Do audiobooks count as reading? A look at the debate and the art of listening

The long-running debate over whether listening to audiobooks counts as true reading persists, despite the format offering distinct ways to experience literature. Audiobooks have sparked questions about whether using them is a form of cheating ever since the option first emerged in the 1930s.

Audiobook Experiences And Narrators

Donna Tartt narrated her own 1992 campus-thriller novel, The Secret History, which a critic named James Wood called swoonily compulsive. Edith Wharton's novel The House of Mirth is read by actress Emma Messenger. Kikuko Tsumura wrote the book There's No Such Thing As An Easy Job, which was translated by Polly Barton and read by voice artist Cindy Kay. Another work is the novel The Confidence Woman, which was read by Maddy Withington.

Behind The Recording Booth

Maddy Withington has provided the voice for many Australian fiction works, including Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane and The Brink by Holden Sheppard. While recording audiobooks, Withington described herself as very gestural in the sound booth, noting that she moves her hands around and sometimes knocks over microphone stands to help with her performance. Withington also praised Donna Tartt's narration of The Secret History for its nuances, character voices, and comic timing.

Context

Audiobooks provide an alternative way for people to consume literature, especially while multitasking or during travel, though print books often demand undivided attention. Professional narrators can enhance stories by properly delivering regional accents and highlighting text dimensions that readers might otherwise miss.