Challenge: 50 Books discussion

50 books - how do you feel about books on tape (cd) for some of the reads?

I've never really tried one before, any good?

I think they definitely count towards 50!

books on tape/cd are a good way to make use of those hum-drum chores/jobs. If the reader is good they are GREAT - if not...........

Of course they count. I'd barely get any reading done without them ;)

I'm a big audio fan. It doesn't work for all books - especially not something that requires a great deal of concentration. But I almost always listen to something when I take a walk. Two of the best books I've "read" in the past couple of years - Bel Canto and English Passengers - I listened to. I love that our library now has downloadable audiobooks. While there's a wait for the really popular titles, it's not bad. I'd be in big trouble if it didn't count towards the 50 books.

They don't count because you're not reading the book!

Really? So should those who work two jobs, have children and very little reading time just bow out of this challenge now because they aren't really reading?

BarkLessWagMore wrote: "Really? So should those who work two jobs, have children and very little reading time just bow out of this challenge now because they aren't really reading?"


I was just expressing my opinion, I didn't mean to upset anyone. I just don't think listening to a book on CD doesn't counts as reading.

Despite the double negative, I think I know what you're trying to say - and I always find this subject interesting. What is the meaning of "reading"? If it's only using your eyes to read words on pages that you flip through, then what about using an ebook reader? What about the blind and vision-impaired for whom reading in the traditional sense isn't an option? I'm curious as to what you see as the differences.

Hester wrote: "They don't count because you're not reading the book!"

If I read it on my Kindle, does that count? It's not exactly a book!

Listening to audiobooks has to count as reading since you must still process the information you hear (or read) in your mind to understand and/or appreciate it.

Some people do better listening to information in order to form mental images while others do better reading the same words to form the same.

Of course there's more control when you read for yourself because you can read far quicker than anyone can speak and vary that speed. (The main advantage of reading over listening.)

I'm more visually oriented, so reading appeals more to me but I do appreciate audiobooks and use them. My wife on the other hand loves listening to books. She consumes them on her commute to work everyday.

Unless the reading is done well, my ears burn out after an hour or two of listening or I want to pick up the pace and cannot because I have to listen at the reader's pace. Maybe that's why some people are better listeners than others?

Hearing is not the same as reading. E-readers count because you are reading text.

If audio does count then that means I'm reading everything that I hear. And this arguement is stupid, all I did was express an opinion and it started one of the most retarded debates I have ever read or in a books on CDs fan's case ever heard.

... then maybe you should delete your response to this 'stupid' argument and not continue this 'retarded' debate.

You missed the point entirely. What I referred to was that "processing the information that you hear" is the same as "processing the information that you read."

I think audio books count :) I use them to.

As Jim Dale, the narrator of the Harry Potter audio books, says: "Listening to audio books is not just great entertainment, it is also a great way for your family to experience and enjoy books together. Studies have shown that listening to stories read aloud helps children build vocabulary, improve their reading skills, and succeed more readily in school. It's an important step on the road to becoming a good reader and one of the best ways to help ensure a life long love of literature for the children you care about."

I agree with what he says. Growing up, my mother would read me books and I did develop a love for literature.

Hester wrote: "BarkLessWagMore wrote: "Really? So should those who work two jobs, have children and very little reading time just bow out of this challenge now because they aren't really reading?"


I was jus..."
You should be entitled to your own opinion but I know people who are visually impaired and dyslexic and they "read" through their ears. As long as the audiobook is following the text and not abridged it definitely should be considered a "read". Also there are times when your eyes are tired and audiobooks should be accepted form of reading.

I didn't mean to start anything. It was just a question - everyone has a right to there own opinion. I have been visually reading books for years. I speak well - but my spelling and any form of writing .... well you can see.

Sharon wrote: "I didn't mean to start anything. It was just a question - everyone has a right to there own opinion. I have been visually reading books for years. I speak well - but my spelling and any form of ..."

Don't feel bad Sharon. Discussion is healthy. It brings out opinions of other people we may not have thought or heard of before Ü It reminds us to take a breather and listen to other people's opinions and reflect on the things we know. Live and let live is what I say, and above all learn.

Wowsers!!! Well I say, do whatever you need to do, to get some stories into your life. Which ever avenue brings you there, take it.

Many people don't agree that audiobooks should count as reading (therefore, someone had to say it eventually!) And others beg to differ. While I realize an audiobook is not reading per say, I think it should still count towards anyones goal for 50 books. Absolutely. Especially for those busybodies who still want to achieve the same pleasure as reading text, they get to hear it instead and process the information as they wish (as an above member mentioned).

Like those who are unable to read text, perhaps due to a disability or time-consuming matters, I loved being read to when I was little. And sometimes I still like being read to, even though I am fully capable of doing it myself. Off topic maybe, point is, it's all the same more or less. I think. You're processing the same information, one way or another. You read the words, you imagine the story. You are read to, you imagine the story.

I tried the whole audiobook thing out for myself. And I really enjoyed listening to a book while doing other things, like the dishes or the treadmill. However, it is my personal preference that I enjoy reading text more, but I will not completely disregard audiobooks in the future. I actually think it's a great alternative! And wonderful that people who learn differently get to have the option.

Isn't it better to be read to (audiobook) than to not engage in reading whatsoever?

Monica wrote: "Isn't it better to be read to (audiobook) than to NOT (emphasis added) engage in reading whatsoever?
..."

Well said!

