Beyond Reality discussion

Betsy wrote (in another discussion): "I have had His Majesty's Dragon in my to-read pile for a while and more than likely I'll get to it before the end of the month. In the meantime, I've been listening to the audiobook of Infected by ..."

I'm the same way. The reader always ends up going too slow for me, causing me to lose focus, start thinking about other things, and lose track of the story... then I have to rewind. I tried audio-books a few times during long drives, and it just doesn't work for me.

How about you?

I used to listen while I walked on the treadmill or used the Nordic Trak and then the pace was fine. I probably pay more attention to the details on an audiobook than when I read myself... I get impatient and tend to skim, although I'm trying to cure myself of that.

I haven't listened to any audio books in a while since my commute is now under an hour. The first few times I've listened, it's been hit or miss. Now that I've become more familiar with the narrators, I just stick to the ones I like.

Without an audiobook to assist, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell would still be on my to-read shelf.

I keep misplacing my headphones, otherwise I'd also be finished with The Book Thief.

I spend ninety minutes a day commuting. Audiobooks feed my desire to read and not "waste time" just driving.

I'm an avid cyclist, and listen to audio-books when I'm riding on country roads and not really "cranking". It really works for me and makes me feel like I'm using my time to the utmost. I find the slower rate of the reader complements my continuous partial attention while riding just perfectly. It has taken the pain out of many a cold and rainy 40 mile ride.

I almost always sample an audio-book before a purchase as so much of the enjoyment depends on the reader. However, when the slower reading rate combines with a ponderous writing style I too find myself drifting off and having to rewind.

I only commute 15 minutes each way. With my teenager in the car, we're more likely to listen to heavy metal than novels. I do subscribe to several short-story podcasts, but I can't even keep up with those. I just get too distracted to listen to a story.

I have always loved audio books. Even when I'm not on the road I find I have the time to listen to books - while I'm gardening, running, or even just cleaning house. If its a good book, I'll end up cleaning up my daughters bedroom or sweeping the basement out, just to give myself some extra time! :)

I have favourite narrators and I agree they can make or break a book. Listening to a sample is a good idea, I hadn't done that before!

Luckily, our library system has NetLibrary access - which gives me something like 12,000 ebooks and audiobooks to choose from, for free, they are licensed to the device you download them to for 21 days and won't play after that unless you renew the license. Its a good system. I tend to 'borrow' books that I might have trouble reading - classics or books that have odd language or dialect. I have tried to listen to non-fiction but my mind wanders too much, so I have to stick to fiction.

As someone else commented earlier, I think I often get more out of an audio book, because I listen to every word, whereas when I am reading, I tend to skim the 'boring' bits.

With me audio books depend on a couple things. I love my audio book version of Frankenstein because it is read by James Mason. I love my audio Mary Queen of Scots by Dumas (read by Julie Christie) because that book, as far as I am aware, is not avaible in print form. With me, it depends on who is reading the book. I have a CD of Poe read by Price and Rathbone, the BBC radio version of LOTR, and a version of the Hobbit. I love those.

I will say this, though, about the reader of Infected (who is also the author): he is entertaining and does lots of different voices well. He had to make a creepy voice for, um, something (don't want to spoil it here) and the first time I heard it, it startled me a little. I wasn't sure if I had really heard it or if it was an outside noise. Nicely done. In the print version, the creepy voice is just in a different font, so people who read the print version keep asking me "what did the XXXX sound like?"

The actor who does the narration for the Harry Potter books is also really good (his name escapes me at the moment).

I also discovered that I like listening to audiobooks while I knit. Most knitting doesn't take that much concentration and can even be a little boring at times. :)

Harry Potter reader was Jim Dale & I agree, he was wonderful!

Jim wrote: "Harry Potter reader was Jim Dale & I agree, he was wonderful!"

YES, thank you! He was also the narrator on the canceled-too-soon Pushing Daisies (not to hijack the thread).

A good reader can make ALL the difference in an audio book for me. I've gotten some of the Libervox & other free ones. The readers try hard & I applaud their efforts, but their lack of voice training is often too apparent.

Even trained voices can have elements that wear on me though. Some are boring - they'll read a sentence with an exclamation mark like it was part of a grocery list. Others just irritate me. Likely a personal problem on my part, but it still happens occasionally.

Long footnotes in audio books are NOT good, as I found when trying to listen to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I found the book boring to read, so tried the audio book, which sometimes works better. Unfortunately, this book has a lot of footnotes & some are several pages long. By the time the reader got back to the original story, I was lost! In the book, I could go back, skim a bit & get back on track. Not really workable when I'm driving & listening to an audio book.

Betsy wrote: "I also discovered that I like listening to audiobooks while I knit. Most knitting doesn't take that much concentration and can even be a little boring at times. :)..."

Oooh, I'll have to try that! My knitting and crocheting time is spent in front of the TV catching up on Lost, Prison Break and Torchwood episodes.

I've added Infected to my shelf. It sounds like a fun and gory thrill ride.

I liked Joe Lansdale's review at the author's site:

"Scott Sigler's Infected is a bucking pulp pony that throws you this way and that, and just when you think you've got your balance, that ole pony bucks the other way. All in all, one hell of an exhilarating ride, and highly recommended."

—Joe R. Lansdale, World Horror Convention Grand Master and six-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Bubba Ho-Tep and Lost Echoes

Nancy wrote: "Oooh, I'll have to try that! My knitting and crocheting time is spent in front of the TV catching up on Lost, Prison Break and Torchwood episodes. "

Unfortunately, a LOT of knitting time is doing almost the exactly same thing (for me it's Supernatural, Lost and the dearly departed Battlestar Galactica). But the audiobooks are pretty good for that, too.

edit: I'll post a short review of Infected when I'm finished.

I love audiobooks, but I don't get a lot of time for them. I don't have a commute and need to sleep when my son is at school, so the only time I get is before bed and I tend to go to sleep. It's very frustrating.

Listening while I stitch is great, but I haven't been stitching lately, so that is out too. I'm hoping to get back to it before too long.

Jim wrote: "Harry Potter reader was Jim Dale & I agree, he was wonderful!"

Actually Jim Dale was the US reader. Stephen Fry read the UK audio release. I ended up with the UK version of book 4 and really enjoyed his reading.

I personally love audio books. I enjoy how they make you slow down and enjoy instead of racing through everything. I use them when I'm commuting (60-90 min each way), chores and often in the evenings. I guess I might be weirtd, but I like sitting in a darkened room doing nothing but listening. It reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom or dad would read to me in the evenings. :D

I agree the reader can make or break an audio book. There are a few I have purchased where the reader was so bad that I ended up either buying the book in a different format or finding a different audio release with a different reader and buying it. It hasn't been really common, I don't "hear" voices when I'm eading so I never have character/voice conflicts, but I know it has happened with at least 2 series.