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Are Audiobooks Cheating?

hello and welcome, welcome!! i have yet to listen to a book on tape, but like everyone has already said, what a great way to spend your time in the car other than listening to some of the crap on that's on the radio! :eek:
plus, i like the idea of listening to someone else's voice reading to me, not always mind you, other than my own. wait, that sounded like i read aloud, and i don't..well, my lips move, does that count?
enjoy and happy listening!
 
I agree that getting unabridged is a must. What's the point in listening to a book if you've missed out on a bunch of the story? It's like reading every other page of a book. I only get unabridged.

Also, a good deal of what I listen to is recent enough that the author is the one reading the book, and I can't imagine a better verbal interpretation than that of the writer. I love the Augusten Burroughs books (Running with Scissors, Dry, Magical Thinking) and he narrates them. I hadn't expected him to sound as gay as he did, though, hehe. Thomas Harris reading Hannibal was also wonderful, since I'm a big fan of the Hannibal Lecter character.

I'm looking into getting Choke by Chuck Palahniuk on CD, the author narrates. I'm still leaning toward only listening to what I've already read. Audiobooks are more expensive than new hardbacks most of the time, and working for $5.50 an hour, I don't want to risk getting a stinker.

BTW, I discovered there is an audiobook of A Clockwork Orange (already read it) as read by the author, but it's only on cassette. Given Burgess's use of dialect, I imagine listening to him read it aloud would be quite an experience. The only way I made it through that book was with a Nadsat glossary I printed off the Internet.
 
RosesInHerHair said:
I agree that getting unabridged is a must. What's the point in listening to a book if you've missed out on a bunch of the story? It's like reading every other page of a book. I only get unabridged.

Also, a good deal of what I listen to is recent enough that the author is the one reading the book, and I can't imagine a better verbal interpretation than that of the writer. I love the Augusten Burroughs books (Running with Scissors, Dry, Magical Thinking) and he narrates them. I hadn't expected him to sound as gay as he did, though, hehe. Thomas Harris reading Hannibal was also wonderful, since I'm a big fan of the Hannibal Lecter character.

I'm looking into getting Choke by Chuck Palahniuk on CD, the author narrates. I'm still leaning toward only listening to what I've already read. Audiobooks are more expensive than new hardbacks most of the time, and working for $5.50 an hour, I don't want to risk getting a stinker.

BTW, I discovered there is an audiobook of A Clockwork Orange (already read it) as read by the author, but it's only on cassette. Given Burgess's use of dialect, I imagine listening to him read it aloud would be quite an experience. The only way I made it through that book was with a Nadsat glossary I printed off the Internet.
Click to expand...

I worked with Augusten at Saatchi & Saatchi. He was a fantastic guy and provided clients with some of the funniest (and most un-buyable) creative ideas I've ever seen. I don't think he sounds that gay, BTW. Also, he's kind of a big guy. He could kick some serious ass if he had the mind to.
 
Audio books are great for long adventures in automobiles. Or for the blind. The deaf don't like them much... but I can understand. Audio books are only cheating if one is too lazy to read the book.
 
AngusBenton

Just wanted to say I didn't mean any insult by my comment. I knew he was gay from reading the books, and I thought the audiobooks reflected it too. Just a personal observation. Though I don't know him, I'm certain he's a great guy and from the pictures I've seen on his website I'm sure he could kick ass.
 
Another person siding with general consensus here, I don’t think it is by any means cheating if you’re listening to an audio book for pleasure, however if it’s a set book for a course then I would consider it differently.



I tend to only listen to audio books I have already read the original book to, I am one of life’s “visual” people & therefore have difficulty fully absorbing a book if I cannot be reading the words myself. With audio books, I often find myself closing my eyes just so I can get that same level of concentration – so I guess it would be an awful idea for me to do that whilst driving. ;)



Like others have stated, I also like having the chance to flick back over a couple of pages & double check something which was mentioned before, or re-read the same sentence a few times. I can understand the point raised about whomever is narrating can put their own spin on the story, because most books can be interpreted slightly differently depending on the individual reading.
 
I love audio books. I usually listen to them while doing something else like cross-stitch. I like to listen to history audio because I find them easier to understand this way, and then when I do read the book I understand much easier. I also love listening to unabridged Agatha Christie especially Poirot. :D
 
audio books are so convenient

audio books grant people extra time. I mean like you said free time is hard to come by anymore so if you can multi task and listen to a book while working out, or doing household chores then good for you. I wouldn't listen to them in the car though. I get so caught up in a book that I just know I'd run somebody over if I was enthralled in an audio book and mindlesly driving through town.
 
I'm listening to Rushdie's Fury, and have a thought I'd like to share about audiobook performers. I didn't know it when I bought it, but Fury was read by Rushdie himself, and I was very excited to find that out upon the introduction of the book. I have not owned an audiobook thus far where the author read his own work, and naturally I was excited. Here, I thought, there is no danger of the performer misinterpreting the nature and meaning of the story, bringing the wrong feel to the book that the author may not have intended. So I settled back for a comfortable and pleasurable drive (I listen to audiobooks in my car).

Only to find myself straining to understand the words that were coming out of his mouth.

A couple of things first. When I started on this, I had just finished listening to Eco's The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana. It was a brilliant performance by the narrator, who not only assumed the voice of an elderly gentleman with a faint Italian accent, but also took on the voices of the differing characters (including the ladies) with aplomb. I've listened to others who gave similarly masterful treatment of the characters.

