laney • embroidery artist @thistlesandthread.bsky.social · Feb 3 i will DIE ON THIS HILL #handembroidery #audiobooks
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hey since this is attracting some attention - you are absolutely free to disagree with me! but i am unavailable to debate the topic as i am currently deceased upon a hill 💚
Just let them be their own thing.
Absolutely right. 👏👏👏
Totally agree .. I don’t have time to sit and read for hours so long car journeys etc are perfect and I’m a captive audience . No different that listening to the radio . Love my audio books 📚
Do podcasts… !? What’s the difference
Me, too!
Wait... There's even controversy on this?
Of course they do. You read the story with your ears.
Me too
Your work is beautiful. Everyone would be envious of this grass. 😂
YEEEEESSSSSSSS
Actually kinda weird that this is controversial. No, I don't have time to read like I did when I was younger. Yes, I have hours of commute I do every week that is tolerable and actually kind of nice because of audiobooks.
Audio books while you are sleeping?
As someone who prefers audiobooks I wholeheartedly agree, I have always had problems with long lines of text making my eyes hurt.
Listening to the radio counts as writing
Wrote a paper on it for a college class. Turns out as long as your focusing on the book and not doing other things, it's essentially the same. That's why I do audiobooks with the book.
So podcasts count as reading as well then?
THANK YOU! Especially with all the yummy narration!
The grass is *chef kiss* you did a great job on that! Also I’ve never read more since adding audiobooks.
People need to stop gatekeeping reading. I read and use audiobooks. Neither is less valid than the other. 🙄
This book may explain why some people prefer audio books
So, listening to TV with your eyes closed counts as reading too right?
Well, yah. We all adjust.
This school librarian agrees with you 100%
Thank you. I love to read but rarely have the time (long haul trucker) so I listen to audiobooks. I have hundreds of them and add more all the time. I have my library of hard cover and paperbacks at home too but unless I’m home, I just don’t have the time to read.
why are we lying to ourselves
This is a disability friendly stance! So many folks have trouble reading and retaining information via print.
Wow!! This is beautiful!!!
I listen to audiobooks on the way to and from work. I have a book beside my bed I read at night before sleep. ❤️
I love Audiobooks. You can do two things at once. Listen to a book while walking the dog, cooking, knitting, shovelling snow, etc.
reading and listening are two completely different ways to consume the same content to achieve the similar results. i don’t think its the same at all but as long as the story or knowledge is consumed and the content was enjoyed, what’s the point in fighting over it lol
I read books to my sons when they were small and also read aloud books to my lovely wife when she was not feeling too well (The Hobbit was a favourite). I did try to do some voices but not as well as the actors employed on the audiobooks. Also if you are sight-impaired, they are rather good.
I guess just F those who are disabled in someway or blind etc…? lol 🙃
YES
Hahaha...I wondered about this. I'm glad I'm not the only one on the hill. If I must give up audiobooks, I'm done with most house chores!
Audiobooks only count as 75% of reading. But since I listen to audiobooks twice as much as I read the critics are nincompoops. Plus I crash my car a lot less while trying to drive and read and tree-books get wet in the shower. My water resistant Bluetooth speaker works way better.
Your brain process it the same. So it doesn't matter if people agree or not, their brains agree.
Personally, I like to listen to the audiobook AS I read. It's something I did in High School for English classes 1-4. I get distracted and have trouble reading to myself.
As a mom who has no time to sit and read or the privacy to do so, I whole heartedly agree and support this post.
I’m in the mausoleum next door on that hill!
Unfortunately it's what kind of drivel people are reading that is the problem Because some people like to put the simple act of reading words on the same level as things like the application of critical thinking Some people read all day and still just don't get it IYKYK
The printing press was invented in 1440, the earliest written text dates to 3500 BCE, but oral storytelling traditions are as old as language itself.
This! And if you are saying audiobooks don’t count as reading you are being ableist whether you admit it or not.
it counts as listening not as reading
I mean, you're still comprehending the story and the book by way of listening. Some people don't really have the focus, or ability, or time to sit down and read. Listen to audio books while cleaning or driving is great!
lol gotta follow you now....
I think this is where language fails us. because reading as in consuming a book as literature, of course absolutely. but reading as in. looking with your eyes and holding a physical copy and dog earring pages and whatever, no. but on that level ebooks are a different kind of reading too.
Ask Helen Keller
Yep I totally agree lol
Before people say “well no it isn’t,” please remember some people literally cannot do it with their eyes… AND THATS OKAY :) they are STILL reading. (Even if that isn’t the reason.)
I have a son with severe dyslexia. He is the most widely read of his peers because of audiobooks.
I heard recently in a talk by a linguist that when we read we skim some of the words (it’s why reading is so quick) but when we listen to someone reading to us we hear and absorb the full grammar and language, making it uniquely important to listen to books.
I can't listen to an audio book unless it's the *only* thing I'm doing, but I agree. If you listening to an audio book that I have a physical copy of means we can both talk about the book, I'm all for it. Heck, I might record reading books for folks who need it.
