Audiobooks and I have never been copacetic. I can count on one hand the number of audiobooks I have tried, and it takes very few fingers to count the number I enjoyed. For the most part, I find audio too slow (I can read 10 times as fast as someone can speak); I am rarely in a position where I can listen to audio, meaning it takes even longer to finish the book; I can't stand not being able to easily flip back and re-read a section or knowing how much of the book is left; and I am easily distracted when listening.
I listened to
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen years ago when I was on one of those working out sprees, and while I didn't particularly enjoy it, I did manage to listen to the whole thing. I think this happened well before my blogging days (which is saying something since I've been blogging for 7 years) so I don't have a review of it. I can remember being rather annoyed with how long it was taking me, so I started reading the book when I was at home and listening at the gym. Going back and forth like that was a giant pain in my ass, and despite my desire to just read it, I forced myself to listen. And I was bored. I ended up reading the book after I'd already listened, and the difference in enjoyment was tremendous.
Next I listened to
Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman. I did enjoy this one, but it was designed to be a play for radio, so the experience was a bit different. After that I remember starting a YAL scifi audio - the name escapes me - but I didn't make it very far before giving up.
Next I went for
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. This was the first book I "enjoyed" listening to, but I couldn't finish it because the seductive quality of Jeremy Irons' voice combined with the pedophilic yuckiness creeped me out too much. Still, it was a step in the right direction.
Then comes
Andy Weir's The Martian which rocked my world. I adored it, and while I can't be 100% positive, I am reasonably sure I enjoyed listening more than I would have enjoyed reading. The big question is why. What is it about this particular book that worked so well for me on audio? So I thought about it and here are my ideas:
Possible Reasons Some Audio Work Better For Me (Based on Enjoying Lolita and The Martian)
- Perfect Voices for Main Characters: Seriously, Irons and Bray did a fantastic job voicing these characters. Their voices are so well suited to the main characters
- Focus on First-person Narration and Monologue: Both books are primarily first-person narration from the perspective of very unique characters.
- Modern Speech: It's possible I just don't like listening to books written in old-timey speech.
That's all I've got right now. Honestly, it's hard to pin down. I'm clearly just remarkably picky about audiobooks. When I do like them, however, I LOVE THEM. I'm not even sure what to do with myself while driving now that I've finished The Martian...
...which is why I am begging you to do my thinking for me and suggest some audios you think I will love. What do you suggest based on my (possible) preferences?
I often have trouble with novels on audio; I've probably DNF'ed more than I have finished. They're too slow and I get distracted. I prefer to listen to non-fiction; it feels more like I'm listening to an extremely long podcast. I find it easier to listen to in small spurts that may be far apart, since there isn't a plot to keep track of.
ReplyDeleteSee I am the exact opposite. Audio goes way faster for me, and I can listen when I am doing other things (and I'm always doing other things). It is hard to come up with perfect audios because there are so damned many. Seriously. Like all the Tana French books have Irish narrators and the accent! OMG! Where'd You Go Bernadette is an amazing audio...go listen to that one NOW. Stephen King's audios are all very good because he is an audio addict and I swear he screens them. The new mystery series by J.K. Rowling are superb. The Tina Fey book Bossypants! I could go on and on.
ReplyDeleteAudio is totally about the narrator. TOTALLY. That, and the right type of story.
ReplyDeleteMost of the books I've enjoyed the most via audiobook are kids' titles. When your daughter gets a little older, they can be a lot of fun in the car.
Two adult audiobooks I liked are Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (read by Edward Hermann) and Orange Mint & Honey by Carleen Brice (read by Cherise Booth).
Memoirs also tend to be good on audio--especially comedic ones (Ellen's is hilarious; I liked Tina Fey's Bossypants way better via audio).
Two of my favorite narrators are Gerard Doyle and Ramón de Ocampo. I would listen to just about anything either of them read.
If you're listening on your phone, you can usually increase the speed so it's not so slow. I usually get my books on CD from the library, so I haven't experimented with that yet.
