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mmillington t1_j5l8hek wrote

Reply to comment by DeborahJeanne1 in What is your favorite book challenge? by Pineapplebruh97

A lot of the high numbers I’ve seen are people who listen to a lot of pop lit audiobooks while they’re at work. And they listen at like 2X speed.

I’ve been listening to the Dresden Files books on 2X before bed, but I can’t take audiobooks for long.

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DeborahJeanne1 t1_j5lzvku wrote

I thought that might be the case, but that’s not reading! Listening to a book is no different than listening to a documentary on TV. I do that when I’m cleaning the house.

I’ve tried listening to audiobooks while driving to a vacation spot, but my mind wanders and I find myself continuously rewinding. However, I never considered that reading in the true sense of the word.

In my opinion - and it’s just that - someone who listens to audiobooks and speeds it up to finish quicker- is doing it to pad their numbers. They are deluding themselves if they think it classifies as reading.

And before I’m downvoted by those who don’t agree, just look up the definition of reading: “the action or skill of reading written or printed matter silently or aloud.” Similar alternatives are “browse through, look through, glance through, leaf through, flick through, skim through” - but no “listen to.”

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mmillington t1_j5msmxd wrote

Yeah, I think of it as listening to a theater performance more than “reading.”

The only time I can really follow an audiobook is if I’ve read the print version first; otherwise, like you, my mind just wanders off.

When I do long, laborious home projects like refinishing floors or painting walls/fences, I listen to some classic science fiction like Snow Crash, The Forever War, or The Doomsday Book.

Aside from the Dresden Files audiobooks, the only time I’ve listened to the audio as my first time through was last year with Finnegans Wake. I had the audio going in my headphones while I actively read along. It really helped having the Irish pronunciations. Next time I read The Wake, I’m going without the audio now that I have a feel for it.

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