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Biweekly Memes
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June is Audiobook Month
Hello, just send your sound clips thru e-mail na lang. (view spoiler)Will also update the post above.
ANGUS: Speaking of celebrity narrators. When I tried to listen to an audiobook as I was reading Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem, the narration by Diane Keaton clashed horribly with my mental image of the persona. It felt very twee and insubstantial, while Didion's writing style is so serious and kind of filled with doom.
1. Do you listen to audiobooks? If yes, what do you love about them? Yass! Because it’s fun to listen to a great story being read by a prolific narrator. And because I want to be sure how to pronounce the words that the authors make up, especially Fantasy writers. I wouldn’t know how to pronounce The Cthaeh if not for Nick Podehl’s fantastic narration of The Wise Man’s Fear.
2. Recall a favorite listening experience. Why is it your favorite?
All seven Harry Potter books read by Jim Dale. Because he gave ALL the characters a distinct voice. There are hundreds of them with dialogue! He used to hold the record for most characters voiced in one book (HP5) but has since been dethroned by Roy Dotrice (A Game of Thrones).
3. What is your favorite genre to listen to?
The Classics. I understand them better when I hear the words. I discovered audiobooks when I was struggling with Jane Austen.
How about narrators that you would love to listen to? Or dream narrators for a specific genre or book?
For male narrators, I love Simon Vance (aka Richard Matthews and Robert Whitfield ), who is considered the gold standard of narrators. Juliet Stevenson is the best female narrator for me.
4. When and where do you listen to audiobooks?
In the car while driving. Helps to prevent road rage.
5. What are your sources of audiobooks?
Audible.
6. Would you listen to an audiobook this month? What book/s?
Currently listening to The Handmaid’s Tale. Will listen to All the Light We Cannot See next. Or maybe Bleak House (if there is time).
When I lived in Los Angeles, I checked them out all the time from the main city library, which had a big collection of them. I loved being able to listen to them while driving.Steve :)
1. No not really. Same with ebooks I guess. I prefer reading and holding the book. I also have difficulty understanding (or learning) given only auditory stimulus. I would prefer to listen and read at the same time.2. I remember listening to Rainbow Magic, a children's book, on tape, when I was younger. I have the physical book somewhere as well, I don't know where the physical book is though :(
I like turning the page when a certain sound is heard, haha. That reading experience was really magical.
3. I think children's books would be nice to listen to, hahaha. As for dream narrators, I'd really like to hear that book narrated by Tom Hiddleston (apir, Mawi!).
4. Again, not very fond of audiobooks but I'd most likely read or listen at home.
5. CDs from Booksale! Hahaha. Then a copy of the book as well.
6. Probably. I'll see what I can do.
Audio recording to follow.
(view spoiler)Can I post the audio recording on my private youtube channel and then email the link to you, Meliza? :-)
Marie: Sure, you can just e-mail the link. :)
Re: PodcastsI think these are great to help a person focus with only aural stimulus (which further helps that person to get started on audiobooks). For starters, subscribe to short and non-storytelling podcasts. It's like listening to the radio shows blaring out on your bus commutes but with more substance (because you get to choose what kind of podcast you can listen to).
When you get comfortable and you realize you zone out less, you can subscribe to longer/storytelling podcasts. Then you can conquer audiobooks!
Kristel: I think audiobook narration is a performance entirely separate from singing/acting. But perhaps the image of Keaton is the problem and not her narration? Did she sort of croon? Also, if you listen to the New Yorker Fiction podcast, you'd be disappointed to find out that some writers are just as horrible, considering that you already have a pretty good image of them.
Angus: I think it's a little bit because I was already familiar with Didion's voice thanks to some interviews / clips I've seen of her. And I also low-key think that they chose Keaton not because she's the best fit for the writing persona, but because she's the quintessential 70s It Girl and the audiobook producers wanted to capitalize on it.
Ycel wrote:"Currently listening to The Handmaid’s Tale. Will listen to All the Light We Cannot See next. Or maybe Bleak House (if there is time)."
Ycel, makikisawsaw if you are into reading Doerr. Penge na rin ng audio book hehehe
1. Do you listen to audiobooks? If yes, what do you love about them? If you don't listen, what are your barriers to trying them out?- Yes. I like it because it's a different experience, and it's reminds me of those radio shows that my grandmother used to listen to on those lazy afternoons when I was still a kid. I have two issues with them, though: first is I listen to audiobooks to multitask, so I used to do it while I'm at work, and then it becomes ambient noise and I don't focus. Second is I can't dog-ear any quotes I want. Haha.
