What is reading?

       I love to read. A lot. But for the sake of my writing here, I feel the need to define what that means. It seems weird to "define" reading, but there are so many viewpoints out there I just want to get my view point out there so we are all on the same page. Or screen. Or whatever. 
       Aparently there are debates among readers about what "counts" as reading. Doesn't that sound goofy? What counts. We aren't in third grade here, but according to Daniel Willingham the aggression aimed at audio books could be an elementary school hold out. When we think people are using a device that gives them an advantage we challenge them and get upset, but really, if information and ideas are spread, aren't we all winning?
       I am a promiscuous reader. That may sound bad, but it doesn't mean I read smutty or inappropriate material, rather my reading is characterized by indiscriminate mingling or association with a variety of formats. When I say, "I read ______." I may be referring to any of the following formats. This is what I love to read:

• Newspapers/Magazines - These probably only account for 5% of my overall reading. I don't subscribe to any particular magazine or newspaper, but I pick up interesting articles here and there. The only newspaper I read regularly is the Troy Times, the publication that writes about my city. (My favorite section is the Crime Watch.)
• Print Books - Popular since 1440, and never more reasonably priced and easily attained. I love the feeling of visiting a bookstore - new or used - and walking out with a book in hand. Each book holds the promise of new ideas or familiar stories, exciting adventures with new characters or the anticipated joys of revisiting familiar characters and adventures. When finished with the book, I can pass it on to someone else who would also fall for its contents or I can shelve it with my other treasures.
• E-books - I have a Kindle and I have the Kindle app installed on my phone. This allows me to carry hundreds of books with me wherever I go. Never knowing what my day will look like, my Kindle allows me to never be without a book and prepared for "those inevitable dead spots in life." The convenience of e-books is especially felt when traveling. I can bring 200 books with me on vacation without the weight or frustration of carrying all those books.  I also love that I can highlight passages and take notes then always have those notes with me everywhere I go. Taking notes and highlighting passages increases reading comprehension and retention. I find the ability to carry those notes and books with me especially helpful when I am discussing a book or making references to my reading. I can prove my statements with the text without carrying around a library of books. Another advantage to e-books is the ability to set the font and spacing. I cannot read mass market paperbacks. The tight spacing and small font give me a headache and ruin the book. As a student I struggled with this because that is the common format for books passed out to students. I thought I hated Oliver Twist. Turns out I love Oliver Twist and hate poorly printed books. One disadvantage of e-books is the inability to pass them along to other readers; they remain hoarded on my Kindle possibly never to be read again. 
• Audio books - I do not distinguish between my audio books when I make my "books read" list. When discussing a book I will say, "I read Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool and absolutely loved it. The story is sad, sweet, beautiful, and unique. It's a story that sticks with you." If handed a copy of Moon Over Manifest, I could turn to a specific passage and reference it even though I've never held the print copy. I can do this with approximately 80% of my audio books. True, it's not 100%, but I probably couldn't deeply remember 100% of all the print books I read either.  Some stories and books are better as audio books. Listening to books also takes dedicated time. If I have time to sit somewhere I pull out a book, but that time is limited so I listen to audio books while I'm driving, cleaning, cooking, and running. Others use this time to listen to talk radio, podcasts, or music. I'm not disparaging any of those things, but rather those are things I give up to make time for books. Another advantage to audio books is the narration quality. I listened to The Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers. The narrator used perfect French when the spoke the names and places which would have slowed down my reading. My son and I loved listening to the Harry Potter series performed by Jim Dale. Throughout the series he uses more than 300 voices and truly brings the story to life. 

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“Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn't carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.”   ― Stephen King

       One of the reasons I say that I read instead of I listened to is that often people will not discuss a book with someone who merely listened to it. On several occasions I've talked to people who feel uncomfortable calling themselves readers because they listen to audio books. Sometimes these people struggle with dyslexia or other learning disabilities yet still love powerful writing and moving storytelling. They've experienced Jane Eyre and The Devil in the White City, but don't feel worthy to participate in discussions about it because they've heard that listening doesn't count. I want to discuss ideas and books with all who love books instead of promoting snobbery. 
       Audio books are an excellent way to get kids lost in a great story without the stress of decoding text. Their brains are still breaking down information and making sense of the language. They can develop a love for stories before they gain the ability to read complex writing. When he was in second grade, Logan and I listened to the Lord of the Rings together and Logan followed every word. This was long before he could have tackled a book like this on his own and we didn't have enough time before bed to tackle the three volume masterpiece. Kids do need to spend significant time with text to work on those decoding skills, but audio books can be great companions on road trips or daily errands. (If you're interested in other benefits of audio books click here.) 
       I don't read because I enjoy the feeling of my eyes decoding text into words. I read because I love to gain the information and experience the sense of getting lost in a marvelous story. As I talk about things I've read I will not differentiate the formats of the books. If you are curious about my reading you can check out my goodreads account. I read a great variety and often I read things I do not agree with to challenge myself with new ideas and to make myself aware of opposing viewpoints. If you are curious about a particular book, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Matching books to people is one of my favorite things.