Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

So I recently got into the practice of listening to books on CD during my long trips (and sometimes short ones); anyone who has driven any decent amount of time knows how boring radio stations can be after a while.

While talking about books on CD with some guys, the topic of whether you could say that you have "read" a book you listened to came up. I have never felt comfortable saying that I have read a book I listened to, but apparently the opinions on it vary. What do you guys think?

For example, since I listened to "The Gunslinger" (Stephen King) on CD - when someone asks "Have you read 'The Gunslinger'?" Would you be misleading them to say you have?

Geez, this sounds like a BI question! LOL

If you said that on an application it would TECHNICALLY be false, because you listened to someone read the book to you.

I dunno how I would answer that in a conversation though.

Person 1... Dude, I just READ (insert title) and it was awesome, you gotta READ it.

Person 2...Yeah, I listened to the CD, it was preety good.

Person 3..... WTF?

Reading is always done at your own pace and it's mandatory participation. I've never done the "books on tape" thing because I think it would feel like hours of someone talking at you. Too easy to zone out and miss it.

The library usually schedules a live version of "books on tape" in the section with the tiny chairs. Sometimes they even turn the book around so you can see the pictures:yesnod::lol:

BTW, I used to read a lot of Stephen King including all the gunslinger novels (the last was the Wolves of Calla I think). There is one thing that is very predictable about King: he's a great writer and the worst movie maker. All of the great stephen king movies are made by people that make great movies. King wrote "The Shining" and also wrote "Maximum Overdrive" . Kubrick made one a movie and King made his own movie for the other. Kubricks version of "The Shining" is a classic movie and brings the book to the screen. Kings movie version "Maximum Overdrive" is virtually unwatchable. The nice part about reading is that your own inner voice makes it a masterpiece. But if King reads his books as crappy as he turns them into movies, they would suck.

The library here has a site where you can download books on tape for free. I had my pickup radio wired for my iPod and I put them on it. I listen to a book all the time when I'm going somewhere rather than the radio and love it. I probably get more out of it than reading because I tend to skim over the boring parts of a book and I really don't "zone out" when listening. If the book's that boring, I dump it.

About 20 years ago, my wife and I were driving through a pretty rural area of Oregon and the only radio station we could pick up was an AM one and they had an old Zane Grey western going. At first we laughed, but we got really entranced by the story and the characters. Nearly all of you are way too young to know the days before TV, but the radio shows like Dragnet, Gunsmoke, The Shadow, etc. were really exciting to listen to. You were able to use your imagination like you do reading a book only the voices made it more realistic yet.

When my Dad was bedridden in a nursing home, I bought him a bunch of the old radio shows on cassette tapes. I sat and listened to some with him for a while and it was great. I'd forgotten how you can get caught up in the stories so easily.

I would have to say that I do consider listening to the book as having read it, although I'll caveat that with saying that I've never "listened" to a book on CD or audio cassette.

Basically, to me, it boils down to, if someone asks if you've read something, they are wanting to discuss it with you. If you answer no, that means you're telling them you're not familiar with any of the book, so you're shutting down conversation about it. If you answer yes, then the person will feel free to converse about the book. Do you NOT know about the book just because someone else read it to you? Or are you still able to recall parts of the book that you've heard and discuss them appropriately?

Also, when I read, I actually "hear" the words I'm reading in my mind, so it's almost like listening to the book, just in my own voice (including those voices I make for the characters).

I'd recommend trying it sometime. I got introduced to it just after I retired and I was driving over the Cascade mountains frequently where there was lousy radio reception. I checked out a book on tape (one of W. E. B. Griffin's) from the library. I really got into it and found myself setting in the car after I got to my destination sometimes listening to it until a scene finished.... Most of the readers are pretty talented in doing different voices.

Thanks for the responses guys - very good points on these, especially about the desire to discuss the book in conversation being the most likely reason for bringing it up.

