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Post by david on Feb 3, 2021 0:16:57 GMT -5
I have had an Audible account for a few years and some of the stories and narrators are just wonderful. I highly recommend:
All of the Craig Johnson - "Longmire" series read by George Guidall
All of the Craig Alanson series of "Expeditionary Force" read by R.C. Bray
All of the John Sandford "Lucas Davenport" or "Virgil Flowers" series read by Richard Ferrone or Eric Conger
My most recent favorite is "A Gift of Time" by Jerry Merritt, read by Christopher Lane.
Like movies, it is a combination of performance and script. Narrators can make or break the story. Guidall, Bray, Ferrone, Conger and Lane are wonderful narrators for my ear. So much so that I seek books where they narrate.
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Post by Fingerplucked on Feb 3, 2021 4:49:04 GMT -5
Addict here, although I usually get nonfiction books on audible and read fiction for fun the old fashioned way. If you can count reading on a Kindle the “old fashioned way.”
I don’t really have any favorite narrators, although some are certainly better than others. Come to think of it, Obama was the perfect narrator for his latest book. I highly recommend that one for both narration and content.
Speaking of content, I have a few books that I keep downloaded as a reminder to relisten to each year:
How To Be An Antiracist and Stamped From The Beginning by Ibram X Kendi. The former is just what it sounds like, the latter is about the history of racism in America.
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. Good theory on why liberals and conservatives see things differently.
Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry S Lodge. How to turn back the biological clock and improve the quality of life in your 50s and beyond. The main thrust is exercise.
Spark by John J Ratey. Ties in nicely with the above. Talks about benefits of exercise on your mental abilities and mood.
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Post by drlj on Feb 3, 2021 8:22:28 GMT -5
I just cannot get into audible books. I guess I don’t like having someone read to me when I enjoy reading so much myself.
Someone gave us an Audible subscription as a gift and we made it through about 1/3 of a book. Luckily, it was a short subscription.
I know some people enjoy it but it is not for me.
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Post by billhammond on Feb 3, 2021 8:40:29 GMT -5
I just cannot get into audible books. I guess I don’t like having someone read to me when I enjoy reading so much myself. Someone gave us an Audible subscription as a gift and we made it through about 1/3 of a book. Luckily, it was a short subscription. I know some people enjoy it but it is not for me. I would miss all the typos. |
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Post by dradtke on Feb 3, 2021 8:50:06 GMT -5
I just cannot get into audible books. I guess I don’t like having someone read to me when I enjoy reading so much myself. Someone gave us an Audible subscription as a gift and we made it through about 1/3 of a book. Luckily, it was a short subscription. I know some people enjoy it but it is not for me. I would miss all the typos. You'd have to replace them with mispronunciations. |
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Post by John B on Feb 3, 2021 8:54:15 GMT -5
He said "their," instead of "they're!"
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Feb 3, 2021 11:21:38 GMT -5
Fiddlerina is always “reading” audio books. Me, not so much. I think one problem for me is that I rarely read fiction. Fiddlerina’s audio books are predominantly fiction. I’m currently listening to George Musser’s Spooky Action at a Distance which I’m enjoying a great deal but it requires focus. Any interruption throws me off. I generally listen through my hearing aids which have Bluetooth built in, so I’m not tuned in to outside sounds, like Fiddlerina’s voice. Then I don’t know what Fiddlerina said and I don’t know what the reader said. I have to turn off the audio book, ask Fiddlerina what she said, then try to get back into the audio book. Hard copy books are easier in this regard and I get to control the pace. I can drift off thinking about some aspect of what I’m reading without losing the next passage. Fiddlerina uses free audio book services like LibriVox or sale books through Kobo or BookBub. |
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Post by RickW on Feb 3, 2021 15:24:35 GMT -5
I finally listened to one this year. The major problem I have is how long it takes to get through them. I’d like to try one where they have a full ensemble cast; the one I read was one guy, and it was okay, but I gather the direction is to have more of a production, where they have different voices for all the characters. Lord of the Rings is apparently quite spectacular.
But reading for me is reading. I like to sit with a book/kindle/ipad.
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Post by epaul on Feb 3, 2021 15:34:12 GMT -5
Wife likes them, I don't.
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Post by epaul on Feb 3, 2021 15:38:51 GMT -5
I did some audio books back in the day. The Special Ed teacher at the school asked me if I would make a tape of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I did and it was a hit. She used it for years. I did Charlotte's Web for her later. It was fun.
I loved reading to the kids. I hope they get me some grandchildren while I still have my marbles.
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Post by millring on Feb 3, 2021 17:22:17 GMT -5
I listen to scores of books every year and have since books were being put in libraries in cassette format. I could get lost in a day's work listening to books while at the wheel. And traveling to art fairs, books were a necessity. If I started I'd never stop listing great ones. Peace Like A River and all the Ivan Doig books are quite possibly better as audio books. I probably would never have caught the concept, nor stuck with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close had I not had it read to me. I've found some great one-off gems like Jim Lynch's "Highest Tide". Pat Conroy's books -- The Water is Wide and Beach Music are both fantastic.
