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Emil

Posted 2015-11-01 10:33 PM (#11670)
Subject: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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Being a busy farmer spending a lot of time in the John Deere, from early morning till often quite late, I don't have the luxury of extra time for reading. It's not that I can't read at all, but we SF/F/H afficionados usually are obsessive about reading and it's this obsession that is now seriously curtailed by my farming activities. Fortunately the John Deere has a cabin with air-conditioner and a stereo system. Hence much of my chosen reading is done ... well ... eh ... through listening.

Of course, having an uncle in the Netherlands that is equally obsessive about our genre, helps. As it is, getting hold of SF/F/H reading material in Namibia is hard, and audiobooks even harder, but the uncle shares through Dropbox and I'm now rarely without listening options.

I'm confident that this is also the case with many others, spending time commuting, or in the gym, or just driving long distances, all of which likely interfere with reading hardcopy text. This challenge is for you too.

It is straightforward. Listen to anything genre related and review not only the story, but also the narration. And if not, well, just have fun.

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-11-02 11:42 AM (#11677 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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This is an awesome challenge! 90% of the reading I do is via audiobooks. While I'm I spend my time commuting, working out or even working, I'm listening to a book. I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, and we have a pretty good library system here. There are a a couple of apps called Hoopla & Overdrive that they use where I am able to "check out" the digital files and download them to my phone. And not just audiobooks but ebooks and video, too. If anyone has these programs available in their area, I highly recommend them.

Thank you, Emil. I feel like this challenge was made for me!

And I like the idea of reviewing the narration, as well. It's so important! I just posted on another thread about the audiobook version of Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. I couldn't get through the first few chapters. It wasn't the book, it was the delivery. The narrator had this weird inflection when she was talking and I realized that she was using the tonality of an ancillary; flat, and emotionless with an oddly rising inflection of voice at the end of every sentence. Artistically, I really appreciated that level of dedication to world creating and character of the audiobook production but it was so difficult to listen to for any extended period of time. The narrator was also female so I guess that influenced my visual of the character of Breq from the get go, too, even when I stopped listening to the book and read it instead. Everyone in the Radch is referred to in the feminine regardless of gender, making the character's actual genders obscured through most of the book.

Edited by devilinlaw 2015-11-02 11:50 AM

spectru

Posted 2015-11-03 3:40 PM (#11694 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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In one of the forum threads related to a challenge, Administrator had suggested that an audiobook challenge would be a good thing. I hadn't expected it until 2016, though. I hear a lot of audiobooks and I've completed my other challenges, So, I'm in.

15 audiobooks in 14 months - piece o' cake.

I'll begin with the one I started yesterday, the third book in a trilogy. I read the first two books and never would have gotten the pronunciation of some (most) of the names. Now I know how they are pronounced, but if I had heard the previous books, I couldn't have guessed at their spelling.

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-11-03 4:50 PM (#11699 - in reply to #11694)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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spectru - 2015-11-03 1:40 PM
I'll begin with the one I started yesterday, the third book in a trilogy. I read the first two books and never would have gotten the pronunciation of some (most) of the names. Now I know how they are pronounced, but if I had heard the previous books, I couldn't have guessed at their spelling.

That is an inherent risk when it comes to audiobooks. I listened to the Hunger Games series and had no idea how any of the names were spelled until I asked my significant other, who has a general aversion to audiobooks, and who is a huge fan of the series. She read them, I listened to them and it was interesting to compare notes on pronunciations and spelling. I can tell you for sure that I would have had a tough time with some of the names in the Ringworld books had I read and not listened to them.

Emil

Posted 2015-11-04 2:06 PM (#11711 - in reply to #11677)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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devilinlaw - 2015-11-03 7:42 AM

And I like the idea of reviewing the narration, as well. It's so important! I just posted on another thread about the audiobook version of Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. I couldn't get through the first few chapters. It wasn't the book, it was the delivery. The narrator had this weird inflection when she was talking and I realized that she was using the tonality of an ancillary; flat, and emotionless with an oddly rising inflection of voice at the end of every sentence. Artistically, I really appreciated that level of dedication to world creating and character of the audiobook production but it was so difficult to listen to for any extended period of time. The narrator was also female so I guess that influenced my visual of the character of Breq from the get go, too, even when I stopped listening to the book and read it instead. Everyone in the Radch is referred to in the feminine regardless of gender, making the character's actual genders obscured through most of the book.

