Reading means READING, not listening

Hey everyone! Still working on my first book of the year. Dicken's is decidedly wordy, but decidedly worth it. But I just wanted to throw a quick thought up on the board. I just now stumbled upon an eHow article allegedly providing instructions on how to read 100 books in a year. I was, naturally, intrigued and wanted to see how they recommend going about such a feat. Much to my surprise, they instructed the potential "avid reader" to march directly to the audio section of their local library. Sorry folks, unless you have a legitimate reason (i.e., you are physically unable to read because you have no vision), listening to audio books does not count! I know people are busy. I get it. But the skills used in passively listening to a book being read at you are entirely different from those skills used in actually sitting down and using your own mind in reading. Among other things, it is well proven (trust me, I study language instruction and acquisition) that when people read, they do so in a circular fashion, sometimes reading straight through a section, but often re-reading passages or lines multiple times to get the right feeling or understanding. When you listen, the material is presented in a linear fashion. You can't "re-read" a line, you can't go at your own pace, in short, you will not get the same understanding or experience. Further, if you are listening to an audio book while you drive, I sincerely hope you are not getting as into that book as when you actively read, because if you are, that means you are not as focused on the road as you should be. I have a long commute of an hour or more each way, daily. I listen to music.

Come on folks, turn off the technology and pick up a dadgum book. No cheating! If you need or want to count a small handful of audio books a year, fine, but please don't go all audio on me!

On that note, have a lovely (book-filled) day!
Keep reading (not listening...)
Sarah