Several of us have mentioned how much we enjoy listening to the In Death series....that Susan Ericksen is a fabulous narrator. I've listened so many times that even when I read a physical book I can still "hear" their voices in my head. A good narrator can do that.
So for me I enjoy audios, and like anything in life, some narrators are better than others. I've mentioned because of my tinnitus I fall asleep listening to books. However, I like them when I'm cleaning, stitching, cooking, or even piddling on the computer.
How about you? Any reasons you like or dislike them?
I love them. I can listen while I work, clean, yard work, road trips, etc. If I'm doing something that I need to concentrate more I put in a favorite. If my attention wanders I haven't missed anything. Some people like TV or radios in the background. I prefer audio books.
I love listening to books. My ebook reader on my phone has a text to speech function that works pretty well. So I am forever listening to a book. I also prefer listening to old faves, for the simple reason that I am impatient. Reading is faster than listening, so when it gets down to the crunch, it's difficult to wait for the audio when I know I can read so much faster!
I am also too impatient to listen to a narrator when I can read a story so much faster, and often the narrator does not sound like I think he/she would. Call me crazy, but I read mostly historical romances, and I don't "hear" the characters with an English accent. In my head they sound like Americans to me. Nuts, I know.
I love listening to books. My ebook reader on my phone has a text to speech function that works pretty well. So I am forever listening to a book. I also prefer listening to old faves, for the simple reason that I am impatient. Reading is faster than listening, so when it gets down to the crunch, it's difficult to wait for the audio when I know I can read so much faster!
Have to agree with you there....100%. I can read much faster. I've tried cranking up the speed, but I feel like I'm running to keep up with the words. I end up putting back to normal.
Nay. I tried listening to an In Death, discovered that I already had voices for these folks in my head and the reader wasn't right. (I think it was Erickson). Took several rereadings of that particular ID to get the voices sounding correctly again, in that one book. The rest were fine. I'd never realized that I "hear" the individual voices when reading. Weird. This is the only series I know of where I do that; but how many decades have I been reading/rereading that series...
Also, I found out a long time ago that I can't listen & drive at the same time. If I'm focusing on driving, I'm not hearing the book, so I keep backing up because love the little "bits" that make up the quirks, etc. If I'm focused on the story, I'm not driving well and that can go very badly. So instead I usually have music playing. The one thing I have to watch carefully; not boogying too much while driving. I've laughed here before about being ticketed for speeding because I was listening/boogying to CCR's "Rollin' on the River". Speed dropped from 45 mph to 35 mph & I didn't. Somehow the cop didn't buy that as a valid reason! Ah well, live & learn.
When cleaning, etc, I usually have the tv on, playing something that I know very well, like NCIS episodes, movies that I've watched so much I should be able to quote the dialogue, etc. Worst problem with that; stopping to watch the "good scenes". Some movies, that can eat up a lot of time!!!
Audible books gets a Big Yea!!! from me. I listened to 43 books last year Which put me at about half and half for 2019.
Linda, I know what you mean about ...even when I read a physical book I can still "hear" their voices in my head. My most recent example of that is the Reacher series by Lee Child. From 1997 thru 2017 for 22 books Dick Hill was Jack Reacher, and multiple audible re-reads over the years, so that characterization is Solid for me. Then came book 23 in 2018 and suddenly Scott Brick is the narrator, and Scott Brick is one of my favorite male readers... but he is not the voice of Reacher. That book, “Past Tense” was ruined for me in audible. I don’t know what happened for the change to be made, and I have spent some time trying to get some insight on it. If anyone knows, please clue me in.
The actor and narrator René Auberjonois died in December 2019 and he’s my favorite reader to do FBI Agent Pendergast in the long running Preston & Childs series. I shall miss him like crazy when the series is turned over to someone else.
Here are my favorite readers who came to mind, probably forgetting many.
Favorite Male Narrators René Auberjonois (Died 12-08-2019) Peter Berkrot Scott Brick Jonathan Davis (wish he read more romance) Barry Eisler (author reads his own books) Richard Ferrone Dick Hill
Favorite Female Narrators Kathleen Early Susan Ericksen Rosalyn Landor January LaVoy Kirsten Potter Kate Reading Julia Whelan
—Janie
Sigh. Got distracted and hit the Like button instead of Edit. 😜
We were watching the second Magical Beasts movie, and of course, while I was watching I was surfing the wiki to get the background on all the characters. One of the characters, Queenie, is a natural mind reader, but apparently she has difficulty if the person she is trying to read is thinking in English, in an accent.
Audible books gets a Big Yea!!! from me. I listened to 43 books last year Which put me at about half and half for 2019.
Linda, I know what you mean about ...even when I read a physical book I can still "hear" their voices in my head. My most recent example of that is the Reacher series by Lee Child. From 1997 thru 2017 for 22 books Dick Hill was Jack Reacher, and multiple audible re-reads over the years, so that characterization is Solid for me. Then came book 23 in 2018 and suddenly Scott Brick is the narrator, and Scott Brick is one of my favorite male readers... but he is not the voice of Reacher. That book, “Past Tense” was ruined for me in audible. I don’t know what happened for the change to be made, and I have spent some time trying to get some insight on it. If anyone knows, please clue me in.
The actor and narrator René Auberjonois died in December 2019 and he’s my favorite reader to do FBI Agent Pendergast in the long running Preston & Childs series. I shall miss him like crazy when the series is turned over to someone else.
Here are my favorite readers who came to mind, probably forgetting many.
Favorite Male Narrators René Auberjonois (Died 12-08-2019) Peter Berkrot Scott Brick Jonathan Davis (wish he read more romance) Barry Eisler (author reads his own books) Richard Ferrone Dick Hill
Favorite Female Narrators Kathleen Early Susan Ericksen Rosalyn Landor January LaVoy Kirsten Potter Kate Reading Julia Whelan
—Janie
Sigh. Got distracted and hit the Like button instead of Edit. 😜
I have my favorite narrators as well. I've purchased audio books because of the narrator. I love Susan Ericksen for the In Death series but I haven't been able to enjoy her other audio books. I still hear Dallas, Peabody, Rourke, etc. Julie Whelan is excellent. Another favorite is Renee Raudman. I didn't care for January LaVoy when she first started but she's come a long way as an audio performer and I don't avoid her newer narrations. I like Scott Brick. He added an eerie quality to The Passage trilogy. I also like Ray Porter. Not a fan of Richard Ferrone. I've tried with him, I really have. There's just something about his voice that grates on my nerves. I've passed on audio books because of him. Max Bellmore and Robert Petkoff are good. Will Wheaton is an excellent audio performer as well. So many good narrators, I can't list them all.
So sad about René Auberjonois, I didn't know he passed. I haven't listened to any of his narrations but I loved him in Deep Space Nine.
So sad about René Auberjonois, I didn't know he passed. I haven't listened to any of his narrations but I loved him in Deep Space Nine
DS9, Benson, Father Mulcahy in MASH the movie, Boston Legal...one heck of a history! I didn't realize he did book narrations; I know he's done a lot of voices for tv, games, cartoons, etc. Wonderful voice & manner. I didn't know Will Wheaton does narrations as well.
Nay. I prefer reading a book rather than hearing a book. Honestly it's all due to the voices. I don't like one narrator. I'd like to hear a female do the female voices and the male do the male. I just laugh when I hear them try to do the voice of the opposite sex. For example, a favorite author has a male narrate all her books. The h in one particular book has a Southern accent from Georgia. When I heard him speak her lines I started to giggle. Also, I don't think I can hear the love scenes. I blush when I read them. I can only imagine how red I'll turn hearing it