Do you listen to them?
I have not listened to any but I did just purchase two audiobooks off of iTunes.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens read by Jim Dale
This is on my list for the Classics Challenge and I love Jim Dale's narration on Pushing Daisies and I know he is loved for his work on the HP audiobooks. ( I can't bring myself to pay $35 for those.)
I also got a Doctor Who book. The Stone Rose. Why? Well, because I love Doctor Who and because it is narrated by David Tennant. That really is the only reason. Love his voice. And you get both his Doctor voice and his real Scottish accented voice. Yum.
Anyway. For both it was about $16. Not too bad. Hopefully, it was worth it.
Do ya'll listen to audiobooks? What do you like about them?
Am I gonna get hooked?
I began my audio book adventure when I was on the road three hours every weekday. I literally cursed my way through traffic and yes, the kids were in the car. This was five or so years ago. Trying to think of something to keep my mind off the negative - let's face it, kids don't need to see parents acting like idiots for that many hours a day - I came up with audio books.
ReplyDeleteIt took a month before I learned how to listen. Until I did I was forever rewinding and listening again to the segment I missed. But once I got the hang of it, this was the BIGGEST blessing. I started looking forward to driving. :) And the kids felt peace again...lol!
I no longer am on the road, but I've replaced the driving with exercise and other things. I love love-love audio books and can't see not having them in my life.
I get all my MP3 downloads as well as audio CDs and cassettes (rarely those) at the library. It doesn't cost a thing. :)
I like audio books when I'm drving and at night when I can't sleep. I think you'll probably like them-if the narrator is good, it can really bring a lot to the story.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love to listen to audiobooks while driving. I tend to stick with more "pop" or (the dreaded) "chick lit" novels, but it's fun.
ReplyDeleteI listen to audio books on my iPod fairly often. I listen when on a long road trip even when I'm not driving because I can't read and ride at the same time without getting sick. I also listen when I'm working because I am a professional quilter, and I can listen and quilt at the same time. It makes the work go faster, and I feel I'm accomplishing more than one thing at a time.
ReplyDeleteThe thing you have to know is that some audio books are spectacular - a couple of my favorites are the His Dark Materials books by Phillip Pullman (which was an ensemble cast and very much like theater) and the Artemis Fowl series read by Nathaniel Parker (whose voice is fabulous). I also just finished Peter Pan, which was probably one of the best audiobooks I've heard.
On the flip side there are those that are read by people who should never have gotten the job (the best example I've had of this is The Collectors by David Baldacci - the narrator's voice was so annoying, I almost didn't finish). In those cases, it's hard because the book might be very good, but the reader does effect your enjoyment quite a lot. They won't necessarily be able to make a bad book better, but they can certainly ruin a good book. One thing I would suggest is if you're buying an audiobook, try to find a sample track of it (or of the reader's voice) first.
I agree with Dar and Traci - the narrator can make or break an audio book.
ReplyDeleteI love listening to audio books on my iPod when I run and I'm listening more as I taxi my kids to various activities, as well as while I'm waiting for them to finish said activity.
Listening is an altogether different experience than reading a book but it is a wonderful way to fit more books into your life as well as make certain time slots in your day go from mind-numbing to interesting.
I listened to Into the Wild on audiobook (I was trying to read it aloud to my sister doing our daily carpool commutes to work), but found it to be better when narrated by someone who could do different voices for the various characters.
ReplyDeleteI also read the book and enjoyed both experiences equally. I think audio books are a great way to reclaim lost time in the car (or if you walk for exercise or something) with some really good books.