And, yes, the Longmire series is perfectly characterized by Guidall. As good as George is, though, Scot Brick is that bad. Many a pretty good novel has been ruined by Scott Brick's over-the-top delivery.
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Post by dradtke on Feb 3, 2021 17:37:13 GMT -5
Wife likes them, I don't. I can think of any number of things where that applies. |
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Post by coachdoc on Feb 3, 2021 21:02:27 GMT -5
I read on a Kindle app on my iPhone.
Most of my listening is to Willie’s Roadhouse on Sirius CM.
Just recently picked up a couple Terry Pratchett Disc World books to reread on my phone.
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Post by david on Feb 3, 2021 21:06:08 GMT -5
I listen to scores of books every year and have since books were being put in libraries in cassette format. I could get lost in a day's work listening to books while at the wheel. And traveling to art fairs, books were a necessity. If I started I'd never stop listing great ones. Peace Like A River and all the Ivan Doig books are quite possibly better as audio books. I probably would never have caught the concept, nor stuck with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close had I not had it read to me. I've found some great one-off gems like Jim Lynch's "Highest Tide". Pat Conroy's books -- The Water is Wide and Beach Music are both fantastic. And, yes, the Longmire series is perfectly characterized by Guidall. As good as George is, though, Scot Brick is that bad. Many a pretty good novel has been ruined by Scott Brick's over-the-top delivery. Thanks John. I will check those out (heh). I got hooked on them for my 30 to 40 minute drive to and from work. They ended my frustration with traffic. I still get a lot of audio books from our local public library. I can check them out for 21 days, longer if no one else is waiting for the title. |
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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Feb 3, 2021 21:58:36 GMT -5
I used to listen to "Dick Estell, Radio Reader" from Michigan State University on a local NPR station. It was a half hour program that coincided with my lunch time. It took a number of days for him to get through a book and I never caught all of the episodes, so not a great way to take in a book.
That's my only experience with books being read to me since I was a little boy.
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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Feb 3, 2021 22:04:35 GMT -5
I listen to scores of books every year and have since books were being put in libraries in cassette format. I could get lost in a day's work listening to books while at the wheel. And traveling to art fairs, books were a necessity. If I started I'd never stop listing great ones. Peace Like A River and all the Ivan Doig books are quite possibly better as audio books. I probably would never have caught the concept, nor stuck with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close had I not had it read to me. I've found some great one-off gems like Jim Lynch's "Highest Tide". Pat Conroy's books -- The Water is Wide and Beach Music are both fantastic. And, yes, the Longmire series is perfectly characterized by Guidall. As good as George is, though, Scot Brick is that bad. Many a pretty good novel has been ruined by Scott Brick's over-the-top delivery. Thanks John. I will check those out (heh). I got hooked on them for my 30 to 40 minute drive to and from work. They ended my frustration with traffic. I still get a lot of audio books from our local public library. I can check them out for 21 days, longer if no one else is waiting for the title. 30 to 40 minute drive to Work? What the heck? You live like maybe seven minutes from your office. Unless you moved the office to downtown Portland. Mike |
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Post by epaul on Feb 3, 2021 23:19:47 GMT -5
One of these days there will be a Silver Alert.
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Post by John B on Feb 4, 2021 8:08:11 GMT -5
One of these days there will be a Silver Alert. We've had them for years. We have more silver than amber. |
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Post by david on Feb 5, 2021 0:54:02 GMT -5
Thanks John. I will check those out (heh). I got hooked on them for my 30 to 40 minute drive to and from work. They ended my frustration with traffic. I still get a lot of audio books from our local public library. I can check them out for 21 days, longer if no one else is waiting for the title. 30 to 40 minute drive to Work? What the heck? You live like maybe seven minutes from your office. Unless you moved the office to downtown Portland. Mike There are so many potential turns between my house and my office. And there are the lights. No one says you must go when the light is green. When I come to an interesting intersection, I like to just hang there for a few minutes. Then there are times when my foot is comfortably resting on the brake pedal. You know how you sometimes just cannot get comfortable no matter how you position your feet? You need to counter those times by staying in a comfortable position when you find it. People need to slow down and just enjoy life, especially with a good book. Driving does not require constant motion. Some folks brag about how quick they get from point A to point B. I do not understand that at all. |
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Post by Marshall on Feb 5, 2021 8:20:59 GMT -5
I read on a Kindle app on my iPhone. Most of my listening is to Willie’s Roadhouse on Sirius CM. Just recently picked up a couple Terry Pratchett Disc World books to reread on my phone. I read Kindle on my phone. I love the vocabulary function. Tap on a word you're not sure of and the definition pops up. Cool. Plus I love highlighting memorable passages. I do love audio books for long drives. Made the trip from Duluth to Chicago with one pit stop for gas and you-know-what. Can't remember a thing about the drive. But I had to sit in the driveway for a while at home to finish the book. But yes, the narrator makes all the difference. I've had some mediocre ones that I could never get into. Is there an audio version of War and Peace?
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