Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

I am a busy mom and a hopeless multi-tasker. While I love reading, I just don't have enough time. I listen to many books while doing chores, yard work, driving, etc. that I would never have been able to actually read. Granted some had terrible narrators and those are back on my to read lists. What do you do?

Exactly the same. I read quite a bit but, when I can, I listen to audio as well. Driving to and from work then becomes a time when I can get through more books.

Why wouldnt it be OK? Like you said in the title, if the book is unabridged, it`s still the same story, language etc.

Personally, I haven`t started using audiobooks yet, though it seems like a good idea. The only thing that is holding me back, is that I suspect it will take me longer to finish a book that way. While I`m busy doing chores I`m usually listening music.

I listened to the Life of Pi driving back and forth to work 30min each way. So although it may take longer to listen I'm at least getting a book in. I know for sure that I'm only going to be able to listen to some of the books anyway. It helps pass the time and I enjoy it.

hmm. a thorny question. I guess it's ok as long as it's unabridged. ancient people never 'read' stories... stories were originally for listening to, remember :)

There aren't any rules here, as far as I know. My reading is split about half and half between audiobooks and "real" books, and I'm thinking of getting a Kindle. And as Zee points out, the ability of the average person to read a book is a fairly recent development. If a person is blind, they read by Braille, and I certainly think that counts, as well. Any method for getting the information into your brain should be equally acceptable.

thanks, I just wanted to know if this site was for purists or people who enjoy the ride (maybe a bit of both!)

This is the perrenial question. Personally, I always count audiobooks. If I really enjoyed it, or I feel its one of those books you get more out of on a second read, I earmark it to pick up in text form later.

You took the time to listen and you know the story, regardless of whether you experienced it with your eyes scanning text in a book, or whether someone read it to you whilst you were going the washing up, walking into work or doing the gardening. People forget that it is only recently that books have been so massmarket and literacy so widespread. Even the educated classes could not afford a lot of books and it wasn't uncommon for one to read to many.

If anything, I think with a good narrator, it is perhaps the more authentic way to experience story telling.

I think it's fine to listen to an unabridged book. When I worked as a children's librarian unabridged books were very popular although they did transition from tapes to CD. In education you learn that there are different ways that people learn including audio. While I wouldn't recommend abridged, it's kind of like recommending cliff notes, I would recommend and encourage well read unabridged books. Great way to pass a long car ride.

I teach Treasure Island to my middle schoolers, and I have them follow the text along with an audio version read aloud. I'm always amazed at how many kids had never been exposed to audio books, after reading in school for seven years. It's a fantastic way to absorb books into your brain by osmosis.

And I wholeheartedly agree w/ Amanda. Long ago, "television was called books". I tell my students this all the time. One member of the family would sit by the hearth and read to the others by firelight. That was the evening's entertainment. Why should it be unacceptable nowadays? Having someone read aloud to you (via audiobook or whatever) is still as much fun as it was in the 1800's, right?

Before now I stayed away from audio books. But now that I'm working a lot more I find that being able listen to a book while I work helps pass the time while I'm working.

Katrina wrote: "Before now I stayed away from audio books. But now that I'm working a lot more I find that being able listen to a book while I work helps pass the time while I'm working."

If you get a great narrator it is so wonderful. I listened to the entire Harry Potter series two summers ago and it was FABULOUS! Also I love memoirs read by the author. A couple of great ones, Sidney Portier - The Measure of a Man and The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer. Also love the narrators on Jodi Picoult novels and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Give them a listen :) I have caught up on so many classics, especially the really thick ones and I like non-fiction as well. Listening is sometimes easier on nonfiction like FREAKANOMICS and THE WORLD IS FLAT both awesome books. A good narrator is like a good teacher and keeps me interested.

ms.petra wrote: "Katrina wrote: "Before now I stayed away from audio books. But now that I'm working a lot more I find that being able listen to a book while I work helps pass the time while I'm working."

If you ..."

You've made me curious about good 'readers'. I'm gonna go out and look to see if my library has any of these. Personally I love the voice of Stephen Fry. Anyone else suggest any talking books with good narrators?

Audiobooks have changed my life! I love them. I live in the DC area, and spend way too much time commuting to work, and the audiobooks are a wonderful diversion. Now I can plug my iphone into the car stereo system, and I don't even have to get the cds from the library anymore, it is awesome. Probably a little more than half of my "reading" is audiobooks. I also listen when doing chores and exercising and occasionally while working, if I am doing some busy work tasks that don't require the use of my brain too much :)

I love audiobooks too! I got into them this semester. I moved back home and have a 45 minute commute to class. I listen to them in the car on the way. Now, I have a temp job at a corporate office. I'm never on the phone so I also listen to them there a lot to keep myself awake and going all day at work.

