Now You Can Have Your Book & Read It Too, Or Can You??

To read or not to read? To listen or no to listen? Many print books are audio books too. Is one format better for the mind than another?  


Sure, as a child I loved it when someone read to me. That is, until I learned to read. Being able to read gave me autonomy. The school library was a restaurant with an extensive menu. The sky was not the limit. I choose the books and the pace at which I read them. I could, if I wanted to, read two (or more) at a time. After that I read books on my own. Well, 99% of the time I did. I still remember Mr. Ford reading the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to our grade 4 class. Of course, Mr. Ford was had one of those voices that made you want to listen! I also remember listening to an recording of The Hobbit when I was in grade 7. It was very dramatic - complete with different voices and sound effects. But other than that ... I do not recall any other listenings.


Recently, however, I have been listening to audio books, and enjoying the experience. Audio books are perfect for long road trips or working out on the treadmill. Like print books, not all audio books are equal. Some are quite bad. Sometimes I cannot tell if it's the story or the voice that is reading the book that turns me off. Once an audio book turns me off though, that's it. I do not go back and listen to it again. I know for certain that the the reader's voice has to be just right or I cannot bear to listen to the story! One of my favourites, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, is good in print and in audio format. The reader (in the Audible version) is marvellous. I could listen to him read all day! And I have.


Audio books have become a guilty pleasure. Why a guilty pleasure you ask? 1) I enjoy the experience (if the reader is right) - so that's the "pleasure" part. 2) Yet, I feel guilty too--like I shouldn't be doing it. I feel lazy when I let someone else do the reading for me. It's like that person is doing all the heavy lifting and I am just sitting there watching him work. Then I worry about my mind turning to mush. Does someone else reading for you turn your mind to mush? Does it matter? I am not sure. I haven't stopped listening to "good" audio books; I just continue to worry.