Audio Books: I have seen the light (or heard it, if you will…)
Ok. So I am cough cough years old (excuse me, ah, something in my throat :) ) and have never, until very recently, understood the allure of audio books. I thought because I tend to read things very quickly that the slower pace of the books would bore me and make me lose interest.
But I’ve heard such good things about a few series, that I just decided to try a couple. It’s not like it cost me anything but time (thank you, NPL!). First up on the docket – my Harrys. Harry Potter and Harry Dresden.
The Harry Potter series (by JK Rowling) is read by the illustrious Jim Dale who somehow manages to create a different timbre of voice for each of the myriad number of characters he presents. I have read the print books numerous times and have the movies memorized, but it is still fun to hear them read to me in my car as I drive to work. And somehow I manage to find something new every now and again. The library has all the HP books on audio, so feel free to start listening today!
With Harry Dresden (by Jim Butcher), on the other hand, we were a little more selective in purchasing. You can’t get the first couple of books on audio from us, but the back half of the series is just waiting on you to check them out. This series is read by James Marsters – or Spike of Buffy fame, if you will. He even uses his Spike voice when he reads Bob’s parts, which is awesome. Marsters has that dry wit that totally works for Harry and I’ve long thought these two were a match made in heaven, and now I can see that I wasn’t wrong. Good times.
I will admit that I have read all of these books before I listened to them, and I’m not sure I could tackle an audio book for a first “read.” There are times when I find my mind wandering, which doesn’t matter so much if you already know the story. Also, I can guarantee that the reason I like these so much is directly attributable to the reader. If there was someone not quite as talented, that would be a complete turn-off for me (as would smelly feet and an overinflated sense of ego, but I digress…).
After I finish with the Harrys, I’m going to listen to Paolini’s Eragon and Eldest to refresh my memory before I start Brisingr. We’ll see how that works out with a new reader. Fingers crossed…
So you may now consider me convinced (partially, at least) that audio books are good. My name is Amanda, and I am an official audio book convert (more or less…).
Amanda
Themocracy
You may be spoiled if your initial exposure to audiobooks is the HP series and the narration of Jim Dale. The guy is amazing, inventive and certainly deserves his awards for his skill in bringing these books alive! Jim Dale is the best.
Phil K.