tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post1457021246487051146..comments2024-03-19T04:28:39.434-04:00Comments on Patricia Abbott (pattinase): The Trouble with Audio Bookspattinase (abbott)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-12976104562565314912012-11-30T11:31:43.787-05:002012-11-30T11:31:43.787-05:00I too have a problem with most readers and most au...I too have a problem with most readers and most audiobooks. A great narrator makes any book seem even better.<br /><br />The best reader I have found is Stephen Lang.<br />For fiction try him in "Vertical Run"<br />For non-fiction try "Six Frigates." Yankee Cowboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07032629680936062142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-77753993889946808212012-11-29T19:46:45.218-05:002012-11-29T19:46:45.218-05:00I will listen to an audio book while walking (not ...I will listen to an audio book while walking (not running) or sitting. I'm not comfortable listening while driving, I try to avoid distractions. I have a set of Naxos CDs of Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet and love to listen to it relaxing on the sofa, preferably in the dark. I just bury myself in the language and pictures he paints as well as the plot. Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-48750768426765556642012-11-29T19:12:07.149-05:002012-11-29T19:12:07.149-05:00Traveling cross country (on pretty boring Intersta...Traveling cross country (on pretty boring Interstate highways) my wife and I once listened to ON THE ROAD, which seemed a perfect match with long distance driving.Ron Scheerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357501069513854664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-65191754158097166742012-11-29T18:53:48.092-05:002012-11-29T18:53:48.092-05:00I'm in agreement with everything you said. So ...I'm in agreement with everything you said. So I don't often listen to audiobooks. My favorites include the late Mark Hammer's reading of James Lee Burke's books, and Scott Brick's reading of Nelson DeMille's John Corey series, particularly Night Fall.Naomi Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08005429772070247806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-65126151114052941932012-11-29T18:41:13.370-05:002012-11-29T18:41:13.370-05:00Whenn I drove to the country twice yearly I'd ...Whenn I drove to the country twice yearly I'd pop in a cassette of SON OF THE MORNING STAR when I hit the area where the radio wouldn't pick up any stations. I heard maybe 5 cassettes (of 20) and stopped doing it. That's my total experience with audio books. I'm not that keen on being read to in the first place, being above the age of 4, and I have enough real books to last me forever, so why bother?Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-70056741826799029422012-11-29T17:47:55.713-05:002012-11-29T17:47:55.713-05:00Some of HarperAudio's reissues of Caedmon'...Some of HarperAudio's reissues of Caedmon's recordings are most welcome, whether the full productions of O'Neill and Williams plays, among others, or the readings collections Harper has assembled from the Caedmon archives...my love for the lp version of the Walter Brennan and Brandon DeWilde album Caedmon released in the late '50s led me to pick up the Twain pack (that I've since blogged about, some time back).Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815516018079824802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-400785225038323372012-11-29T16:38:37.936-05:002012-11-29T16:38:37.936-05:00I tried listening to one of my favorite writer'...I tried listening to one of my favorite writer's new books as an audiobook and couldn't get into it at all. I need to interact with the physical book. After a few minutes I couldn't recall the main character's name, or what was happening. It was like the words bounced off of my ears and didn't register. This might be one reason I hated lecture classes in college.Cullen Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14236957954996740924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-2480363296349036392012-11-29T15:05:39.775-05:002012-11-29T15:05:39.775-05:00John Lee is my favorite. Phil Gigante does very w...John Lee is my favorite. Phil Gigante does very well with Hap and Leonard.<br /><br />I listen while walking or jogging and when driving.Gerardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-9094400627929160472012-11-29T14:16:59.318-05:002012-11-29T14:16:59.318-05:00Martin Jarvis and Jonathan Cecil do a great job wi...Martin Jarvis and Jonathan Cecil do a great job with P. G. Wodehouse. The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories on CD (11 Volumes!) is outstanding.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04546161337366365635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-27703553208259392092012-11-29T14:13:53.444-05:002012-11-29T14:13:53.444-05:00I probably offered up too many men in my list. Wom...I probably offered up too many men in my list. Women narrators are quite extraordinary, too. Susan Ericksen, Xe Sands, to name a couple. Audiobooks that featured women worth noting include Cassandra Campbell and Bahni Turpin for 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' by Rebecca Skloot and 'Fifty Grand' by Adrian McKinty that featured a great performance by Paula Christensen.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-30028250725595102022012-11-29T13:51:31.279-05:002012-11-29T13:51:31.279-05:00http://www.audible.com/
