What’s your cut off for counting a book as “read”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I keep track of my books on Goodreads for a yearly challenge and I don’t skim a lot of books and count it as read.

I also do a lot of audiobooks.

I’m putting this ethical dilemma on myself… At what point can I consider it “read”, especially audiobooks, where you cannot skim to the end.

Read a physical book to the very last word.

And if it's good, you read it again and hug the book a little bit.
If we're not reading books like that I feel bad for us and it's Okay to DNF!

[Anonymous]

The last page. I don't ever start a book and not stop it. Is that unusual?

I don't count audiobooks as read for my own purposes, but if someone asked me I would said I'd listened to it. I listen to like 40 audiobooks a year too. They're my favorite thing to do chores to and I also always have one on in the car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:skimming isn't reading

I don't rate DNF and I don't mark them as read.

Audiobooks count if you listen to the whole thing

I think it is, it's like watching a movie while sitting on your phone. I still watched it, I think.

I don't consider listening to audiobooks as "reading a book".

I powered through a VERY popular book, once I was 100 pages in, I thought it would get better. I kept telling myself it would get better. It was so long. It didn't get better. I stopped at 80% and still considered it read, I mean I read like 400/600 pages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:skimming isn't reading

I don't rate DNF and I don't mark them as read.

Audiobooks count if you listen to the whole thing

I think it is, it's like watching a movie while sitting on your phone. I still watched it, I think.

I don't consider listening to audiobooks as "reading a book".

I powered through a VERY popular book, once I was 100 pages in, I thought it would get better. I kept telling myself it would get better. It was so long. It didn't get better. I stopped at 80% and still considered it read, I mean I read like 400/600 pages.

Listening to an audiobook certainly counts more than reading 2/3 a book. GTFO you ableist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An audiobook is "read" as you have consumed all of the content. No one cares if its with your eye or ears.

I care. I will die on the hill that reading a book is not the same activity as listening to a book while you do chores around the house or whatever other multi-tasking you're taking care of.

If the listener has a visual impairment I will relax my viewpoint. Otherwise, you cannot convince me the brain is engaging in similar activities no matter how hard you try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The last page. I don't ever start a book and not stop it. Is that unusual?

I don't count audiobooks as read for my own purposes, but if someone asked me I would said I'd listened to it. I listen to like 40 audiobooks a year too. They're my favorite thing to do chores to and I also always have one on in the car.

I'm the same. I always finish the book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The last page. I don't ever start a book and not stop it. Is that unusual?

I don't count audiobooks as read for my own purposes, but if someone asked me I would said I'd listened to it. I listen to like 40 audiobooks a year too. They're my favorite thing to do chores to and I also always have one on in the car.

I'm the same. I always finish the book.

I used to be like this but then I realized life is too short to read anything I’m not enjoying if I don’t have to. I don’t bother with categorizing it as read or not, as I find that irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An audiobook is "read" as you have consumed all of the content. No one cares if its with your eye or ears.

I care. I will die on the hill that reading a book is not the same activity as listening to a book while you do chores around the house or whatever other multi-tasking you're taking care of.

If the listener has a visual impairment I will relax my viewpoint. Otherwise, you cannot convince me the brain is engaging in similar activities no matter how hard you try.

I mean, if you will continue to believe your outdated view after being shown the evidence of similar brain activity whether listening to a audiobook or reading a story with your eyes, then that’s on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:skimming isn't reading

I don't rate DNF and I don't mark them as read.

Audiobooks count if you listen to the whole thing

I think it is, it's like watching a movie while sitting on your phone. I still watched it, I think.

I don't consider listening to audiobooks as "reading a book".

I powered through a VERY popular book, once I was 100 pages in, I thought it would get better. I kept telling myself it would get better. It was so long. It didn't get better. I stopped at 80% and still considered it read, I mean I read like 400/600 pages.