MikeG did bring up a very valid point too - it's was a lot harder to imagine the pictures being described in "A Day at the Police Station" than reading it would have been....lol


I'd recommend trying it sometime. I got introduced to it just after I retired and I was driving over the Cascade mountains frequently where there was lousy radio reception. I checked out a book on tape (one of W. E. B. Griffin's) from the library. I really got into it and found myself setting in the car after I got to my destination sometimes listening to it until a scene finished.... Most of the readers are pretty talented in doing different voices.

I was the same way, I end up paying far more attention to the radio and if I find myself about to zone or can't concentrate because of rain, traffic, etc. - I rewind to the last place I remember, stop the CD and listen later.

Some of the first books on CD I read was "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" and "1775," I loved listening to both. I listened to a few of the WEB Griffin "Badge of Honor" series, good as a book on cd, but probably wouldn't have read them when I'm reading at home.

The one I think is PERFECT for CD is "American Sniper" by Chris Kyle: the narrator has/uses a very country sounding voice, so it's like you're sitting in the car with Kyle telling you the stories - pretty fun driving time there :)

I voted "no" simply based on definition. If I ever listened to an audio book (I haven't yet), I wouldn't say I "read" it, I would simply say that I "listened" to it - no big deal. If someone I knew was uptight dickwad enough to seriously give me crap about it, I wouldn't want to associate with him/her and wouldn't care how he/she feels anyway. I'm pretty sure I got read to when I was young but don't remember much - once I got to reading on my own, I kinda preferred it that way. For long drives, I have a LOT of .mp3 comedy routines and will often listen to those - every comedian is like a half-hour or an hour and really takes my mind off the length/time of the trip... I think I would pay too much attention to an audio book - listening to what's being said and then forming imagery in my head...

I think I would pay too much attention to an audio book - listening to what's being said and then forming imagery in my head...

Probably safer than listening to talk radio.

I take my iPod with me every time I leave the house. Although I never voluntarily do it, sometimes I get tricked into shopping with my wife. After the first hour, I find a bench somewhere, plug in my ear phones and listen to the book. I can carry it in my shirt pocket too.

Probably safer than listening to talk radio.

Yeah, I don't listen to that either - I'll get too angry (and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry... lol)

I take my iPod with me every time I leave the house. Although I never voluntarily do it, sometimes I get tricked into shopping with my wife.

hahahahahahahaha

After the first hour, I find a bench somewhere, plug in my ear phones and listen to the book. I can carry it in my shirt pocket too.

I can definitely see the utility there! I just think it could be tough for me to listen and imagine while driving...

I have not listened to a book, but do see the distinct advantage while driving or during light exercise and having something small enough to carry in a shirt pocket.

I have always enjoyed reading, especially learning new words. (Thanks Dad, for the constant, "Go look it up!") I'm not sure I would assimilate this without the visual reference.

I also enjoy what my imagination does for me when I associate a "voice" and style of speech pattern to a character after he/she has been well described and introduced to me by the author. :thumbsup:

For example, I know exactly what "Dirk Pitt" sounds like from the outstanding Clive Cussler series. I was actually a little disappointed when Matthew McConaughey got it all wrong in the movie Sahara, which was based on one the better Dirk Pitt adventures. Sidenote: Steve Zahn did not even come close to filling the shoes of Dirk's sidekick, Al Giordino! Boo, hiss. :nono:

Now that we have the internet available, I will at times stop reading, access the web and listen to the proper pronunciation of a newly learned word. I will also look at actual photographs of described areas I am not familiar with, such as areas of Moscow, Paris, Berlin, etc. I would miss out on this by listening to a book on the move.

With that said, I have a very close friend who listens to books while she runs her cleaning service and she proclaims it the best thing since sliced bread.

I'll have to try it.

Now that we have the internet available, I will at times stop reading, access the web and listen to the proper pronunciation of a newly learned word. I will also look at actual photographs of described areas I am not familiar with, such as areas of Moscow, Paris, Berlin, etc. I would miss out on this by listening to a book on the move.