I've also listened to audiobooks when reading books that I had a hard time getting through. Sometimes it's much easier to me to listen to someone else read it if i get bored with it. I did that with Mansfield Park.

It really does help pass the time doesn't it, Amanda. I used to get so bored. Now, I don't mind work too much because I get to listen to books.

Zee wrote: You've made me curious about good 'readers'. I'm gonna go out and look to see if my library has any of these. Personally I love the voice of Stephen Fry. Anyone else suggest any talking books with good narrators?

My library has audio books online that can be downloaded. You might want to check to see if yours participates in the same type of program.

David Sedaris is a very engrossing reader and storyteller. If you like his writing, he is defeinitely worth listening to.

I too have recently gotten into audiobooks. Briefly I had an Audible membership. So far, I've listened to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and I'd like to listen to Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West. These are two books that I want read to me, that I don't find very approachable.

And I concur with Rainchilde. I believe the free first listen from Audible was an excerpt from a Sedaris book read by Sedaris and it was very entertaining.

If there are any rules, it's just the one about abridgment, or lack thereof! :)

I like audiobooks, but I always feel funny about using them. Almost guilty? It's definitely a different experience than reading them. I justify it to myself by thinking about Melly reading Les Miserables to Scarlett and the other ladies while their husbands are out fighting...

Erik wrote: "I like audiobooks, but I always feel funny about using them. Almost guilty? It's definitely a different experience than reading them. I justify it to myself by thinking about Melly reading Les Mise..."

In the movie, it was "David Copperfield." LOL

Audio books is a different experience. I have loads of experience reading books to my kids, of course. I think it's amazing the talks we have while reading the books aloud. I tend to read books above their reading level and they ask what certain words mean, the different implications of some phraseology or other. Comprehension and retention are good, if not better using audio books. My son is currently consumed by "The 39 Clues" but the stories are a bit sophisticated. He can read the words, but his life-experience is lacking depth to really "get" much of the stories. Reading them aloud, together, has improved his enjoyment even more and I have to admit I'm a bit hooked on them myself. I mean, really, who IS the mysterious Man in Black?

Who are we trying to impress when we can say we read "Don Quixote" or "War and Peace" but feel like we cheated if we 'apologize' for doing it with an audio book?

I've read all the Harry Potter books in book and audio book form many times and Jim Dale's performance is awesome. I tried to read "A Tale of Two Cities" by way of audio book and just couldn't get into it.

So, if it's against the rules, it's a stupid rule. :)

Hi - I'm new to goodreads, and kinda scared it can take over my life
I listen to audiobooks while walking the dog, gardening, sewing, and, to my shame, sometimes while I'm on the phone. Library eaudiobooks are the best thing since forever. There are also books on CD, which I upload from my computer. Kinda tedious, but it's amazing how new books, for which there are endless lines at the library, are usually available much faster on audiotape.
I am currently listening to Jane Smiley's Private Life.
Hurray for public libraries!

Lisette Lecat reading Alexander McCall's First Lady Detective Agency books. The reader of his two Scottish series is also great. It's wonderful to have one reader for a series of books.

Drora, enjoy your new addiction. You are among friends and you are extending your mind and your imagination. At any time, someone in the world is adding to our knowledge. We read, not to pass the time, but to inhabit time. Our lives are richer for the experience.

It appears that the consensus is that audio books count as long as they are complete and unabridged. After all, the person who has listened to the book has in most cases spent more time on the book than the one who read it silently.

Just a thought...there appear to be many very literate cats and dogs on this site(has anyone noticed?), perhaps they're listening to audio books!

Jan wrote: "Drora, enjoy your new addiction. You are among friends and you are extending your mind and your imagination. At any time, someone in the world is adding to our knowledge. We read, not to pass the ..."

I completely agree. My one complaint at my library is that they carry abridged audio books. In hard times for libraries, why waste funds on abridged anything?
And why are there abridged audiobooks and not abridged books? Does anyone have a thought about that? Is it that the opinion out there is that people who listen to books are more shallow? Also, all abridged audiobooks seem to be approved by authors. Does this mean that they think their books are too long and can be chopped?

I never listen to abridged audiobooks, because I don't want to miss anything. If the book is good, I want to experience the entire thing. And I don't think a bad book is necessarily improved by cutting big chunks of it out. And no, I don't think listening to audiobooks means you are more shallow. I always have one print book and one audiobook going at the same time, so I can "read" while I'm driving, walking my dog, etc. It's the same experience, and I compare it to blind people reading with Braille or listening to audiobooks because they can't see to read a print book. It's just a different way to experience the same thing.

