Listening to Books-On-Tape Reading?

Does listening to an audiobook count as “reading” a book?

Apparently this question is a common one in some book forums and recently The New York Times did a piece on the topic, quoting a few authors as saying they’d rather have their books read then listened to.

So what’s your take? Are you getting less from a book if you listen to it?

While driving, some information gets lost as people hearing the story get distracted, just as may happen to a driver listening to The Brothers Karmazov while commuting to work (and yes, I tried that).

Now I’ve listened to my share of audiobooks, especially when having time constraints.

Call me old school, but I think one gets more out of the one-on-one aspect of reading, focusing directly on a book you can hold in your hands, turn pages at your own pace, etc.

Besides, you don’t have to worry about whether you can stand the voice of the person reading the book and other factors unique to audiobooks.

And someday when I write my first book I would sure rather people read it than listen to it. ED/PUB: LM