So I use Goodreads pretty religiously to track what I’ve been reading, but lately I’ve listened to a few audiobooks of books that were in my “to read” list. It feels like cheating by putting them on my read list but it’s not like I’m going to read the physical book now that I’ve listened to it … so I guess I’ll move it over, but I’m wondering if most of you guys would consider it as a book read. For example, if your yearly goal was to read 15 books, would audiobooks count?
Of course I do. I also use storygraph, and it actually tells you how many of the books you’ve read are in what format. That’s very useful.
I am recovering from a brain injury and cannot read physical print and sometimes not even an ebook. A lot of my stuff is ebooks but about 1/4 is audiobooks.
This is a very ableist take and it’s exhausting. I see you’re chilling, OP, and that’s awesome, so this is for everyone else who claims we don’t read when we’re injured or have delays or other difficulties because it’s an audio book. It’s ableist gatekeeping.
Those of us who can’t physically read are still consuming the media. Telling me “you don’t read” is a problem that y’all need to deconstruct.
I’ll get back to physical media and be able to read more but right now this is where my brain is in the healing process. Audio books absolutely count.
(Cue the down votes, sadly)
If anything, it takes me longer to get through an audiobook than to read the text. Surely you should still count it if you took the time!
Absolutely yes
Reading and listening are different verbs with different meanings. You read a book. You listen to an audiobook. Pretty simple. Either way, you are consuming the contents of the book, but to say you have read a bunch of audiobooks would be incorrect. I’ve seen this argument pop up a bunch and have never really understood why audiobook listeners get so touchy about it. Almost like they have an inferiority complex about it. Usually with the types of people that really care about keeping a list of all the books they have “read” and take pride in the number of titles per year like it means something or is some sort of contest that gives them bragging rights. You aren’t reading, you’re listening. Nothing wrong with that though, it shouldn’t make you feel bad!
Edit: This is coming from an avid audiobook listener!