Then a wonderful event occurred- Dad discovered audio books. Soon our trips were filled with Agatha Christie and Edgar Allen Poe tales, and on one particular rainy and haunted trip from Virginia to Pennsylvania we listened to Stephen King's The Mist. Not only did we both enjoy the stories but the audio books gave us something to talk about when we stopped for food. The narrator's voice filled the car and helped bridge the distance between father and daughter. They are some of the best memories I have of spending one on one time with my father. I didn't know then that he would be gone in less than 10 years.I continued to listen to the occasional audio book long after the trips to PA were done with (we ended up joining my mom when it was clear that grandfather would need care as well), but it's only been in recent years that I've listened on a regular basis. This is partly my fault, I have a horrible habit of not returning books on time, so I'm on most libraries Most Wanted lists which makes it difficult to check audio books out. Then a few years ago Walmart began offering audio books at fairly reasonable prices, and my interest was newly sparked.
iTunes furthered my audio book love affair. Happy was the day when I finished my collection of Harry Potter audio books, Jim Dale is just fabulous as he narrates the story of the Boy Who Lived. As a somewhat fan of Dean Koontz, he totally won my forever adoration with his audio book series on Odd Thomas narrated by the wonderful David Aaron Baker. Of course there are some narrators who aren't capable of capturing the magic of a certain book, but I forgive them. I would love to get paid to read out loud. Sadly, no one's come knocking.
I would own thousand of audio books were it possible, but for some reason the prices of these audio goodies are completely out of balance. Audio books of recent bestsellers and new releases are often priced between $39.99 to $59.99. I don't mind paying for a good product, but I can't afford those prices. I believe if they would make the prices more reasonable then audio books would sell much better. How great would a family trip be if the whole car was filled with magical tales told in rich tones instead of whiny choruses of "Are we there yet?" or "Don't make me pull this car over!".
Thankfully there's a discount bin for audio books, both online and in book stores. Today I bought The Historian and The Almost Moon for less than ten bucks each. The Historian is now my October driving companion. I can't wait for a rainy day- I'll just drive and drive and drive... I listen to audio books on my iPod as well, but for whatever reason I prefer listening while driving.
How do you feel about audio books? Any favorites? If you could record one or two books yourself, what would they be? Personally I would love to read The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King or anything by Gail Carson Levine.
I, too, adore audiobooks. Luckily, I'm not on the most wanted list at my library and since it is part of a network of libraries I can also take part in the inter-library loan, so there are gads of audiobooks at my fingertips...heaven. I never thought I would be an audiobook fan...I thought it would be betrayal of my beloved print books. But when I came to terms with the fact that it is OK to enjoy both, I went crazy. Especially after I discovered the joy of listening on my 50 min. drive one way to work every day. My drive is no longer that long, but I still listen religiously.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd want to narrate a book myself, mostly because I don't like the sound of my own voice. But there are many narrators I think do a phenomenal job. Of course George Guidall is my favorite living narrator. Mark Hammer passed away a couple of years ago, but he read the Dave Robicheaux novels like no other. I firmly believe that Hammer is precisely what Robicheaux would have sounded like. Recently I've listened to Carolyn McCormick who I think is a wonderful narrator as well. And in some cases, a narrator is wonderful for a given role but not necessarily all roles. Ralph Cosham narrates the Three Pines series by Louise Penny. And he does a magnificent job with all of those novels.
Audiobooks are simply wonderful!
$40 for an audiobook is indeed ridiculous, which is why I get all of mine from the library. There's also Audible, which has most (if not all) new releases plus a ton of older ones, and I think their cheapest plan (it's monthly subscriptions) is 2 audiobooks for basically $11? I don't know any of the other details since I don't use them myself (except for their occasional freebies), but it might be worth checking out if you're desperate for more audiobooks! :D
ReplyDeleteI have used audible in the past, but I don't have a month to month thing with them- mostly because my stupid computer has lost the ability to burn cds. And while I do listen to audio books on my iPod, my favorite place to listen is in the car. And I do have one of those thingamajigs that turns your iPod into a radio station, but the quality is all over the place as you drive, and sadly the car I drive now has no tape deck.
ReplyDeleteI am really digging the Historian- they do separate actors/actresses for all the main characters and voices- including my girl Joanne Whalley (used to be Joanne Whalley Kilmer- she was married to Val Kilmer back in the Willow days).