2. Recall a favorite listening experience. Why is it your favorite?
My first audiobook was The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This was fun, because it was narrated by several people, so it sounds like an actual radio show. I could still hear Aslan roaring :3
3. What is your favorite genre to listen to? How about narrators that you would love to listen to? Or dream narrators for a specific genre or book?
I don't have any specific genres, but the audiobooks I listened to were mostly contemporary (Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher, On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta). As for dream narrators - I loved David Tennant on My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece (every time he says the name "Rose," I think of Ten), so I would like to hear from him again. :3 I'm going to join the bandwagon and say Tom Hiddleston, too. Actually, maybe anyone with a British accent, haha.
4. When and where do you listen to audiobooks?
At work, then at the gym. It's more effective in the gym because being on the bike or on the treadmill just lets me zone out. At work, as I mentioned above, it's a bit more complicated because I have to actually do stuff, and sometimes I stop listening because work requires more concentration.
5. What are your sources of audiobooks?
I have two audiobooks from Audible. Haha! I also have actual CDs at home, and I need to find a laptop with a CD drive to get them because my laptop doesn't have that anymore.
6. Would you listen to an audiobook this month? (Because, come on, it’s June is Audiobook Month! Hehe!) What book/s?
Maybe? I still have Dreams of Gods and Monsters (from Ronnie) and James and the Giant Peace (from Tricia) at home. But I need to work on # 5 first. =D
1. Yep, I do listen to audiobooks because first I get to squeeze in some reading time while doing other things. Second it brings something different to the text, makes the story all the more entertaining, because some feels like one of those radio shows.2. Tigana was pretty good listening experience for me. I don't think I took the time to find out who the narrator was, but he brought the beautiful, lyrical prose of Guy Gavriel Kay to life, with his rich, storytelly voice and British accent. This was probably the one that made me truly consider audiobooks. Also followed closely by Perdido Street Station audio read by John Lee (thanks to Mommy L), because I got to hear how the fantastical names and places were pronounced. And I think The Maltese Falcon narration will soon be a contender. It's making me chuckle in some parts.
3. No specific genre really, or narrator. I guess his voice just has to somehow fit the genre, and the setting. Also I tend to like audios of books with dialogues from a variety of characters, where the narrator gets to stretch his vocal acting chops. And because it just makes me happy when people do voices.
It would be great to listen again to an audio by John Lee and whoever read the audio for Tigana (this from Aaron and JL?)
As for dream narrators. Maybe, Paul F. Tompkins. He is a comedian who does really awesome voices / impressions. I think he'll do great with any genre really. His voices are numerous and varied. He could do Roald Dahl's. Or Jonathan Ames', or Douglas Adams', or Terry Pratchet's. A comic novel would suit him best. And TJ Miller! (also a comediane) to narrate some dude lit, like something along the lines of High Fidelity, or Chuck Klosterman.
4. Anywhere. Anytime. :)
5. Only from TFG discussion leaders. I have tried Librivox, but I am not quite onboard with the audio quality and some of the type of voices.
6. Yes. The Maltese Falcon.
Tin: I looooove Paul F. Tompkins. Paul F. Tompkins for everything. Also, I just found out that John Lee was the narrator for My Name Is Red, one of my best audiobook experiences last year.
TIN: Tigana was read by Simon Vance, my favorite :) He also did great with The Millennium Trilogy and did narrate a lot of Dickens' works. I liked his reading of The Count of Monte Cristo but he used his other nom de guerre (Richard Matthews).
ELLA: Will PM you if Doerr is a go. Busy, busy bee :(
1. Do you listen to audiobooks? If yes, what do you love about them? If you don't listen, what are your barriers to trying them out?No. I tried, once, with Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse (which I have yet to finish reading, boo), but I got easily distracted. I would mimic the accent and the pronunciations and I would forget the flow of the story. It was frustrating.
2. Recall a favorite listening experience. Why is it your favorite?
If by listening experience you mean listening to an audiobook, then this question is not applicable to me. Hehe!
3. What is your favorite genre to listen to? How about narrators that you would love to listen to? Or dream narrators for a specific genre or book?
Also not applicable.
4. When and where do you listen to audiobooks?
N/A
5. What are your sources of audiobooks?
The TFG Book Discussion thread? But I don't download them anyway.
6. Would you listen to an audiobook this month? (Because, come on, it’s June is Audiobook Month! Hehe!) What book/s?
I don't know. I'll try. Maybe one short story?
Oh my goodness, a meme after my own heart! :)1. Yes, I listen to audiobooks a lot. Listening to a well-narrated audiobook gives an added dimension to your appreciation of a book. Since my eyesight has deteriorated, I find audiobooks to be a godsend.
