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Does listening to the audio count as "reading?"

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halplm
Post subject: Does listening to the audio count as "reading?"
Posted: Mon 07 Mar , 2005 5:21 pm
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I'm listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on my IPod right now, and was going to start discussing it as I went through, but I never know to say "I'm reading HP2" or something different.

It's unabridged, and it's much easier to carry the five HP books on an IPod than in hand on the subway and walking too and from work... :)

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Alatar
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Posted: Mon 07 Mar , 2005 5:30 pm
of Vinyamar
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I like to "read" Audiobooks also Hal. Drop me a line if you're interested in trading.

AlatarVinyamar@Gmail.com

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Axordil
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Posted: Mon 07 Mar , 2005 6:04 pm
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It isn't the same unless you can and do treat it like a book...turning back "pages" to remind yourself of something, making "notes" where applicable, that sort of thing. It also is processed by a different part of the brain.

However, for people who don't have a lot of hands-free time, it's better than nothing. I have a potter friend who listens to audio A LOT while she works.

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halplm
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Posted: Mon 07 Mar , 2005 6:26 pm
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Sorry Alatar, I have a strict policy of buying all my audio... which is why I don't buy much unfortunately, because I also think the music industry is primarily a waste of time...

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theduffster
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Posted: Tue 08 Mar , 2005 2:47 am
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Hey, I'd been wondering the same thing. I have a 19-year old taking a class on Tolkien this semester. Man, am I jealous! She read FOTR back before it came out in the theaters, but never bothered to continue. She's just not a reader. She was home last week on break, all bursting with ambition to read all of LOTR before the class started it. She only got about 1/2 thru FOTR. *sigh*

I thought, maybe an audio book for her? If so, which version? For myself, the written word is how I assimilate info. For her, they're marks on a page. Reading makes her so :tired: She's very bright, with scary math capabilities. Give her 6 people in a restaurant, one bill and she can figure out who should pay what, make correct change for everyone and calculate a tip while I'm going, "Okay...I had this...you had...what?" :Q

I'd say it counts. Listen to an audiobook, and if you can discuss it intelligently, that's all that matters.

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Marty
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Posted: Tue 08 Mar , 2005 9:04 am
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I agree, duff. It's a good way for people with different ways of thinking to process literature.


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Alatar
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Posted: Tue 08 Mar , 2005 9:35 am
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Duffster,

There's an excellent unabridged reading of Lord of the Rings by Rob Inglis if your sister would be interested. It's not cheap, but the quality is very good.

Also there's always the BBC Radio production. I listen to all types, abridged, unabridged and adapted and enjoy them all.

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Axordil
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Posted: Tue 08 Mar , 2005 3:55 pm
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It _is_ true that some folks are audio-dominant learners, and so will do better with that than with a printed page. But they will not bring the same information away from it that a reader will from the actual book, any more than someone hearing Hamlet read will have experienced the same thing as reading it (or seeing it).

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theduffster
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Posted: Tue 08 Mar , 2005 11:50 pm
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Hey, thanks Alatar. I've actually looked at some editions, didn't want to buy a sucky one. I'll keep your recommendation in mind.

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MariaHobbit
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Posted: Thu 10 Mar , 2005 8:23 pm
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My husband and I are on the last bits of the Inglis audio version of LOTR. We listen to it while commuting every day. We started back last fall and are just now to the appendices. Rob Inglis is an EXCELLENT reader!

I'm having just as much trouble paying attention to the Annals of the Kings in audio format as I did in text! At least in text I could skim over to the good parts! With the audio version, I'm stuck, and my mind wanders and I miss whole gobs of stuff. I didn't have that problem with the narrative part of the book. It held my attention quite well, even in heavy traffic. :)

We'll be listening to the Audio-Sil next, unless I can find something better at the library. I'm thinking Louis L'Amour, if I can find anything on CD. Most of the ones I see listed on our library's website say audio tape. :( BOO! Hissss! CD's are SO much better.

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halplm
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Posted: Thu 10 Mar , 2005 8:51 pm
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The Harry Potter books are excellent read by Jim Dale... although he mispronounces Voldemort for the first few books...

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Alatar
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Posted: Thu 10 Mar , 2005 9:31 pm
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Jim Dale's readings are good, but I have to say I prefer Stephen Fry's renditions. He even calls it the "Philosopher's Stone" :)

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truehobbit
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Posted: Sat 12 Mar , 2005 1:26 am
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That's because it really is called The Philosopher's Stone! :P

I like audio-books very much, if they are well read. I wouldn't call it "reading", but if you listen attentively, I think the impression can be just as intense as if you'd really read it yourself.
Of course, instead of your own voice (in your own mind) you get the voice and interpretation of the reader. But an audio can stick in your mind very much, maybe even more than reading it yourself, especially if you listen to a bigger chunk of text than you'd read at one go.

Hard to explain maybe, so here's an example: I listened to an audio of a book by Thomas Mann once - I'm pretty sure that if I had read the book I would have been pretty slow, as it was a rather abstract text ("Joseph and his brothers", part I), but the audio was excellent, and as I was listening to it while knitting a pullover, I would listen to about an hour's reading at a time - I'm sure I would have tired of reading much earlier.

Ever since I discovered the Internet though I've been doing much less needlework and consequently much less listening. Or reading for that matter. :roll:

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TheEllipticalDisillusion
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Posted: Sat 12 Mar , 2005 5:59 am
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Different strokes for different folks is what I say. I don't bother with audio books, but I have nothing against them. I just don't prefer them to real books. I also don't read e-books on computer screens, but that's because it's obnoxious. I like carrying the book and letting my voice be the one reading. I don't think that your ability to treat it like a book is any more hindered if it's audio. You can carry a pad, note timestamps instead of page numbers, and you can rewind, though it might be a bit harder than simply turning back a page.

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MariaHobbit
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Posted: Sat 12 Mar , 2005 1:48 pm
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I prefer a book in the hand, but audio books for our commute are the best way for my husband and I to avoid listening to news together. He'd rather listen to right wing stuff, while I'd rather listen to NPR. (Or is it PRI, now?) Anyway, things came to a head last fall, and we agreed to listen to books together instead of get each other mad by listening to political radio stuff.

It's worked well with LOTR so far, :) except for the times I'm driving when it gets to a weepy part! :bawl: :shock:

But now we've finished it and need to go to the library to find something else to listen to. I'd tried getting him to listen to Durant's "Lessons Of History" which I found fascinating, but he found to be torture. So, I guess it'll have to be something action adventure and/or sci fi, to please us both. I sure hope the library has something good.

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