OK, I have a question. Does listening to a book on CD (or tape) count as having read a book?
I listened to my first full book on CD in the car this weekend. And it got me wondering if I could now claim I had read the book.
Obviously, I didn't literally "read" it. I heard it being read. But I think I have read it.
It's not like a movie adaptation that changes things and its not abridged in anyway like some CliffsNotes version. I got every word written in the order it was written. So, I read the book, right?
So why do I feel like I didn't really? Why do I think an avid book reader or worse, a book snob, would snort at the very notion that I had actually read the book by listening to it?
The book in question, by the way, is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. It's a fictional story written from the perspective of an autistic teenager. It's one of those novels that also contains a lot of real information. That's a bonus for people like me who feel guilty about reading, or, er, listening to, fiction when there is so much real world knowledge to read about.
I'm not sure why I have that hang-up about works of fiction. I have no problem watching fictional movies or television shows but there is something about the time it takes to read a book that requires it to be something that betters me.
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2 comments:
Personally, I feel as though I can state I have experienced a book when having listened to it. I usually say I listened to that book or I just finished that book when discussing one I've listened to.
Why do you have the hang up with needing to better yourself when reading a book and feel that fictional pieces don't do that? Even if they are fictional, it's a positive thing to have proper english spoken and gives your mind some creative stimulation. In addition, because the words are only spoken, you are still using your own imagination to conjure the pictures in your head as it's being read. That goes above and beyond TV!
Another thing, you didn't mention whether or not you actually LIKED the book.
I liked the book and felt good about sharing it with the kids and you on our trip. It sure helped pass the time on the car ride. I felt much better about listening to that and sharing in it with our family than for each of us to be doing our own thing and not sharing an experience.
I do understand what you mean about not feeling as though you have read the book though. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time was my 5th audio book to listen to. While I don't quite feel I can claim to have read all of the books that I listened to, I wouldn't waste time actually reading them now that I have listened to them. I know what they say and am glad to have experienced most of them (not the one about Donald Trump though).
Besides, I feel like I'm enriching parts of my brain with these writings while doing other things that wouldn't permit me to be reading anyway. Like driving, working, or playing on the computer.
Mrs TEH
I drive long distances a lot, and listen to books when I can get my hands on them. I think a book like Curious Incident -- which is very visual, you should pick it up -- might be a difficult one to listen too. I flipped back pages several times on that book. Many of us learned to read and grew to love books by having them read to us as children. It is a different way to experience a book, but no less valid. (Incidentally, the New York Times had an article on this topic recently).
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