Listening vs Reading, Who the Hell Cares?
The internet is arguing about whether listening counts as reading. I am not. Accessibility, pleasure, and why the story living in your head matters more than how it got there.
Author’s Note: Reading is not a purity test. It is a relationship between a story and a brain. If the story lands and stays with you, the method did its job.
Accessibility, pleasure, and the story that stays with you.
I must be getting old, or maybe just living under a rock. Probably both. But I was caught off guard by this whole “is listening to books the same as reading books” debate.
As a retired professor, though not in literature, I will say this: Most people retain information better on actual paper. However, in a learning environment, the real issue is accessibility and inclusion.
Paper does not work for everyone. We all process information in our own way and have our own needs.
People learn differently. I am a visual learner. One of my twins is an auditory learner. We are all neurodivergent in this family.
Now for reading for pleasure.
Who the hell cares if you’re listening to a book or have a paper copy?
If you prefer paper, read your books on paper. I travel a lot, so I got a Kindle. And if you need or like to multitask, which is my superpower, then listen to your books while you do whatever else. Stop giving two fucks about other people’s opinions. Enjoy your life however you choose.
I do have one small disclaimer.
When Amazon changed its Kindle policy and made it clear that we were leasing books rather than owning them, I stopped buying books on Kindle. I always preferred paper anyway, so my heart is not exactly breaking.
I believe the same thing applies to audiobooks, but I am in denial about it. I enjoy knitting, crocheting, painting, and embroidering too much to give them up. So yes, that probably makes me a hypocrite. At least I own it.
And here is the truth. Whether you read a book, listen to it, or have someone tattoo the damn thing on your back, the story still lives in your head when you finish it.
That is what matters.
So stop worrying about formats. Get lost in a story, any story, and call it a win.
And if that offends the literary purists, tell them The Grumpy Reader said to go touch grass.
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