Drora wrote: "Jan wrote: "Drora, enjoy your new addiction. You are among friends and you are extending your mind and your imagination. At any time, someone in the world is adding to our knowledge. We read, not ..."
This is a reply to Jan:
Dear Jan - you misunderstood. When I wrote about my new addiction I referred to goodreads.com. I have been reading since I was four, and listening to eaudiobooks for a few years now.

For those of you who enjoy audio books, check out the Goodreads group, appropriately named "Audiobooks"

I have long local drives to and from work. I have been listening to unabridged (only) audio books in the car for about 9 months. I think it is a good use of my drive time. Our local library system has an excellent collection of downloadable books and books on cd. I just finished listening to Tinkers by Paul Harding, the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner.

No- listening to audio versions is cheating in my book!! :o)

Paul -- Would you feel it was cheating if you were blind? Dyslexic?

Actually, I don't know why anyone cares what someone else's opinion is about this. Do what you want. I don't feel I'm "cheating" when I listen to audio books. This isn't a competition, and there aren't any rules that I'm aware of.

I think listening to an audio is a very different experience. Often the readers voice or the way they emphasis different words to the way I would have read it changes the way the story takes shape for me.

Maybe that’s just me?

I think you're right about it being a different experience. Some audio books have been ruined for me by bad narrators, whereas others have been enhanced by good ones. But whether you read a book in the traditional form or listen to it on audio, you're still reading the book. The information is still getting into your brain.

I split my reading about half and half between traditional books and audio books, and I don't feel that either method is necessarily superior to the other. And I certainly don't think I'm "cheating" by listening to audio books.

I have recently read (listened to, actually) two books that I would include in my top 100 - Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here and The Man Who Loved Children, by Christina Stead.
The first one is an astounding speculative history book, especially since it was published in 1935.
The second one is a horror book sans ghosts, vampires and other such. Dysfunctional families, read it and rejoice - it could be worse.

You make your own rules. My sister listens to audio books all the time. She probably "reads" more than I do. She has to spend a lot of time in her car.
Me, I'm retired and I don't work so I spend a lot of time reading. With me, I don't count it unless I read it in the traditional manner.
On the other hand. All my books are e-books. I don't go for the paper variety anymore. Some people wouldn't consider my books real books.
It's whatever works for you.

Someone made a statement that there aren't any abridged books, but there are tons of them! I remember my daughter reading an abridged version of Moby Dick and others when she was a kid. One reason they publish abridged versions of classics is for younger readers, but not the kind of thing Disney does with Grimm's Fairy Tales. They are true to the books with sections omitted.

Paul wrote: "I think listening to an audio is a very different experience. Often the readers voice or the way they emphasis different words to the way I would have read it changes the way the story takes shap..."

I couldn’t agree more. Reading the 1001 books is an entirely individual challenge / goal / ambition – call it what you will and of course it’s down to each person to decide how they will go about it. I was going to put a footnote on my previous comment that audio books are fantastic for those who have an impairment that makes reading difficult or impossible for them, but I figured that went without saying.

I thought this thread was asking for personal opinions, so it was my personal opinion that I offered. I’m a father of four with three children who are 5 years or younger, and I work full time as well. I don’t have as much time to read as I used to but I don’t count audio books because I think you get a different experience with audio than you do reading the text for yourself.

For me its like people who ride cable cars to the tops of mountains instead of hiking to the top. Do they get the same views? To and extent… but the experience is somewhat different.

I understand the pros of audio books, and naturally this thread will be followed by a lot of people who like them – I’m just nailing my colours to the mast along with everyone else.

There's a whole series of abridged books in my local library, usually things like Middlemarch in half the time. I tend to read the full unabridged versions, mainly because I feel if George Eliot made such an effort to write such a fantastic book then I could at least make the effort to read it.
However I know there are people who are very busy, or for other reasons listen to audio books, reading the 1001 list is a personal thing and should be encouraged in which ever way you do it.

You know I've never even considered whether it would be considered right or wrong to use audiobooks. It was recommended to me years ago by my ex-SIL, and I fell in love with the idea immediately.

I was traveling a minimum of 30 minutes to and from work everyday, plus my job required a lot of travel in between sites (still does), and once a month I was taking a 2 hour drive into a more remote area to work. I could've kissed her feet for suggesting audiobooks. They were a sanity saver!!

I've listened to many authors I never would've been able to read their books,(for whatever reason) but I fell in love with them as authors bc audio-wise I was able to appreciate their work.

I now use them for my drive time when my I have to travel into the city (traffic) or when I'm doing gardening/weedin (can you say tedious?), or other mundane things that I'd put off if not for my audiobook.