You've checked their ...http://www.audible.com/<br /><br />You've checked their catalog? They advertise heavily on podcasts, and offer podcasts as well as books and such.Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815516018079824802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-59676363056627899002012-11-29T12:08:57.120-05:002012-11-29T12:08:57.120-05:00I have never listened to an audio book. Never real...I have never listened to an audio book. Never really thought of it. Do the voice-over in audio books depend on the books? For instance, I'd imagine different voices for a Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy audio books, in sync with the tone of the book. The closest I have come to listening to anything audio, other than music, was the news on All India Radio, 25 years ago, where the news reader would intone in his deep voice, "The news read by..." followed by his name. Now I only listen to music on FM.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-8758292532304849802012-11-29T11:37:26.015-05:002012-11-29T11:37:26.015-05:00Jim Dale has won a lot of awards for his reading o...Jim Dale has won a lot of awards for his reading of the Harry Potter series, among others.<br /><br /><br />Jeff M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-49323783652775565012012-11-29T11:22:31.255-05:002012-11-29T11:22:31.255-05:00Great, great information. And if anyone listens to...Great, great information. And if anyone listens to one, in any area, that like, please let me know. <br />I am doing BLUE HEAVEN (C.J. Box) right now and it is working okay although his reading skills are not sterling. pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-17924099244254898282012-11-29T11:01:57.523-05:002012-11-29T11:01:57.523-05:00I am an avid listener of audiobooks and, given fam...I am an avid listener of audiobooks and, given family and work requirements, audiobooks have become my primary medium of ingesting books. I find that I can do just about anything while listening to a book and get all the stuff in it. There are, for example, various places in my yard where I can remember listening to certain books. Weird, I know. I listen to it all: fiction and non-fiction, easy thrillers to complex books. Right now, I'm listening to Oliver Twist read by the fantastic Simon Vance. He also reads the James Bond books. Like le0pard13, I love the Ray Porter-read books. He does the Dawn Patrol and it's sequel. Scott Brick is also a good one. Johnny Heller reads the Richard Castle books and I love them, too. I could go on and on here...Scott D. Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293540073601809197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-32453641157182689362012-11-29T10:36:11.167-05:002012-11-29T10:36:11.167-05:00For a while I listened to books on my kindle durin...For a while I listened to books on my kindle during my commute, but then I got satellite radio.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-74888145186274364092012-11-29T10:23:28.147-05:002012-11-29T10:23:28.147-05:00Patti - Most definitely audio books make us use ou...Patti - Most definitely audio books make us use our brains in different ways, so we concentrate differently when we're listening to a story. I honestly don't listen to them too often, but when I do, I like the fact that I can be doing something else with my hands, but still enjoying a story. That said though, I agree completely that there are some things better done when one's not listening. If a story is really absorbing, I don't want to be driving when I listen for instance; I get too caught up in the story to drive safely.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-24355866266119614902012-11-29T10:07:45.110-05:002012-11-29T10:07:45.110-05:00To answer your questions:
1. Yes. It's now my ...To answer your questions:<br />1. Yes. It's now my primary avenue (given family and work).<br />2. Rarely. Most authors, though most familiar with the material, aren't professional narrators. I very good one (and their are a number of them) really bring an experience for the listener (studio values and direction are another prominent component to a good audio production). That's not to say that some authors cannot turn out a good reading.<br />3. My favorites readers are usually tied to book series:<br />• George Guidall reading the Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson<br />• Gerry O'Brien is without a doubt Jack Taylor in Ken Bruen's series (hard to get in the US, though)<br />• Bronson Pinchot (yes, the actor) has become an extraordinary audiobook narrator<br />• Michael Kramer's reading of Thomas Perry's Butcher's Boy series is quite good (and does a number of this author's books)<br />• Luke Daniels has taken over narration duties for Robert Crais Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series and is really good -- William Roberts, the BBC's reader, has done the same series and is also great (though, another one hard to find on this side of the pond)<br />• others to try would be <a href="http://www.audible.com/int/Featured_Narrators" rel="nofollow">those featured ones at Audible</a><br />• Ray Porter reading The Dawn Patrol and The Power of the Dog (by Don Winslow) is extraordinary<br />• Robertson Dean doing Richard Matheson's I AM LEGEND is something else.