Tower Library discussion

Does anyone else listen to audiobooks? I'm listening to a collection of Katherine Mansfield's short stories (Had to after that Wellington Holidate). I really enjoy the stories, but the audiobook is kind of lacking. The chapters and stories aren't set up quite right so I thought I was listening to "The Garden Party", but it was "At The Bay". I didn't appreciate just how much goes into a great audiobook. So I was wondering, have any of you experienced an audiobook you think really does well in that format?

I am not sure if I understand. Are you asking about a book set up in the audiobook format or what? Sorry.

I will say this...I listen to audiobooks daily on my drive or when I am cooking. I love them. I honestly usually stick to books I have read so that I am not traumatized by some event in the book that I had no idea was coming. With reading I can stop, slow down, protect myself etc. Audio it just happens and oof. I am also particular about the narrator as I really struggle with women's voices.

I find that with audiobooks there is an added layer like the narrators interpretation I guess. It is like Wow I didn't look at it like that originally. The books that surprised me the most that I hadn't read before listening was Dracula. Full cast version. OMG it was amazing. I loved loved loved the language. I would also NEVER read it as it was dense. It was perfect for audio.

So I am not sure if I answered your question but it was fun to think about audios and respond here anyway. 🤗

I have yet to find an audio book with a voice I really like. I'm very persnickety about sounds I like.

Dawn wrote: "I have yet to find an audio book with a voice I really like. I'm very persnickety about sounds I like."

The narrator for Harry Potter was amazing. Joel Leslie is really good when he is not doing an American accent. His American accent isn't awful I just prefer his British accent or his Irish accent or his Welsh accent.

Michael Dean formerly Michael Pauly has a great voice for narration.

I totally get the persnickety part.

Ann wrote: "I am not sure if I understand. Are you asking about a book set up in the audiobook format or what? Sorry.

I will say this...I listen to audiobooks daily on my drive or when I am cooking. I love th..."


Ann, the way you described Dracula is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for! Thanks for understanding me even when I wasn't too clear. I listen to a lot of non-fiction books where there isn’t much dramatic emphasis, but you’re right. A good narrator makes all the difference. I appreciate it when a book is read by the author. I feel like they’re probably delivering the lines the way they hear them in their head. It’s also handy for all those words I don’t know how to pronounce. I recently finished Braiding Sweetgrass which has a lot of words and names from many indigenous North American languages. It was a rich experience to hear the author speak the words correctly and reverently.

I totally relate to what you said about audiobooks making dense books more accessible. I have a biography on Simone Bolivar that is a freaking breast. I couldn’t make it past the first few pages. A couple of years later, I ran across the audiobook version of it and found it very enjoyable.

What you said about listening to books you’ve already read is interesting. Do you revisit many of the books you’ve read or would you say you have a handful that you keep going back to?

Ann wrote:

"The narrator for Harry Potter was amazing."

I love Stephen Fry, but Jim Dale's version of Harry Potter is the definitive version and I will die on that hill.

I am so stunned at how he could have so many individual voices for the Harry Potter characters and it was consistent throughout all the audios. He is a narration King!

Indy wrote: "Ann wrote: "I am not sure if I understand. Are you asking about a book set up in the audiobook format or what? Sorry.

I will say this...I listen to audiobooks daily on my drive or when I am cookin..."

Indy, I have some authors I like that I listen to multiple times. Sometimes it is just the comfort of a familiar voice and story so I don't have to focus intently. Also I am horribly emotional and cry like a baby at everything. To be perfectly honest in 2015 my son was in an accident and in a coma for a month and then had to do in patient rehab and then a year of outpatient rehab. It was beyond stressful and kind of broke me. I haven't been able to watch tv or movies much since then and books/audios make me cry. It seems that everything makes me cry nowadays. I prefer my reading trauma to be words not audio at first. That way I can stop, cry, and process what is happening to the characters and then move on.

I listen to 1 or 2 new audios a month and re-listen to 1 or 2 a month as well. Mind candy. I probably would listen to more non-fiction but I am working on my PhD and honestly I have enough non-fiction in my life. :)

You should try Dracula. I loved the antiquated language. It was fun. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah was excellent. Great Expectations narrated by Simon Vance was great. I love Simon Vance's voice. Oh I loved Imperium by Robert Harris It is all about Cicero's secretary (I guess he invented short-hand writing). Simon Jones narrated it. I also enjoyed The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte. It was narrated by Bianca Amato. I don't usually do well with female voices but I could tolerate hers. The story was so good I stopped hearing 'a voice' and was hearing the story.

OMG I will stop now before I blabber on for another 1000 words.
:)

Ann - fierce hugs for the stuff with your son and its after-effects on you. I
completely understand wanting surprises to be slower and more controlled.

I listen to tons of audiobooks these days to keep myself regulated and chill. Here are my favorites:

My absolute favorite audiobook narrator is Ray Porter. He does a lot of Sci fi, and he is excellent at conveying humor and irony. He has such good timing. His talent reminds me of Jim Dale of Harry Potter fame.

World War Z by Max Brooks is an ensemble piece, with a huge cast of professional actors. Loved it. Sandman by Neil Gaiman is similar. Both are a bit dark.

The Book of Joy is also an ensemble work, with a narrator (the author) and two voice actors with appropriate accents standing in for the dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A good, calm book that feeds the soul.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, narrated by Stephen Briggs is a hoot. Some of the characters have Scottish accents and they are hilarious.

Two light and fluffy romance series with great narrators got me through long hours of work last summer. Molly Harper's Mystic Bayou series is narrated by Amanda Ronconi and Jonathan Davis, and Abby Jimenez's books are narrated by Christine Lakin and Zachary Webber. Both Jonathan and Zachary have wonderful deep voices.

I'll check out your recommendations, y'all. I've never read Dracula, maybe it's time! :)