Wow, I really disagree. Skimming a book isn’t reading it, and watching a movie while sitting on your phone isn’t watching a movie….It’s giving only part of your attention to something. Why do that??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An audiobook is "read" as you have consumed all of the content. No one cares if its with your eye or ears.

I care. I will die on the hill that reading a book is not the same activity as listening to a book while you do chores around the house or whatever other multi-tasking you're taking care of.

If the listener has a visual impairment I will relax my viewpoint. Otherwise, you cannot convince me the brain is engaging in similar activities no matter how hard you try.

I mean, if you will continue to believe your outdated view after being shown the evidence of similar brain activity whether listening to a audiobook or reading a story with your eyes, then that’s on you.

DP here. i'm someone with a serious visual impairment. I still read physical books with the help of various aides. I prefer to read with my eyes than to listen to an audio book because while I enjoy them, they often send me to sleep quicker and I don't feel as active a participant when I'm listening. I am going to become increasingly dependent on audio books, so I am really hoping to train myself to make the switch, but it is not easy. I think everyone is different. It definitely counts as having read a book, regardless of disability or no disability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An audiobook is "read" as you have consumed all of the content. No one cares if its with your eye or ears.

I care. I will die on the hill that reading a book is not the same activity as listening to a book while you do chores around the house or whatever other multi-tasking you're taking care of.

If the listener has a visual impairment I will relax my viewpoint. Otherwise, you cannot convince me the brain is engaging in similar activities no matter how hard you try.

I mean, if you will continue to believe your outdated view after being shown the evidence of similar brain activity whether listening to a audiobook or reading a story with your eyes, then that’s on you.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:skimming isn't reading

I don't rate DNF and I don't mark them as read.

Audiobooks count if you listen to the whole thing

I think it is, it's like watching a movie while sitting on your phone. I still watched it, I think.

I don't consider listening to audiobooks as "reading a book".

I powered through a VERY popular book, once I was 100 pages in, I thought it would get better. I kept telling myself it would get better. It was so long. It didn't get better. I stopped at 80% and still considered it read, I mean I read like 400/600 pages.

Listening to an audiobook certainly counts more than reading 2/3 a book. GTFO you ableist

You just said yourself listen versus read. They are not the same. It’s like listening to NPR versus reading The Post. You did not read the newspaper if you listened to the radio.

[Anonymous]

I mean you didn't read the whole book unless you read the whole book.

Audiobooks don't count as reading either.

You all are just cheating yourselves.

[Anonymous]

This whole idea of what "counts" and doesn't count is interesting. I guess people keep track of their read books for different reasons. The principal reason I keep a list is because it is crucial information for my future reading. If I love a book, I make a note to look up more by the same author, or to find similar books. If I didn't finish, I mark DNF to make sure I stay away. And most importantly, I want to avoid accidentally picking up a book for a second time years later and thinking I am so clever and so prescient until I realize that I have already read the book before. Anyway this doesn't feel like an ethical dilemma to me, just a practical one.

As for audiobooks, I really don't understand the sense of superiority some people attach to the written word. Sure, the experience of listening to a book is different from decoding words on a page. For example, an audiobook is slower for me, so I like them for literary fiction or a dense narrative - I like how I process when listening. My natural reading rhythm is much faster so I definitely read if I pick up a fun detective title. Anyway, my point is that we all engage with stories differently and focusing on this one is a little arbitrary. Our experiences might also be different because you read more than I do or because I have a PhD in literature or because a genre is new to me. Anyway, reading or listening or using braille -- they all count.

[Anonymous]

For me, I count it as “Read” if I read the book till the end. Not just skimmed.

Audiobooks are equal, first class citizens in my world and I will die on that hill. Others can F off.

I will say that I “react” differently to books vs audiobooks. When I read words with my eyes certain words may catch/move me. However there has been many cases where I would have not read or DNFed a book but for the audiobook that truly elevated the experience.

I don’t get the hate or superiority for audiobooks.