2. My all-time favorite is Sissy Spacek reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I’m sure that if I read it again in print, I’d still hear her voice.
Two recent surprises for me:
I was pleasantly surprised by David Case (aka Frederick Davidson) narrating High Fidelity. Normally I avoid him because he sounds so stuffy and overbearing but he was really great in HF. Maybe because he was younger then. Haha
I was also surprised by Bronson Pinchot’s narration of Wise Blood. You remember him as Balki with the goofy accent? For the first hour, I was distracted because I was waiting for the goofy accent to come out. Didn’t happen, I take him seriously now. :)
3. The majority of my listens are British classics. My favorite narrators would be Frank Muller and Juliet Stevenson.
(view spoiler)
4. I listen when I eat alone, do household chores, on the treadmill, in the car, just about anytime and anywhere I’m not in the company of others.
5. Most of my audiobooks are from Audible because I've been a member since 2008. By the way, Sync is offering free audiobooks every week until August. Here’s the site:
http://www.audiobooksync.com/
6. Yes, I’m currently listening to The Maltese Falcon and will listen to Brideshead Revisited after I finish reading the second book of Wolf Hall (a gift from Maria).
1. Do you listen to audiobooks? If yes, what do you love about them? If you don't listen, what are your barriers to trying them out?I've never really tried listening to full-length audiobooks although I regularly listen to the New Yorker Fiction Podcast where they feature stories being read by other writers. Does that count? Also podcasts with a fictional narrative like the Black List Table Reads and whatever shenanigans Paul F. Tompkins is up to.
2. Recall a favorite listening experience. Why is it your favorite?
Well, my favorite episode from the New Yorker Fiction Podcast was Tobias Woolf reading Denis Johnson's Emergency.
3. What is your favorite genre to listen to? How about narrators that you would love to listen to? Or dream narrators for a specific genre or book?
I like listening to short stories and it's the only genre that I've tried. My dream narrator is Steve Coogan reading Kingsley Amis' Lucky Jim. I imagine that it would be hilarious to hear Jim's thoughts in Coogan's voice.
4. When and where do you listen to audiobooks?
During times where I have nothing to do.
5. What are your sources of audiobooks?
The internet.
6. Would you listen to an audiobook this month? What book/s?
I'd probably listen to this month's offering from the New Yorker Fiction Podcast, Harold Brodkey's "Dumbness is Everthing", which is going to be read by Michael Cunningham.
Ronnie wrote: "My all-time favorite is Sissy Spacek reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I’m sure that if I read it again in print, I’d still hear her voice."Are you disappointed that Reese Witherspoon will narrate Go Set a Watchman?
I was surprised by Frederick Davidson's narration of High Fidelity, too. I try to avoid him when it comes to classics, but because of HF I am willing to try him again with Heart of Darkness.
Another narrator that surprised me recently was Wil Wheaton. He did an excellent job with Ready Player One.
Bennard wrote: "Well, my favorite episode from the New Yorker Fiction Podcast was Tobias Woolf reading Denis Johnson's Emergency."Yes, I agree, that was definitely great!
Bennard: Have you tried the podcast A Tiny Sense of Accomplishment? It's basically just novelists Jess Walter and Sherman Alexie joking about their writerly misadventures, and they sometimes read works in progress like poetry and story snippets. They're both surprisingly compelling readers, Alexie in particular.
Guys I am now curious of the New Yorker Fiction podcast. Do they release daily? Or monthly? Can you include the link here, please? And Rhena, listening to a documentary style book is like listening to news. Hahaha, I remember listening and reading McCandless story, Into The Wild, I gave up on listening because I got bored in its monotonous narration. Hahaha
Louize, I think Reese Witherspoon is alright. She did pretty well in that Johnny Cash movie, Walk the Line.Frederick Davidson sounded a lot younger in HF. I think as he got older, his style changed and now I find it hard to listen to him. My audio of Heart of Darkness is by Kenneth Branagh. (view spoiler)
I really, really have to listen na to Ready Player One. I got it when it came out in 2011 and I still haven't listened to it. Haha
Ella, here: http://www.newyorker.com/series/ficti...Monthly siya. You can also subscribe to it using your podcast app. For this year's episodes, I'd recommend the ones for March (Chablis by Donald Barthelme) and May (Going for a Beer by Robert Coover).
Louize: Basically any Denis Johnson story is a treat! I also liked Donald Antrim's reading of "Work". Kristel: Downloading the first few episodes now. :)
Bennard wrote: "Louize: Basically any Denis Johnson story is a treat!"True, that! :)
That's a great reco from Kristel. I hope you enjoy Sherman Alexie's witticism.
