Paranormal & Urban Fantasy, Monthly Group Reads discussion

I also joined audible recently. I'd never listened to may audio books before then, but I'm loving having them for my commutes. My first purchase was Lover Enshrined, which I quite enjoyed - even if his British accent was quite bad.

Currently, as I don't have time to reread them at the moment, I'm listening to the Ilona Andrews books in preparation for Magic Strikes' release at the end of the month.

I've also got the first three Merry Gentry books. Aside from my opinion on the books, the narrator was fine, although for some reason changed several pronunciations for the third book which is annoying.

They have a special on Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series, so I bought those for a reading challenge, having already read the books. They were good.

Oh, and I have Kenyon's Night Embrace, which is good so far. However, as Talon is obviously a male, I think I may have prefered a male narrator like with the JR Ward books.

I have yet to try one, I have been meaning to though.

Ugh, I hate audiobooks!
I gave it more than an honest effort, IMO, but I just can't do it. I really can't.

Though I will agree that the narrator of the Sookie Stackhouse books does a good job. She's about the only reader of an audiobook that I actually liked. My problem with that book turned out to be the book itself; in fact, I probably only got as far as I did because of the audiobook, but that was an anomaly and I still didn't finish it.

Overall - boo to audiobooks.

I find that I lose track of the story with audiobooks. For some reason, I don't absorb the details as well as opposed to reading for myself.

Also, I find that hearing someone else's interpretation screws with my mental imagining.

Perhaps I'm just a little too ADD.

I've tried to listen to audio books but my mind wanders too much. I find myself rewinding and trying to recall what I last remembered in the book.

I thought it would be a good idea to listen while I exercised - and possibly even motivate me to exercise more. Let's just say - it didn't work & I still am avoiding exercising.

I love audiobooks. I get mine from the library, since at the moment, I can't afford them. I listen to them during my daily commute to work, and anytime I'm driving. I've finished plenty of books simply by listening to them. I always listen only to unabridged books.

So far my favorites would include Christine Holloway as Anita Blake in LKH's Anita Blake Series. She is also Cassie's voice in Karen Chance's Cassie Palmer series. I also enjoyed all the Highlander books by Karen Marie Moning narrated by Phil Gigante. Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse is something I also listen to. Also Paolini's Inheritance series (Eragon, etc). I've also listened to most of Nora Roberts trilogies (Three Sisters, Circle, Sign of Seven, IN the Garden) and some of Suz Brockmann's Troubleshooter books, just to name a few.

To be honest, the first time I listened to an audiobook, I didn't get it either. I can't focus. But after training myself, I just love them. For me, they are a different discipline, considering listening is a different skill than reading, but for me, no less enjoyable. A great reader can add drama to a good book.

I haven't tried any audiobooks and I'm not planning to. I can understanding listening while driving, that does sound appealing, but I love listening to my music then!

Michelle M. wrote: "I find that I lose track of the story with audiobooks. For some reason, I don't absorb the details as well as opposed to reading for myself.

Also, I find that hearing someone else's interpretat..."

Amen. Exactly my problem!

Kathryn - I too reserve my car time for music! If there's anything in the world I love more than reading, it's music and the car is one of those times where you can just let loose, play it as loud as you want, sing along as loud as you want.... good times.:)

I go back and forth some series like Sookie series and Harry Potter that I have already read I do enjoy in audio version. BUT I prefer to read it for one my imaginaion works better when I see the words on a page much more so than when I listen, two I can only focus on listening for a short while and three I read faster than the book on CD goes plus I cannot listen at work I only listen in my car and then it has to compete with the radio..book usually looses.

I just recently tried my first audiobook. I have the same problem with others that I can't focus. So right now, I just listen to the book that I already read and want to listen to them again. I'm listening to Dragonfly in Amber which I quite enjoy. It kinda help me to hear all those different pronounciation as well.

Same here, Jennifer!

I don't think I can only listen to Gabaldon's audio book without reading the books first. But it's another way to tame my obsession. :)

I like audiobooks but I only listen in the car, and my commute is short to the subway and back so it takes forever to finish a book

the reason I like them in the car,is the radio stations play the same songs OVER and OVER and it is a nice change. LOL

I've been listening to audio books for years, it's the main way I get to "read"! I listen when I am knitting, or spinning which are my #1 loves, and you can't read a book while doing either.

