Listening is the new reading

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

too lazy to read, wishes i haz audiobook

Your cat is obviously fatigued from having read to you!

(So who's the lazy one?)

[meeera]

Originally Posted by sealbeater

Once again, lack of reading comprehension rears it's ugly head.

"Its".

Yeah, I know. But you're the one flailing about insulting everyone around you while claiming superior literacy.

Originally Posted by sealbeater

First off, if one has dyslexia, that is a handicap and so, exempts one from my admitted judgment.

Do you not remember what you wrote mere hours ago? Here, I'll remind you:
"However, if you have dyslexia and have trouble reading, perhaps more practice is called for."

Stop digging.

[Dr. Drib]

Moderator Notice

It's time to move on from this negative, back-and-forth debate, which is obviously now going nowhere.

Additionally, please take a moment to review our Guidelines about behavior and attitude.

Thank you.

[Cinisajoy]

I want to clarify one thing.
I am thanking the veterans that didn't sign up for the military but the ones that were drafted. Now I am positive every one knows which war I called bad.

Thanks again guys.

Now back on topic. Content is content in whatever form you want to consume it.

[sun surfer]

I like reading audiobooks even when I'm not busy doing anything else.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by sealbeater

Do I?
Because I find people who have to listen to words rarely have put in the practice to be good readers.

If you would rather listen to an audiobook than read a book, you or your parents were lazy when you were a child and you find it easier to listen to someone read to you, as if you were a young child who did not yet know how to read.

I began listening to audiobooks for fun, mostly while driving. I'd always been an avid reader. Audiobooks in those days were only available, as far as I knew, in 60 minute abridgements of the classics, along with just a few modern novels, mostly mysteries, on cassette. Before that I used to listen to the poetry readings on Caedmon at the public library, along with some short story readings. They'd always been fun to listen to although they had nothing to do with my pleasure in reading. They were a different thing to me entirely.

About the time full length audiobooks became available I developed cataracts. Reading gave me really bad eyestrain and, as a programmer who had to keep up with the technology, I had to reserve what reading I could do for work related things. Due to a childhood injury they weren't willing to risk surgery until the cataracts got so bad I was getting blind anyway. I got the surgery.

At that point I'd been listening to audiobooks since I could no longer read novels, for quite a few years. I don't recall how many. Maybe 7 or 8 years. Suddenly I could read again and I began to do so on my Palm. But by then I was so used to audiobooks that that's what I mostly did. That lasted several more years till 2009 when I got my first Kindle, a Kindle 3.

I began reading and just lost interest in listening. Since then I've only listened to 3 or 4 full audiobooks as well as a lot of short stories. The simple fact is that I prefer reading and it took me a while to figure that out. But I still remember the pleasure I got from audiobooks and it was no small pleasure.

There are a number of books I've read and re-read over the decades since I was young. I've probably read "The Good Earth" and "Peyton Place" and "The Egyptian" and "Of Mice and Men" and a few others every 5 years since the mind 1950s. When I was listening I found excellent narrations of those books. I listened to most of them more than once. Since then I've read them all. I can't honestly say which was the better experience; which I enjoyed more.

One set of books, the Travis McGee books, were only available in those days in abridgements read by Darrin McGavin. I listened to those and loved how he read them. I'd read them myself years before. Recently I read one of them again. I've pretty much decided I'd rather listen to them than read them. McGavin does them so well. I just can't put as much life into them myself. I have them and I've already ripped most of the tapes and I'll listen from now on.

There's nothing lazy about this. About me. I'm the guy who decided to read "The Canterbury Tales" in Middle English and fought my way through it, loving every difficult minute. I read because I love reading. I listened because I love reading.

There is one huge drawback to listening: not all books are available with good narrators. A bad narrator can really hurt a book and they definitely turn it into a lesser experience. Unfortunately everyone has a different idea of which are the bad narrators. Of course I'm the one who gets it right.

