Just so you know… Audiobooks are Books
By Emma O’Keefe
Events & Outreach Coordinator, Birdie Books
May 28, 2026
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The question is: do audiobooks count as reading?
If I proclaim to have read 46 books this year, do I need to clarify which ones were listened to and which ones involved eyes on a page?
The short answer: no.
And if that’s all you needed to hear, feel free to carry on confidently with your audiobook queue.
But now let me explain this mountain that I will absolutely defend until my last breath.
Think back to elementary school. Maybe to a favorite teacher. Did they read books aloud to you?
I can trace the beginning of my fascination with fantasy back to sitting on a classroom carpet listening to The Hobbit. Then came the revelation of crying over a book for the very first time when my teacher read Where the Red Fern Grows. My heart pounded as we listened to Hatchet, and I left seventh-grade English full of astonishment and endless questions after hearing The Giver.
Those stories are imprinted into my body and heart. I didn’t physically read those books myself, and yet they shaped me as deeply as any book I’ve ever held in my hands.
That is the power of an audiobook.
Somewhere along the way, though, many of us became embarrassed to admit we listened instead of “traditionally” reading a book.
“Oh, I loved that book, but I did it on audio.”
As if it requires a disclaimer.
It doesn’t.
Books are, at their core, stories. A way to connect. A way to learn. A way to better understand ourselves and gain empathy for perspectives and worlds beyond our own. And honestly, aren’t stories especially delicious when we get to hear them out loud?
When I would spend the night at my grandma’s house, she always told me a story before bed. Usually classic fairy tales: The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, Rapunzel, etc. While the stories stayed mostly the same, the magic was hearing them in her voice, soothing me to sleep.
That connection is what makes audiobooks beautiful.
Growing up, one of my favorite traditions with my mom was picking out books on tape — and yes, I mean actual cassette tapes. This was before smartphones, so we would wander the library together, sifting through row after row of bulky plastic cases to choose our next story for the car. There was something enchanting about browsing them all, knowing each tape held an entirely different world waiting to be heard.
(In fact, I still refer to all audiobooks as “books on tape.” I apologize for any confusion this causes my Gen Z coworkers.)
These books on tape first swept me into Anne of Green Gables, introduced me to the delicious thrill of darkness in Coraline, made me fall in love with Ella Enchanted, and propelled me through the wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia.
Looking back, those books sparked conversations with my mom that quietly laid the foundation for how easily I’ve always been able to talk with her about anything in my life. Stories became a gateway to deeper connection, turning car rides and shared listening into real conversations.
That is the power of an audiobook.
During my tenure as an elementary school teacher, one question came up again and again during conference nights:
“How can I get my child to read more?”
Families are busy. Some kids struggle with reading. Some don’t enjoy it (yet). And, sometimes reading starts to feel more frustrating than joyful.
And my answer was almost always the same:
Audiobooks.
Borrow one from the library app and listen together in the car. Put on a story while they wait at their sibling’s practice. Read aloud before bed. Make up fantastical stories you know they’ll love.
Because books are stories.
And stories are meant to be shared. We do not have to quantify or qualify how we choose to consume them. After all, oral storytelling existed long before the written word ever did. No more putting “reading” in air quotes when talking about audiobooks. No more comparison traps around something meant to move your heart and expand your mind.
To be clear: I love reading physical books just as much as I love listening to them. I think both are invaluable experiences.
But that is precisely my point.
If you are engaging with books in any form, you are a reader.
Full stop.
My favorite places to get audiobooks are Libro.fm, because it allows me to continue supporting independent bookstores, along with Libby and Hoopla through public libraries.
And as a celebration of “books on tape,” I’m starting an audiobook walking club at Birdie Books! This will be a chance to move, listen, and enjoy stories alongside fellow readers, followed by optional time to discuss all the best books out there.
I’m hoping it becomes a recurring group, but we’re starting with a trial run (walk) on Friday, June 19th at 8 AM. You can register for this free event here.
Because stories have always brought people together.
No matter how we consume them!
