Is it a waste of time?
Don't have enough time?

Are books on tape a bad thing or a good thing?

I really enjoy reading but, lately I tend to go in streaks. These boards have really sucked up alot of my free time lately I didn't finish the last book I was "listening to" because I can't listen to it with the TV on or while I'm on the 'puter, and it was due back at the library

To me , actually holding a book, lying in bed and reading is the only way to relax.If I try any other way I end up tense and it doesnt lead me to a good nights sleep. Ive always read and cannot go to sleep without at least a few pages, whatever the time, wherever I've been. Maybe this is an addiction? I only know I get through about 6 books a week,often can't remember titles !!(I have gone to the library, liked the look of a cover and realised I just brought it back!!) But there is nothing that compares to reading like that for me.

Ah, reading. It pleases so many sensations. I love the smell of a new book. I love the sound of the page turning. I love laughing or crying or being afraid or solving a mystery with the protagonist. I love the weight of the book in my hands. I love putting down a book and thinking about what happened, what could happen. An unopened book is a world of possibilities and an oft-read book is a dear friend. A good book stays with me forever.
A book on tape just can't compare...unless it's a book teaching a new language. How can you learn an accent from a book?

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If you asked me what I came here to do, I would tell you that I came to live out loud. - Emile Zola

I can't NOT read. It's one of my few real compulsions (along with backing into parking places.)My mother taught me to read before I ever hit kindergarten, and that simply opened the gates. Been reading ever since - usually 2-3 books a week. Can't go to sleep without reading for awhile first.

Think of the worlds we've traveled and the things we've done, that those poor souls who know not the pleasure of books will never see.

I listen to audio books at work(I'm a sewing machine operator)it not only makes my day go by better,it allows me to "read" the books I don't have time to get to at home.I also read "fun" books at night to help me get to sleep.Without books,either audio or regular,my days would not be totally complete.

I also love to read, but now that I have come across these forums, whenever I have a bit of quiet time i do this instead, where as otherwise I would have read a book! which begs the question is the internet for the better? (Might ask that in the contraversial forum)

my mother taught me to read before i went to school.i spent my summer vacation browsing through old and used book stores(the books,not the stores!)don't have as much time to read now;like to listen to audio tapes while at work.reading is the great escape, the ultimate time machine!

I also love to read. I never did the book on tape thing, it just seems wrong, sort of like cheating, plus I can't stand to listen to people read to me, maybe I'm crazy, but it seems like they go too slow. I would much rather read at my own pace. I never could understand how some people hate reading. I can see maybe disliking a book, but the whole idea of reading? Bizarre.

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Deja VU just isn't what it used to be...

I know this has nothing to do with "Why don't you read", I do read. I read a great deal. I read about 3 novels a week. Sometimes more. I am a speed reader and I am positive that helps. I can read a three hundred or so page book in under 6 hours. I also use books on tape when I am traveling. I can't say that the rest of the family likes it but they just bring along their walkman's. I have lived a pretty shelted life so to speak,and reading allows me to experience different life styles and different countries. It expands my awareness of life situations that I have yet to experience.

[This message has been edited by sandalwood (edited 11-05-1999).]

My mother also taught me to read before I went to Kindergarten.One of the proudest days of my young life was the day I got my library card--I was four.You had to be able to write your name to get your card, so I kept practicing my printing, until I got that card.I have always loved to read and I can't imagine not having books as an important part of my life.I have never tried books-on-tape because, like puppychow, I don't like having people read to me.The sound of the voice is distracting to me--I like to immerse myself in the book, and I am afraid that wouldn't be possible with a tape. I may take one out of the library and give it a try since many of you seem to enjoy "hearing" books as well as reading them.

the only time i listen to a book on tape is at work(i'm a machine operator).other than that, nothing beats the printed word. my favorite book on tape is Tale of Two Cities,put out by the BBC.it isn't just a reading, but a full cast production,complete with sound effects.you feel as if you're really a part of it!

[This message has been edited by jackal68 (edited 11-06-1999).]

When I was little I hated reading and would only do it if I have to. But when I was nine I found that the books I was reading, books for my age level, were too slow for me! Since then I started reading adult novels (and understanding them) and now if I don't read in a day plus before sleep, I feel... incomplete. It has to be a real book though. I like to read in great detail and re-read specific parts which I really can't do with a tape. Having someone else read it aloud drives me nuts. They always go too slow! It just has to be a real book.

Just a word about books on tape.....I have listened to one book on tape. It was an Ann Rice book and I really enjoyed it. Since then I have attempted to read the actual book 4 different times and can't get into it. That was "The Witching Hour". My dad listens to books on tape all the time while driving to and from work. It's at least an hour one way so this helps him pass the time as well as focus on something other than the other bad drivers on the road.

Just my two cents worth!

I stopped reading books for ages - purely because I read so fast that it was getting seriously expensive (and I'd worked my way through most of the library stock). However, I've started working at a school, and there is soooo much sitting around just being on duty that it's become a standing joke that I always have my nose stuck in a book. Can't quite get into the idea of books on tape - doesn't work the imagination enough.
BTW has anyone found a comfortable lying in bed reading position - my hands always get cold sticking out of the duvet!!!

Welcome Fay! And thanks for joining us!

I can't read in bed either
If I lay on my back my arms get tired and if I lay on my stomach my back gets sore. My favorite place is in my recliner!

Was glad to see I'm not the only one who "has to" read in order to get to sleep at night.
I was an uneasy convert to books on tape, but became hooked when I realized how quickly they make the time pass on my long drive to my mother's house. It's not like having someone read to you (droning on and on...), but rather like having a really interesting person in the passenger seat, telling good stories. Makes 4 hours speed by as if it were an hour.
Animal lovers -- don't miss "The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat", read by David Hyde Pierce. Cute (not cloying), and an excellent companion for a long car ride. Anne Tyler books also make an excellent transition to tape; ditto Mary Higgins Clark.

I adore reading. To me it is a mini vacation. Every time I pick up a book, I go somewhere or learn something new. I was surprised to see so many postings of people who read to help them fall asleep. I am just the opposite. I start a book in the bed and often stay up throughout the night to finish it. Once I begin a boook (a good book) I can't put it down until I know what happens. I would say that is the worst aspect of my addiction to reading while those who know and love me would probably say it is the complete and total absorption that occurs when I open a book.

Hi there Darcy! Welcome to the Fun Trivia Forums! I agree with your comments on reading/sleeping. I end up staying up waaaaay too late, especially if I'm near the end of a good book.