Joe wrote: "Monica wrote: "Isn't it better to be read to (audiobook) than to NOT (emphasis added) engage in reading whatsoever?
..."

Well said!"

Exactly how I feel. A book is a book is a book. I'd rather have a book read to me than waste the time listening to inane chatter on the radio or worse have to listen to the thoughts in my head as I drive for hours.

BarkLessWagMore wrote: "Joe wrote: "Monica wrote: "Isn't it better to be read to (audiobook) than to NOT (emphasis added) engage in reading whatsoever?
..."

Well said!"

Exactly how I feel. A book is a book is a book. ..."

Agreed... simply nothing worse than the thoughts in your own head.. *shiver*... lol

Books on tape doesn't count. You're not reading but listening. Doesn't reading mean to use our eyes to convey and translate what we see? ha.

I still say whatever works for the individual, cause honestly, our opinions are moot anyways. These are individual challenges, if you prefer hearing the story, over reading the story. All the power to you. I know many people with time constraints, whom prefer the audio books. Not to mention the millions of people who simply NEED to. I myself am planning on listening to one or two, just to see what it's like, and I will be adding them to my list. Regardless of what others opinions may be.

Mai wrote: "Books on tape doesn't count. You're not reading but listening. Doesn't reading mean to use our eyes to convey and translate what we see? ha."

What about those who are visually impaired?

Stories come in both forms of oral and the written word. However, have you either or, you can still convey, translate, and process the information.

Like Shell said, at this point it is truly up to the individual - what they are comfortable with and capable of. If you prefer reading text, find it more challenging than listening maybe, or simply process the information better that way, then carry on.

To each their own!

I never considered an audiobook until I joined Goodreads. So I bought one for my iPod. Although I enjoyed listening to a story rather than music while on the treadmill, or killing two birds with one stone while doing the dishes, I personally prefer to read for myself. But I like having the option. It's different. If I listen to an audioBOOK this year, I'm counting it! :)

I like listening to books on cd in the car. This surely past the time when I was in a traffic jam for two hours. I think that it counts.

Let's think back to where stories originate from. Weren't they at first tales passed down through families and communities through the art of storytelling. If you read, listen, or "read" a book by feeling its Braille bumps, it counts. Come on people...and can we not refer to arguments as "retarded"? How many people are you trying to offend here? Haha...its a SELF challenge, people. It's not a contest against other people, but just a way to encourage yourself to read more. Let's all enjoy the ride and keep our negativity to ourselves. Happy "reading", however you may find it.

From what I have seen, there is a great deal of debate about what our 50 Books a Year should look like. There was another discussion awhile back about whether YA counted, because they are easy reads.

Personally I believe that this challenge is a personal one, therefore each of us is able to set our own personal rules. For example, I personally will not count audio books (mostly because I don't use them, they are expensive and hard to get in my part of the world). However, I am counting EVERY book I read for the first time (re-reads don't count, unless I was under age ten when I read it last) including books for my students, which include simplified graded readers of stories like Huck Finn and Dracula, which some would say are not really books at all.

My point is: make your own rules! Do what you want! If someone wants to start a "no audio or YA 50 books a year" group then they can. :)

Of course listening to audiobooks should count. I love listening to books on tape while doing chores or in the car, it makes it so much more interesting.

I just listened to an audio reading of the Curious Case of Benjamin Button; then immediately afterwards I read the same story.

They both accomplished the same thing for me, and the differences weren't major.

While listening to the audiobook, I could relax and enjoy the story, as well as the flavor and intepretative nuances of the reader. I could easily envision the scenes in my mind's eye.

While reading it, (I read quickly), I was able to process the information faster and bring emphasis to where I wanted it as well as stop and start when i was ready. I found I really had to focus both on the story and how I was feeling physically. If my eyes hurt or I was tired, I slowed down. If I felt really focused, I jettisoned through the material, whereas with the audiobook, it continued regardless of how I felt (tired, bored or otherwise).

While reading, I was in the driver's seat. Listening to the audiobook, I was an enraptured listener.

It was very enlightening. I enjoyed both mediums, but if the writing is strong, it leaves a powerful impression.

My choice: reading. It's more empowering for me, but listening reinforces interpretative skills in us that reading well takes for granted. I also want to read at varying speeds. Some material isn't as important to me or just non-essential so I want to be able to skip ahead. Audiobooks are wonderful for times where you just have to hear this and don't have time to read it or find that your eyes are strained but you can still listen attentively.

What I love about this group is that we can share an overall goal (50 books) but that we get to personalize it. I am not counting audio books, because for me the thing I’m trying to accomplish is creating time to sit down and read. But if others want to count audios book – I say, go for it. I am going to count re-reads, but I totally get why others don’t.
I’m not counting little kid’s books, but would count a longer kid’s novel like The Secret Garden.

I enjoy seeing what everyone is reading, even if it is not always what I’d read/listen to and seeing everyone’s different “rules” and goals. And I love this lively debate.

When i was driving my children to school (25 mins) we would listen to books on tape. In the morning it was a music tape, in the afternoon (after we shared the day) it was a book on tape. Often I would have the children follow along in the book as we read. This was added fun whenever they found a mistake or we were using an earlier verson and some of the words had changed. It also gave them an added benefit because they would retain more of the book and even today (oldest is 33) they still remember those times.

I think that's a great idea, Sharon. They say that taking in information both visually and auditorily enhances your ability to retain. I am thinking about reading some classics that way, so that they stick in my head a little bit better. So many classics are able to be downloaded for free, that its almost a waste NOT to.