Three On Thursday
Another week of random things rambling around in my head . . . this time all about books and reading.
First, let me set the scene. I’ve been following a lot of discourse on social media (okay, TikTok if you must know and yes I’m still there and yes I know it is possibly [probably] going away) on books and it’s gotten me thinking.
- Can we please let go of any judgement over the amount that people read in a given period of time? Some people read and savor books slowly and some people consume books like a bucket of popcorn at a scary movie. It’s all fine. I typically read about 70-80 books in a year and that’s a comfortable number for me. I don’t feel pressured to read that amount, I don’t read short books to hit that number, I just read what I like (or what’s available for me on Libby!) and I generally start a new book as soon as I finish my current book. If you read more – great. If you read less – also great.
- It doesn’t matter if you remember what you read. Now. This is maybe different for me because I’m a librarian and I get asked a lot (like every day at work, hahaha) to make book recommendations so it does help if I retain stuff – and that’s why I use GoodReads and write reviews over there. But this isn’t high school English class and no one is going to quiz you on the plot and themes of the last 3 books you finished. We are grownups and we can read what we want. If that’s smut and romantasy, awesome. If that’s mysteries and thrillers, terrific. If that’s literary and contemporary fiction, hurrah. I actually saw a clip the other day of a woman saying that reading nothing but “easy” books is like having a diet of only junk food and everyone needs a vegetable now and again. Ma’am. Books aren’t food taking in words is good for your brain even if those words are easy to consume. This isn’t to say that I don’t think we can all benefit from reading outside of our comfort zone and I think reading diversely is also good for our world view. But at the end of the day, all I really care is that you’re reading something.
- Listening to audiobooks is the same as reading. I can’t believe that here we are in the year 2025 and people are still trying to claim that listening doesn’t count. It’s reading. The end. I am curious, though, about the speed at which people listen. I generally listen at 1.25 because 1.0 feels slow to me. I know there are people out there who listen way faster (like 2.0 – what?!) but my brain can’t process the words when they come at me that fast and it’s stressful rather than enjoyable. Audible recently made a TikTok about this and said that everything is meant to be listened to at the speed at which it is recorded and people got upset about that. I thought it was weird for Audible to take a stand on this and, if anything you would think they’d encourage people to listen at a faster speed because capitalism. It’s all very interesting to me.
And those are my thoughts on books and reading and leaving people alone about all of it. Just read. That’s really the only thing that matters.
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Amen. Although it is true that reading and listening are different processes in the brain. Reading takes place in the left hemiphere, while listening to audiobooks requires processes in both hemispheres. Reading is superior for comprehension, while audiobooks foster empathy. I went down this rabbit hole a while back. Neither activity is superior, but they are different. And I think that explains while some people prefer one over the other. I have tried to get into audiobooks, and I just can’t. I don’t enjoy them like I enjoy reading. Ditto for podcasts; I would rather read about it. But you are right, Carole, it doesn’t matter! Just consume books!
1.2-1.3 listener here! It really just depends! And yes…myob people. It’s reading! 🙂
Heartily agreeing Carole. The important thing is to read – something – anything – just read! I find that I retain much more when I read as opposed to listen. Probably because when I listen I am doing something else too. When I read, I am just reading. I did try to up the speed on an audio book I am listening to, but even one step up distorted the voice!
Yes! Yes! And another big YES!
I don’t care for audio books. I definitely take in info best by reading it. But, that is me. I’m always amused by people who tell me they listened really fast because they didnt like the book. This isn’t school, just ditch the book and move on. I don’t have great book recall because I read in bed. Heck, sometimes I read the same chapter 2-3 times before i get past it because i’ve been falling asleep. If I’m reading to learn, that’s different, but I’m not doing that in bed either.
PS If you’re judging my reading material, please know i might be judging how often you eat out instead of cooking dinner. See? Let’s keepy our judgy little opinions to ourselves. Unless you’re partially responsible for the coming four years. Then, I’m definitely judging you.
I am in Patty’s listening comfort zone… 1.2 to 1.3 is what I set the play back at. I think that reading is the thing you can do however you want! (as long as you are reading!!) I can’t believe we don’t have enough *other* things that we disagree on that we need to add reading to the mix!
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Listening speed depends on who’s reading/narrating! Some people speak very slowly, and others quite fast. It also depends on whether a borrowed audio book is being returned in :45 but there’s still 1:00 to till the end!! (Based on actual events.)
You tell ’em, Carole! I agree with all three of your points and I kind of hope TikTok doesn’t go away because discussions like this are good to have. I’m a big audiobook listener because I usually want to multitask; listening and knitting is very pleasurable for me. Sometimes the book needs to be read in print (like Peter’s random thoughts in Intermezzo), but it’s reading however you do it. I rarely increase the reading speed as even 1.25 feels too fast for me. When I was working in a middle school library a reading specialist told me she didn’t care whether her students read the cereal box, comic books, or auto repair manuals – it’s all reading!
I’m a visual/tactile learner. I’ve always preferred reading by sight over listening. That said, I now have a 40 minute commute most days and have started listening to Audible. That makes the listening part easier. And, Tom Hanks narrating _The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece_?
Sublime!
What speed I listen at depends on the reader and when the book expires, now that Libby yanks it back mid-sentence sometimes. If you have a slow cadence, I’m upping you, because I don’t want to grind my teeth over reading a book. If a super-popular book is going away in an hour and I have a bunch of chapters left to go, I may up it to max, even though I know I won’t enjoy it as much, because I don’t want to go read the last few pages at a bookstore while I wait for a copy to become available again.
Yes! Yes! Yes! To every single word. I do NOT understand the whole “quantification” of reading thing . . . as if how many books you read means anything at all!!!! (It’s not like we’re in elementary school and trying to win pizzas at Pizza Hut for crying out loud.) I do write reviews . . . because I like to and it’s something that’s quick and easy for me. But I don’t think I could say that writing reviews helps me remember the books I read any better . . . As far as audiobooks, OF COURSE IT’S READING. Enough said. I do tend to read them at 1.0 speed (because, see above . . . I’m not trying to win pizzas at Pizza Hut . . . ). But sometimes I will increase it to 1.2 speed if the narration needs a boost. (2.0? It’d be like listening to the goddamn Chipmunks . . . ) Okay. I’ll stop now. (I have so much to say on this topic. . . ) 😉
Yes to all you said! The whole trying to read a certain number of books a year feels like an unnecessary competition that sucks the joy out of reading for me.
I generally listen to audiobooks at 1.25 but sometimes speed up to 1.4 or 1.5.
Agreed. Read what you like. Reading is an activity that takes time and everyone has a different amount of time to devote. It’s not a competition!
I couldn’t agree more with ALL of these points. Read what makes you happy, at whatever speed you want. I generally listen at a slightly faster-than-recorded speed (1.25 or 1.5), but it all depends on the talking speed of the narrator. Some people are really slow and some people are really fast. I think the speed you use to understand the book is the right speed.
I love to read; I read while I knit. It’s a flick my attention back and forth process.
I like to listen to podcasts and audiobooks if there’s no counting in my knitting. Counting takes the same part of my brain as listening, so only one or the other gets the attention, and I can’t flick attention because the recording keeps going whether I’m listening or not.
Side conversation: I read Ministry of Time but got the book way after your discussion, so did not participate. I read it twice, the second time to figure out what happened where. Those characters stuck with me for a while.
I’m currently reading The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides, about Captain James Cook’s 3rd (and final) sailing expedition. There’s a First Lieutenant John Gore aboard. Virginia-born. Hmmm. I looked him up; he was Graham Gore’s grandfather! Definitely a sailing family.