I have a love/hate relationship with audiobooks too. Pretty much have the same reasons as well. When I do listen to audio books, they have to be "fluff" novels. Something I don't have to pay a whole lot of attention. A nonfiction audio that I really enjoyed was A Year of Living Biblically. I laughed my ass off while cooking dinner many a night.
ReplyDeleteI am such an audio fan. There's something about someone telling you a story that makes me experience it in a whole new way. I've found that I particularly love nonfiction on audio. I enjoy learning about a new topic more in that format, while I enjoy sitting down and reading a hard copy of a fat novel. I second Sandy's recommendations. Also, The Secret Life of Bees, anything read by Neil Gaiman (his voice is butter) and the Flavia de Luce novels.
ReplyDeleteI just thought of another one: Ready Player One is so good on audio!
ReplyDeleteAudios are so personal! I know I cannot listen to classics or literary fiction via audio. I'm MUCH better with thrillers, mysteries, horror, romantic comedies, and the like. Narrators can completely break an audiobook for me, but it means the story sucks too IMO. Then again, Simon Vance, whom everyone in the reading world seems to worship frankly makes me fall asleep while listening.
ReplyDeleteNarrators I love:
Will Wheaton - Ready Player One is one of my all-time favorite audiobooks but his narration of Redshirts had me laughing so hard I was crying.
James Marsters - I adore his narration. His production of The Importance of Being Earnest is simply wonderful, and his Jim Butcher/Harry Dresden series performances are highlights of my year.
Anyone narrating a novel by Stephen King - He simply gets the best narrators. They may not seem like they work at first but once you get into the stories, you realize just how perfect they are.
Amanda Ronconi - She tends to partner with Molly Harper in paranormal romcoms, but she has got a sassy side to her that I just love.
Davina Porter and the Outlander series - Seriously, she is the ONLY reason I continue with the series. I would probably through the books across the room if I had to read them. Somehow, she takes the crappy dialogue and makes it magical.
Celeb memoirs voiced by the celebs themselves - These work really well via audio (Tina Fey, Rob Lowe, Amy Poehler, Alan Cumming, Jen Lancaster, etc.). There is something uniquely intimate about listening to them tell their own stories that makes them very special.
There are so many others I've enjoyed over the years, but other than the ones I've already mentioned, I don't specifically follow narrators. As I mentioned, I tend to stick to specific genres when listening to audiobooks.
I am usually the same way. I only do audio for road trips or workout binges. Whispers you has gotten me a little more invested in audio because I can listen on my commute and my Kindle will sync up when I want to switch to reading.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the narrator of Rainbow Rowell books. I usually read them all the way through and then listen to them. It's amazing how much extra I pick up listening to audio.
I got nothing. I'm not a big audiobook guy myself, so I can't offer recommendations. BUT do let me know the good ones you find, so I can borrow them from the library for future long car trips.
ReplyDeleteI was giggling reading the beginning of this post - that's exactly how I feel! I have SUCH a hard time with audiobooks. I think the only ones I love are the Harry Potter books read by Stephen Fry. He's just so into it, and his voices are great! I also remember listening to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on BBC radio (I think) when I was a kid, which was also very entertaining!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should try some memoirs on audio? That might address the first-person narration and the modern speech preferences. I recently listened to Amy Poehler's new book, and Rob Lowe's first book, Stories I Only Tell My Friends. Both of those are nice because they don't have "plot," more a series of essays and thoughts.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, the reason I've come to really love audiobooks is because they do make me slow down, even listening to them on 2x speed. Now, some of them are so compelling that I can't stop listening (Fangirl comes to mind), so I finish them quickly anyway, but mostly, I can listen to them over time. I've discovered that the narrator is very important to me, and that I really hate listening to most classics or literary books on audio. Nonfiction is much better on audio for me, and I get through more of it than I would in print. Some of my favorite audiobooks, with fantastic narrators, have included Howl's Moving Castle, The Host, all of the Raven Cycle books, Fangirl, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Anansi Boys...actually, you know what? I have a directory page with all the audiobooks I've listened to sorted by narrator, and I've plus-signed the really good performances: http://thezenleaf.com/directory/audiobooks-by-narrator/
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