Same here - I always end up looking things up on the internet so if it's an area I don't know, with a history I'm not familiar with, and regional dialect/phrase use -- I may be on the internet a while lol.

I think it qualifies, as long as you retain the information on the ebook.

I don't like them that much though, I listened to an ebook where it was 4 hours of audio, and all of it was reading the book verbatim with a low monotone voice. If it's one where they have multiple voice actors it's much better. 8 hours to Montana one time I "read" the Caine Mutiny and "The Family Corleone" (a prequel of sorts to the godfather).

I think it qualifies, as long as you retain the information on the ebook.


So you can say that you've read a book ONLY if you "retain the information"? If you read something a long time ago but don't remember too much about it you can no longer tell someone that you read it? I don't buy your rationale...

So you can say that you've read a book ONLY if you "retain the information"? If you read something a long time ago but don't remember too much about it you can no longer tell someone that you read it? I don't buy your rationale...

Well the difference is reading a book is a form of actively absorbing the information, you cannot really do anything else while reading. But an ebook is passive, it depends on you paying attention. If I one physically reads a book then they are absorbing the info at the time they read it. But if one is multitasking while listening to the ebook and misses important plot details then does that qualify as reading if you don't remember the book? In my humble opinion, which is not always correct and subject to differences between different people, I would think that the retention test is applicable because print and audio are different medias due simply to the ability to multitask while performing them

Well the difference is reading a book is a form of actively absorbing the information, you cannot really do anything else while reading. But an ebook is passive, it depends on you paying attention. If I one physically reads a book then they are absorbing the info at the time they read it. But if one is multitasking while listening to the ebook and misses important plot details then does that qualify as reading if you don't remember the book? In my humble opinion, which is not always correct and subject to differences between different people, I would think that the retention test is applicable because print and audio are different medias due simply to the ability to multitask while performing them

I'm not trying to call you out, I would just like to hear more about this opinion because I don't think I follow the logic about listening being "non-absorbing" (paraphrase) as a qualifier for having "read" something.

I have had college professors, instructors, and teachers that have said things that I still remember to this day, but I can't tell you what I might have read in the class textbook (or even the title of it lol).... Following the logic about absorption of material, wouldn't that mean that if I absorb the information which I am listening to that I would have read it?

I know plenty of individuals (myself included) which have been distracted while reading and may have glazed over something and needed to read it again, so I would have "read" the paragraph the second time but not the first because I didn't retain it?

Maybe I'm oversimplifying it?

IMO, "retention" (i.e. remembering later) is NOT a requirement for having read something or listened to something. Now, it seems as though you are modifying your argument to reflect "absorbing the information" At The Time of reading or listening - in that case, I will agree with you. E.g. if you are simply flipping through pages of a book while on the phone with someone or having an audio book play in the background while you're watching a football game on TV, then I'd say you didn't read/listen (but that doesn't mean you can't put a book down or stop the audio file and continue on later or re-read/re-listen as well).

If I was studying for a test, I'd read the book. But I haven't had to take a test in a long time, I listen to / read books for enjoyment. I get plenty out of books on tape.

I usually refer to books on tape as "movies." :)

You got me there. I don't know. On one hand I really don't consider audio books to be reading, but if you paid attention and absorbed the material, then I think the distiction between reading a paper book or listening to a cassette tape (ancient I know, but my local library only has audio books on cassette, and my beat up mid 90s ford truck only has a cassete deck player) is a moot topic, someone mentioned "interesting question for NI investigations" I don't nessecarily think it would be a "lie" if you told someone you read a book when you really just listened to audio, as long as you paid attention to it like a physical book.

But I will concede the argument to Samuel

"interesting question for NI investigations"

Note I meant "BI" but hit the "N" key by mistake

even if you cant recall all the information on the book you still read it . it must just show the book was not that good if you dont recall

I have heard you can get 50 shades of gray on a cd