If you want to have your neighbors look at you funny? Listen to Erma Bombeck while working outside. You'll literally laugh out loud and have them giving you crazy person looks. It was great!!!

It's not only ok. It can be an even better experience - given the quality of the one reading it aloud.

It's a totally different way of experiencing a book.

I still remember the chilling effect some books have had on me. Listening to The Night by Elie Wiesel was one of my best experiences. The voice can create a space, a mood, a feeling which is very special.

Childrens books are written to be read aloud for children - Jane Austen wrote her books and knew they would be read aloud at her time - and she did the same - read her books aloud to her family.

Just listen to Winnie-the-Pooh - from now on I can only listen to it!!!

Jane Austen wrote her books and knew they would be read aloud at her time - and she did the same - read her books aloud to her family.

Without audiobooks, I would NEVER have gotten through any Austen. I've listened to Emma and Pride and Predjudice so far and am gearing myself up for Sense and Sensibility. I have tried to read Austen in print and given up so many times! She writes interesting stories, but I find them a complete chore to read in silence. I really think she is more suited to audio.

The story made its way into your brain. Who cares how it got there?

Christine wrote: "I won't listen to abridged anything, because I can't stand the idea that I won't get it all. I tend to prefer reading to listening, because reading is quicker, and just a different experience. But,..."

In some cases, the changes are minor, as with Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador's Gate (School Library Journal starred review YA novel).

Simon Vance (who we know from his performance of the Steig Millenium series books . . . The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, etc) performs the audiobook version. Because very minor changes were made to syntax after the recording, it's called an Adaptation.

So, go for an audiobook no matter what definition it has. Like Jessica says, "The story made it's way into your brain. Who cares how it got there." Wonderful!

Hm...when I was listening to The Subtle Knife and trying to follow along a little in the book, I did notice a few little changes made so the dialogue would flow easier, i.e. a few 'he said's or 'she said's were cut and so forth. I was a little surprised, as on the case it was labelled as 'unabridged', but it didn't seem to make much difference over all - it was the same content.

You guys wondering if audio books are "against the rules" crack me up - What rules??? I think reading or listening to abridgments qualifies as cheating, but not listening to audio.

I just recently discovered audio books, and love that I can make progress through a book while I'm on the treadmill, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc. I discovered a good source for free audio versions of books that are in the public domain at www.Librivox.org. I download them onto my Ipod. Usually I choose a book that I also have a hard copy of, and just move my bookmark after I've listened to the audio.

It is very important to have good readers though. If they read monotone and without any expression, or mispronounce words, it irritates me and I have to skip that book or reader.

Linda wrote: "Usually I choose a book that I also have a hard copy of, and just move my bookmark after I've listened to the audio..."

Not just me then :D

Linda wrote: "It is very important to have good readers though...."

Absolutely - presentation is everything in audio, just as it is with a print book. I would not want to read a book with microscopic lettering in an illegible font and regular typograpic errors no matter how good the material is...

Linda wrote: "It is very important to have good readers though. If they read monotone and without any expression, or mispronounce words, it irritates me and I have to skip that book or reader. "

Agree with everything you said. I tried to listen to an audiobook of Lord Jim, but the reader sounded so angry and aggressive from the first word that I couldn't make it through the first chapter. It was a monotone of fury too unpleasant for listening.

Yeah, when I was "reading" Howards End, the readers kept switching and there was one British woman that I could not STAND to listen to - so monotonous and unexpressive - drove me crazy, so whenever she came up I had to abandon the audio and go read the chapter myself. If she was being paid, I would've complained, but I guess if the readers are volunteers (like on Librivox) you get what you get.

I've heard Elegance of the Hedgehog is a very good audio because it has 2 different readers for the little girl and the older girl so you don't juggle so much trying to remember who is reading.
Just an FYI

Susan wrote: "I listened to the Life of Pi driving back and forth to work 30min each way. So although it may take longer to listen I'm at least getting a book in. I know for sure that I'm only going to be able..."

I am not a fan of audio books; I was recommended Choke read by Chuck Palahniuk himself and since it is quite a favourite of mine I decided to give it a try.. I listened for approximately fifteen minutes and had to switch it off.

I think part of the fun of reading is your own personal interpretation of the way things are said and the mood the book takes; if someone reads it to you they influence everything.

I understand it would be a good way of getting extra books in - which is a huge incentive for me; driving to and from work takes an hour for me, so two hours listening to a book might perhaps equate to one whole book extra per week. But I would much rather listen to music on the way home than listen to a book.

Personally, if I listened to a book.. I would have to then read it myself and since I read books before I see their film counterparts, I would have to read the book before I listened to it.. which destroys the whole purpose of listening to them!