to read aloud to the entire family every night before bed … we’re talking, I was in high school? I think this is why I’ve started gravitating toward audiobooks more – it reminds me of that, and for things I’m *rereading* audiobooks bring the story to my attention in a completely different way. I heard someone say that with audiobooks you are literally hearing EVERY word on the page, but reading with your eyes you may be subconsciously skimming over some – and that really struck me. That said, my ability to actually listen to/finish any given audiobook depends entirely on the narrator. I will bail quick if the voice reading me the story isn’t working.
And rereading is life <3
Awww. That’s lovely. I grew up with parents that read to me until I was…8ish? I loved reading so much and they just couldn’t keep up with my demand so I started reading solo and never looked back.
I have such great memories of my mom reading Bobbsey Twins to me. She would stop at the end of a chapter (always cliffhangers) and make me go for a quick swim in the lake for her. It was agony, but of course I loved the dramatic tension of not knowing what would happen next.
And your comment makes me think that re-reading a book as audio might be lovely. I think I struggle with listening to a book I haven’t read because I a) zone out and b) feel like I need to capture every word in case I miss something important. When I skim, at least I can always flip back if I realize I’ve missed something.
So…maybe my strategy should be to re-read books I’ve loved on audio? Like I could LISTEN to Anne of Green Gables or The Swiss Family Robinson because I know all the critical pieces of the story so if I zone out a bit, nothing much will have been lost. I have a lot to think about and I am excited.
I would, as an ex publishing editor say that audio does count towards “reading” despite the argument for and against. As long as kids are consuming the written word, one way or the other. My mum encouraged us to read early and often, whether that were books or, when abroad because they were so cheap, comics. My brothers read several a day and, for my mum, that was a win.
Now, it’s graphic novels. Maybe not as many words, but still, it counts. Get them consuming as many formats as possible, all that input is what counts.
Personally, I can’t do audio either, as I fall asleep within a minute or less. They really are a great way for me to switch off and Zzzz. And rereading? Yes, of course. There are some books I’ve reread since I was 6 and will continue to keep reading till they nail down the coffin lid. And I expect to be buried with my Winnie the Pooh books.
Well, I feel like you are the perfect expert to weigh in!
My kids both did go through a phase of loving graphic novels, which I did consider reading. Not sure why it has taken me to long to think of audiobooks as reading.
“There are some books I’ve reread since I was 6 and will continue to keep reading till they nail down the coffin lid. And I expect to be buried with my Winnie the Pooh books.” This gives me all the feels. Spoken like a true reader!
Again, I think it’s my background. With six kid I guess my parents were happy when we were all quietly reading, it didn’t matter what it was, as long as we weren’t rampaging around the house. Especially during long winters. And I got my mum into audio when he eyesight started going. She had trouble watching TV and reading, so audio was a godsend for her. She love it. I see it as no different to reading to your kids of an evening, so why not?
Oh, indeed. Books are a lifeline to adventure and new worlds and learning so much. Thank God for language and the written word.
This is a really good question. Hmm. I suppose listening to books counts as reading. I prefer paper books, but if I have to drive anywhere for a long time- I am all about an audio book. I have a daughter with reading comprehension issues and I prefer that she read books. I also prefer she not read graphic novels, because we found that she was just looking at pictures.
Audio books don’t feel like reading to me. It’s like listening to someone telling me a story. It’s still a way to expand our world or learn things or be entertained, but I don’t think it’s the same as reading words on a page.
I’ve never tried an audio book. Not that I wouldn’t try it, I just have soo many physical books on my shelves 🙂
YES, YES, YES to both of these questions! Audiobook listening IS reading – after all, for many people, it’s an accessibility issue and I would never want to tell someone who cannot read a physical book (or an e-book) that their reading doesn’t count. (I know you are not saying this; it’s just the argument I make when people tell me it doesn’t count.) Around 30% of my overall books are audiobooks and I am almost always listening to an audiobook or a podcast (I rarely listen to music; just not my thing!). There are definitely some audiobooks that work better for me than others – sometimes I do want the physical book because my brain will process the information differently. But it’s a great way to sneak in reading time when I’m doing other things like cooking or cleaning!
I don’t reread much these days but I was BIG about that as a kid.
I had never really considered the accessibility angle but now it seems so obvious (and extremely ignorant of me to not clue in to this).
It’s interesting how most people loved to re-read as kids but it’s much less frequent in adulthood. That’s definitely the case for me, too.