<br /><br />There are others, but I just can't think of them at the moment. HTHle0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-10687931898225865032012-11-29T09:53:03.470-05:002012-11-29T09:53:03.470-05:00Driving while listening to audio books must be as ...Driving while listening to audio books must be as dangerous as driving while taking calls on a cell phone. I conclude that from personal experience.<br /><br />For me, listening is a different skill set from reading. I'm not good at it.Ron Scheerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357501069513854664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-79467408390209798272012-11-29T09:48:09.225-05:002012-11-29T09:48:09.225-05:00Never did well with audiobooks. A few Stephen King...Never did well with audiobooks. A few Stephen King things, usually short stories, and I seem to fall asleep while listening. I don't think I could listen to one while doing something else. I need the concentration, usually preferring low volume lyric-less music playing in the background.Randy Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627907086811387527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-38459276742649183722012-11-29T09:36:24.858-05:002012-11-29T09:36:24.858-05:00Audio books by authors can work if the author has ...Audio books by authors can work if the author has a nice voice. I love <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Neil+Gaiman/_/A+Writer's+Prayer" rel="nofollow">most everything that Neil Gaiman reads</a>.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-11052064583276491482012-11-29T09:14:41.110-05:002012-11-29T09:14:41.110-05:00I have never listened to audiobooks, but those art...I have never listened to audiobooks, but those articles made me want to try them. I'm intrigued that John Schwartz loved Junot Diaz's reading, while you had the opposite reaction. <br /><br />BTW, I loved the anecdote about the hypersensiive microphones and the two actors whose pants were too loud. Literally.Al Tuchernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-2966357391295070772012-11-29T09:09:59.701-05:002012-11-29T09:09:59.701-05:00Steve M finds himself describing radio drama, or a...Steve M finds himself describing radio drama, or at least a partially dramatized reading...BBC Radio 4 does a number of those.<br /><br />I don't have a favorite reader, but indeed a higher-pitched voice, or one in the kind of field circumstances (notably war-zone reporting) where the speaker has enunciate above the background noise (or speak in the patented NPR/FM radio dj purr) are precisely the kinds of voices that are lost over the sound of water running in a sink, and so I tend to crank up the better-recorded radio drama (including such latter-day examples as BEYOND BELIEF, which is recorded from a stage performance before an audience...as with http://www.nerdist.com/2012/06/thrilling-adventure-hour-76-beyond-belief-djinn-and-tonic/ ). <br /><br />Throatier women's voices, such as Paget Brewster in BEYOND BELIEF or Kathleen Turner, work well even in such circumstances...and too many readers of all genders are simply too flat for the noisy work environment...and, no, most writers are definitely NOT the ideal performers of their work, since they simply aren't good performers. Even those that are often seem to stress aspects in their vocalization that actually subtract from the experience of the work in question, perhaps passages they are particularly proud of.Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815516018079824802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-75189901765083940952012-11-29T09:09:15.133-05:002012-11-29T09:09:15.133-05:00No. I don't listen to them. When I've tr...No. I don't listen to them. When I've tried I've been like your #3 as I'm doing whatever it is I'm doing and find I've lost the thread of the book.<br /><br />Best (and most appropriate) reader: Frank McCourt reading <b>Angela's Ashes</b>.<br /><br />Jeff M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-42928640483867436202012-11-29T09:06:05.697-05:002012-11-29T09:06:05.697-05:00A couple of years ago the library had the audio of...A couple of years ago the library had the audio of Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes but the book was checked out. I was impatient so I grabbed the audio.<br /><br />Matterhorn is a grunt level Vietnam book replete with all of the appropriate coarse language you can think of. Now I'm no stranger to salty language so that didn't bother me. My problem was that Bronon Pinchot was the narrator (he does a lot of audiobook work) and hearing Balki cuss like that was too much, it was the rare time I got pulled so far out of the story that I had to stop.<br /><br />So I waited until the book was returned and read it that way. Brian Lindenmuthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02519203797661128049noreply@blogger.com