I suppose after coming off such a great performance I was let down by Rushdie's reading. He's an excellent writer, but he's absolutely no performing artist. His tone is flat, he reads without proper pacing, and his pronounciation is not careful enough - too much slurring words together. He's too intimate with the work, and it shows in his reading. It took me a couple of hours to get used to his manner of speaking before his story started to come through to me.

I suppose I will be listening to this book again, just to get back the beginning.

What I'm trying to say is - yes, there is a chance of performers may bring a feel to a piece of work that's different from what the author intended, but the narrative skills a professional performer brings more than outweighs the possible loss. I will be much less enthusiatic when I get an audiobook read by the author, that's for sure.



ds
 
Yeah, it isn't cheating. If you listen to an audiobook, I think that says something in your favor as opposed to say...........listening to some pop-tart on the CD player. By all means, enjoy!. :)
 
I think so much depends on both the book and the person reading it. I have only two personal experiences with audio books and I think they illustrate two different points.

First I listened to a spy thriller on audio, complete and unabridged, during a long 10 hour road trip and enjoyed it tremendously. I don't feel that I missed anything by 'only' hearing it, and I don't think I have to go back and reread the book. It was what you might call a non-literary kind of book and experience.

On the other hand, I have listened over and over to Sylvia Plath reading a selection of her own poetry. Her reading of Lady Lazarus is enough to make the hair on one's arms stand up. The language of the poem absolutely crackles with the consonants in her choice of words and her reading of it was brilliant, scintillating, call it what you will. A bravura performance!

Which brings me to a third less obvious point. In a certain sense, the reading of a book is a performance by the reader and there are good performances and poorer performances, just as on the stage. I happen to like listening to the sounds of language(s) and seeing performances, so I would say that audio books have the potential to provide an enhanced experience over merely reading the book one's self.

Jeremy Irons' reading of Lolita is the case in point. I have not yet listened to it, but when I saw the boxed set of CD's in the store I snapped them up -- cost no object! --- because I had heard so many favorable comments about them. And while on the subject of Lolita, which I have read several times, there are two movie versions which also shouldn't be missed, especially if one is interested in acting as acting, instead of just as illustrating the action in a a story. The movies are different and one can compare the acting to see that fantastic acting can bring something to the book that one's imagination would have a hard time duplicating. At least mine has a hard time.

So I don't think audio books are cheating by any means, but a thrilling exploration which can sometimes be disappointing, sometimes OK, but when it clicks is incomparable.

That's a long 2 cents worth,
Peder
 
I'm looking into audiobooks, too. When I start classes at college again, I'll be facing a 45 minute (at least) drive each way. Combine that with all the time I will spend studying, and my usual household duties, the only time I will have for pleasure reading will be semester breaks and that long lonely drive to and from campus.
 
Excellent comments Peder. I in particular liked your highlighting of how audiobooks could be useful. I would imagine that works that required a little more depth than your typical book(i.e.-Plath, Dickinson, Kerouac, etc.) would be hard to make into a smashing success on audiobook, but I guess it can be done. Then again, I believe that two individuals could make just about anything sound great if they read it- James Earl Jones or Sean Connery. :D Then again, if you pass on and go to book reader's hell, you will have to listen to a rendition of Romeo & Juliet being read by Sylvester Stallone. :D :D (j/k)
 
Audio books don't work for me....I can never absorb enough of the story to understand and keeep up....so I much prefer to read it.....but if they work for you, then definetly keep listening!
 
ROTFALTIC!

SFG,

You have an evil mind. Just plain eee-villl! :eek:

Good one! Still chuckiling :)
Peder
 
Are Audiobooks Cheating?

No, listening to audio books is not cheating. You are absorbing the substance of the piece using a different sense.

When I visit my mother, who lives halfway across the state, I listen to a book. I would go bonkers if I didn't.

Keep listening!
 
I never really considered the benefits of audio books before reading this thread. I never thought of it as cheating - it just didn't really realise the full potential of an audiobook.

I am definately going to go out and buy one for when I go to the gym or am on a long drive, especially now that summer is coming my way and I'll be driving a lot on holiday and such.

Thanks to all particpants in this thread for opening my eyes to the whole new world of audio books :D
 
Audiobooks aren't cheating at all. It's just a simpler way for the nerd on the go. I spend a lot of my time on the bus, because I live 4 hours away from home and I travel home to my parents a lot, so Audiobooks are ideal.

I didn't know enjoying litterature was a contest.
 
The Prussian said:
Are Audiobooks Cheating?

No, listening to audio books is not cheating. You are absorbing the substance of the piece using a different sense.

Keep listening!
Click to expand...

And I'd like to add whatever he said.
 
I would never consider audio books cheating. They just don't work well for me. I have a significant hearing loss in one ear, and too much noise all around me constantly, for me to concentrate on them. I have heard some audios I liked when the kids had them on. Cheaper By the Dozen, the Harry Potter series, Redwall, Castle in the Attic, and 7 Ghostly Tales by Brian Jacques come to mind. I tried to listen to How the Irish Saved Civilization recently, and just missed too much of what was said. I liked the reader though. It was nice to hear certain Celtic words pronounced by someone who might have a clue how theyre supposed to sound..
 
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