To the Editor:
Re “Yes, Listening to a Book Counts as Reading,” by Brian Bannon (Opinion guest essay, Nov. 23):
Listening to a book is not the same as reading a book. I am delighted that people with dyslexia — or anyone — can listen to books, but that’s not reading.
As an author, I choose the cadence, syntax and structure of my sentences for a reader. I have read excerpts from my books publicly; I have never written for a book listener. Perhaps others do, but for me it’s a different craft from writing for a reader.
I read books with a pencil in my hand. (More often I use a pen.) I can’t do that with an audiobook. I write notes in margins. I pause — by putting down the book — to contemplate an idea or to look up unfamiliar words. I reread sentences, often many times, to make sure that I know (or try to feel) what the author is telling me. Listening doesn’t provide the experiential space for me to do that. I can’t drive (or walk) when I read.
Listening to books is a very good thing. But neurologically, heuristically, experientially and emotionally, listening to a book is not the same as reading.
Allen Hershkowitz Ridgefield, Conn.
To the Editor:
I grew up listening to the radio presentations of “Let’s Pretend” stories and someone reading the Sunday comics. My parents took me to the library, beginning when I was a toddler, to get books and to be charmed by the stories read by the librarian during story hour. Perhaps that is why I love both holding a real book to read and listening to audiobooks. It is not an either-or decision, but both are equally important.
Some books are better if read, and some — especially those with foreign dialects — are enriched by listening. For example, “Hamnet” needed to be read slowly, savoring the poetic language. “The Bee Sting,” with its Irish brogue, provided a richer experience as an audiobook.
I have been sending each of our two grandchildren a book a month since they were toddlers, and they also frequently listen to books stored on their iPads. Whether read or listened to, books open our minds.
Marsha Caplan Boulder, Colo.
To the Editor:
Audiobooks don’t just count; they also expand the reading experience through the artistry of narration, transforming written words into immersive performances. They also provide a practical solution for those of us whose time to sit with a book grows increasingly scarce.
There’s nothing quite like settling in with a good book, but try reading while driving, cooking dinner, running on a treadmill or getting ready for bed. This is where audiobooks excel, turning otherwise “lost” time into opportunities for literary engagement.
The numbers tell the story: Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment of book publishing, soon to surpass e-books in popularity and gaining fans across all demographics. Libraries nationwide report surging demand for audiobook access, a trend that both reflects and fuels renewed public engagement with these vital institutions.
While there are many attributes that drive the consumption of audiobooks, a key factor is the craft that a professional narrator brings. Audiobooks create a human connection, one that we find more people seeking every day.
Sean McManus Boston The writer is president of the Audio Publishers Association.
To the Editor:
Regarding Brian Bannon’s thoughts about reading versus listening, I have come to a different conclusion. Mr. Bannon has found that listening helps him to understand content better and makes the experience of engaging with text more enjoyable. I have no doubt that’s true for him and many others. But he also suggests that in the end, the experience of reading and listening is fundamentally similar. I believe there is a key difference in reading versus listening, a difference most apparent in the reading of fiction.
Fiction, by definition, involves a set of made-up characters in a made-up world. A key part of enjoying fiction is imagining these characters and their world. They take shape in your brain and in a great novel, become practically real to you. With audiobooks, the narrator’s voice, inflection and cadence shape the listener’s imagination. This serves to filter the experience of the novel.
I think of reading as an unfiltered experience. Reading is a pure relationship between the reader and the text. There’s no third-party voice involved.
Michael Chimes Allamuchy, N.J.
To the Editor:
I am a lifelong reader and, until recently, a snob about audiobooks. I too believed that audiobooks were fake reading. After the 2024 election, when our political climate became so toxic that I could no longer listen to the political podcasts I had used for many years to entertain and educate me when I was out for a run, I finally turned to listening to audiobooks instead.
Here’s the main thing I learned: I can now read two books at the same time — one while sitting in a comfortable chair at home with my dog in my lap and a second one while running. I am surprised by how much I enjoy the audiobooks. They keep me distracted from the effort required by long miles on the road, and a gifted audiobook actor adds an element of theater and fun to the experience.
Karin Kramer Baldwin Petaluma, Calif.
To the Editor:
Tired of listening to the radio during my daily two hours in the car commuting to work, I picked up my first audiobook at the library 30 years ago, when they were still on cassettes, and I was hooked. Hundreds of books later, mostly fiction, I am amazed by how a good reader’s voice can enhance the author’s work beyond the printed words.
When one reads printed dialogue, the mind does not “hear” in foreign accents or regional American dialects. A novel by a Scottish, Irish or Australian author is enriched by the reader’s accent, just as actors on a stage bring a playwright’s printed script to life. And no longer was I frustrated and impatient driving to work, as traffic jams just increased the time I had to enjoy reading.
Andrew Berman Evanston, Ill.
To the Editor:
Listening to Barbra Streisand read her autobiography with her inflections, singing and acting was sheer delight! One cannot read her book as she reads it.
Diana Borja New Bern, N.C.
To the Editor:
Where I teach, at a small college with a lengthy required reading list, the faculty has debated together the question of listening as reading. Every year, it seems that more of our faculty find the notion of audiobooks acceptable for some readings, even if it is not something we widely encourage.
As Brian Bannon suggests, many of the benefits that come from reading in the traditional form can be found through listening. It is certainly possible to find the same engagement of imagination, growth of sympathy and analysis of argument whether one reads or listens attentively, and both feel like increasingly rare experiences.
For our students, who spend so much of their time reading, to listen to a book while taking a walk, while watching the fish in the nearby creek or even while resting weary eyes provides them an opportunity to care for the body and the mind together. To get lost in a book seems possible whether we see or hear the words, and this, of course, is the true pleasure of reading.
Rebecca S. Goldner Annapolis, Md.
To the Editor:
Thanks to Brian Bannon, I will no longer sheepishly add “well, listened to” when describing the books I’ve enjoyed in recent years. There’s enough shame in the world without adding book shaming to the list.
Emily Whitfield New York
The post Have You Listened to a Good Book Lately? appeared first on New York Times.