I do listen while driving to and from work, and I've only had a couple of narrators that I can't stand. I am currently listening to JR Ward's Lover Enshrined on my ipod. I have to say that this was really, really difficult to start into, since I read all the others myself and this narrator doesn't seem to "get it" until chapter four or so!

I love it, June. I'm relatively new to audiobooks, and I'm also a knitter. I haven't done any knitting since last summer though, and need to get back into it as my best friend is pregant with twins. Eek! I'm loving the idea of listening to the Vampire Academy books while knitting up cute little dresses. Fun!

Oh, and I'm desperate for audible to get the other BDB books.

DarkHeart wrote: "I love it, June. I'm relatively new to audiobooks, and I'm also a knitter. I haven't done any knitting since last summer though, and need to get back into it as my best friend is pregant with twi..."

Well, if they do get some other BDB books, I hope they change the narrator!! :)

I know he's done a few other books in the series, but I can't remember whose books the were. But yeah, he isn't brilliant - but then I'm obsessed with BDB, so I'd buy them anyway. ;)

Well, I'm right there with ya!

Who is the reader for the BDB books?

Yz wrote: "Who is the reader for the BDB books?"

Jim Franglone

He's not horrible - but his British accent for the Wizard makes me cringe. ;)

Experiencing a brief bout of BDB amnesia... who's the wizard?

The wizard is in BDB #6.

Okay, but who is that? I don't remember a wizard.

Phury's alter ego...the voice in his head that represents his destructive, addictive tendencies.

Ooookay, I totally remember now. :)
Thanks, Yz! I really need to read that book again.

Do you ever follow a particular narrator? Or do you just choose the book and then decide if you like the reader?

I think I have a preference in narrators (such as the woman that read all the Outlander Series, can't remember her name, Divana Porter?) and I wouldn't listen to anyone other than her by the end of the third book. But, otherwise I go for the book first! :)

I agree, the chick that reads the Sookie books is good.

I'm listening to the first Dresden book, and they're read by James Marsters. You can tell he's not a professional... "book reader" I guess, 'cause he doesn't have a distinct voice for every character, and his cadence is just a little different, but I think that's what I like. The best thing about it is that he actually understands the irony. Most narrators completely miss all those subtle nuances that give the book personality, and I always feel like all the fun's been sucked out of the book, but James Marsters portrays Dresden's dry humor really well.
I still don't love it 'cause I just don't like audiobooks, but I think I could actually get through this series 'cause Marsters does a pretty good job and doesn't drive me up a wall. (Though I still have trouble with my mind wandering.)

My first two experiences of audiobooks were not so good - but I think that was more to do with my expectation of them. One of the readers was a man and he did the ladies' voices in this awful falsetto. I cringed and giggled my way through the first 5 mins and couldn't go any further. On my next try the woman mentioned the word 'sex' and I started giggling and that was the end of the book. Just today I listened to Swallowing Darkness (I read the book and thought I'd give the audio format a try) and enjoyed it. Spent the whole work day plugged in (when not on the desk) and I enjoyed it! As a result I'm going to start My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell either tonight or in the morning. I think I agree with a lot of the people above - a lot of it's to do with the style of the reader: the way in which they read, the rhythm, the flow, the tone etc., and how well their interpretation of the characters matches yours (it's for this reason that I don't enjoy book trailers - I always feel I know what the author meant better than the author LOL). There have been some great suggestions of both authors and readers above that I'm certainly going to try ;)

LOL. Yeah, how would you stand someone reciting a bedroom scene to you? xD I just can't imagine it.

Hah you got me curious so first thing next week am going to find an audiobook with a bedroom scene and see if I can sit through it without squirming. Surely if I get through one the rest'll be a cinch(ish).

Am enjoying My Family and Other Animals. I figure if I start with stories/authors whose work I'm familiar with it won't seem so foreign. So far so good! Although I've noticed that our library tends to get general fiction, crime, adventure but no paranormal romances. What's with that?? Bah humbug. I might make some purchase suggestions.

LOL Thats hilarious Jennifer!! lol I had such a vivid picture of your hubby popping his head into your office and blurting that out! lol

Thanks for the awesome laugh out loud moment here at work haha, my co-workers think I am crazy!