I literally can’t believe this is an argument like why does anyone care how someone else consumes their books?!?
I’ve just started my first audio book ever. With paper books I read a few pages , get distracted, do a few things. With the audio book, I put my feet up, closed my eyes and listened. I was surprised by how much I had to focus to follow what was happening and so I’ve found it an excellent escape.
Audio books save me during Covid. The older I get reading a book is hard as I fall asleep within minutes. With audiobks I can work my art while listening.
Agree 💯
I think there are some people, like me, who take this literally and then disagree. You are not reading, you are listening. Both work for absorbing information, but they are not the same. The problem is, those of us who are fully capable of reading, can't anymore. Which is why I'm protective over it.
I'd say it's 66% the same. I know when I finish a ten mile hike I get a sense of having done something. I know when I finish reading a book I get a similar sense. When I finish a movie it's a more passive experience. When I finish an audiobook it's about half way between reading and watching a movie
Does watching the movie count as reading the book? Have I read "War and Peace"?
A book is a book is a book, you know?
I do a combination of hard copy, digital, and audio books. I consider all of them reading. That being said… the experience is different for each.
It’s listening, not reading. Riding on the bus isn’t the same as driving the bus.
✊ TRUTH! 😁
I'd say a mix of both are good - regular books help sharpen your written literacy skills, and audiobooks help sharpen your audio literacy skills.
I need to listen to an audiobook. I honestly never have. But my ADHD has kept me from sitting down with a book for YEARS
It’s very ableist to say otherwise!
When you read your brain slowly start to see letter sequences as images so a fast reader only has to look at a line two or three times to get the meaning. This, together with the imagination needed to create meaning does something to us that hearing a story doesn't. You still get the content though.
It's not reading, but I do want to highlight that it is a defacto gateway to reading more literature.
Yes! As a mother of a son with dyslexia, and a teacher for 34 years: AUDIOBOOKS ARE BOOKS!❤️
I like listening to audiobooks on my work commute and read the rest of the time. I am consuming twice the literature and that’s what really matters. It absolutely counts as reading.
It’s the words that are important not the delivery method. I love reading but my friend with arthritis and dyslexia loves audio books.
Funny epitaph
There are better hills to die on. I can read exponentially faster than someone can deliver words to me, so audiobooks are pointless to me. But that's just me. It's only an opinion, and it only works for me.
Me, too!
I grew up listening to the talking books (bulky heavy big cassettes ) that my blind grandfather received. And to radio stories. Seems that since my eye sight is fading, I will finish the same way I started. I love falling asleep to videos of history and documentaries. 👍
i would always argue with one of my friends about this in high school, but now i realize that it doesn't matter. as long as people are doing something that's good for their brain i couldn't care less
Yes!!!
No.
No they don’t
Anyone who disagrees is discriminating against dyslexic people.
Laney I will fight anyone who disagrees!!!! I'm with you 💯
Of COURSE they count as reading. What nincompoop says otherwise?
I'm an audiobook narrator and I approve this message!
My 86-year-old mother who has been an avid reader as far as I can remember uses audiobooks now that her eyesight prevents her from reading ebooks or hard copies. We still have the same great books discussions.
I have Aphantasia... Audiobooks are the only why I keep reading books. Since I can't vision anything, the voices help me in a way that leaves me loving books more.
im a dyslexic person and yes listening an audiobook is dyslexic reading as moving your fingers over braille is.
Damn, this really brought out the pedants
As someone who knows people that are dyslexic, I believe this is a noble hill to be buried on.
You shouldn’t there are so many with eyesight disabilities and concentration disorders any day at any time expanding knowledge and supporting authors should be the real hill to die on.
Print books count as listening as well.
Yup they do. I like to listen and physically read
But there is literally no reading happening
I remember when I fought this concept with teachers at IEP meetings, who told me it wasn’t.
This is absolutely beautiful work I do slightly disagree? but I do think that both are valid way to consume books and information Maybe I'm pedantic, maybe it's the autism who knows 😂😂
They don’t?!
Having my son listen to Red Rising as he couldn't get engaged in the book. He is caught now and hooked, and ready to read the series now, because it it BLOODY DAMN GOOD MY GOODMAN!
This thread is mean in spots. Some people cannot read a book for whatever reason, but they can use audio books. It's a blessing for them.
They are invaluable to people with dyslexia and vision impairments or even just for pleasure.
Love this! But, I also use the hard copy to follow along, since I’m dyslexic and ADHD girlie. ☺️
Well, they certainly do! You still have to engage your brain..Now your hands are free to drive, do the dishes, needlepoint, pick locks, whatever!😉
Why wouldn’t they?!? We can hold our own at the book club!
Of course they do. It's a stupid argument.
They kinda don't 😏
Beautiful
This. If braille counts as reading, then audiobooks do too.
💙Like Native Oral storytelling before stories were written.
You are absorbing literature, but not reading. But it’s all good. Many consider video game time like they’re flying or driving or playing sports.
