Talking about Listening to Reading
Posted by: Kaite Stover
My blogging pal, Mary Burkey, over at Audiobooker wants to query the book group masses about methods for keeping up with book group reading. She will trade your witty insights and thoughtful comments for a narrator to be named later.
“Audiobooks & Book Clubs: not really reading or perfect partners? Curious minds want to know! I’m collecting information for an upcoming article in Booklist Magazine on the role of audiobooks in book clubs. As an audiobook blogger & columnist, I’ve received lots of requests from librarians and teachers interested in book clubs that welcome audiobook listeners with open arms, as well as questioning whether listeners face disdain from book club members who think audiobooks are cheating. Do you have experience with an audiobooks-only club? Have stories to tell about book club members who are dedicated listeners, but would never have participated in a printed-book-only club? How do you include critical discussion about audiobooks in your meetings? Are there members of your club who are vision impaired? Are there clubs out there for the blind? Have you hosted a listening club for children or teens? Any tips or promotional success stories for integrating audiobooks in your book club? I’d love to hear your stories – both good and bad – about how listening to literature unites or divides the members of your clubs. Please send any anecdotes to mary.burkey@gmail.com along with a note granting or declining the use of your club’s name in the feature. Can’t wait to learn how creative clubs are adding listening into the literary discussion! “
I’ll be sending Mary my anecdotes about a faithful reader who is happy to come to book group and always talks about the narrator and the text when she answers questions about the reading. Between the two of us, we’ve managed to convince the rest of the participants that occasionally they’re missing something by not listening, and then I ask, wickedly, “So if you missed this because you were reading the print version and not listening, were you really reading? Is reading print cheating?” All formats welcome in our book groups.
