Greta Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Like a book a week or x books per year or whatever, do you count listening to an audiobook toward your goal? For years I've been keeping a record of the books that I read, always with the goal of reading 50 per year. I've recently discovered the joys of listening to audiobooks on long car rides, and while doing household chores. So I have to decide whether or not to "count" them. Just curious what others do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Our library has a summer reading program for adults and audio books "count"! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I don't have many opportunities to listen to audio books but if I did, of course I would count them! :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted September 1, 2015 Author Share Posted September 1, 2015 Somehow it feels a little like cheating, like it's less effort somehow. :lol: Or maybe it's just that it makes chores so much more bearable that I feel like I'm getting away with something. But if the hive says they count, then they count! Okay, another question. I don't really know how Audible works. Is it worth it? Can I use it with my iPod Nano? Their website says it works with iPod Touch, but doesn't mention the Nano. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I think it might depend on what your purpose was in keeping track. If it is about really improving your reading ability with difficult books, it might be best not to count them. If its more to keep your mind from becoming a sewer of sloth, do count them. You could also maybe make some kind of rule - say, a % that is the maximum for audiobooks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Of course they count. Great literature is worth reading and hearing. I'm assuming you're talking about quality books. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 I think it might depend on what your purpose was in keeping track. If it is about really improving your reading ability with difficult books, it might be best not to count them. If its more to keep your mind from becoming a sewer of sloth, do count them. It's more about the latter. Love that phrasing, BTW! :lol: It's about spending more time with books and less time with Netflix. :) You could also maybe make some kind of rule - say, a % that is the maximum for audiobooks. That's a good idea! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 Of course they count. Great literature is worth reading and hearing. I'm assuming you're talking about quality books. I am. The one I just finished was Jane Eyre (I've read it before, one of my all-time favorite books!) and the one I was thinking about next was Great Expectations (read it in high school, but I think I would appreciate it more now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 yes, I absolutely include audio books. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I do have reading goals and I would count audio books. I don't count audio books for my kids that I listen to on long car rides, lol. So, I never get to count audio books because those are the only ones I ever get to listen to. And BTW, those "Bartimauus" books are super fun for a long trip, lol. But sometimes when I am feeling like I am lagging with a book, and it is on my kindle, I will use the 'text-to-speech' option and make the kindle read to me while I wash the dishes, lol. It is very robo-voice and not like a real audiobook at all, but it works in a pinch. I also sometimes use it and knit at the same time. It highlights the text as it reads so I can knit and keep half an eye on the text while listening to my book. It is my own personal heaven! But if I had a long commute or something that allowed me to listen with some uninterrupted concentration I would 'count' an audiobook towards my goal. DH likes to listen to things like the Odyssey and the Illiad and other such things. He says he likes listening to them better than reading because that is how they were meant to be experienced. He feels like he gets more from those sorts of works with a good dramatic reader than he would by reading it. I think that 'counts'. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 But if I had a long commute or something that allowed me to listen with some uninterrupted concentration I would 'count' an audiobook towards my goal. I don't normally, but I recently had a ten-hour drive to go visit family. Lots of uninterrupted concentration then! :) DH likes to listen to things like the Odyssey and the Illiad and other such things. He says he likes listening to them better than reading because that is how they were meant to be experienced. He feels like he gets more from those sorts of works with a good dramatic reader than he would by reading it. I think that 'counts'. That's a very good point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minerva Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Absolutely. I cannot think of one good reason not to count them. My dyslexic children get as much out of being read to as anyone I know who reads silently. My grandmother, who was blind for the last fifteen years of her life, listened to the classics over and over again. These are, without a doubt, experiences that count. Enjoy and add them to your tally! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I count audiobooks. I count rereads. I count children's books I'm prereading for DD as long as they are things I'm not embarrassed to have on my Goodreads list - for example, Charlotte's Web was counted, but Magic Kitten: Firelight Friends, not so much. ;) My goals are only for me, just because I like keeping track and I like to see if I can do as well as or better than the last year. So I count what pleases me. :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I keep track with that yearly book counter on Goodreads. So audio books count, rereads don't. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 Absolutely. I cannot think of one good reason not to count them. My dyslexic children get as much out of being read to as anyone I know who reads silently. My grandmother, who was blind for the last fifteen years of her life, listened to the classics over and over again. These are, without a doubt, experiences that count. Enjoy and add them to your tally! Those are indeed experiences that count. Thank you for this perspective! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I count audiobooks. It's MY goal, so I can count whatever I want :lol: !!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Somehow it feels a little like cheating, like it's less effort somehow. :lol: Or maybe it's just that it makes chores so much more bearable that I feel like I'm getting away with something. But if the hive says they count, then they count! Okay, another question. I don't really know how Audible works. Is it worth it? Can I use it with my iPod Nano? Their website says it works with iPod Touch, but doesn't mention the Nano. I use the PC downloader to download my audible books, then I move them to my "add to iTunes" folder. In the process of being added to my iTunes library, the files are converted into a type which I can play on the ipod. I add them to the ipod manually. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 I use the PC downloader to download my audible books, then I move them to my "add to iTunes" folder. In the process of being added to my iTunes library, the files are converted into a type which I can play on the ipod. I add them to the ipod manually. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Somehow it feels a little like cheating, like it's less effort somehow. :lol: We're listening to the KJV in the car at the moment. Don't tell me that's effortless, Sister! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 We're listening to the KJV in the car at the moment. Don't tell me that's effortless, Sister! :) You're right - no argument here! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 If you were blind would you count them? ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I set goals and I definitely count audio books. As for Audible, it really depends. You can be an Audible member without being a subscriber and buy audio books whenever you want. With a subscription, depending on the level you earn a certain number of credits per month, which can then be used to purchase audio books. I tried a subscription, but even at the lowest level I didn't spend the subscription amount on audio books each month. I use my library even for ebooks and audio books, so I don't purchase a lot of books. If you do, and you purchase audio books, it would be worth it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I count audiobooks I listen to for myself. I count rereads. I do not count the audiobooks I listen to in the car with the kids. I don't count the books I read aloud to the kids. I count the literature books I pre-read for the kids. Totally arbitrary when I see it typed out, but that's how I drew the lines. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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