Sometimes a good narrator really improves a book; and that can even be true with an excellent book. Graham Greene's "Monsignor Quixote", an excellent novel, narrated by Cyril Cusack, is a thing of beauty. No reading from my mind could ever breathe so much life into a book.

Barry

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by barryem

There is one huge drawback to listening: not all books are available with good narrators. A bad narrator can really hurt a book and they definitely turn it into a lesser experience. Unfortunately everyone has a different idea of which are the bad narrators. Of course I'm the one who gets it right.
Barry

Amen to this!

[Alohamora]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

too lazy to read, wishes i haz audiobook

Kitty can share my audiobook anytime.

Twice recently, I started an audiobook while commuting and finished up reading the ebooks at home. Looking back, I don't think there was really any difference in my experience of the stories by reading or listening.

[Sydney's Mom]

Listened to the two audiobooks I got for free on our drive from Chicago to Idaho. Don't know how we made it before. Had to rejoin audible and bought a third book, and will have to buy a couple more for the trip home. I knit and listen and Dave drives and listens. The dog sleeps.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

I knit and listen and Dave drives and listens. The dog sleeps.

Audible for Dogs

FREE -- Guide to Audiobooks for Dogs -- Cesar Millan/ C Millan --> 50 min

Cesar Millan - the best-selling author, TV star, and internationally acclaimed dog-behavior expert - introduces his favorite way to keep our canine companions calm and happy when they're alone.

You know him as the star of TV's Dog Whisperer and Cesar 911. Now, America's best-loved dog expert takes listeners inside the canine mind and explains how audiobooks can help dogs overcome the stress, boredom and depression they can experience when their human companions leave the home.

Throughout this exclusive audiobook, you'll learn where a dog's separation issues might come from, and gain practical tips for making your life - and your dog's life - easier when you're apart. Narrated by Cesar himself, Cesar Millan's Guide to Audiobooks for Dogs draws on research at his Dog Psychology Center in Los Angeles to present a step-by-step guide to setting up Audible in your home and choosing the best audiobooks for your dog. You'll discover why factors such as volume and a narrator's gender matter, and why Bloodhounds don't necessarily prefer mysteries. You'll also hear uplifting, real-life stories from Cesar's research on the effects of audiobooks on dog behavior.

By turns practical and illuminating, Cesar Millan's Guide to Audiobooks for Dogs is packed with fascinating insights into dog behavior and inspirational tips for creating a happier and healthier relationship for you and your four-legged friend.

An Audible for Dogs Pick: Make your dog's day. Cesar Millan shares how audiobooks can make dogs happier and calmer. Learn more.

[Sydney's Mom]

My daughter has to find a dog movie on Netflix before we go out to dinner. So far, the dog has watched Hotel for Dogs each night.

[issybird]

One of my Goodreads friends posted this yesterday:

I very occasionally will read an ebook. Having a book on my iPad while traveling is much easier to carry than a regular book. Audiobooks, however, strike me as cheating. Being read to is not the same as reading which requires more effort. I also believe audiobooks are frequently abridged. I certainly see their value for those GR members that are visually impaired but not for others. Give me paper and ink every time.

Somehow, I was reminded of this thread!

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

My daughter has to find a dog movie on Netflix before we go out to dinner. So far, the dog has watched Hotel for Dogs each night.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Cujo. Pets.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by issybird

One of my Goodreads friends posted this yesterday:
Quote:
Audiobooks, however, strike me as cheating. Being read to is not the same as reading which requires more effort.

Somehow, I was reminded of this thread!

If the amount of effort expended is the measure then digging ditches is a superior way to make a living and anyone with an easier job is cheating and lazy.

Barry (a lazy cheat)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by barryem

If the amount of effort expended is the measure then digging ditches is a superior way to make a living and anyone with an easier job is cheating and lazy.

Barry (a lazy cheat)

I see your ditch digging and raise you drilling in either summer or winter in Orla. (AKA Hell's half acre in the summer. )