But does that count as ‘reading’?

A variety of opinions out there on reading purism- the right way to read a book. “Listening doesn’t count.” “eBooks just aren’t the same.” “I buy every book exclusively from local small businesses where they knit the pages together in the back room by hand.” Good storytelling dictates I subtly build my argument throughout the post. Lead you on a journey of self-discovery, pepper in a few leading questions, finish with a nice rhetorical device and voila! You’ll arrive at the conclusion, no one feels attacked, everyone walks home patting themselves on the back. I’m just wholly not in the mood today. So- yes, it counts as reading. Of course the experience varies by medium and I have preferences depending on the type of story. But anyone who tells you there’s a ‘right’ way to do this, or judges you for your choices? Ignore them, ridicule them, cast them out into the wilderness. Whatever it takes. There is not enough time in a life and too many stories. Do what works for you to experience them.

Misspent youth, conversion

I confess to being a traditional book purist in my misguided youth. I attribute this shortcoming to teenage identity crises and application of the no true Scotsman logical fallacy (one of my top three favorite types of logical fallacy for those of you keeping track). “I’m the kind of person who enjoys xyz. Real fans of xyz enjoy it this particular way. If you don’t enjoy it that same way, you’re not a real fan.” I’m going to wrap my entire internal identity as someone who enjoys stories so opening the gates to others therefore threatens what makes me unique. I get it, I promise. It’s also foolish (though clearly not the worst behavior I rationalized as a teenager).

My conversion, when it came, was born from necessity. I met my now-wife, who attended a nearby college, at a party my second year of school. The distance was manageable; 50-75 minutes depending how badly I wanted to risk speeding tickets. But, complication one: she was carless at the time. Wanting to see her most weekends meant about two hours in the car if I stayed there, or four hours if I picked her up Friday and dropped her off early Monday morning. Complication two: there was a moderately sized mountain in the way. Less pressing at the time (though much worse later when I shelled out a LARGE amount of money for a repair) was the wear and tear I put on my transmission. More pressing at the time: I’d lose radio channels. One side of the mountain had my college stations. The other a bit heavier on the WAP (worship and prayer) stations. Not really my scene.

Salvation arrived in the form of a few battered copies of Harry Potter books-on-CD I picked up from a nearby Goodwill. These had scratches and skips, one of the stories was straight up missing a few CDs. But they were available and cheap ($60ish for a new copy would have been unfathomable at the time) and anyways I knew them by heart. My car had a six-CD changer, the now-wife wasn’t opposed, so- we had a solution. Jim Dale (the narrator) is also an absolute treasure. We began a tradition of listening to a few chapters and pausing to talk about them. The down-the-road repercussions and foreshadowing, why we loved a passage, all of that. Basically I fancied myself a much less enjoyable version of Binge Mode Harry Potter about ten years too early. Long road trips broke my taboo against other forms of reading, but it was another handful of years until I truly embraced audiobooks (now through smartphones) and free library apps. A few years into my career I fully bit the bullet, installed my only and to-date ever aftermarket modification to a car (a stereo with an aux port so I could stop straining to hear my phone in the cupholder), and subscribed to Audible.

It hits a little different

Full disclosure I’ve never used an eReader. I stole the Nook in the image (which hasn’t been powered on in years) from my wife for sake of a photo. I’ll let those of you who use them tell me how that experience differs for you. I do however listen to a lot of audiobooks. Primarily through commuting, back when that was a thing, and cardio, whenever I can make that a thing. I’ve never been someone able to listen to a book while doing much else requiring concentration. I had a friend who poured through her true crime books during the workday and still churned everything out, I don’t know how she did it. All that in mind, a couple differences I’ve noticed listening versus reading:

1. Genre matters. I overwhelmingly listen to fantasy, which conveys very well to audio. These are stories in the most traditional sense; gather around the campfire and I’ll tell you the tale. Non-fiction, or any book that can run a little dense, is sometimes a struggle (especially if I’m trying to distract myself when running). The one exception I’ll make is an autobiography narrated by the author. It’s wonderful hearing someone’s story in their own voice, which leads me to my second point.
2. You will hear the story as the author meant it. I earnestly don’t say this as a good or bad point. I firmly believe that once something is released it’s up to the reader to interpret as they will. A part of me always rebels when, after publication, an author says “oh, this character is actually [insert adjective here].” Authors are allowed that intention. But if it isn’t explicit in the words (and even if it is), I like that you can conjure your own view of the characters or events. If however you want a story closer to the original storyteller’s vision, audiobooks can provide.
3. It isn’t as relaxing. This may be the nature of the way I listen to audiobooks, but I’m rarely solely focused on them. Either I’m driving or working out, or emptying the dishwasher or folding laundry or cooking. Picking up a book (and putting down the phone) is very much still its own experience for me. Something to ease me into my mornings, or end the day after getting into bed. Paper books are inherently a break- not something with which you can multitask. So when I need that experience audiobooks don’t always work for me.
4. It gives me another way to find books I’ll enjoy. Finding a new story can be a struggle. My traditional methods are a recommendation from a friend, or another by an author I like. But- I’ve reached that stage where I follow narrators. The same narrators tend to read similar styles of book, and a performance can make a story worth it in and of itself. A few favorites for now: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Simon Vance.

Ending this post on a bit of an unrelated, personal note. I didn’t envision using the blog this way, but, I suppose I paid the $48 for this website and can do with it what I want. I mellowed a bit as I was writing this. Maybe I’ll rescind my earlier command to belittle or cast out those who gatekeep stories. But I’ve been having a weird week mentally. I’ve alternated feeling sad, angry, or lonely. There are definitely some ‘good’ or ‘valid’ reasons and some ‘bad’ for how I’m feeling. I always hesitate to judge anyone else’s emotions. That’s the whole point of emotions- they happen. They don’t need good reasons, or any reason at all. But it’s harder to be kind to yourself when a great deal of your self image is wrapped up in being thoughtful and calm and you see yourself losing that self control. There are very few things more disturbing for me than watching myself in the third person handling something in a manner that just makes it worse for myself or others. There are some things I can’t change. Being right or wrong simply does not matter. All I can work on are my reactions, and learning to give myself a better chance by taking a deep breath (instead of making a situation worse). Books help. Stories don’t fix anything. But maybe they can provide me inspiration or examples of the right way to do something, or else proof that I’m not alone in my feelings (looking at you, Kaladin). They can give me a moment of peace when I’m struggling to find it. Or even just a few minutes distraction desperately needed to rebalance when I’m on that edge of reacting poorly to something and would otherwise go over that cliff.

However you like stories- go, enjoy. They mean different things to different people. I’ll write more on my style or genre preferences in the future. But they’re just that- preferences. All that matters is you find a way to find joy in stories. Get to your 2500 any way that makes sense for you.

Anything you want to share on why you prefer a certain media for storytelling? Is it a different experience for you that hits different some days than others? Let me know. And in the meanwhile. Audible hopes you have enjoyed this program.