LOL...I remember listening to one of the Anita Blake books, and I was at a redlight with my windows open, where the narrator is reading some sexy scenes. I actually have to lower my volume just in case the car beside me can hear what I was listening to...LOL

LMAO@Jennifer & Yz. I'm slightly iffy about what I read at work on either my Blackberry or laptop (no Mykles elf smut and no Hawke double-equipped sex fiends boo hoo) in case colleagues want to see so. I imagine I'd be worse about sexy scenes and audio - thank goodness for the ipod! Even then I think I'd blush. The colleagues might not know but I would :)

Free Lori Foster audible.com book. Seems as though you have to sign up for an account tho =/.

http://www.audible.com/adbl/entry/off...

Ooh, thanks for that. I'm not familiar with her, but I've got an Audible account - and who can argue with free? ;)

Thanks for the link Kenjii, I enjoy her work (well, usually, I didn't enjoy her most recent SBC book boo hoo). Am about to check it out now :)

I just got finished listening to it Kenjii, it was a shorter then I would have liked.. but it was good :)

I think I can get used to audio books!

Trish: Same here! I loved being able to set my visualizations on my media player to the audio book. Like watching fish or something. totally relaxing. I liked the story too. It was neat listening to the reader use her voice to read and voice 2 other characters. I am sure yall have been discussing this often in this thread but I hadn't checked that often b/c I don't listen to audio books. I liked the JAK book I listened to (part of). So, as if I need another reason to buy books, lol. I will listen to samples and raid the LIB first.

Jennifer,

Let me know what you think of Cynthia Holloway's reading as Cassie. I love her as Anita Blake, and although Touch the Dark was hard for me, I'm currently listening to the second book,just because I like her as a reader, and so far, the series has perked up for me.

I'm in the middle of my first audiobook right now - Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. (Well, it's the first I've made past the first disc)


It's been a lot of fun because the author is also the narator. Hearing how he envisioned the characters sounding is very interesting, he does different voices & accents for each.

If all audiobooks are like this one - I could get hooked!

How do you purchase credits on audible.com? That I dont get =/

Yeah, they have a deal for the initial three months. I recently changed my subscription to do a year's worth at a time, basically getting my 24 credits at once to use whenever I want. I still pay for any under $10 though, rather than spend a credit on them. In fact, I just downloaded five more books yesterday.

I am almost done with Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. It was also narrated by Neil Gaiman. I loved hearing the story from the author himself and have added a bunch of his self-narrated audiobooks to my shelves.

Does anyone else know of other authors who also narrate their books for audiobooks?

I've been enjoying Gaiman's Neverwhere on audio too so I was looking into which authors of books I have marked as to-read also read their own audio books. Great minds think alike, right Shanon!:)

Philip Pullman-His Dark Materials Series

Neal Stephenson-Anathem, which I am seriously consiering listening to next. I'm reading one of his other books in paperback right now.

Harlan Ellison is an author who is supposed to be as good reading his own books as Gaiman is, though I still need to pick one to start with.

Does anyone have any of recommendations of authors who read their own books? Audiobooks are still a very new territory for me but I am starting to see why people like them. But I think I want to stick to authors reading their own books for now. Thanks for asking Shanon! Hope we get some more recommendations!

I've listened to a lot of audiobooks, but I've never listened to an author who writes fiction reading his/her books. Usually they are more common with the non-fiction variety or self-help ones.

I'm curious though what other readers/listeners can come up with.

Madeleine L'Engle reads alot of her books and William Gibson reads his book Neuromancer.

I've been trying to find books that fit more with the PNR/UF genre and I am having zero luck.

Just Gaiman for me too so far

Here are his books he reads himself
Neverwhere CD
M Is for Magic
Coraline
Stardust
Fragile Things Short Fictions and Wonders

Enough to keep me busy for a while - but I'd love to have some other UF/PNR authors read their own tales too.


I'll check out your list too Kathryn. THANKS

Ooh, thanks for the great info. I may have to check out the Neil Gaiman, Neal Stephenson, William Gibson and Philip Pullman titles, as I love the books. I've got all of those Audible credits just waiting to be spent. ;)

Darkheart, can you let us know what you think of these authors reading their own material if you get any of these books?!! I'd love some extra insight to know if it's really worth the time because I can read a book so much faster than listening to it!