90% use inner voice to read...
It doesn’t, but that is how I read Tacitus.
I love audiobooks.
Yes I will too lol
not if ur listening at 2x speed doing dishes n not absorbing any information
I think people are so caught up in their arguments that they are not noticing the amount of gorgeous detail in this embroidery. The grass is so pretty.
When we say "reading" we are talking about reading comprehension. That can be accomplished by audio books, paperbacks, hard cover, and Braille.
YEESSSSSSSS!!!! 👂 📕
I like to think of them more so as absorbing information via sound rather than absorbing information via light.
Audio books put to sleep.
And listening to a song is the same as reading the lyrics.
Still the wrong word, sorry. But not the wrong act. Reading or listening is both wonderful and teaching.
in school, i gave up on reading my favorite book series; warriors. because i am very bad at reading. as an adult with free time and access to audiobooks, ive been fulfilling my childhood dream of completing the series!🥹
I’ve said this before, but audiobooks are better because you can keep both hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road while James Earl Jones tells you a story.
Not for visual learners. Not for me.
And you can embroider at the same time as reading.
📌
You hear every word in the book.
Yep .... I have an extremely large audiobook library and regularly listen to one while crocheting. Just finished my 18th Michael Connelly book while finishing this blanket for a friend's BD coming up on Valentine's Day.
Totally agree!
Listening and reading engage different parts of the brain. They are not the same.
Agreed! There are a lot of us dead on that hill with you!
Shocked that people disagree with this
Reading is using your eyes. Audiobooks are storytelling.
A non-issue that didn't need to be brought up as a potential debate topic. Reading is to the eyes. Listening is to the ears. They're both a form of media consumption.
No no no. Audiobooks are listening. There is nothing wrong with listening, nor with audiobooks. If it works for you, I am very happy for you. But. It. Is. Not. Reading. Reading is a skill that requires innate and acquired skill. It is not for everyone.
Audiobooks count as hearing the printed word.
I will die on this hill with you... My dad is legally blind... Has been his entire life... audiobooks have been a blessing for him... Nevermind the fact that even fully sighted people can and do read/listen to them as well...
I have ADHD. I don't know if this is a trait of it, but I see words when I hear them, so technically I'm always reading. Of course audiobooks still count.
It's listening. That's why it's not reading.
Amazon owns audible. 😡
Absolutely! Why the hell wouldn't they count, because elitism?
Ableists and pedantics love to argue against this.
Honestly... I think the defining factor on this debate is the intent of reading. All and every benefit, joy or objective to reading is not taken away by listening to a book instead of reading it. The only downside is not improving your reading skills, but that's a choice.
No
This doesn’t make sense…
Hell yes!
Hell yea!
Stephen Thorne reading, Barchester Towers.
You're not reading unless your... you know... reading... The enrichment is the same. The word irks me. lol
You may want to check out Marshal McLuhan's "Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man". ("The medium is the message". ) Different parts of the brain are activated by audio books than by visual reading.
Watching TV counts as reading
Awesome!
i still kind of wish we'd all just agree on a different verb for it. maybe audit or something. don't get me wrong i almost exclusively listen to audiobooks anymore. i simply don't have the time to sit and read :(
THANK YOU. And they do! Speaking as a psychologist, audiobooks stimulate the same regions of the brain (basically) as visual reading. So yes if you listen to a book, you read it!
My wife will join you in your noble struggle.
Of course they do. It’s a no brainer. Sometimes I switch between text and audio and it’s seamless.
With my thyroid eye disease it’s the only way for me. So thankful I can use my Libby app and download for free. Focusing on Black authors at this time.
Having the time to sit and read, not doing anything else, is a luxury that a lot of people don't have. As a truck driver, I've consumed hundreds of audiobooks that I never would have had the time to sit and read. Reading is reading, period.
I'll take audio books over a lot of these brain dead podcasts
People have different ways to process information. Some listen better than reading. So, yes. I agree with this.
Audible is still Amazon.
Books are storytelling. Storytelling was originally an audio format. Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad were told orally for generations before they were ever written. Audiobooks are simply a return to the original medium. (I like both, tbh.)
It's not even an argument worthy of response. Of course it's reading.
I can’t stay awake to read a full page of a book but can become very engaged in a good audiobook and listen for hours. What’s so wrong in that? I’ve always enjoyed good storytellers.
The whole “audiobooks aren’t the same as reading a physical book” argument seems to neglect folks with poor or no eyesight.
People still miss the point.🙄 “‘Did you read ACOTAR?’ ‘No, I listened to it”” has the same energy as “‘Did you drive to California?’ ‘No, I sat in the passenger seat. My wife drove.’” If we want to talk about characters and action and themes, it *doesn’t matter* how the words got in your head.
Hasn’t it been show that it activates the same part of the brain as traditional reading?
shots fired @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social (although I don't think he was dealing in absolutes like this...)
I know how you feel, but listening works out a different part of the brain than reading & interpreting visual symbols. But both actions are important to brain versatility if not health. So do some of both.