Here’s a philosophical question: If you listen to a book, does that count as “reading a book?”
I think so. However some of my friends, even family members, insist that you can’t say you “read a book” unless you actually did so.
I disagree.
In fact, the vast majority of books I read these days are from Audible. I’ve been a member for 11 years and was shocked to learn I’ve “read” nearly 180 books in that time. And it’s interesting to note that the number of books I read has gone down in the past few years as my podcast listening time has gone up.
None the less, there are lots of upsides to listening to a book:
- You can read while you’re doing other things: hiking, biking, driving
- A good reader will draw you into the storyline like a great movie
- You can read/listen in greater than real time
- There’s nothing more powerfully moving than the “theater of the mind”
On the downside, I’ve learned:
- A bad reader can ruin the flow of a story; a mispronunciation drives me nuts and is hard to forget
- A great reader can help you get to sleep; great for bedtime, bad for driving down I-5 at 2:00AM, driving back from a long trip
I’ve enjoyed both fiction and non-fiction. World War II books have filled my virtual library. Biographies too.
But of all types, I’ve found I particularly enjoy dramatized books. They’re golden chestnuts.
My kids grew up listening to Focus on the Family’s Odyssey radio program. Chuck Bolte and the Odyssey team crafted such a wonderful theater of the mind. And I think that’s why I love Focus’ Radio Theater version of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. Charles Morris has been talking about this wonderful box set for the last couple of weeks on Haven Today.
If you’ve listened to Haven lately, you’ve heard so many wonderful excerpts from this wonderful series of audio books from the land of Narnia. Douglas Gresham, Lewis’ stepson, also adds his perspective on this amazing collection. Haven’s been offering the superb production each day. And of course, I bought my copy.
My recommendation: Check out the CDs! They’re a great way to “read” this classic collection. At least in my audiobook.