Ancillary Justice was one of the first books I listened to in the tractor! Can't recall the tonality of the narrator now, but I do remember struggling getting into it and ultimately settled for the print copy, which was a gift from my mother. I guess the narration could have been to blame. I did listen to Ancillary Sword in ts totality, though, and found that one a lot more accessible. Over the next couple of weeks, as we are heading into maize planting season in Namibia, I'll be listening to Ancillary Mercy as well.

You can tell your partner that I too had a strong aversion toward audiobooks. That changed when I found out the John Deere had a stereo system

Emil

Posted 2015-11-04 2:12 PM (#11712 - in reply to #11694)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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spectru - 2015-11-04 11:40 AM

In one of the forum threads related to a challenge, Administrator had suggested that an audiobook challenge would be a good thing. I hadn't expected it until 2016, though. I hear a lot of audiobooks and I've completed my other challenges, So, I'm in.

15 audiobooks in 14 months - piece o' cake.

Yeh, Dave and I have been chatting here and there about an audiobook challenge. So I just decided to start it seeing that about 60% of my reading is now done via ... err ... listening.

15 isn't much when you consider that I can spend up to 12 hours in the tractor when working the fields, and then often for a few days. It is easy to get in three or four audiobooks by the time I'm finished. But then I do have a few Neal Stephenson's on my list, and they are ... well ... long!

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-11-04 4:39 PM (#11714 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: RE: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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Just finished listening to "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter Miller. I apparently had some stuff to say about it because my review turned out to be pretty long (for me, anyway). Anyone interested can read it here:

https://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel_review.asp?ID=7476

Scott Laz

Posted 2015-11-05 5:27 PM (#11716 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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No tractor, but my yard is looking better since I started listening to audiobooks, as they make weeding, etc. much more tolerable!

And Emil, speaking of Stephenson, I'm a little over halfway through Cryptonomicon, which has got to be at least 40 hours long. I'm always reluctant to commit to superlong books, but this one has been worth the time so far...

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-11-11 1:51 AM (#11794 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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To keep things rolling right along, I have now finished:
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, narrated by (now Sir) Lenny Henry - fun book, great narration
Time is the Fire: The Best of Connie Willis, narrated by a full cast - each separate story is narrated by a different voice actor giving each story it's own distinct feel
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, narrated by Scott Brick - timeless book but I've found that I'm not a huge fan of Brick's

spectru

Posted 2015-11-15 1:14 PM (#11832 - in reply to #11794)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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devilinlaw - 2015-11-11 2:51 AM To keep things rolling right along, I have now finished: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, narrated by (now Sir) Lenny Henry - fun book, great narration Time is the Fire: The Best of Connie Willis, narrated by a full cast - each separate story is narrated by a different voice actor giving each story it's own distinct feel The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, narrated by Scott Brick - timeless book but I've found that I'm not a huge fan of Brick's

My spouse and I listen to audiobooks when we travel, instead of listening to the car radio. Neil Gaiman has become a favorite of hers because most of them are read by the author and she loves the sound of his voice. Anansi boys is on our list to hear, but she is reticent because it isn't narrated by Gaiman himself.

Brick reads a lot of science fiction. While he isn't a favorite of mine, he usually does an acceptable performance. I heard The Martian Chronicles read by Ray Bradbury. I find that in most cases, (with the exception of Gaiman, perhaps) the author isn't as good a reader as a professional reader would be. This was the case, IMHO, with The Martian Chronicles read by Bradbury. I read The Martian Chronicles years and years ago and wasn't particularly impressed, so I heard the audiobook more recently. My initial opinion of it wasn't changed. So now I wonder if Brick does a better job than Bradbury in making it live up to its status as an acclaimed classic.

Edited by spectru 2015-11-15 1:15 PM

pizzakarin

Posted 2015-11-16 8:13 AM (#11837 - in reply to #11832)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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There is a recording of The Martian Chronicles read by Steven Hoye. It is what made me fall in love with the stories. He has just enough of a 50s radio voice to make the stories retrofuturistic instead of feeling dated. His voice and reading style smoothed over a lot of the little issues I probably would have had in print.

