Is it cheating to hear a book rather than read it? That’s grist for a New York Times article on audio books vs. the text variety.
The TeleRead take: Audio books are cool for commuters and joggers and others who can cram in books that they otherwise might miss because of busy schedules. Still, I’m grumpy that the library of Alexandria, VA, where I live, has no downloadable e-books available—yet has just set up an audio book operation.
Also in the Times: And Now, Folks, Behold the 15-Minute Publisher, a look at instant-book machines.
Here’s an essay I wrote about listening to Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian almost completely in the car .
The idea that listening to audio is cheating is silly. I listened to Bill Bryon’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything” while jogging over a few weeks’ time. No way would I have had the time to actually sit down and read it at that point in my life.
Presumably, those who believe audio is deficient to reading will soon come out against the widespread prevalence of lectures in education which should clearly be replaced entirely by essays prepared by the lecturers.