Hello, guys! Thanks for answering the questions. Where are your audio clips? :) I'll be waiting for them until this weekend.For the prizes:
I'll be using a random generator and everyone who answered the questions will earn an entry. Another entry if you submit an audio clip of you narrating a book excerpt. I have a Fully Booked GC for the person who will be picked.
For the audio clips, I will ask some people to vote on their favorite book narration and the winner will get to choose their prize (view spoiler). So submit your entries now! :) I will reveal the winners on our June f2f.
Just sharing...
My first try on audiobook was Lolita narrated by Jeremy Irons. I like the narration but it was really because of my thoughts drifting that made me stop and read the book instead. But I will not forget how he said these lines: "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta."
I reread The City and The City by listening to the audiobook. This was my first time to finish an audiobook. If ever I would reread books, which I seldom do, I would definitely prioritize doing it thru audiobooks.
I said in my previous comment that I'll be listening to an audiobook of The Old Man and the Sea and I find it difficult. Maybe it's because of the book. I tend to pause a lot to think if the story wants to convey a deeper meaning. LOL. About halfway, my audiobook file was corrupted so I continued with the ebook.
I just finished The Maltese Falcon today by listening to the audiobook. It was fun hearing the narrator change his voice. Hehe!
I subscribed to Audible today but the book that I wanted, number9dream by David Mitchell, is not available here in our country due to publishing rights restrictions. So if you have an audiobook of this book, please give me a copy. :D
Meliza wrote: "I subscribed to Audible today but the book that I wanted, number9dream by David Mitchell, is not available here in our country due to publishing rights restrictions. So if you have an audiobook of this book, please give me a copy. :D "Meliza, I'll send you a link tomorrow. :)
Veronica wrote: "Meliza, I'll send you a link tomorrow. :) "Yey! Thank you, Miss Ronnie!
Miss Ronnie, ako din po! (number9dream) :)
Angus and Meliza, sent you both the link na. :)
Tin, I didn't see your message! PM me your email address. :)
My voice is so barok huhuhuh, so nasal hahaha
I know I'm late huhu pero anyway eto na(view spoiler)
I'd love to narrate something but I fear I'm too late, nor am I fit for it because I'm sick, boo. But this meme was fun, congrats Meliza! :)
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The Filipino Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (other topics)One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories (other topics)
Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned" (other topics)
Go Set a Watchman (other topics)
High Fidelity (other topics)
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June is Audiobook Month was declared by the Audio Publishers Association (APA) to increase awareness and enthusiasm for audiobooks. Let’s participate, shall we?
I’m not an avid audiobook fan. Let’s just say that I’m just starting to discover the world of audiobooks, to really try reading by listening and be more aware of its benefits. I didn’t even know until last week that there’s this Audie Awards (Audies) that are bestowed annually for outstanding audiobooks.
(For this year’s Audies Award Finalists and Winners, visit here.)
Whether you have or have not experienced audiobooks before, let’s talk about them by answering the questions below:
1. Do you listen to audiobooks? If yes, what do you love about them? If you don't listen, what are your barriers to trying them out?
2. Recall a favorite listening experience. Why is it your favorite?
3. What is your favorite genre to listen to? How about narrators that you would love to listen to? Or dream narrators for a specific genre or book?
4. When and where do you listen to audiobooks?
5. What are your sources of audiobooks?
6. Would you listen to an audiobook this month? (Because, come on, it’s June is Audiobook Month! Hehe!) What book/s?
If you've never tried an audiobook before, this is a good time to do so. If you have resisted trying audiobooks because you like to read (as in really read) books, I encourage you to just try one now. You might want to look at Audible’s list of Great First Listens.
If you’re still hesitant with audiobooks, these articles might be helpful:
“Listening to Books is Cheating” and 7 More Myths About Audiobooks
How To Solve Your Biggest Audiobook Problems
And just for fun:
How about recording a sound clip of you narrating an excerpt from a book you like? If you have questions, ask away! You can send your sound clips by sending an e-mail to (view spoiler)[melizacaguimbal[at]yahoo[dot]com (hide spoiler)]. You can send them to me until the 14th then maybe we can vote for our favorite TFG book narrator afterwards. :)
All who would participate will have a new sticker/stamp in their TFG Passport and will have a chance to win a prize (view spoiler)[an audiobook of your choice from Audible maybe (hide spoiler)] from me. (Double your chances by doing a recording!) Thank you and Happy June is Audiobook Month!