I would call it reading. But it’s up to the person.

Ultimately I find time for both. I completed 30 books in 2024. 2-3 of them were audiobooks I think. They count in my opinion.

That's pretty impressive. I have not read 30 books in the past decade. Probably not even 10.

I dedicate time to it almost every day. I also have a book club with a friend to keep me a bit outside my comfort zone.

Yes, it "counts". There are differences, but the main point of books (the conveying of a story and/or information) happens perfectly well with audiobooks, at least for me.

I find it really engaging, there's something about it that lets me really easily envision the world and the characters in my mind's eye, and to put myself into the narrative when I'm listening to a book. I get lost in it more than I do while reading a physical book, so much so that at times it can be almost disorienting when someone interrupts me while I'm engulfed.

Yes, definitely.

It likely won't work for all kinds of books. I don't think I'd want to listen to an audio book of Thinking, Fast and Slow for example.

But for fiction and certain non-fiction, it can be a great experience. In fact, for fiction it is now my preferred mode of consumption. There are books (e.g. Ancillary Justice) that I know I would have not finished if I were reading the book directly (for various reasons). But the audio book narration was so good I stuck to it.

It really depends on what your goals for reading are. If you're reading a heavy nonfiction book where you want to annotate, etc, then obviously it won't work.

If you're simply trying to absorb a story or gain information, it works as well as a regular book. You will likely rewind often, though. It sounds a lot worse than it is, but you get used to it quickly.