My kids are the same way! My oldest is a voracious reader….but it’s usually the same handful of books (and most of them are graphic novels). I keep reminding her that she can read above that level, but it’s what she loves! My other kids love to sit and look at books, but none of them have actually started reading the words yet.
There is comfort in repetition!
I love having more independent kids, but I will admit that I really miss the years of cuddling on the couch and reading them picture books. It was a huge part of my mothering identity for such a long time.
The format of the book doesn’t matter to me – physical, ebook, or audio. It’s all reading. It’s all immersive and gets you to focus on something besides yourself.
Now, if I was raising children, I’d probably tell myself that reading a physical book versus listening develop different skills – reading comprehension versus listening comprehension. But once your kids know how to read, I feel like you let them do what they want to do and that’s how they will develop a love for reading. (But, obviously, I do not have kids and don’t have training in elementary language arts, so take what I say with a grain of salt.)
Love this: “It’s all reading. It’s all immersive and gets you to focus on something besides yourself.”
I guess the way I’m trying to look at it (because, quite frankly, for a while I was looking at it as a failure on my part to inspire my kids to read) is that I read to them extensively through the years, I give them all the resources they need to have access to books, and the rest is in their hands. Also, they do LOVE audiobooks!
I know a lot of people have success with audiobooks, but I have never been able to get into them. I wonder whether that because I am much more a visual learner. Often, when I am trying to recall a particular fact, I visualise it on the page, and I find with audiobooks I go into a daydream and miss bits. When I used to listen to a talk or lecture, I would always take notes or doodle to provide just enough other sensory stimulation to keep my mind engaged. I do listen to podcasts, but usually the type that if my mind wanders, it’s no big deal. Also, with a book you can read at your own pace, skim through some parts really quickly or backtrack to reread something, which is not something that is as easy with an audiobook. I accept audiobooks as reading for other people, just not me.
Re-reading definitely counts. This year, I re-read Sharon Penman’s Welsh Trilogy in preparation for visiting Wales, as they were probably the books that sparked my interest in Wales in the first place. I enjoyed them just as much as the first time, I think. It’s been a while, and I could vaguely remember the plot line but I still had plenty of surprises.
Both my girls are still heavy users of the local library. My second eldest hardly read anything for pleasure when she was at university but now that she’s working full time she reads a lot. My son used to read a lot in primary school and early high school, but he doesn’t really read books at all now. He has ADHD and I think most of his hyper focus goes towards his work which he loves and his gadgets.
Yes! I also find my mind wanders and I daydream. I don’t know how people stay focussed. But I am also a visual learner, so I guess this makes sense.
I love that photo of the kids in the laundry baskets. I mean, why? But the fact that B is reading to I is priceless. I don’t know if I ever read to my little brother, but I am thinking no. I do remember traveling with a friend, before audiobooks were really a thing and we would read to each other at night sometimes! Really I would read to him what I would have read to myself anyway. However, when I am reading the book out loud, I do not retain as much of the story as when I am listening to it or reading it alone. So, to answer your questions: audiobooks are still reading, just in a different form, and rereading is still reading so even if you reread the same book 100 times in one year, I would count that as reading 100 books that year. I used to reread a lot as a kid, but I almost never do it now!
I am not a fan of audiobooks. I am a fast reader and prefer to read at my own speed (and also, the narrator can make or break an audiobook for me). I used to take books EVERYWHERE as a kid. But thinking back, I also listened to a lot of audiobooks (or were they called audio dramas back then?) and could usually recite whole passages.
I think all of it counts, although I do feel that the actual act of reading a story is a skill that kids are losing these days because their attention span is “shorter” or something like that because so much is presented in video or audio form. I personally have the most in-depth and vivid experience with a story when I read.
What a good point about the narrator, too.
Yes, I think I like to be able to set my own pace. Skim when I want to skim, re-read when I want to re-read. And I can’t do that with audiobooks. That said, I guess I could listen while walking/cooking/cleaning, so it is “productive”? I really do want to give it another try. Maybe The Women? I’ve been waiting to get that book for ages, and it’s short enough I can listen to it in a month on Spotify…
1. I am in the “any format in which one consumes words written by someone in book form counts as reading” camp. I always have 2 audiobooks, 1 e-book, and 1 print book going.
2. I think of audiobooks like someone is reading a story; to me, it’s the equivalent of parents reading to their kids.
Love all these perspectives on reading and yes, an audiobook IS like being read to and I would always count a book I read to my kids as being reading time for them, so why would I have thought an audiobook was any less?