Administrator

Posted 2015-11-16 4:47 PM (#11847 - in reply to #11837)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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pizzakarin - 2015-11-16 8:13 AM There is a recording of The Martian Chronicles read by Steven Hoye. It is what made me fall in love with the stories. He has just enough of a 50s radio voice to make the stories retrofuturistic instead of feeling dated. His voice and reading style smoothed over a lot of the little issues I probably would have had in print.

I went for the version narrated by Mark Boyett for the same reason you liked Hoye - that 50s radio vibe. I toyed with the radio dramatization version too but opted for the single voice for my first read through. What do you all think of the dramatized productions? I really liked the one for Ender's Game and I will definitely try more in future. It really comes down to what I'm in the mood for at the time.

My first read for this challenge is actually a re-read, which I hope counts too. I heard a sample of the narration for Horus Rising, book one of the Horus Heresy and thought I'd like to read that again. It's been some years since I read it on paper and I always seem to get more from a book on audio if I've already read it. Fantastic narration that really fits the theme. I wish Black Library was available on Audible though as they are really expensive.

A rec for those looking for a book with a great narrator that also a real hoot is The Necromancer by Jonathan Howard. This is a case where I don't think I would have enjoyed the book near as much had I just read it. I went back immediately for book 2 but to my horror discovered it was done by a different narrator. I find switching voices in a series to be more annoying than a cover art change in the middle of a run - no matter how excellent it is on it's own.

I've just started Leviathan Wakes which has a good narrator too. It's been on my list for some time and the preview for the ScyFy series, that looks really excellent by the way, has scared me into reading it now before the show comes out.

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-11-16 10:57 PM (#11852 - in reply to #11832)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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spectru - 2015-11-15 11:14 AM

Anansi Boys was made more fun by the narration, I think. Lenny Henry did a fantastic job on the book. I, too, am a huge Gaiman fan and love his narration of his books. I've just recently finished listening to American Gods in a full voice cast production of the 10th Anniversary edition. Gaiman read the "Coming to America" stories himself. Another great audiobook to listen to.

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-11-21 1:35 PM (#11875 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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Just finished The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher, the first book in his new series, The Cinder Spires, and I loved it! And the narration by Euan Morton was great! Sad that this is the only book released in the series but at least I can look forward to rereading it in about a year in preparation of book two.

Edited by devilinlaw 2015-11-21 1:36 PM

Badseedgirl

Posted 2015-11-21 7:48 PM (#11879 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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I have listened to full cast books but have found that I actually prefer the single reader. I'm not sure why. I just finished The Naked Sun read by William Dufris from Penguin Random House Publishing Group. I think these novels from the 50's lend themselves quite well to an audiobook format. I have started Have Space Suit - Will Travel read by Mark Turetsky up next.

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-11-21 8:00 PM (#11880 - in reply to #11879)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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Badseedgirl - 2015-11-21 5:48 PM

I have listened to full cast books but have found that I actually prefer the single reader. I'm not sure why. I just finished The Naked Sun read by William Dufris from Penguin Random House Publishing Group. I think these novels from the 50's lend themselves quite well to an audiobook format. I have started Have Space Suit - Will Travel read by Mark Turetsky up next.

I listened to Have Space Suit - Will Travel in a full cast audio a couple of months ago. Everyone had the the appropriate "gee whiz" kind of delivery suited to the feel of the book. It was the math that I had a hard time with...the lots and lots of math. I know that Heinlein had an ax to grind about education in the US (as seen by a few of the rants of Kip's father in the book) but it at times seemed like it was a textbook instead of a juvenile science fiction romp, lol.

spectru

Posted 2015-11-21 8:20 PM (#11881 - in reply to #11880)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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devilinlaw - 2015-11-21 9:00 PM

Badseedgirl - 2015-11-21 5:48 PM I have listened to full cast books but have found that I actually prefer the single reader. I'm not sure why. I just finished The Naked Sun read by William Dufris from Penguin Random House Publishing Group. I think these novels from the 50's lend themselves quite well to an audiobook format. I have started Have Space Suit - Will Travel read by Mark Turetsky up next.

I also heard that version of Have Space Suit Will Travel. Some of the cast were kids, or at least they sounded like kids, which is appropriate I suppose since the book was aimed at young readers. But I agree with you in that I prefer a single reader over a cast. On occasion an audio book is read by multiple readers, but not as a cast. Ender's Game read by Stefan Rudnicki et al is an example.

