Monday, June 6, 2011

Audiobook Week: 2010-2011, Your Audiobook Year

Are you new to audiobooks in the last year? Have you been listening to them forever but discovered something new this year? Favorite titles? New times/places to listen? This is your chance to introduce yourself and your general listening experience.

I have been listening to audiobooks for about three years. Not sure what got me started but once I did I was hooked. I am pretty easy to please but have found that I prefer books narrated by a single, professional reader. It flows better for me with one voice changing ever so slightly for the different characters than more than one voice which I find somewhat jarring. I also have come to appreciate a professional narrator as some of the author-read books have been almost intolerable. (There are exceptions to this - David Sedaris comes right to mind as an author who does an outstanding job reading his books.)

I particpate in the audiobook challenge over at Teresa's Reading Corner although I am often negligent about posting my reviews!

8 comments:

Erotic Horizon said...

Lovely to read your POV on audio - narrators are a hit and miss for me - but I agree with you on the single narrator thing..

I think regional accents are more a problem for me - than literally the narrator being professional or not...

Cool blog - lovely visiting...

:)

Kristin said...

I've listened to both single narrator books and multi-narrator books and like book. I think it really comes down to the voice(s) of the narrator(s). I haven't listened to any read by the author yet.

My intro post can be found here.

Jen - devourer of books said...

I agree, most authors should not narrate their own books. Memoirs are often - but NOT always - an exception. I can excuse a voice I don't love if the author is narrating his or her own memoir and brings good emotion to it, but I listened to one memoir that should have been quite dramatic and the author was almost mind-numbing narrating it.

Teresa said...

The author as a narrator is tough. Joshilyn Jackson read Backseat Saits and did a great job. There was another that I listened to that was terrible. It is really hit or miss.

JoAnn said...

There are only a few authors that are great readers, too. David Sedaris is fantastic!

bermudaonion said...

I agree with you - a professional reader is generally a must. I'm listening to a book that is being read by the author and I can't help but wonder who thought that was a good idea.

Molly (Restless Reader) said...

I agree with you - many audiobooks have failed me because of the quality of the narrator.

Literate Housewife said...

I have only read two books narrated by a cast and they were The Help and Guernsey. They worked out fine for me because the narrators changed by chapter. I'll have to give more of a performance read a try to see what I think.