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-11-22 6:25 PM (#11886 - in reply to #11881)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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The Star Wars audiobooks add a lot to the listening experience, including sound and voice effects and even background music at times. And they generally have good narrators, even if the books themselves aren't all 100% fantastic. There are a big number of abridged audiobooks in the Star Wars listening library, too, though, that I refuse to listen to. Reading (or listening to) an abridged book is not reading what the author wrote. I have the same problem watching full screen DVDs or VHS cassettes, lol. I'm missing the edges of the action and pan and scan is just terrible and obvious. Sorry...going on a bit of a rant. Lol. That's probably why I also prefer director's cuts of films usually, because it was their original vision. Not that cut material necessarily makes the film better than the uncut, but it was still the director's original vision, what he wanted to say.

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-11-28 1:20 PM (#11951 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: RE: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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Finished The Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons. The narration by David Pittu was fantastic but the book itself was a bit meandering and I'm not sure it really succeeded in what it was trying to do. It felt pretty unwieldy and bloated, but apparently it was supposed to. I guess it's suppose to be a literary mash-up of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and novelist Henry James' works.

spectru

Posted 2015-11-29 11:09 AM (#11985 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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I just heard my second Robert A Heinlein audio book this month read by Bronson Pinchot. The first was Glory Days - not recommended - and now I have just finished Assignment in Eternity. As far as I have been able to determine, Pinchot has narrated well over a hundred audio books, including two by Heinlein, which just by happenstance I happened to read one after the other. Pinchot's reading was good but not memorable.

spectru

Posted 2015-12-02 4:55 PM (#12036 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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Robert A Heinlein - The Rolling Stones

This is a good, old-fashioned, family space opera. clearly intended for a younger audience -this is one of Heinlein's juvenile series- a fun read nevertheless. I heard the audio book by Full Cast Audio, the same company that did Have Space Suit, Will Travel. It may even have been the same cast. They did a pretty good job, (On par with the cast at your local dinner theater) except for the youngest boy in the Stone family, who sounded like a little kid in The Simpsons cartoon show.

Grandmother Hazel is a recurring character, playing a major role as a young woman in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, published 13 years later. She also appears in a couple of other Heinlein novels.

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-12-02 5:21 PM (#12040 - in reply to #12036)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney

Read by Kistoffer Tabori, son of Don Siegel, director of the 1956 film version. The book was okay as a novel, short and nothing that blew my socks off. Tabori's cadence was a bit strange during portions of the narration and I can't say I was a huge fan. Added was a brief interview of Tabori talking about his father's work on the film.

spectru

Posted 2015-12-02 5:30 PM (#12041 - in reply to #12040)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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devilinlaw - 2015-12-02 6:21 PM The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney Read by Kistoffer Tabori, son of Don Siegel, director of the 1956 film version. The book was okay as a novel, short and nothing that blew my socks off. Tabori's cadence was a bit strange during portions of the narration and I can't say I was a huge fan. Added was a brief interview of Tabori talking about his father's work on the film.

I heard the same audiobook. Here's an excerpt from my review from March 2013: "I heard the audiobook version read by Kristoffer Tabori, the son of Don Segal, who directed the 1955 movie. Tabori did an absolutely first rate job of it."

devilinlaw

Posted 2015-12-02 5:44 PM (#12042 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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The characters seemed to be do a lot of running around for little to no purpose. They clear out of town, spend the night in a motel, then go back to town. The only thing that happened was that Bennell and Becky have sex!

What bothered me about Tabori's delivery is the way that he rushed sentences together as if there were no periods between them, especially when it came to delivering dialogue. Certainly not the worst book to read or audiobook to listen to but I've read better invasion stories and have heard better narration.

Badseedgirl

Posted 2015-12-03 8:10 AM (#12046 - in reply to #11670)
Subject: Re: Audiobook Reading Challenge 2015 - 2016

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The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov

Read by William Dufris. I really enjoyed the audiobook, but that may have been because I just enjoyed the book itself. Interesting factoid, Dufris was the original voice of "Bob The Builder"

Have Space Suit - Will Travel Robert Heinlein

Read by Mark Turetsky. This was a well read audiobook. Mr. Turetsky did not try to do a "female" voice but did modulate his normal reading tone up when speaking in the female characters voices. I enjoyed the reading quite a bit, and the story was great!

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